Cycle from Venice through Trieste to Istria
From the beaches of the adriatic sea in Italy to Slovenia and Croatia
The starting point of this cycle tour is “la Serenissima”, Venice the lagoon city on the shores of the Adriatic Sea. Cycling past the beaches of the classical holiday resorts of Jesolo and Caorle on the Italian Adriatic to Trieste, the former Habsburg seaport seated at the foothills of the Karst. Finish with a trip down the beautiful Croatian peninsula of Istria. An opportunity always presents itself to take a refreshing swim in the sea.
Due to this fact, you should never forget to pack your swim gear. Besides these beaches, the inland regions of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia offer countless sites with very special charm waiting to be discovered; Mediaeval fortress towns; Roman archaeological excavations; typical Italian Piazzas and buildings embossed with Venetian influences causing the visitor to forget time and space. While on the one side, the Adriatic stretches calmly and silently, the Julian Alps rise majestically to the north. The return journey to Venice can be done by boat.
The cycle trip to Istria is flat until shortly before Trieste, then it continues slight hilly until Porec.
TRAVEL ITINERARY
8 days / 7 nights
Day 1: Venice mainland/Mestre
Individual arrival at the hotel on the mainland of Venice. The “Serenissima” with all its splendid buildings invites to a primary inspection. The city of Venice has a well organised and easily accessible public transport system, there is a bus or train stop near to the hotel.
Day 2: Venice mainland/Mestre – Jesolo/Caorle
(approx. 35 km or approx. 80 km)
Today you have two possibilities: either you cycle along the dam and the lagoon to Venice or you cycle through the back-country following the river Sile to reach Jesolo/Caorle. The first few kilometres in the lagoon city are carried out by bicycle. Then you take a ferry across to Punta Sabbioni (ticket not included in the “package-price”). On the endless beaches at Litorale di Cavallino, a spit of land in the north of the lagoon, the route is lined by numerous fishing boats and souvenir stalls. Before you leave Venice through the “backdoor”, the opportunity exists for an excursion to the lighthouse at the outmost end of the island for a last view of the lagoon city and the surrounding islands. On the way to Jesolo one can hardly resist the opportunity to have a refreshing dip into the cool wet. You spend the night in Jesolo or Caorle.
If you choose the alternative through the hinterland you cycle along the river Sile. This natural river carries always a constant amount of water and flows quietly; that’s why its name is derived from the Latin word “silet” what means “keep silent”. Passing the ruins of Torre Caligo, a tower from the Middle Age which is situated near the homonymous canal “Caligo”, you reach directly Jesolo. If you will spend the night in Caorle you continue cycling along.
Day 3: Jesolo/Caorle – Concordia Sagittaria/Portogruaro
(approx. 30 - 35 km)
Along the coast and once you have passed the last fishermen’s cottages, you reach Caorle, a wonderful, small seaside resort with a historical centre. On reaching this destination, it signifies leaving the sea for a while as the direction is dictated by the mainland in the direction of the Julian Alps on the horizon. During the spring period of the Venetian Republic, it was convenient for the interior to encompass Portogruaro as a very important River harbour in the “Serenissima”. Even today there are those in Portogruaro who regard their city as the most Venetian. They are not entirely incorrect when you look at the Venetian embellishments of the magnificent buildings and places.
Day 4: Concordia Sagittaria/Portogruaro – Grado/Aquileia
(approx. 65 km + boat from Marano Lagunare or approx. 45 km, if the first part is additionally shortened by a train ride to Latisana; approx. 85 km without boat)
Besides the beaches of the Adriatic, there is a lot to discover; ruins of former Roman cities, ancient churches and lonely landscapes on the edge of the lagoon. From Marano Lagunare you take the boat until short before Aquileia, once a large city of the Roman Empire, excavations of the Roman city can be seen in the open-air-site and in two museums.
Day 5: Grado/Aquileia – Trieste
(approx. 40 - 80 km; short variant by using the train; ticket not included)
Today’s stage continues through the hinterland of Trieste, soaked in a meagre barren landscape of rocky caverns before returning to the sea and a coastline of unique beauty. Where the elevated plateaus plunge into the deep blue water and the white precipices stand upright jutting towards the heavens; and then the coastal road follows through suggestive resorts like Duino, Sistiana, Miramare, and Barcola. You should take time to visit the romantic castle of Miramare above the Bay of Grignano situated in the middle of a beautiful park in which a multiplicity of more the 2000 plants prosper. Above the Gulf of Trieste, entrenched is a city bearing the same name, once a harbour metropolis of the Habsburgs Empire and where you will be spending the night.
Day 6: Trieste – Piran/Portorož
(approx. 35 km + ferry Trieste-Muggia* or approx. 65 km, depending on the chosen variant)
Only after a few kilometres today, you leave Italy. In Slovenia, the route continues predominantly on cycle paths through well-known seaside resorts like Koper (Capodistria) and Izola (Isola d’ Istria), to Piran (Pirano) or to Portorož (Portorose), a spa resort on the Slovenian Riviera. There is a little bit longer alternative of this stage which passes along the valley “Rosandra” in the back country.
