Gourmet Bike Tour
DAY 1. ARRIVAL
We will receive you in Venice, at the Pula airport or at a meeting place defined by yourselves, to then take you to your hotel in the village of Brtonigla. Once checked in, our guide will provide you with details of the programme and we will make whatever adjustments are necessary to our bicycles so that they are ready for the following day. Then we will all enjoy dinner at the San Rocco restaurant, where we will begin to enjoy this gastronomic adventure on two wheels.
Accommodation: 4* Hotel in Brtonigla
Meals: Dinner
Activity: adjustment of bicycles and dinner
Transfer time: Depending on meeting point. From Pula, 40 minutes.
DAY 2. BRTONIGLA – UMAG – SAVUDRIJA – MOMJAN – 40 km / 25 miles
This tour begins downhill, an easy pedal to the North-eastern coast of the Istrian Peninsula. Our first stop will be Savudrija, the oldest lighthouse in the Adriatic, built in 1818. It is also the northernmost lighthouse in Croatia. It stands 36 metres high and a caretaker lives inside. Then we will continue on towards Umag, a small town with 45km of coastline which displays the special features of the entire region and is the best introduction to an experience unlike the classic Mediterranean one. The history of Umag is extremely interesting; it was founded by the roman nobleman who decided to turn it into his summer residence, and the glamour, magnificence and splendour can still be seen today in the Venetian houses of the old quarter. Walls and fortresses are partially preserved, as well as some renaissance buildings and baroque churches. Vineyards and olive groves will create the ambience of the typical landscape of western Istria. We will continue on to Momjan to visit one of the best Istrian wineries and taste the Moscatel, Malvasia de Istria and Terán, a local vineyard that will bring to a close our first day of cycling in Istria.
Accommodation: 4* Hotel in Brtonigla
Meals: Breakfast, lunch (picnic lunch) and drinks throughout the route
Activity: Bicycle touring and wine-tasting
Transfer time: 15 minutes
DAY 3. BRTONIGLA – BUJE- GROŽNJAN – OPRTALJ – LIVADE – MOTOVUN (40 KM / 25 MILES)
From Brtonigla we will move on towards Buje and from there on to Grožnjan. Typical medieval Istrian town sitting at the top of a hill over the River Mirna. On its streets almost every doorway leads to an art studio or to art galleries, and through its windows can be heard the sounds of different music genres, from classical to jazz, and we can clearly see why Grožnjan is known as the artists’ town. Then we will carry on to Oprtalj, of urban medieval style, with narrow streets, shops, beautiful Venetian palaces, gateways, and in particular a unique view of the Istrian Peninsula from the town’s balcony, the most beautiful view of Istria according to many. From Oprtalj we will enjoy descending towards the River Mirna. Finally, we will reach Livade, the truffle centre of Istria, where we will visit the local truffle shop and taste this delicacy together with a selection of wines. We get to Motovun, another of the most charming villages in the region, where we will rest and recover our strength in readiness for a new day.
Accommodation: 3* Hotel in Motovun
Meals: Breakfast, lunch (picnic lunch) and drinks along the route, truffle-tasting with wine
Activity: Bicycle touring and tasting of wine and truffles
Transfer time: No transfer, we begin and finish cycling from and to the hotel.
DAY 4. MOTOVUN-POREČ 39 km / 24 miles
Today we will move from the interior of Istria towards the coast. We will go from Motovun to Višnjan where we will pass the main observatory of Croatia. Višnjan is at 246 m altitude and from there we can see the entire western coast of Istria and the town of Poreč. On the outskirts of Višnjan we can visit a few wineries, where they produce Malvasia. We then continue our route towards Tar, a small village on a hilltop over the sea and then on to the village of Nova Vas, famous for its cave, which we can visit. Once we resume our way, we will move through various small villages until we reach Poreč.
Accommodation: 4* Hotel in Poreč
Meals: Breakfast, lunch (picnic lunch) and drinks along the way
Activity: Bicycle touring and wine-tasting
Transfer time: No transfer, we begin and finish cycling from and to the hotel.
