Reviews

Fantastic trip, as described in trip notes … and even better! This is my second bike barge holiday (after a week last Easter in N Holland incl. Texel Island) and I love bike barge formula. Highlights: small ‘family’ ambience aboard the smaller boat Vita Pugna; excellent committed, inspiring and caring tour guide, Tamara, and wonderful crew; delicious home made cuisine at breakfast, tea, dinner; cosy cabins; well planned cycle rides incl coffee stops and nice picnic breaks; night walks at our barge stop off points; interesting ‘off piste’ visits as well as guided tours. We had amazing warm sunshine every day, a bonus! How amazing to approach Venice by boat, bike and ferry from Chioggia, across the Po Wetlands, complete with flamingoes, and moor off the island south of Venice – surely one of the 1001 things to do in a lifetime! Would recommend the direction Mantua to Venice, so the sun is on your back BUT check that Tamara is the tour guide, as the Vita Pugna travels in both directions! Molte grazie, Sara

An excellent holiday from start to finish. The boat crew highly competent and such good cooks, our leader enthusiastic and knowledgable, the boat very well equipped, the cycles in good order and the company fascinating. Our family (4 adults and 2 children, 11 and 7) were fully accepted by a generally middle-aged group of passengers. The ambience was great and I would highly recommend this holiday. Best we’ve had for years.

We did the Mantua to Venice ride on the Vita Pugna, with Tamara as our tour leader. She was wonderful, as were the rest of the crew, all doing everything they could to heighten our enjoyment of the tour. The espresso machine (free, and available all the time) was much appreciated, as were the cakes in the afternoon, and pre dinner drinks and nibbles put out for us. We were treated with great hospitality and generosity. Tamara made the rides very pleasurable, keeping to a pace that we could all do, and taking note of the interests of riders, and pointing out things accordingly. She also took us on some lovely evening walks …the moonlight stroll through Mantua was a highlight. It was a lovely route…riding along canals and rivers, through picturesque villages and towns, and farmland. I would highly recommend this tour.

Jackie and I had an excellent experience last week on your boat. Our food was delicious, the crew as very helpful, friendly and accommodating, and to boat was very nice and cleaned well. We were blessed to have good people on the tour with us – very friendly with no conflicts – and the weather cooperated very nicely. The bikes were very new and in good working order – there were extras in case we had to trade one in. The combination of the good food and nice facilities, a great crew and socializing, and seeing a lot of sites with a little bit of exercising on the bikes made this a memorable trip. We look forward to doing it again in another area Thank You

This was an excellent tour. The accommodation on Magnifique II was extremely comfortable, we had a large cabin on the upper deck with an excellent ensuite. The food and dining experience was second to none, and the captain crew and guide friendly, competent and cheerful at all times. The bikes were of a high standard. We would go again tomorrow!

Amazing boat, great crew that went above and beyond their job to make sure we had a wonderful trip. Thanks to all!

The Magnifique 11 is lovely with comfortable cabins and pleasant staff. My reservations concern the condition of the bikes and the competence of the bike guide. The bike tires were low and needed attention. This was not discovered until after the first day’s 65 KM ride and was brought to attention by a cyclist. The guide handed us a pump but did not help. Be sure to insist the tires are pumped before you begin a tour. Several bikes had either brake or seat issues. (my seat post constantly sank). The guide was disinterested in the welfare of the group, often leaving slower riders behind, who had to find their own way to the boat. This caused considerable anxiety. As biking is why we chose this trip, we expected bikes in good condition and a willing and enthusiastic guide.

Great guides,waiter/bartender,chef,captain and crew. The sites were amazing! Loved the city tours,going to the winery and the bee farm. Boat was fantastic. I enjoyed every minute. Would highly recommend this trip. Hope to do another one soon.

The boat is beautifully appointed..the bar and dining room..the cabins are roomy…We only booked three mths from travelling so we had two single beds…The beds aren’t very big but are comfortable. The riding tour itself was easy.Some days we ride up to 60kms but the pace is easy and the ride is flat.It is the best way to see these countries.You see all aspects of life farming, little villages and cities.The scenery is spectacular riding along little back roads and laneways. We stopped and had Coffees and lunch and beers each day.We ride with the guide Paul some days and others days we rode on our own with the guided map which was easy to follow. The staff were fantastic.They couldn’t do enough for you.Bikes lifted on and off the boat each day and our tour guide Paul was very knowledgeable as he had grown up in the region. The bar and wait staff were excellent and the food was superb. Thank you for s wonderful holiday

The food was excellent. The room was clean and better than I expected. The ship, also, was very clean and a delight. But, best of all was the friendly, helpful crew that made our experience so enjoyable. My wife fell while cycling and hurt her ribs. The crew gave her special considerations to help ease her pain and to make her feel comfortable. The weather was perfect – no rain and temperature in the 70s and 80s F.