*Tickets not included.
Day 7: Piran/Portorož – Poreč
(approx. 70 km)
Cycling past the salt gardens of Secovlje where on enormous surfaces and through natural evaporation, sea salt is recovered, you cross over the border into Croatia. For a distance, the route goes through the Croatian part of Istria, the largest peninsula on the Adriatic with its slightly hilly terrain on the way to Porec, the most important coastal city on the west coast of Istria. It is certainly worth a visit to Euphrasian-Basilica which has been taken up by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site.
Day 8: Poreč
Individual departure from Porec or possibility to extend your stay.
Prices and dates
Standard | ||
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Package | view calendar |
It is recommended to purchase an optional travel cancellation policy. Prices valid subject to changes in the offer, omissions, printing errors or arithmetic.
Price per night in double room with breakfast | Venedig | 89 € | |
Single room supplement per night | Venedig | 29 € | |
Price per night in double room with breakfast | Poreč | 89 € | |
Single room supplement per night | Poreč | 35 € |
It is recommended to purchase an optional travel cancellation policy. Prices valid subject to changes in the offer, omissions, printing errors or arithmetic.
rental 21-gear bicycle (men) | 99 € | |
rental bike TOP (men) | 159 € | |
own handbike | 0 € | |
rental bike 21-gear (women) | 99 € | |
rental electric bike | 229 € | |
Gravelbike | 190 € | |
Hybrid | 160 € |
It is recommended to purchase an optional travel cancellation policy. Prices valid subject to changes in the offer, omissions, printing errors or arithmetic.
Return transfer per person | 89 € |
It is recommended to purchase an optional travel cancellation policy. Prices valid subject to changes in the offer, omissions, printing errors or arithmetic.
Prices:
General information
Discover all the services we offer and book one of our tours now.
By car: Take the Brenner Highway (A22) from Innsbruck to Verona and continue to Venice mainland/Mestre or drive from Villach over the border crossing point Arnoldstein to Udine and continue to Venice mainland.
By train: Take a train to the main station in Mestre and either a bus or a taxi to the hotel. Timetable available on: www.deutschebahn.de, www.oebb.at, www.trenitalia.com
By plane: Low cost flights are available to Sant’Angelo airport in Treviso, Ronchi dei Legionari airport in Trieste and to the Marco Polo airport in Venice which offer an airport shuttle (Venice and Treviso) to and from Venice mainland/Mestre.
Hotels 3*** and 4**** category.
Attention: Tourist tax – if requested – has to be paid on the spot!
Depending on the start hotel, parking facilities are available. Some hotels may require an obligatory fee of approx. € 30.00 - € 50.00 per week payable on the day of arrival (reservation not possible).
A ferry boat leaves Poreč every Wednesday and Saturday and according to the timetable approx. at 7.00-8.00 a.m. (depending on the timetable the ferry may leave also earlier or later) and arrives at approx. 10.45 a.m. in Venice (depending on departure time from Porec).
Price per person from Porec: approx. € 65.00 – € 85.00 (depending on the season).
Price per bicycle: approx. € 18.00 (limited space for 4 bikes available).
It is necessary to book and fully prepay the ferry transfer at the moment of the tour booking. The cost for the boat is subject to payment on confirmation of the travel booking, as the ferry has to paid in full. Following details are needed for the ferry ticket: First name, surname, date of birth, nationality, official document (passport or ID) document number and validity date. If the ferry transfer is cancelled for any reason (technical problems, logistic reasons of the owner, weather etc.), we will organise a bus transfer instead. The ferry ticket is non-refundable and the customer is not entitled to any compensation in this case.
We would like to inform you that the return journey from the harbour in Venice Terminal San Basilio to Venice train station, Venice mainland/Mestre or Venice airport with own bikes and luggage is quite difficult. Transfer from the harbour in Venice to the first hotel: There are many possibilities with public taxis, price is approx. € 45.00 – 55.00 – the transfer can be booked during the briefing before the tour start and has to be paid directly to the driver at the ferry terminal San Basilio on arrival. For the return transfer from Porec to Venice, if the ship is not sailing, we offer a transfer in a minibus at a price of price of Euro 89,00 per person + € 29,00 for each own bike (min. 4 persons).
Transfer from Porec to Triest with public transport: www.crnja-tours.hr/vozni-red-autobusa/, www.flixbus.de.
• 21-gears women‘s or men‘s bicycle
• Rental bike TOP
• E-bike (UNISEX bike, 500 W battery; range up to 100 km)
We suggest travel insurance.
• Accomodation in hotels 3*** and 4**** category
• Breakfast buffet or full breakfast
• Personal tour information
• Luggage transfer from hotel to hotel
• Ship transfer on Day 4
• Well planned routes
• Detailed documents (maps, route description, places to visit, important telephone numbers)
• Navigation APP
• Telephone service hotline for the entire tour
• Arrival to the starting point of the tour
• Departure at the end of the tour
• Drinks, tourist tax and all extras
• Lunch, Dinner
• Not mentioned entries
• Rental bikes and travel insurance
• All not expressly mentioned under the item „Included services“