11 day Independent / Escorted Tour
This variation of the classic tour Bolzano to Venice combines the tour “bike & hotel” with the “bike & boat” version, on board the barge Vita Pugna. Three nights in hotels and seven nights on board the Vita Pugna create a spectacular mix, from the mountains to the sea, along Lake Garda, plus cities full of culture and history like Verona, Vicenza and
Padova and, last but not least, fascinating Venice.
Day to Day Itinerary
DAY 1 Bolzano.
Arrival at your 1st hotel. A bilingual city, Bolzano is a famous commercial and tourist centre and also a historical and cultural connection between the Italian and German speaking sphere's.
DAY 2 Bolzano–Trento (68 km).
Today you will ride mostly along the Adige River, through orchards, vineyards passing the villages of Ora, Egna and Salorno. The dam pathways lead then to Trento.
DAY 3 Trento–Peschiera (50 km + boat).
Always pedalling along the Adige you reach Rovereto and Mori. From here westwards towards Lake Garda. After a short ascent, a refreshing descent will follow and lead you to Torbole and to Riva. By boat you will then travel for the entire length of the Lake to Peschiera.
DAY 4 Peschiera - Mantova (55 km).
Along the cyle path of the river Mincio the cabins are available for boarding from 4 p.m. The boat is moored at Porto Catena, just a short walk from the city-centre. The meeting with the tour leader and the crew is scheduled at dinner-time, at 7 p.m. Mantova is one of the most beautiful towns in Northern Italy, where a lot of world reknown artists left their masterpieces, thanks to the assignmenst of the the famous Gonzaga family.
DAY 5 Mantova –Governolo–Zelo (approx. 50 km by bike).
The boat takes you to Governolo, stronghold of the Mincio Pirates, where there is the largest basin in Italy, built to control the Mincio River. Here you take the bikes and start your ride, following the River Po until the village of Ostiglia, with its ruins of a medieval fortress. After a ride along the ‘Canal Bianco” you will reach Zelo, where the barge will moor for the night.
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DAY 6 Zelo–Ferrara–Adria (approx. 50 km by bike +60 km by bus).
After breakfast you will start cycling towards Ferrara. Once you have reached the town, which earned the name of “city of bicycles”, you will be enchanted by the historical centre, still surrounded by the old city walls. From Ferrara a short bus transfer will bring you to Adria, an ancient Greek port, famous for trading amber coming from the Baltic.
DAY 7 Adria–Porto Viro–Albarella (approx. 35/55 km).
The boat will bring you to Porto Viro, from where you will start the ride into the maze of the Po Delta, an uncontaminated paradise of marshes and lagoons of the Po, pedalling in the heart of nature. The destination is Albarella, a private island of ancient traditions. In case of low water you will start cycling directly from Adria, for approximately 55 km.
DAY 8 Mestre/Venice. Departure
Rating: Easy to Moderate
From Bolzano to Mantova there are light hilly bits with short uphill sections. As a whole it is an easy to manage itinerary, riding on secondary streets with low traffic or paved bike paths. A 4-hour ferry cruise through Lake Garda is included. Continuing from Mantova to Venice the tour is entirely on level ground and the daily cycling stages vary from 30 km to 55 km. Much of the pedalling is along rivers and canals on tarmac cycle paths or roads with a low volume of car traffic. It is envisaged that 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.
Transfers
The nearest airports are Bolzano, Innsbruck and Verona, in that order. Regular train service is available from each airport to Bolzano, where your hotel is located close to the station.
Transfers are available from Venice Mestre Rail Station every saturday and sunday on request (Euro 55.00 per person).
Schedule & Price
| DATES 2012 |
March 28 April 11, 25 May 9, 23 June 6, 20
July 4, 18 August 1, 15, 29 Sept. 12, 26 Oct. 10, 24
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| Price per person, double occ. |
CAD |
$1955 |
| Single supplement |
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$950 |
| Low season discount for departures in March, April & October |
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$100 |
Our package includes: |
- upgraded 3 & 4 star hotel accommodation for three nights (Bolzano, Trento, and Peschiera, all rooms with private facilities, buffet breakfast each day
- luggage transport between hotels
- hybrid bicycle with 27 gears and pannier
- excursions, visits and wine tasting as mentioned in the program
- 7 nights aboard ship in a double cabin. All cabins with private WC and shower
- 7 breakfasts , 7 packed lunches, and 7 dinners aboad the barge
- Tour leader onboard who assists with the days routes, cycles along with the group, provides travel tips for the journey and tourist information about places of interest
- Biking maps with indicated routes and detailed route descriptions
- Bus transfer Ferrara–Adria
- 48-hour ticket for an unlimited use of ferry boats and local boats in Venice
- Half week service of cabin, cleaning, and towel change
- Harbour charges of Euro 50.00
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