Bike Tour: Cycling from Venice to Porec - 8 days

Arrive in Venice. Check in to your hotel in Mestre on the mainland. The 'Republic of the Serenissima' awaits you - from the mainland you can easily reach Venice downtown with public transport and details will be included in the route notes and destination manual. Your bike will be delivered either today or tomorrow morning and you will be required to sign an agreement of care upon receipt of the bike.

Today you can choose between two routes to Caorle:

Option A: Pedal from Mestre to Venice & from Punta Sabbioni to Caorle.

The route consists of cycling from Mestre to Venice, after a visit to the city, board the ferry and vaporetto, crossing the Venetian lagoon to Punta Sabbioni. Here we recommend a short diversions to see the lighthouse at the tip of the promontory. Following the lagoon, head north-west along the Litorale di Cavallino, a thin strip of land separating the lagoon from the sea. At this point there are several opportunities to stop for a swim. Continue cycling along the coast until you reach Caorle, with its pretty old town and harbour.

Difficulty: 62 km, 180m ascent, 190m descent

Option B: Pedal from Venice to Caorle via Quarto d'Altino.

If you wish to shorten the stage you can take the train from Mestre to Quarto d'Altino and from there cycle to Caorle.

Difficulty: 79km or 59km, 113m or 103m ascent, 130m 120m descent

Say goodbye to the Sea as you head inland towards the Julian Alps, visible in the distance Cycling along waterways and a succession of fields you reach the Renaissance town of Portogruaro, an important inland harbour of the “Serenissima” during the Venetian Republic. Still today it preserves the look and feel of a Venetian city with canals, narrow streets and grand palaces.

Challenge: 30km, 40mt ascent, 40mt descent

This morning take the train with your bike from Portogruaro to Latisana. If you prefer, you can cycle this section. This adds 20 kilometres to today's total distance.

From Latisana cycle through beautiful open farmland dotted with old farms and small parish churches to Aquileia, an important city during the Roman Empire with over 100,000 inhabitants at its height. Take your time here to visit the open-air excavations, the two museums and the beautiful mosaics in the church. On the way to Aquileia there is the option to extend the cycling with a detour to visit Palmanova, a small fortified town built during the renaissance period. This town is a national monument due to its characteristic nine-pointed star shape. After exploring Palmanova continue cycling to Aquileia.

From Aquileia cycle to the seaside town of Grado, the final point on today’s ride, to see its fishing port and a nice historic centre. Your accommodation tonight will normally be in Grado, but due to availability may be in Aquileia or Palmanova.

Challenge: 61/83km (train or bike) via Aquileia, 175/345m ascent, 165/290m descent

Challenge: 74/96km (train or bike) via Palmanova and via Aquileia, 225/405m, 215/345m descent

Today’s ride is dedicated to the wild and varied natural habitat of the delta of the River Isonzo a protected wetland area. You skirt the coastline then ride on the river dike before the final stretch into Monfalcone where you take the train to Trieste .

You can extend the ride by cycling to Trieste passing by the villages like Duino, Sistiana, it’s worth visiting the seaside palace of Miramare located above the bay of Grignano surrounded by a beautiful park with more than 2000 different species of plants and a protected marine area. Spend the afternoon and evening soaking in the Habsburg period atmosphere as you wonder through the streets, plazas and coastal promenade of Trieste lined with grand and imposing palaces.

Challenge: 37 or 65 km, 75/225mt ascent, 25/225mt descent

A short boat ride takes you to Muggia and after a few kilometres following the coastline you ride into Slovenia! Continuing alng the coast you reach the well-known villages of Koper (Capodistria), Izola (Isola d´Istria) and Piran (Pirano) until you reach the well known resort of Portoroz on the Slovenian Riviera.

Challenge: 31/36km, 350mt ascent, 350mt descent

Firstly you ride along the coast to the salt lakes of Secovlje, where sea salt is extracted through natural evaporation. Next you cross the border into Croatia where the famous Parenzana route (a disused railway line converted into a gravel cycle path) gently meanders through the Istrian hills to Buje, where a fast descent then takes you back to the coast for a final ride to the bustling medieval seaside town of Porec. Here, the UNESCO heritage Euphrasius Basilica is a sight not to be missed.

Challenge: 60km, 475mt ascent, 475mt descent

The trip ends after breakfast, you can choose to return to Venice by boat or fly from Pula.