DAY 5. CIRCULAR ROUTE AROUND POREČ (40 KM / 25 MILES)
From Poreč, this day begins by visiting Euphrasiana, the most important monument in Poreč, built in the VI century. We will carry on until reaching the village of Bacva, the highest point of the day and where we will enjoy lunch in a local restaurant with traditional cuisine. We then move on to the villages in the south and come to Vrsar with an imposing view of the coast, the location chosen by forefathers for a fortress. Only parts of the fortification system, built in the XII century, have been preserved, but the fortress – castle is still standing. After Vrsar we pass through the fishing villages of Funtana, Zelena and Plava Laguna, to finally reach Poreč.
Accommodation: 4* Hotel in Poreč
Meals: Breakfast, lunch (picnic lunch) and drinks along the way
Activity: Bicycle touring
Transfer time: No transfer, we begin and finish cycling from and to the hotel.
DAY 6. POREC – VRSAR – STO. LOVREC – FIORDO LIM + BOAT TO ROVINJ (35 KM / 22 MILES)
Today we will head towards the Lim Fjord that forms part of the Lim Valley of some 35m in length, which stretches almost to the centre of Istria. The Fjord is almost 10km in length, 30 metres deep and is 600 metres at its widest. From both sides the mountains become impressively steeper, in some parts even reaching up to 100 metres. The water in the bay is part brackish, due to its subterranean sources of fresh water which enable vegetable and animal life to thrive most splendidly. This also favours the breeding of fish, oysters and other shellfish. The environment of the bay is very interesting, vegetation is exuberant and diverse, with perennial trees that play host to various wild animals such as boars, foxes, rabbits, roe deer, and birds such as falcons, vultures and owls. The history of the Lim Fjord is interesting for various reasons, even before Christ the Illyrians were building their colonies, the forts of Illyria, in the surrounding mountains.
Before setting sail on an old-style sailboat that will take us to our next stop, Rovinj, we will have the opportunity to taste different types of fresh oysters accompanied by local wine. After sailing for 2 hours we come to Rovinj, the goal for this day. The Jewel of the Adriatic, with a church and tower on the hill next to the sea, can be seen from all sides. The old quarter of “Croatian Venice”, which was once an island and then became connected to land, its traditional boats (batana) and its restaurants serving fresh fish accompanied by malvasia will complete the perfect ambience of the week.
Accommodation: 4* Hotel in Rovinj
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, drinks along the way and oyster-tasting
Activity: Bicycle touring, sailing and oyster-tasting
Transfer time: No transfer, we begin and finish cycling from and to the hotel.
DAY 7. ŽMINJ-PULA (45 KM / 22 MILES)
After breakfast we will cycle along the coast towards Pula. The first stop will be the mysterious world of the Bale region, so proud of its glorious Soardo – Bembo Castle from the gothic and renaissance era and the parish church of Saint Julian. Bale would have been developed on the basis of the old Roman “castrum” (military fortification) along the Via Flava, the old Roman road that joined Trieste and Pula. We continue on to Svetvinčenat, with its grandiose Morosini – Grimani citadel with towers, parish church, municipal lodge and row of renaissance houses, together with a cistern from the XVI century – in its midst. Svetvinčenat is one of Venice’s most beautiful creations from this period. Leaving Svetvinčenat behind, we carry on to Vodnjan and we will meet up with a famous olive oil producer, where you will learn more about olives, the olive harvest, producing oil from the olives and how to recognise characteristics and quality from tasting.
What town sits atop seven hills, has a magnificent amphitheater and yet isn’t Rome? The answer is Pula. No, it’s not a mistake. Today we finish by visiting the old town with the Arch of the Sergii (build at the end of the first century BC) and the famous Coliseum, a Roman amphitheatre (from the first century BC).
Accommodation: 4* Hotel in Rovinj
Meals: Breakfast, lunch (picnic lunch) and drinks along the way and olive oil tasting
Activity: Bicycle touring and olive oil tasting
Transfer time: 40 minutes
DAY 8. FAREWELL
After breakfast we will transfer to Pula airport or to the departure point agreed, to bring to a close our wonderful tour.
