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Idyllic Istria

Along wine roads to a colourful coast
 
As you cycle self-guided through timeless countryside while your luggage is transported ahead, you’ll visit historic harbour towns, gain insights into Istria’s intriguing culture, and sample the flourishing food-and-wine scene.
Price from
£1220pp
Idyllic Istria. 7 nights
Price from
£1220pp
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
Idyllic Istria. 7 nights
Price from
£1220pp
+44 (0)1653 617001 Call now
 

Holiday information

 

A cycling holiday in Istria

We love Istria. This heart-shaped peninsula juts defiantly into the cobalt-blue Adriatic Sea, offering an arresting blend of wondrous green landscapes, historic towns and villages, and a captivating coastline. The bucolic interior, whose gently rolling hills are laced with wine roads connecting charming hill-top villages, is a cyclist’s delight – and perhaps not what you might expect from Croatia.
But here you are not only close to the Slovenian border, but also just across the water from Venice, and the architecture and the food – characterised by fresh seafood, prime white truffles, wild asparagus and top-quality olive oils – reflect a striking Italian influence. There is also a coastline, whose vibrant ports are lapped by crystal-clear waters and are blessed by glorious sunsets, that cannot fail to enchant.
 
Gallery

 

Itinerary

The key to Inntravel holidays is flexibility. You can start on the day of your choice, and are free to add extra nights.
  • The average maximum daytime temperatures and monthly rainfall relate to the nearest weather station and are intended as a guide only.
    Average temperatures and rainfall
      Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
    °C 8 10 13 17 21 25 28 28 24 19 13 10
    mm 74 66 68 79 70 80 60 87 96 89 106 85
  • Arrival in Novigrad
    Night 1: at Hotel Cittar (the first of two nights here).
    As your first night's accommodation is on the day of travel, Day 1 is your first day of cycling.
  • Circular route from Novigrad: 49km
    Enjoy a circuit exploring Istria’s north-west corner, riding past vineyards, olive groves and orchards (this is an important fruit-growing region), and perhaps stopping at one of the best Istrian konobe  (rustic, traditional restaurants) for lunch, before returning to the coast.
    Circular route from Novigrad: 49km
    Enjoy a lunch of traditional Croatian fare
  • Novigrad to Krasica: 30km
    Leaving Novigrad, you again head inland, via the wine village of Brtoniglia and medieval Buje, taking time to explore the latter’s cobbled streets and romantic old buildings, before reaching Al Merlo Olivo near Krasica. You spend two nights here.
    Novigrad to Krasica: 30km
    The picturesque streets of Buje
  • Circular route from Krasica: 37km
    A lovely cycle ride takes you through an evocative landscape of wine roads and small medieval towns, including Grožnjan, a hill-top gem complete with Venetian loggia and sumptuous, far-reaching views.
    Circular route from Krasica: 37km
    Follow scenic wine roads
  • Krasica to Bale: 35km
    The day begins with a transfer, before you pedal south across the idyllic, fertile Istrian countryside via a succession of picturesque villages to reach one more – Bale, where your final three nights are spent at La Grisa.
    Krasica to Bale: 35km
    Olive groves and vines provide a scenic backdrop
  • Choice of routes from Bale: 40km-62km

    Circular route from Bale via Rovinj: 47km
    Our first suggested route from Bale heads north-west via pretty coves to Rovinj, a charming town full of handsome Baroque and Renaissance palaces, where you can choose a harbour-side restaurant for lunch.

    Out-and-back route from Bale to Fažana: 40km; longer option via Pula: 62km
    Our second suggested route also heads towards the nearby coast to visit Fažana, from whose pastel-coloured port regular ferries depart to the Brijuni National Park – a pine-covered archipelago where peace and tranquillity reigns. After exploring the Park, you could choose to return directly to your hotel; or really stretch your legs by continuing south to Pula and visiting the town’s incredibly well-preserved Roman amphitheatre – Croatia’s answer to the Colosseum.
    Circular route from Bale via Rovinj: 47km
    Bale to Pula via Fažana: 62km in total (out-and-back route)
 

Accommodation

Chosen for their locations, the three places at which you stay are different in character, all charming in their own way.
 

