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Mantova - Venice: MS Ave Maria

From the river Po to St. Mark's Square

Bike & Boat
8 Days / 7 Nights
guided tour
easy
from
1,200.00 €
Book now Book
from
1,200.00 €

There’s hardly any other region in Italy offering such ideal activities for those who love the water as well as cycling in order to get to know the wonderful surroundings. The bike trails wind along the rivers Mincio and Po. Dive into the largely untouched nature, into swamps existing for several centuries yet, surrounded by the green charm of the pine woods; here, natural watercourses, minuscule channels and fishermen’s huts hide in the reed. Towns that seem to have escaped from fairy tails like the fantastic Chioggia, often surnamed “Litte Venice”, Ferrara, meeting point for many cyclists, the magnificent islands Pellestrina, Lido and Venice, the “City of Water”, are waiting to be discovered by you. During this discovery trip, you will be hosted by the MS Ave Maria. The boat will accompany the daily cycling stages in a relaxed pace, giving you the possibility to spend a few hours on board instead of cycling the whole distance. Each night, the tour guide will offer to discuss the route for the next day with you. You can choose to explore the wonderful region on guided day trips or completely individually. The daily routes lead completely over lowlands. With the intention to arrange especially the ways out of urban areas in an even more enjoyable way, parts of it will be accomplished by boat during breakfast in the morning or during supper at night.

This trip is perfect for:

  • City lovers: Be enchanted by the little towns along the route and explore the surrounding area!
  • Culture vultures: This trip will also cater for your cultural needs!
  • People who like it flat and love wine: there are many interesting wine villages to discover along the route.

Highlights

Palazzo Ducale di Mantova
The Duke's Palace is a series of buildings built between the second half of the 12th century and the middle of the 17th century, residence as well as symbol of the power of the Gonzaga family.

Palazzo Ducale Mantua

Castello Estense Ferrara
In Ferrara in 1385, a dangerous revolt convinced Niccolò II d’Este of the need to erect mighty defences for himself and his family thus the Castello di San Michele was built, a fortress erected against the people.

Castello Estense Ferrara

Parco delta del Po
The Regional Park of the Po Delta of the Emilia Romagna region was set up in 1988 through a special Regional Law (Regional Law 27/88) and is part of the system of the protected areas of Emilia Romagna.

Parco delta del Po

Basilica San Marco and Campanile Venice
To build St. Mark’s Church, Venice brought the spiritual and material heritage of Byzantium to the West.

Basilica San Marco

 

Mantova - Venice: MS Ave Maria
easy
Bike & Boat
8 Days / 7 Nights
guided tour
from
1,200.00 €
Book now Book

The ship Ave Maria offers 10 twin bed cabins (11 m²), 4 superior twin bed cabins (11 m²) and 3 single bed cabins which can be upgraded as twin bed cabin with bunk bed (7,5 m²). All cabins have large windows, comfortable low beds (2 x 0.80 m),

D/WC, air conditioning and a safe. Look forward to an air-conditioned lounge area with internet point, free WiFi, 52-inch flat screen TV, Italian lounge and cozy restaurant. The two sun decks invite you to linger.

Tour

After arriving in Mantova the embarkation starts at 6:00 p.m. Meeting with your guide for more infomation about the tour is at around 6:30 p.m

Today you will cycle through the town of Mantova and its surroundings. Mantova is one of the most beautiful towns in northern Italy where many artists left their works. In the afternoon you will get a guided tour of Mantua to see the numerous works of italian art.

You'll go comfortably by boat to Governolo, to the fort of the Mincio pirates. Finally, up on the bikes and away! You'll cycle on the Po Bike Trail to Ostiglia with its medieval castle ruins. A nice bike route along the Canale Bianco leads you to the anchorage of Zelo.

Today you will visit the famous city of Ferrara. Its center is still surrounded by the antic city wall. After the visit of the old town of Ferrara you will go by bus to Adria. This old greek habour is famous for the trade with amber from the Baltic Sea.

You will leave the ship in Porto Viro. Marvellous trails surrounded by water and land between the Po-delta and the mouthing of the Adige will guide today’s route. The course of the Po-Brondolo leads you straight into the heart of Chioggia, bearing its surname “Little Venice” with plenty of pride. A relaxed walk around town is just as worthwhile as visiting the fish market at sunrise. Your ship is anchored at the close located island of Pellstrina.

What an experience! Today, the MS Ave Maria takes you to the oases of Ca Roman, a sandy island covered with pine woods. From the upstream islands Pellestrina and Lido, home of the renowned film festivals, you will cycle to the isle of Giudecca, close to St. Mark's Square.

Fantastic, a whole day in Venice! Discover the historic centre, observe the gondoliers and enjoy the famous St. Mark's Square.

After breakfast, you will debark from the MS Ave Maria.

