How demanding is the cycling?

This is a level 3 out of 5 tour. You ride through hilly terrain with climbs of up to roughly 250 metres, covering 16 to 66 km and 200 to 600 metres of ascent per day. About 70% of the route is on paved roads and 30% on unpaved roads and forest paths. You should cycle regularly and feel confident on changing surfaces. An e-bike makes the climbs considerably easier and can be rented for the week.

What is the mountain bike option?

On the days where the terrain allows it, riders who prefer trails can take the rougher line while the rest of the group follows the road route, meeting again at the same harbour. The published distances refer to the standard road itinerary; the trail variant may differ in length and surface, and your guide will confirm the options day by day on board.

Do I have to ride in the group every day?

No. If you would rather ride at your own pace, you get access to the free RideWithGPS route app, a detailed cycling map and GPS tracks. The guides ride the same route and stay reachable by phone. You can also skip a stage entirely and spend a half or full day swimming from the boat.

Bike rental is optional and paid separately: a hybrid bicycle costs around €80 per week and an e-bike around €252 per week, including a pannier. You are welcome to bring your own bike. Helmets are mandatory on all rides and rental helmets on board are limited, so bringing your own is strongly recommended.

What are the cabins like?

You sleep in a twin cabin below deck with private shower and toilet, cleaned daily, with bed linen and towels provided. Upper deck and double cabins are available at a supplement. The ship is a working vessel as well as your hotel, so a certain level of noise is normal.

What is included in the catering?

The chef is part of the crew and prepares breakfast plus one or two warm meals a day. Catering starts with dinner on the arrival day and ends with breakfast on the departure day: two days of full board and five of half board, which leaves you free to eat ashore in the harbour towns.

What language is spoken on board?

Tours run bilingually in English and German, as the group is international.

Children from the age of 10 with previous cycling experience and in good physical condition can take part. The minimum height for a rental hybrid bike is 1.20 m and 1.50 m for an e-bike. Helmets are compulsory in Croatia for everyone up to 16.

How do I get to the start?

Omišalj is on the island of Krk, close to Rijeka airport. Transfers from Rijeka airport and collective transfers from Zagreb (city centre or airport) can be arranged on request on embarkation and disembarkation days, with advance booking. Secure parking for the week is also available if you arrive by car.

Could the itinerary change?

Yes. Wind, weather and harbour availability can lead to changes, and the route may be sailed in reverse. The places and the riding stay the same.

Istria by Boat & Bike – 8 Days

Istria & Kvarner

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from€979

Bike & BoatE-bikeTrekking bike8 days / 7 nights227 km2/5Medium-EasyLoop

Short Description

Eight days between the Adriatic and the Istrian hinterland, with your cabin moving overnight while you sleep. You wake up in a different harbour every morning – Pula, Poreč, Novigrad, Rovinj, Rabac – and ride out straight from the quay with a guide who knows which back roads stay quiet and which bay is worth a swim. The riding is varied and honest: coastal lanes, the old Parenzana railway line through vineyards and olive groves, forest tracks to Fažana, and the climb up to Grožnjan, a medieval village of stone houses and open galleries. You cycle in a group, but never on a schedule that feels rushed: the afternoons belong to you, to the old towns, the pebble beaches and the long light on the water.

Tour Program

Day 1 – Omišalj (embarkation)
You arrive independently in Omišalj, an old pirates' nest on the island of Krk, and board from the early afternoon. Once your cabin is settled, the boat casts off for the first crossing to Cres. If the weather plays along there is a stop in a quiet bay for a first swim in the Adriatic. You spend the night in Cres, whose Venetian old town is made for an unhurried evening walk through narrow alleys and small churches.

Day 2 – Cres to Pula, round tour from Pula (28 km)
Breakfast on board during the morning cruise to Pula. In the afternoon you ride a loop through the countryside around the city: Galižana, then Vodnjan, then the fishing village of Fažana before rolling back into Pula. A guided walk through the city follows, with its Roman amphitheatre still standing in the middle of everyday life, and the evening is yours.

Day 3 – Pula to Vrsar to Poreč (40 km)
Another morning cruise, this time to Vrsar, the little port where Casanova is said to have taken refuge from the husbands of his lovers. From here you cycle along the Lim fjord and turn inland through Kloštar before reaching Poreč. There is time in the afternoon for a swim and for the Euphrasian Basilica, whose early Christian mosaics are among the finest on the Adriatic. Night in Poreč.

Day 4 – Poreč to Novigrad (59 km)
The longest day, and the one most people remember. You follow the Parenzana, the abandoned railway line that now runs as a cycle route through the Istrian interior, climbing gently to Grožnjan: a medieval village of pale stone, flower-filled squares and workshops in old houses. The afternoon takes you down through rural Istria via Buje to Novigrad, where the boat is waiting.