Extend your stay

 
Prices & travel options
All prices are in £ sterling (GBP). If you'd like to see what they equate to in your currency, use the converter. For general information on pricing, see the 'your holiday price explained' page.
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  • 7 nights: 01 April 2024 - 23 June 2024, 08 September 2024 - 31 October 2024, 01 April 2025 - 23 June 2025 & 08 September 2025 - 31 October 2025

    Start any day | End by latest date(s) shown above

    Starting Price Single room
    1 - 30 Apr 2025 £1270 £170
    1 - 11 May 2025 £1320 £190
    12 - 31 May 2025 £1375 £190
    1 - 16 Jun 2025 £1445 £195
    8 - 18 Sep 2025 £1500 £230
    19 - 30 Sep 2025 £1445 £195
    1 - 9 Oct 2025 £1375 £190
    10 - 24 Oct 2025 £1320 £190
    3rd & 4th person discount -£98
    Single traveller supplement £98

    Includes accommodation, meals, bike hire, luggage transfers and any other services integral to the holiday as described, plus cycling notes and maps, but no travel from the UK, nor any connecting travel from the airport unless stated below.

    Electric bikes available: add £64pp in 2023 or £70pp in 2024

    Book your flights through us and we'll find the best route and times to suit you. Please contact us to find out more about our flight booking service. We can also book connecting travel - see below.

  • Room upgrades (£ per person per night)

    Hotel Cittar, Novigrad
    Deluxe: 01 Apr - 23 Jun 2025 £19
    Deluxe: 08 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 £19
    Al Merlo Olivo, Krasica
    Junior suite: 01 Apr - 23 Jun 2025 £21
    Junior suite: 08 Sep - 31 Oct 2025 £21

    Extra nights (£ per person per night) in a double or single room

    Prices include an extra day’s hire of a standard bike. If you are upgrading to an e-bike, add £10pp per day in 2023 or £11pp in 2024.
    Hotel Cittar, Novigrad (B&B) Double room Single room
    01 Apr - 30 Apr 2025 £94 £110
    01 May - 31 May 2025 £101 £124
    01 Jun - 23 Jun 2025 £119 £142
    08 Sep - 30 Sep 2025 £119 £142
    01 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 £94 £110
    La Grisa, Bale (B&B) Double room Single room
    01 Apr - 16 May 2025 £122 £141
    17 May - 23 Jun 2025 £135 £154
    08 Sep - 22 Sep 2025 £155 £180
    23 Sep - 13 Oct 2025 £135 £154
    14 Oct - 31 Oct 2025 £122 £141
  • RECOMMENDED AIRPORT(S):
    Pula, Trieste or Venice
    As an alternative to flying, we can arrange rail travel from London

    Travelling from the UK

    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Venice. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    Travelling from outside the UK
    We have many years' experience catering for customers who live outside the UK, and will be happy to make tailored arrangements to fit with your plans.

    You have two options:

    1) Book your own flights to London, from where we can book flights and onward connecting travel to your hotel.

    2) Book your own flights direct to an airport appropriate to your chosen holiday. You can either make your own way from the airport to the hotel, or we'll be happy to book onward connecting travel for you. Please consult with us before booking your flights, so that we can advise you on the suitability of your proposed route and timings.
    Outward route Airline
    Aberdeen - Venice (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Aberdeen - Venice Marco Polo (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Belfast Intl. - Venice Marco Polo easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Birmingham - Pula jet2,  TUI 
    Birmingham - Trieste (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Birmingham - Venice (via Brussels) Brussels Airlines 
    Birmingham - Venice (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Outward route Airline
    Bristol - Pula easyJet,  TUI 
    Bristol - Treviso Ryanair 
    Bristol - Venice Marco Polo easyJet,  Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Nottingham East Midlands - Pula TUI 
    Nottingham East Midlands - Treviso Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Edinburgh - Pula jet2 
    Edinburgh - Venice Marco Polo easyJet,  jet2,  Ryanair 
    Edinburgh - Venice Marco Polo (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Glasgow - Pula easyJet 
    Glasgow - Venice Marco Polo easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    Humberside - Venice Marco Polo (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Outward route Airline
    Leeds Bradford - Pula jet2 
    Outward route Airline
    Liverpool - Pula easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    London City - Venice Marco Polo British Airways 
    Outward route Airline
    Gatwick - Pula easyJet,  TUI 
    Gatwick - Venice Marco Polo British Airways,  easyJet,  TUI,  Wizz Air 
    Outward route Airline
    Heathrow - Pula British Airways 
    Heathrow - Pula (via Munich) Lufthansa 
    Heathrow - Trieste (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Heathrow - Trieste (via Munich) Lufthansa 
    Heathrow - Trieste (via Rome Fiumicino) Alitalia 
    Heathrow - Venice Marco Polo British Airways 
    Outward route Airline
    Luton - Pula easyJet 
    Luton - Venice Marco Polo easyJet 
    Outward route Airline
    London Southend - Pula easyJet 
    London Southend - Treviso Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Stansted - Pula jet2,  Ryanair 
    Stansted - Treviso Ryanair 
    Stansted - Trieste Ryanair 
    Stansted - Venice Marco Polo Ryanair 
    Outward route Airline
    Manchester - Pula jet2,  TUI 
    Manchester - Venice Ryanair,  Wizz Air 
    Manchester - Venice Marco Polo easyJet,  jet2,  TUI 
    Outward route Airline
    Newcastle - Trieste (via Frankfurt) Lufthansa 
    Newcastle - Venice Marco Polo (via Amsterdam Schiphol) KLM 
    Newcastle - Venice Marco Polo (via Amsterdam) Air France 
    Travelling from outside the UK

