Istria Loop Cycling Tour

Day 1: Poreč — Arrival
You will arrive in Poreč, where an info meeting at 7 pm at the hotel reception will give you your travel documents, maps and road book, and your rental bike with all its equipment if you have booked one. Overnight in a 3- or 4-star hotel in the Poreč/Vrsar area.

Day 2: Poreč — Buje (72 km; +724 m / −581 m)
Your loop of Istria will begin in Poreč, a town of Roman streets, palaces from many eras and the famous Euphrasian Basilica. You will ride along a coastline of beautiful bays, green vineyards and olive groves, where home-made food, wine, brandy and honey are produced. You will pass Višnjan with its astronomical observatory, the Mirna river delta and Novigrad, then reach Umag, whose historic centre still speaks of the Venetian Republic. The day continues to Savudrija, the northernmost point of Istria, before finishing in the Buje area. Overnight in the Buje area.

Day 3: Buje — Buzet (54 km; +845 m / −831 m)
Today you will head inland to Grožnjan, a medieval hilltop town with centuries-old walls, a Renaissance loggia from 1585 and streets where almost every door opens onto an art studio or gallery. You will continue through the village of Šterna and medieval Oprtalj, whose loggia offers one of the finest views over the peninsula. The ride ends in Buzet, the City of Truffles, surrounded by the forests of the Mirna valley. Overnight in a 4-star hotel in Buzet.

Day 4: Buzet — Labin (67 km; +1204 m / −1069 m)
The most demanding day starts with a steep climb to Prodani and leads to Draguć, a picturesque stone village that has served as a film set. You will ride on to Pazin, the heart of Istria, whose castle stands at the edge of a 130-metre-deep abyss and houses the Ethnographic Museum of Istria. Through Gračišće, with its Gothic-Renaissance Salomon mansion, and Kršan, you will descend to Rabac on the Kvarner bay. Overnight in a 4-star hotel in Labin.

Day 5: Labin — Pula (53 km; +560 m / −815 m)
After breakfast you will ride through Raša, the first modern mining town in Istria, and Barban towards Pula. Along the way, the Liburna reserve is home to native animals, including sociable donkeys, and a collection of antique tools. In Pula, the largest city in Istria, you will end the day exploring the old town, the Arch of the Sergii and the Roman Arena. Overnight in Pula.

Day 6: Pula — Rovinj (61 km; +591 m / −586 m)
You will ride towards Rovinj through the Bale area, with its Soardo-Bembo castle and the church of St. Julian, on the line of the ancient Roman road that once linked Trieste and Pula. In Svetvinčenat you will see the Morosini-Grimani citadel, the municipal loggia and a row of 16th-century Renaissance houses. The day ends in Rovinj. Overnight in Rovinj.

Day 7: Rovinj — Poreč (60 km; +787 m / −791 m)
Today's ride is full of stories: through Kanfanar you will reach the ruins of medieval Dvigrad, in a land of legends about an ancient curse, Captain Morgan's buried treasure and a cave once home to the hermit St Romuald. After a stretch along the coastline you will arrive in Vrsar, the romantic fishing village where Casanova returned twice, before completing your loop in Poreč. Overnight in Poreč.

Day 8: Poreč — Departure
Breakfast and end of services.