Please note: Unfortunately, it is not possible to bring your own bicycles on this trip.

The planned route is always subject to possible changes due to nautical, meteorological or organisational reasons. If, for example, a route cannot be travelled due to low water, high water, bad weather or construction work, the captain reserves the right to change the route for your safety. This is not a legally valid reason for cancelling the trip free of charge. The same applies in the event of officially ordered lock or bridge repairs or in the event of engine or propulsion damage to the ship through no fault of the captain.
As your ship usually sails to the next harbour on the same day, your time frame for your own activities and sightseeing is limited. On some bridges, the clearance height is so low that the sun deck is closed for your safety.

Map

Prices / Dates

Prices per person in EUR

Services / Info

  • 7 overnight stays with breakfast
  • Lunch packages
  • 6 x dinner on board (drinks are not inclusive)
  • Coffee and tea on board
  • Bedding and towels, 1 x per week cabin cleaning
  • Tour guide
  • Tour information and detailed maps
  • Bus transfer Ferrara - Zelo
  • Guided city tour in Mantova
  • Some short city walks
  • Visit to the cheese dairy with tasting
  • Visit to a carrussel and theater museum
  • Visit to a historic glass factory on the island of Murano
  • Bicycle helmet (reservation necessary)
  • Port fees
Worth knowing about your trip with the MS Ave Maria

Below please find more information about your boat and bike trip. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us by phone: 0049 - (0)6421-886890.

Arrival by train

Mantua can be reached by train from Germany via Milan. From Mantua train station you can easily reach the port with a short taxi ride.

Current timetable information and price information can be found very practically at www.bahn.de. or www.trenitalia.it

Train schedule information Deutsche Bahn

Train schedule information Trenitalia

Arrival by plane

Mantua and Venice are relatively well connected (90-120 minutes) with the following airports: Venice (VCE), Verona (VRN), Treviso (TSF), Milan-Malpensa. You can fly low-cost.

Eurowings

Condor

Parking facilities in Mantova and Venice

Arrival in Mantova

There is a large, unguarded and free car park in Piazza Anconetta, approx. 400 meters from the ship landing stage. There is also an underground car park in Via Mazzini. This is about 1 km from the ship landing stage. It is not possible to reserve in advance.

Arrival in Venice

We recommend parking your vehicle in Mestre at the guarded, paid car park at the train station. There are regular trains to Venice Santa Lucia from Mestre train station. From there, take a vaporetto to the pier.

You will receive detailed information about the parking facilities with the detailed travel documents two weeks before the start of your journey.

Guided or individual itinerary

On this tour you can decide spontaneously on board whether you want to cycle in a group or explore the region individually. The group (international audience) is led by a trained, English speaking tour guide. If you choose an individual cycling day, you will receive a very detailed route description on board.

Condition of cycle paths

The tour leads through flat land, daily distances between 30 and 55 km. Most of the bike route runs along canals and rivers on paved bike paths or roads with little traffic. In order to make the trips out of the cities more comfortable, sections are covered in the morning or in the evening by ship.

Available rental bikes

You can choose between 27-speed unisex bikes with derailleur and 9-speed electric bikes. The bikes are equipped with a speedometer, one-sided pannier, bike lock, water bottle and a bike helmet. You simply specify your wishes at time of booking.

Own Bikes

It is not possible to bring your own bikes to this tour.

Cycling in Italy

In Italy, warning vests are mandatory outside closed areas at night and at dusk.

Extra costs which are not included in the price

Drinks on board, tickets for public transport in Venice and the lagoon (ACTV 48-hour ticket 35.00 EUR p.p. and the ferry trip to Pellestrina (approx. 9.00 EUR per person) are not included in the tour price.
Entrance fee for Venice: From 1st January 2023 tourists in Venice will probably have to pay an entrance fee of approximately 18.00 to 30.00 euros per person. This fee is payable locally.

7 day hotline service

In case of chain breakdown, flooding or other bad surprises that makes a continuation of your tour impossible: no problem, we also work during weekends and you can reach us 7 days a week in case of emergency.

Passport and visa requirements

For EU citizens, there are no special passport or visa requirements and no health formalities to be considered for this trip.

Travel insurance

The tour price already includes the statutory insolvency insurance. In addition, we recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance upon receipt of your travel confirmation in order to protect yourself against financial disadvantages in the event of travel cancellation, interruption of travel, illness or accident.

Velociped can withdraw from the tour twenty-one days before the starting date of the tour, at the latest, in case the minimum number of participants stated under the tour description is not attained. You will duly be informed without any delay in case of a withdrawal. Velociped will of course refund the paid tour price immediately. Please note our General Terms and Conditions.

Your travel expert for this tour

I provide you with advice and assistance

Nicole Janke

Travel Expert

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