    If you are flying from outside Europe,  we recommend flying via Venice. To discuss onward connecting travel to the start of your holiday, please contact us.

    This list of flight options should be used as a guide only, and you should check each airline’s website for current routes, frequency and schedules. Not all flights operate daily, and may not run for the entire season. You should also heed the latest flight arrival time and earliest flight departure time stated in the connecting travel section, as it may not be possible to arrange connecting travel outside these times. Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed your accommodation to you. Alternatively, our expert reservations team will be happy to offer advice and to make flight bookings for you for any of the options listed above. We charge £35 per person for our flight booking service. Your flights are then covered by our package-booking conditions, which give you greater protection in the event of delay or cancellation, as well as providing ATOL cover.

  • Prices below are based on 2 people travelling together. If you are travelling solo or as a party of 3 or more and our arrangements include a taxi, please contact us for prices; additional passengers often pay less.

    Unless otherwise stated, connecting travel by rail or bus tends to be from the city centre station, rather than from its airport, and connections between the two should be paid for locally.

    Where a price range is given, the price you pay depends on your date of travel.

    Connecting travel options - flying via Pula

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    direct taxi Pula airport to hotel (1h) £70-£73 flexible
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    taxi hotel to Pula airport (0h30) £40-£42 flexible

    Connecting travel options - flying via Trieste

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    direct taxi Trieste airport to hotel (1h30) £114-£119 flexible
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    taxi hotel to Trieste airport (2h) £145-£155 flexible

    Connecting travel options - flying via Treviso Venice

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Treviso station to Trieste (2h30), taxi Trieste station to hotel (1h) £103-£107 1600
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    taxi hotel to Trieste (1h30), rail Trieste to Treviso station (2h30) £121-£130 1600

    Connecting travel options - flying via Venice Marco Polo

    Outward route Price per person Latest flight
    arrival time
    rail Venice Mestre to Trieste (1h55), taxi Trieste station to hotel (1h) £101-£105 1600
    Homeward route Price per person Earliest flight
    departure time
    taxi hotel to Trieste station (1h30), rail Trieste to Venice Mestre (1h55) £121-£130 1500
What is included
  • 7 nights
  • 3 dinners
    7 breakfasts
  • luggage transported
  • high-quality bicycle
  • route notes and maps
  • GPS navigation
  • transfer on day 4
 
Reviews

If you've experienced this holiday first hand, why not write a review?

We are keen for as many customers as possible to review their holiday. To make it easier to do so, we include a specific review section on our post-holiday questionnaire, and this is what we publish here, unedited. Read our full review policy >

 

FAQs

If you have any questions relating to this or any other Inntravel holiday, our friendly travel experts will be happy to help. You might also find our General FAQs section helpful.
  • Our chosen bike rental shop will provide you with a touring hybrid bike with 27 gears, a waterproof map case on handlebars; pannier/saddlebag; pump; puncture repair kit; lock; and a bottle holder. Electric bikes are available as an upgrade (see price panel), subject to availability, and must be requested at the time of booking.
  • No. We recommend that you bring your own.
  • Yes, we will provide GPX tracks for this holiday prior to departure so that you can follow your route on your smartphone or dedicated GPS device if you wish. (We also provide maps and our tried-and-tested route notes, which remain the principal means of navigation).
  • We’ll send you route notes and maps 2-3 weeks before your holiday. The route notes not only contain directions to get from hotel to hotel, but also include practical information about places of interest and eateries along each route, plus cultural information about the area. On mornings when you are moving between hotels, you leave your luggage in reception as you leave, and it will be transferred ahead to your next accommodation so that all you need to take with you are a camera, sun cream, drinks, food and waterproofs.

