Veneto Bike & Boat Premium

Make your own way to Venice - the usual mooring is on Giudecca island. Cabins are available from 5pm. The briefing and aperitivo with the tour leader and crew will be at 6 or 6:30pm, just before dinner. After dinner, savour Venice at night, now free of the crowds and at her most romantic. On arrival in Venice, we recommend buying the 48 (or 72) hour ferry ticket - from the ACTV ticket office at the airport Marco Polo or in Piazzale Roma. You must validate the ticket before boarding the ferry and it will then be valid for the next 48 hours. You will need it on day 3 for the ferry enroute to Chioggia.

This morning join your tour leader on foot and off the beaten track to uncover 'La Serenissima', the ancient Republic of Venice, which held sway over much of the Mediterranean and beyond for centuries. The rest of the day is free to explore Venice, to discover the magnificent historical centre or the wonderful surrounding islands. Own dinner arrangements.

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 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”. +-115m/380ft, Ferry transfer: 15mins

This morning we'll stroll through Chioggia, followed perhaps by a visit to the millennial clock tower, the oldest in the world, for some breathtaking views. Weather and time permitting, 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! We cycle south along the Po-Brondolo canal, through the mouth of the River Adige into the Po river delta. This unique wetland is a prime reserve in for herons and home to a colony of flamingos. Continue cycling to Adria, an ancient Greek port, famous for trading amber coming from the Baltics. It 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. +-140m/460ft

After a short cruise, we start cycling between the Po and fields of wheat, corn and fruit trees towards Ferrara. Ferrara is known as "the town of bicycles" and under its ruling family, the Este, the city state attracted architects, artists and scholars for centuries, pioneering town planning principles that have been emulated through time. Its university ranks among Italy's best. There's time to explore the city and enjoy some local dishes for lunch before cycling around the old hippodrome and along the old city walls. In the afternoon a short bus transfer will bring us to Zelo, a sleepy village on the Canal Bianco, the waterway which runs parallel to the Po. +120m/395ft, -115m/380ft, Bus transfer 75mins approx

We cruise for a short stretch then cycle through the countryside to a Grana Padano cheese factory where we can enjoy a tasting of this famous cheese. We continue to the village of Bergantino where we visit the charming Carousel and Street Entertainment museum. We'll follow the Po towards Ostiglia, a small village with the ruins of a medieval fortress and rejoin the boat at Governolo Lock. Once a vital staging post for local navigation, this is where the Mincio river flows into the Po, creating the largest inland basin in Italy. After a few kilometres we reach Mantova (Mantua), one of the most beautiful Renaissance towns of northern Italy. +125m/412ft, -115m/380ft

Today is dedicated to the discovery of this wonderful city and its surroundings, which was ruled by the powerful Gonzaga family for four centuries from the early 1300s. We'll cycle around the three picturesque "lakes" formed by the Mincio and its surrounding countryside. In the afternoon we meet our local guide for a walking tour (approx 1.5hrs) through the highlights of the town: Piazza Sordello with its magnificent cathedral and Palazzo Ducale, Piazza delle Erbe with its Clock Tower, Rotonda di S. Lorenzo (the oldest church in town) and the Cathedral of St. Andrew, a jewel of Renaissance art and architecture (the walking programme may be subject to change). +-115m/380ft

After breakfast the trip concludes.