Self-Guided Cycle Venice to Porec

Over View

A self-guided cycle journey hugging the Adriatic Sea from Venice to Porec. On this fascinating route through Italy, Slovenia and Croatia we have carefully selected the best sections to cycle, while travelling other parts by train.

Aquileia Roman ruins – Option to visit the remains of this once important Roman city

Trieste – Grand architecture, plazas and coastal promenade

Wetlands – Varied and beautiful habitats with birdlife in the protected delta of the River Isonzo .

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive in Mestre, free time to visit 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.

Public transport is available to get you from Marco Polo Venice Airport (VCE) to Mestre.

Day 2 Cycle from Venice to Caorle

Today you have two cycle route choices. The shorter coastal route is to cycle from Mestre into Venice, then board the ferry and Vaporetto water bus with your bike, crossing the Venetian lagoon to Punta Sabbioni. Here we recommend a quick detour to see the lighthouse at the tip of the headland. Skirting the lagoon you will head northwest along the Litorale di Cavallino, which is a thin strip of land that separates the lagoon from the sea. There are several opportunities at this point to stop off for a swim. Continue cycling along the coast until you reach Caorle with its pretty historic centre and harbour.

An alternative route option is to cycle inland from Mestre via Quarto d’Altino to Caorle. This is a longer cycle route, but can be shortened with a train ride from Mestre to Quarto d’Altino.

If choosing the coastal route your total cycling distance today is approximately 62 kilometres (180 metres total ascent and 190 metres total descent). If you choose the inland route via Quarto d’Altino, the cycling distance is approximately 79 kilometres or 59 kilometres if you take the train (113/103 metres total ascent and 130/120 metres total descent).

Day 3 Cycle inland to the Renaissance town of Portogruaro

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 rule of the Venetian Republic. Still today it preserves the look and feel of a Venetian city with canals, narrow streets and grand palaces.

Your total cycling distance today is approximately 30 kilometres (40 metres total ascent and descent).

Day 4 Train to Latisana; cycle to Aquileia Roman ruins

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.

The total cycling distance from Latisana to Grado is approximately 61 kilometres (176 metres total ascent and 165 metres descent). With the extension to Palmanova, your cycling distance is approximately 74 kilometres (225 metres total ascent and 215 metres descent).

If you choose to cycle the Portogruaro to Latisana section instead of taking the train, your cycling distance is approximately 83 kilometres (345 metres total ascent and 290 metres descent). With the extension to Palmanova, your cycling distance is approximately 96 kilometres (405 metres total ascent and 345 metres descent).

Day 5 Cycle through protected wetlands to Monfalcone; train to Trieste

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 28 km cycling to Trieste passing by villages such as Duino and Sistiana (and it is well 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 wander through the streets, plazas and coastal promenade of Trieste lined with grand and imposing palaces.

Your total cycling distance today is approximately 37 kilometres (75 metres total ascent and 25 metres descent) with optional 28 kilometre cycle extension to Trieste (225 metres total ascent and 225 metres descent).

Day 6 Boat from Trieste to Muggia and cycle to Portoroz in Slovenia

A short boat ride takes you to Muggia and then once back on the bike, after a few kilometres following the coastline, you ride into Slovenia! Continuing along the coast you reach the well-known villages of Koper (Capodistria), Izola (Isola d’Istria) and Piran (Pirano) until you reach the resort of Portoroz on the Slovenian Riviera. Perhaps spend time this evening to relax at the beach.

Your total cycling distance today is approximately 31 kilometres (350 metres total ascent and descent) with optional 5 kilometre extension to Piran.

Day 7 Cycle from Portoroz along the Parenzana into Porec in Croatia

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 takes you back to the coast for a final coastal ride to the bustling medieval seaside town of Porec where the UNESCO heritage Euphrasius basilica is not to be missed.

Your total cycling distance today is approximately 60 kilometres (475 metres total ascent and descent).

Day 8 Holiday ends in Porec

After breakfast, the organised part of your holiday comes to an end.

You may choose to take the ferry back to Venice if you have booked flights returning Marco Polo Venice Airport (VCE). The ferry operates in the morning between April and October. Alternatively, you may like to fly back from Pula Airport (PUY) where public transport is available to get from Porec.