CROATIA: ISTRIA - THE LAND OF MAGIC e-bike tour 2023
Croatia | Istria county | Adriatic Sea, Green Hills, Vineyards, Olive Groves & Truffles | ebike cycling Tour
E-bike tour Istria: Parenzana
8 DAYS (7 NIGHTS)
ACCOMMODATION: BOUTIQUE
DIFFICULTY: CHALLENGING
GROUP SIZE: 12 MAX
Cycling Tour in Istria county
What connects Provence in France and Tuscany in Italy? Besides outstanding wine, unforgettable cuisine, and captivating landscape?
It’s their geographical vicinity to the 45th parallel is the sweet spot for growing wine. But there are other parts of Europe, equally charming, but less known. The ancient Romans called it Terra Magica, The Land of Magic.
Olive oil
Meet Istria, a fairytale triangular peninsula and the westernmost county of Croatia. Surrounded by the Adriatic Sea on the west and east, and mountains in the north, Istria offers an abundant diversity in landscape.
Its divine cuisine is fabled with three distinct gems – wine, olive oil, and truffles. The Istrian countryside is dotted with picturesque olive orchards and vineyards, due to the critically acclaimed extra virgin olive oil and splendid wines.
Parenzana railroad route
Join Istria Cycling Tour, as we take on a bike ride through most of Istria. Get to know its gorgeous hilly central region with medieval villages as you descend to gorgeous Istrian coast. Marvel the stuning views of the Adriatic sea, and experience the best sights, smells, and tastes you can imagine.
Istria will sneak up on you and win you over with distinctive Mediterranean charm.
You’ll Experience
Medieval hilltop towns Motovun, Grožnjan, and Buzet
Grimani Castle in Svetvinčenat
Ancient Roman amphitheater in Pula
Gorgeous Adriatic seaside town of Rovinj
Parenzana railroad turned to a bicycle route
Outstanding regional wine tastings
World-class extra virgin olive oil tastings
Istrian made brandy tasting (mistletoe, teran red wine, and more)
Truffle tasting
Swimming in the turquoise Adriatic
OPTIONAL: sea kayaking in Pula, extended stay in Pula
Expectations
The ride is rolling, not steep but with frequent elevation changes
Mostly paved and with maintained white (gravel) roads, occasional forest dirt road
Long but rewarding riding days, could be tuned down according to the group’s ambitions
3 to 6 hours of riding daily, 30 to 70 km (18 to 44 mi)
Basic technical riding skills required (bumpy dirt roads and gravel)
The temperature difference between morning and afternoon, min 10°C (50 F) to max 35°C (95 F)
What to pack? Find out here
Getting There
arrival / departure at Pula Airport (PUY)
complimentary airport transfer on official arrival and departure dates
E-bike tour of Istria
ITINERARY
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After arrival to Pula our team will transfer you to a beautiful heritage hotel which will be our base for the next two days in the northwest of Istria. After welcome drinks, a tour overview and briefing await, where your tour leaders will fill you in with all the details. It’s best to get to know each other over a welcome dinner of local cuisine and wine produced localy. Your taste buds will be on high alert for the following week!
Meals: dinner
Accommodation: Heritage Hotel San Rocco
Distance: 0 km (0 mi) -
Start of your Istria Cycling Tour!
The northwest part of Istria is most famous for its wines. So let’s take it easy on the warm-up day and visit a couple of winemakers and their surrounding medieval towns. Wine tastings of local teran (red) and malvazija (white) sorts. will get you acquainted with one-third of Istrian gastronomic gems. Highlight towns of the day might be wine-centric Momjan or arty Grožnjan. The view of Adriatic from these picturesque little towns is nothing short of spectacular. -
First part of today’s route will be the very popular Parenzana cycling route. It was an Italian nickname for a pre-WW2 narrow-gauge railway. It connected Trieste in Italy and Poreč in Istria (then the Austro-Hungarian Empire). The route will take us along Mirna Valley, which is world-famous for its mythical white truffle. After a truffle tasting, traversing a few green hills with splendid views of Central Istria, we’ll arrive to the fairytale town of Hum. Known as the smallest town in the world and according to legends, built by giants. Our day will be concluded in the Istrian truffle capital, the town of Buzet.
