Istria Coast & Hilltop Villages by Boat and E-Bike

Day 1 – Omišalj, island of Krk (embarkation) – Cres | boat only
You arrive on your own to Omišalj, a former pirates' nest perched above the sea on the island of Krk. Check-in on board is from early afternoon, and once you have settled into your cabin the ship casts off for the first crossing to Cres. If the weather plays along there is a stop in a quiet bay for your first swim in the Adriatic. You spend the night in the island capital, whose Venetian old town of narrow alleys and small churches is made for an evening stroll.

Day 2 – Cres – Pula | Pula round tour | 28 km
Breakfast on board while the ship cruises towards Pula. In the afternoon you get on the bikes for a relaxed 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 town brings you face to face with the Roman amphitheatre and the old streets around it, and the evening is yours.

Day 3 – Pula – Vrsar – Poreč | 42 km
Another morning cruise with breakfast, this time to Vrsar, the little port where Casanova is said to have taken refuge from the husbands of his lovers. From there you cycle along the Lim Fjord and inland to Kloštar before reaching Poreč. The long seafront promenade, the shopping streets and above all the Euphrasian Basilica with its early Christian mosaics fill the rest of the day, with time left for a swim.

Day 4 – Poreč – Grožnjan – Novigrad | 66 km
The longest and most beautiful stage. You follow the Parenzana, a railway line turned into a cycle path, up into the hills to Grožnjan, a medieval village of stone houses, flower-filled squares and artists' studios. In the afternoon you drop back through rural Istria via Buje to the small harbour town of Novigrad, where the ship is waiting.

Day 5 – Novigrad – Rovinj | Rovinj round tour | 16 km
A short, easy day. While you have breakfast the ship moves to Rovinj, and you set off on a gentle ride through the green wilderness of the coastal park, past a string of bays that are hard to cycle by without stopping for a swim. Back on board by midday, you have the whole afternoon for Rovinj itself, and in the evening a guided walk uncovers the stories behind its pastel façades.

Day 6 – Rovinj – Fažana – Rabac | 37 km
The morning ride runs close to the coast, mostly on forest tracks and natural paths, to Fažana with its tiny harbour and its row of colourful houses. From Pula the ship takes over for a longer crossing to Rabac, on the eastern side of Istria, where white pebble beaches and clear water invite one last swim and a cocktail in a bar by the bay.

Day 7 – Rabac – Njivice – Omišalj | 44 km
An early crossing back to Krk, the largest island in Croatia, for the final stage from Njivice to Omišalj. The landscape changes constantly along the way, and in the bay of Soline you can do what locals have done for generations and cover yourself in the mineral-rich mud. Back in the harbour, a last dinner on board closes the week with the crew and your fellow travellers.

Day 8 – Omišalj (disembarkation)
Breakfast on board, disembarkation by 9 am and individual journey home.