Fly into Trieste and we will pick you up in a private transfer from the airport. You will stay overnight in Trieste and get your bike fitted ready for the start of your adventure tomorrow.
Today you will leave Trieste in Italy and join the famous Parenzana trail taking you through Slovenia and into Croatia. The route takes you to Piran Bay through Portorož and Lucija to the saltworks of Sečovlje. Your ride will continue on the trail to Buje where you stay.
You will ride 57km on paved sections and 16 km on unpaved sections.
Today you will continue your ride one the Parenzana trail which connects 33 Istrian towns between Porec and Trieste. You will ride through magnificent rolling landscapes and countless vineyards – you will soon realise why the former railway track is now named the wine railway. Keep riding over bridges and through tunnels before reaching Motovun, where you will stay this evening,
You will ride 24km on paved sections and 32 km on unpaved sections.
Before you leave today, take in the medieval town of Motovun-Montona, a captivating hilltop town complete with its 13th century Gothic bell tower. In the central square is the Romanesque Municipal Palace, the largest secular building in Istria as well as a number of historic churches and buildings.
You will leave the town by riding through a tunnel under the city heading towards Poreč. You will ride through Vižinada and the caves at Baredine. Continue through the vineyards before reaching Poreč, a city steeped in history and architecture.
You will ride 11km on paved sections and 39 km on unpaved sections.
Your ride today heads through a cursed city, past an abandoned monastery, via beaches where pirate treasure is said to be buried, and where you can visit milennia old caves and an ancient solar observatory. You will ride the coastline before reaching Vrsar, a fishing village where the legendary Casanova visited twice. Your ride continues through the magical forest Kontija with a panoramic view of the Lim bay before you reach Rovinj, nicknamed little Venice. This is a truly incredible day on the bike.
You will ride 25km on paved sections and 35km on unpaved sections.
Today you will ride along the coast to Pula. You will head through the Brioni archipelago, surrounded by vineyards and olive groves. You will reach Pula where you can enjoy the magnificent Roman amphitheatre. You will finish with a visit of the old city and the Sergius’ Triumphal Arch, built at the end of the 1st century BC.
You will ride 25km on paved sections and 17 km on unpaved sections.
Enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the hotel before getting a transfer to the airport for your homeward travel.
The Istrian peninsular will take you through Italy, Slovenia and into Croatia, via the former narrow-gauge railway line Parenzana, now a huge cycle route. The landscape of the peninsular is truly breathtaking as you explore century old vineyards, medieval towns and fresh untocuhed forest. You will ride through tunnels, over bridges and viaducts and discover ancient history such as Casanova’s holiday town, as well as myths such as Captain Morgan’s buried treasure.