Meals: breakfast, tastings / lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Boutique Hotel Vela Vrata
Distance: 68 km (42 mi) / elevation 1400 m (4600 ft) -
Continuing along the peaceful Mirna Valley, we’ll reach the top of the hill where Motovun town is nested. Valley climate often shrouds Motovun in dense fog. When viewed from afar, fogs make Motovun and surrounding hills seem like green islands above the clouds. Traversing those hill islands will take us across hidden ruins and picturesque villages. We then descend to the bottom half of Istria, a mostly flat and historically agricultural region. Our destination is the charming town of Svetvinčenat. It is known for its centrally located medieval Grimani Castle and local craft beer brewery Kampanjola.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Foscari the fine B&B
Distance: 65 km (40 mi) / elevation 1100 m (3600 ft) -
An easier day, exactly what is needed after an exciting and long ride the previous day. Taking it through green forest tunnels on easy gravel routes, the ride will be mostly flat. Tak time to relaxi, listen to chirping birds and crickets hiding in the bushes. Town of Bale is on the route, a settlement occupied by humans since 2nd century BC. But before there were humans, there were dinosaurs! Histriasaurus dinosaurs, to be exact. It's this area where their fossils were found. Besides fossils, there is something else hiding in the dense forest of the area. It's a tiny St. Peter Church perched on a natural boulder.
Posibility for a rest day on your Istria Cycling tour if you feel like you need to recharge.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Foscari the fine B&B
Distance: 32 km (20 mi) / elevation 300 m (1000 ft) -
An easy flat route will guide us to the pearl of Istrian seaside towns, Rovinj. The magnificent view of Rovinj Old Town, situated on an island protruding into the Adriatic Sea, is truly unforgettable. Continuing to the very south of Istria the road is still flat, but the scenery is still captivating. South’s red soil and Mediterranean climate are perfect for olive growing which will be obvious by many olive groves we’ll pass by today.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Foscari the fine B&B
Distance: 50 km (31 mi) / elevation 400 m (1300 ft) -
Olive groves are abundant in the South. Especially in the town of Vodnjan, home to world-renowned premium olive oil producers. A brief ride along the most southern and biggest town in Istria, Pula, will reveal its rich history. Venetian fortress, ancient Roman temples, and Austrian military forts and tunnels. But Pula’s highlight is a 2000-year-old Roman oval amphitheater, one of just the world’s six largest surviving ones. Last day of cycling on your Istria Cycling tour.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Oasi Boutique Hotel or similar
Distance: 55 km (34 mi) / elevation 400 m (1300 ft) -
Departure day from Pula Airport. We suggest extending your visit for a few days to give yourself a few days of well-earned rest and to explore Brioni Island near Pula or the spectacular Kvarner islands of Lošinj and Cres at your own pace.
Meals: breakfast
INCLUSIONS
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Airport transfers on official arrival and departure dates
Experienced and certified bilingual tour leader and support leader in the vehicle
Support vehicle for the luggage, refreshments, and maintenance
Transfers between planned rides and ferries
Tour description booklet with maps and highlighted routes
24/7 support from your Tour Leader and Tour Director during the tour -
Small group guarantee (maximum of 12 cyclists)
Handpicked small family-owned boutique hotels, upscale B&Bs, estates, or similar -
All breakfasts, lunches*, snacks* (fruit, bars, nuts), and dinners*, always aimed to be in authentic local restaurantsWater and soft / isotonic drinks during the day and dinner (tap water is perfectly drinkable and of high quality)
*except on rest/free days, as in itinerary -
All locally produced wine, extra virgin olive oil, truffles and cheese tastings
Entrance fees -
Premium full suspension mountain bike with electric motor assistanceBike luggage enough for small daily necessities (snacks, windbreaker, personal items, etc.)
Premium Welcome package
NOT INCLUDED
cycling gear (if needed, please let us know in advance)
airline tickets
coffee breaks (drinks or food besides breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
additional drinks at lunch and dinner
personal spending
traffic violation penalty tickets
Tour Leader gratuities are welcome
anything else not listed under “Included in the pric
THE BIKE: GIANT STANCE
premium full suspension mountain bike with electric motor assistance.
DATES
May 15 - May 22
June 5 - June 12
June 13 - June 20
September 9 - September 12
PRICE
Istria • Croatia • 8 days
€4 950 per person
SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT €950
ENQUIRY