Day 5 – Novigrad to Rovinj, round tour from Rovinj (20 km)
The crossing to Rovinj happens over breakfast. Today's ride is short and green, through the forest park just outside town, past bays where you can stop and swim before turning back. The afternoon is free for Rovinj itself, a tangle of alleys climbing to the bell tower, and in the evening a guided walk opens up the quieter corners of the old town.

Day 6 – Rovinj to Fažana to Rabac (37 km)
A morning ride close to the coast, mostly on natural forest paths, brings you to Fažana and its small harbour lined with colourful houses. You continue to Pula, where the boat takes over for a longer crossing to Rabac on the eastern side of the peninsula – white pebble beaches, clear water and a bay that looks best with a drink in hand at sunset.

Day 7 – Rabac to Njivice to Omišalj (43 km)
An early crossing back to Krk for the last stage, from Njivice to Omišalj across Croatia's largest island. Vineyards of Žlahtina white wine, open limestone landscapes and a detour to the bay of Soline, where the mineral mud is said to take ten years off you. Back in Omišalj the crew has a farewell dinner ready.

Day 8 – Omišalj (disembarkation)
Breakfast on board and disembarkation by 9 am, then your onward journey.

Available departures

Year

Next: 16 Oct 2026 · 1 departure · from €1,529 p.p.

Oct 2026

- Double Upper€1,529

Tour details

LoopGuidedCouplesFriendsMinimum 2 peopleMinimum age 10 years

✅ What is included in the trip?

🍽️ 2 x full board and 5 x half board (option to have a picnic for lunch)
🧍‍♂️English speaking tour guide
🚶‍♂️ Guided tours in Pula and Rovinj
🗺️ Maps
📞 Local telephone assistance 7/7
🧍‍♂️ Welcome briefing

❌ What is not included?

🚎 Transfers not listed as Included
✈️ Journey to/from the starting point
🍽️ Meals and drinks not listed as Included
🖼️ Entrance fees and extras not listed
🛡️ Travel insurance
🌎 Tourist taxes
SGR Insolvency protection (mandatory consumer contribution SGR insolvency protection guarantee scheme: € 5 per person

🙋 Common questions

How demanding is the cycling?
This is a level 3 out of 5 tour. You ride through hilly terrain with climbs of up to roughly 250 metres, covering 16 to 66 km and 200 to 600 metres of ascent per day. About 70% of the route is on paved roads and 30% on unpaved roads and forest paths. You should cycle regularly and feel confident on changing surfaces. An e-bike makes the climbs considerably easier and can be rented for the week.
What is the mountain bike option?
On the days where the terrain allows it, riders who prefer trails can take the rougher line while the rest of the group follows the road route, meeting again at the same harbour. The published distances refer to the standard road itinerary; the trail variant may differ in length and surface, and your guide will confirm the options day by day on board.
Do I have to ride in the group every day?
No. If you would rather ride at your own pace, you get access to the free RideWithGPS route app, a detailed cycling map and GPS tracks. The guides ride the same route and stay reachable by phone. You can also skip a stage entirely and spend a half or full day swimming from the boat.
Are bikes included?
Bike rental is optional and paid separately: a hybrid bicycle costs around €80 per week and an e-bike around €252 per week, including a pannier. You are welcome to bring your own bike. Helmets are mandatory on all rides and rental helmets on board are limited, so bringing your own is strongly recommended.
What are the cabins like?
You sleep in a twin cabin below deck with private shower and toilet, cleaned daily, with bed linen and towels provided. Upper deck and double cabins are available at a supplement. The ship is a working vessel as well as your hotel, so a certain level of noise is normal.
What is included in the catering?
The chef is part of the crew and prepares breakfast plus one or two warm meals a day. Catering starts with dinner on the arrival day and ends with breakfast on the departure day: two days of full board and five of half board, which leaves you free to eat ashore in the harbour towns.
What language is spoken on board?
Tours run bilingually in English and German, as the group is international.
Can children join?
Children from the age of 10 with previous cycling experience and in good physical condition can take part. The minimum height for a rental hybrid bike is 1.20 m and 1.50 m for an e-bike. Helmets are compulsory in Croatia for everyone up to 16.
How do I get to the start?
Omišalj is on the island of Krk, close to Rijeka airport. Transfers from Rijeka airport and collective transfers from Zagreb (city centre or airport) can be arranged on request on embarkation and disembarkation days, with advance booking. Secure parking for the week is also available if you arrive by car.
Could the itinerary change?
Yes. Wind, weather and harbour availability can lead to changes, and the route may be sailed in reverse. The places and the riding stay the same.