Italy Bike & Boat / Veneto
Tour Dates: Weekly Saturday Departures March – October
Please book early, these tours fill quickly!
This Veneto bike tour (from Venice to Mantova) is entirely in the low lands and the daily cycling stages vary from 30 km to 55 km. Much of the pedaling is along rivers and canals on tarmac cycle paths or roads with a low volume of car traffic.
Starting from Venice, one of the most beautiful towns in the world, this itinerary winds its way along the Mincio and the Po, following the natural course of the longest Italian river. After a wonderful trip from the countryside of the Po Delta the tour finishes in the enchanting Renaissance town of Mantova.
The route has been planned to feature navigation along the Fissero/Bianco canal, which runs parallel to the Po and connects Mantova to the Adriatic Sea. A few weeks in the year, when the waters of the Po are favorable, the barge will navigate along the Po river. This means that some of the overnight stays will be modified. As the water levels change, we will modify some of the daily stretches or embarkation points. These decisions are taken by the boat’s captain.
This s a floating hotel with high quality meals served on board. The typical wooden cabin area and the comfortable air-conditioned living room will welcome you for a well deserved rest after a day on bike.
Tour Difficulty
This is considered an easy tour entirely in the lowlands. The daily cycling stages vary from 30 km to 55 km. Much of the pedalling is along rivers and canals on asphalt cycle paths or roads with a low volume of car traffic. The boat will sail some of the way during breakfast or evening meal to make getting out of the towns easier or to shorten the stages.
- Difficulty: Relatively Flat
- Road Conditions: Smooth & Paved
- Recommended Bike: Hybrid or Electric
Tour Highlights
- Fabulous scenery
- Cultural heritage
- Incredible food and wine
2027 Price aboard Ave Maria Italia or Ave Maria Portegrandi Barges:
(prices are based on double occupancy)
- €1390 standard cabin per person (season 1: departure on Mar 20 & 27)
- €2090 standard cabin per person (season 2: departure on April 3, 10, 17 & 24)
- €2290 standard cabin per person (season 3: departure on May 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29)
- €2090 standard cabin per person (season 4: departure on Jun 5, 12, 19 & 26)
- €1790 standard cabin per person (season 5: departure on July 3, 10, 17, 24, 31, Aug 7, 14 & 21)
- €2390 standard cabin per person (season 6: departure on Aug 28, Sept 4, 11, 18, 25, Oct 2 & 9)
- €2090 standard cabin per person (season 7: departure on Oct 16 & 23)
Ave Maria Portegrandi Capacity: 24 guests – 12 standard double cabins. All cabins have individually controlled air-conditioned and are equipped with comfortable low beds (2.00 m x 0.80 m) and en-suite bathroom facilities with shower, heated towel rail, and two sinks (one in the bathroom and one in the cabin). The cabins can be arranged with either a double bed or two separate beds *possible additional bunk beds in 4 cabins. You’ll also get: large windows, safe deposit box, ample space under the beds for the luggage: H36cm x W112cm x D80cm, sheets and towels, hair dryer, courtesy kit with solid soap and shampoo, and shower cap, mid-week cabin cleaning service and towel change, Schuko bipolar sockets (220V – 50Hz)
Ave Maria Italia Capacity: 31 guests – 4 superior double cabins above deck 11 sq.m, 10 standard double cabins below deck 11 sq.m, 3 lower deck single cabins 7.5 sq.m *most cabins can be arranged with either a double bed or two separate beds *possible additional bunk beds in some cabins. All cabins have an en suite bathroom and individually controlled air conditioning, and sizable windows but only the upper deck cabin windows open. Each cabin also has: comfortable low beds (2.00 m x 0.80 m), safe deposit box, ample space under the beds for the luggage: H36cm x W112cm x D80cm, sheets and towels, hair dryer, courtesy kit with solid soap and shampoo, and shower cap, mid-week cabin cleaning service and towel change, Schuko bipolar sockets (220V – 50Hz)
Supplements:
- Ave Maria Italia Barge ONLY: €280 superior cabin (upper deck with windows that open)
- €80 special diet (gluten-free, dairy-free, lactose-free and vegan diets)
- €130 hybrid bike rental, €310 Electric bike rental, (bringing your own bike is not allowed on this tour)
Price Includes:
- 7 Overnights on the boat
- all breakfasts, and self-made packed lunches
- 6 dinners, drinks excluded
- Welcome drink
- Afternoon snack
- Coffee and tea and other hot drinks on board
- Still and sparkling water dispenser (room temperature or cold water)
- Ice dispenser
- Bike helmet
- App including maps, roadbook, points of interest and GPS tracks
- Digital tour information
- English speaking tour leader within an international group
- Welcome briefing
- Guided visit in Mantua
- Some short walking tours
- Visit of a cheese factory with tasting of typical Grana Padano
- Visit of Museum of Amusement rides and Popular Entertainment
- Grappa and spirits tasting in a typical distillery
- Visit of a historic glass factory on Murano island
- Harbour charges
- Bus transfer Ferrara-Zelo / Ferrara-Adria (4th or 5th day)
Price Does Not Include:
- 1 dinner on day 2
- International Flights
- Beverages on board, including alcoholic beverages
- Museums, fees and extras in general
- Ticket for public transportation in Venice and lagoon (we suggest the ACTV 48h-ticket)
- Access Fee for the ancient city of Venice
- Gratuities – The amount is up to your discretion, we suggest 5-7 % of the cost of the trip.