    For more detailed information, see our cycling holidays in Europe page.
  • You are responsible for damage to or loss of the rental bike while it is hired to you. Always be careful to lock it up, ideally to an immovable object, and remove all easy-to-steal accessories whenever you leave it unattended.
  • We can book a wide range of routes from the UK with a variety of airlines. As well as being more convenient for you to book all elements of your holiday together, it also means that we’ll accept liability for your travel arrangements, so if things go wrong, such as the airline going bust, we’ll make suitable alternative arrangements for you. The fee for this service is £35 per person (£15 for children aged 2-11). More information on flights >
  • Absolutely! We are experts in tailored rail travel. Making use of sleeper trains or stopovers in cities along the route, we can get you from London to virtually anywhere in mainland Europe. We can even make arrangements to Mallorca, Sicily and Norway with a combination of ferries and rail. Please contact us to discuss your plans.
  • We can’t book flights that originate outside the UK, but if you wanted to book your own flights to London (or elsewhere in the UK), we can make all onward travel arrangements (including flights) from there. Alternatively, if you are booking your own flights to an airport in continental Europe that’s appropriate for your holiday, we can book onward rail travel and/or taxis. More information about how we can tailor holidays for customers outside the UK >
  • Since our holidays are self-guided, we recommend calling us for a chat about your plans before making a booking, especially if it’s the first time you’ve booked with us.
    The price panel shows the supplement for a single room and also the single traveller charge (this covers (luggage) transfers and other costs which are usually shared between two people).
  • Once you’ve decided on your exact itinerary (our travel experts will be happy to offer advice), you need to provide us with your party’s details, either by phone or via our booking form. At this point we also ask you to pay a deposit so that we can secure a room for you immediately on confirming availability with the hotel(s). If it turns out that we can’t secure the accommodation for the holiday you’ve requested, or offer an acceptable alternative, we’ll refund your deposit promptly and in full. After booking your accommodation and other key elements, we'll then book your travel (or you can do so if you’re making your own arrangements) and send you a Booking Confirmation and Invoice.

    More information about the booking process >
    Information about accommodation, general practicalities and more >
    Booking conditions >
  • Yes, it’s something we insist on, even for holidays in the UK. The vast majority of holidays go smoothly, but when things go wrong, it can be expensive to put them right. Buying a new pair of walking boots after your suitcase is stolen mightn’t seem so bad, but the bill for being airlifted down from a mountain with a broken leg or flown home while still recovering from an illness or accident can incur a five or six-figure bill.

    Many insurers offer travel insurance (you can find details on our insurance page of a policy that you may like to consider if you are a UK resident), but you do need to make sure that you’re covered for medical emergencies – including falling ill with Covid-19 while on holiday – and repatriation. We also recommend that you are covered for other eventualities, such as cancellation and loss of luggage and passports.

    When you purchase a policy, be sure to check that it covers the activities you'll be doing on holiday and that it is adequate for your own individual needs.
  • It is your responsibility to ensure you are in possession of the correct travel documents, with the correct validity. If you’re a UK citizen, you need a full British passport to travel to Croatia, but not a visa (please note, however, that a new travel authorisation system is being introduced). If you are a citizen of another country, you’ll need to check requirements with the national embassy or your own consulate.

    Current information regarding vaccinations and travel health advice for UK citizens can be found through the Travel Health Pro website. You must make sure you have adequate insurance cover for illness, accidents and repatriation (see the insurance question). You should also apply for a Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if your EHIC has expired (if you have a still-valid EHIC, you can use this until it expires).
  • The official language is Croatian. The currency is the Euro. Croatian time is GMT/UTC + 1. It uses Daylight Saving Time, so in summer is on BST + 1.
  • For information on the practicalities of travel now that the UK is no longer part of the European Union, visit www.gov.uk/visit-eu-switzerland-norway-iceland-liechtenstein.
  • The UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) provides up-to-date, country-by-country travel advice, as well as information on security, local laws, passports and visas for UK citizens.

    If you live outside the UK, see our essential travel information page for a list of relevant websites.
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