Venice to Dubrovnik Bicycle Tour

Day 1: Venice

Our trip starts in Venice, Italy. You will check in at our 3 star Hotel Al Fogher just a short distance by train to the old center in historic Treviso- near the second major airport servicing Venice. You will get comfortable and hopefully take the rest of your day to get a head-start on sightseeing. Venice's excellent bus service makes it easy to plan your days to the world's only pedestrian city. Our hotel will have excellent information on transportation to/from Venice center.

Suzie and Roger will be be meeting the group in the evening for a Welcome get-together with wine and cheese and discuss the next day's group sightseeing plans.

Day 2: Sightseeing in Venice

Monday, we meet for breakfast and depart for sightseeing the full day in Venice.

Once in the old center, we will enjoy a classic walking tour for several hours with a local guide who will show us the important remnants of the ancient republic of Venice. We'll break for lunch in one of the many wonderful cafes and you are on your own to continue exploring the nooks and crannies.

Day 3: Porec-Istria

After breakfast today we board a bus to transfer us to the beautiful region of Istria.

We arrive early in the morning so we can have a nice cycle of the town of Porec. Porec is almost 2,000 years old, and is set around a harbor protected from the sea by the small island of Saint Nicholas/San Nicolo (St. Nicholas).

Ever since the 1970s, the coast of Porec has been the most visited tourist destination in Croatia.

We'll meet our tour host, Dalibor, who will be cycling today with us to show us his town. Tonight we celebrate with a Welcome Dinner in our hotel.

Day 4: Rabac

Today we enjoy the Istrian countryside as we head towards Rabac - long a small fishing port but in recent years grown into a nice resort town on the Kvarner Bay. On the way we will be exploring several hidden medieval towns.

Day 5: Cres

After breakfast we leave Rabac and make a slow ascent to the foothills following the Mediterranean into Brestova where we catch a ferry to cross the sea.

We are now on the largest Adriatic island of Cres - 66 kilometers along the coast. The island is particularly pleasant in the spring when the nature flourishes and the scent of aromatic plants starts to fill the air. The best proof that the sea of the Cres aquatorium is extremely clean is the population of dolphins that inhabit it.

We stop for the night - mid-island in the town of Cres. Cres is a fortified town developed on the western part of the island under the island’s ridge, where the prehistoric settlement and Ancient fortification (Crexa and Crepsa) used to be.

Cres was inhabited in prehistoric times, which can still be seen by objects from that time, and began to develop in the middle ages. One of the more notable cultural and historical monuments of the town is the palace of the family Petris (Petric) from the 15th century.

Day 6: Cycling on Island of Cres - evening ferry to Zadar

We continue southward to enjoy more of the gorgeous island of Cres. As we cycle we witness the varied beauty, which is protected by the hills and evergreen coniferous forests.

Everywhere there are wild herbs that give the local food its distinctive taste, wildflowers in the pastures and, as a reminder of the human influence, thousands of olive trees.

Over ninety species of bird nest on the island. As well as eagles, falcons and owls. There is a dedicated ornithological reserve for the white-headed griffon vultures which nest, surprisingly, on rocks next to the sea.

Our ferry leaves at 4 today for a sailing voyage across the water. We will enjoy dinner and drinks onboard.

Day 7: Zadar to Skradin

We take time in the morning to explore Zadar. Once the capital of Dalmatia for many centuries, The Zadar Peninsula still preserves its old network of narrow and charming city streets, as well as a Roman forum dating back to the first century AD.

The pre-Romanesque Church of St. Donat dates back to the 9th century, and it is certainly Zadar's most famous spot.

Today we take a highlight visit to the National Park KRKA and the Skradinski buk - a massive, clear, natural pool with high waterfalls at one end and cascades at the other - one of the most attractive parts of the park.

We enjoy the evening outside of the National Park in the lovely town of Skradin. Here locals offer their handmade goods from little wagons lining the streets in town.

Day 8: Split

ay is one of our ambitious days with lots to see-including a stop in the ancient town of Trogir. We try to stay cycling along the coast as much as possible to catch the Mediterranean views into Split.

Split is busy and big but it remains one of the Adriatic's most fascinating ports with a long and eventful history. Under Roman Emperor Diocletian a luxurious palace was built around 300 AD which gave rise to the expansion of the city.

The palace is now one of Croatia's most visited monuments and a UNESCO Heritage site. We'll take the rest of our day to explore Split, enjoy dinner with our group and lodging in town.

Day 9: Lumbarda, Korcula and Orebic

Today after breakfast we catch a local ferry to step stone islands to Vela Luka where we cycle 40 kilometers to the town of Korcula.

After a visit we cross again to Orebic - a sunny townlet once home to sea captains and sailors.

Orebic offers untouched nature with centuries-old pines, cypress and almond trees, agavas and flowers. On the hill above Orebic there is the Franciscan Monastery (1470) dominating the scenery and housing an interesting museum for us to visit.

Day 10: Ston-Dubrovnik

Our final cycling follows the rocky, barren hills of the Peljesac Peninsula. The soil is generally poor but the generous sunshine is perfect for cultivating grapes- resulting in wine renowned throughout Croatia and is considered by many to be the country's finest wine. We hope to find at least 2 wonderful vineyards to visit today.

We finally arrive in the town of Ston. Here we'll stop to admire the famous Walls of Ston, a 5.5 kilometer long wall in the shape of an irregular pentangle that was completed in the 15th century, along with its 40 towers (20 of which have survived) and 5 fortresses. These walls once were meant to protect the precious salt pans that contributed to Dubrovnik's wealth and still being worked today.

We meet a bus here which will transfer us to Dubrovnik and start our visit in that famous town.

Day 11: Day off in Dubrovnik

After breakfast we go exploring the famous city of Dubrovnik. We start with a 2 hour walking tour lead by a professional guide who will tell us some history and an overview of the city's famous monuments.

You can enjoy the rest of the day to sightsee at your leisure. We celebrate tonight with a farewell dinner.

Day 12: Homeward Bound

After breakfast we say our goodbyes to our friends and a wonderful trip. Our support van will provide morning shuttle service to the Dubrovnik airport.