- Everything not included in the section “Included”
Sample Itinerary
Day 1- Venice
We welcome you aboard your new home-from-home from 5.00 p.m. onwards, and then regroup for the introductory briefing – at 6.00 – with your tour leader, skipper and crew, along with a first refreshing aperitivo. After dinner we can savor Venice at night, now free of the crowds and at her most romantic: Benvenuti a Venezia!
Day 2 – Venice
Following a wander off the beaten track with your tour leader you have the day free to enjoy the city at your own pace. Christened La Serenissima (“The Most Serene”), the Venetian Republic held sway over much of the Mediterranean (and beyond) for centuries – both as a military power and a beacon of culture.
Dinner in Venice not included.
Day 3 – Venice – Pellestrina Island (TRANSFER ferry 15 minutes / BIKE KM 25 / ELEVATION GAIN (M) + 115 – 115)
Leaving Venice behind after a gentle cruise in front of St Mark’s square, our first stop will be on Murano island, where we will visit a historic glass factory, with a glassblowing demonstration by a master artisan. Then our cycling adventure starts on the Lido, the first of two islands we traverse today. Fashionable in high society ever since the Belle Époque, the Lido di Venezia is now home to the International Venice Film Festival and its galaxy of stars. A short island-hop by ferry takes us into another world: Pellestrina, where we ride past the picturesque cottages and boats of this humble fishing backwater. We rejoin our barge just in front of Chioggia – a bustling and colourful fishing hub known as “Little Venice”.
Day 4 – Pellestrina island – Po Delta Nature Reserve – Adria (BIKE 40 km / ELEVATION GAIN (M) + 140 – 140)
We open the day with a stroll through Chioggia, followed perhaps by a visit up the millennial clock tower – the oldest in the world – for some breathtaking views. Weather permitting, we can also bask in the sun at a fine-sand beach nearby: a dip in the Adriatic, a hot savoury piadina – and you are well and truly local! Then onwards into the delta of the life-giving Po. This unique wetland is the prime reserve in Europe for herons and home to a colony of flamingos. We moor for the night in Adria, a key Roman port, once washed by the waters of the sea which bears its name. Adria is also renowned for its Etruscan and Greek heritage. An after-dinner passeggiata into town for a well-earned grappa or gelato is in order.
Day 5 – Adria – Ferrara – Zelo (TRANSFER bus 1 hour 15 minutes / BIKE KM 35 / ELEVATION GAIN (M) + 120 – 115)
After a short cruise we saddle our bikes and, following the Po through farmland and hamlets, we reach Ferrara. Under its ruling family, the Este, this city state
attracted architects, artists and scholars for centuries, pioneering town planning principles that have been emulated worldwide ever since. To this day, Ferrara
University ranks among the best, and the town is dubbed the ”Cycling Capital of Italy”. A private bus and trailer take us back to our floating hotel in Zelo, a sleepy village on the Canal Bianco, the waterway which runs parallel to the Po.
Day 6 – Zelo – Mantua (BIKE 50 km / ELEVATION GAIN (M) + 125 – 115)
This morning we head for the village of Bergantino, home of the distinctive Museum of Amusement rides and Popular Entertainment and its collection of street organs, all expertly restored (and thunderous!). But first things first: we are in the heartland of Grana Padano – the arch-rival of Parmesan – and after visiting the local cheese factory, we enjoy a degustazione of sharp and seasoned Grana, washed down with a glass of Valpolicella. After our customary picnic lunch, we leave Bergantino and follow the river to Ostiglia, famed for its medieval fortress and the fierce fighting that took place here in 1945, as the Allies and partisans drove Hitler’s forces back. We ride on and rejoin our barge at Governolo Lock, where Mantua’s River Mincio flows into the Po. Veering north, we cruise through the lush wetlands that finally emerge into the glorious “lakes” of Mantua.
Day 7 – Mantua Loop Ride (GUIDED VISIT 1 hour 30 minutes / BIKE KM 35 / ELEVATION GAIN (M) + 115 – 115)
A day dedicated to the discovery of this cultural gem, its three picturesque “lakes” formed by the river Mincio and the surrounding countryside. This afternoon we meet our Mantuan guide for a walking tour across the historic centre: starting from Piazza Sordello with its magnificent cathedral and Palazzo Ducale, we will walk through the city centre up to Piazza delle Erbe. Here we will admire the Clock Tower, the Rotonda di S. Lorenzo (the oldest church in town) and the Cathedral of St. Andrew, a jewel of Renaissance art and architecture. We will learn why Mantua, once a City State ruled by the Gonzaga family, is now considered by many as Italy’s “Sleeping Beauty”.
Day 8 – Mantua
Your tour ends after breakfast.