The Istrian Peninsula by Electric Bike
7 nights from €2211
4.56
Explore Croatia’s Scenic Coastline, Historic Harbor Towns, and Medieval Villages on an Electric Bike and Boat Adventure
Croatia is known for its incredible beaches, historical cities, and picturesque islands. On this guided e-bike and boat tour, you'll discover Croatia's largest peninsula and some of its most scenic locations.
Istria, sitting between Kvarner Bay and the Gulf of Triest, is an oasis with over 300 miles of coastline and is home to fascinating harbor towns like Pula and Porec. Cycling inland, you'll find medieval hilltop villages and delightful olive groves and vineyards, evocative of the Italian countryside.
While the terrain undulates, you'll conquer the ascents with ease on electric-assisted bicycles, returning to your comfortable floating hotel each day.
Daily Program
Day 1: Embarkation in Omišalj - Cruise to Cres
Arrive in Omišalj, a historic town on the island of Krk with a rich maritime past. Boarding begins at 2 pm, and after you’ve settled into your cabin, the boat will embark on its initial journey to Cres. Weather permitting, a stop will be made in a scenic bay for a swim in the clear Adriatic waters. The day’s destination is Cres, the island’s capital. Its old town, shaped by Venetian architecture, offers picturesque alleys and historic churches, perfect for an evening exploration.
Day 2: Cres - Pula
17 mi. / 28 km
Begin the day with a relaxed breakfast onboard as the boat heads toward Pula. In the afternoon, explore the surrounding area, starting with Galižana, a village celebrated for its traditional winemaking. Next, visit Vodnjan, known for its historic olive oil production and well-preserved medieval buildings. Continue to Fažana, a picturesque fishing village offering views of the Brijuni Islands National Park. Return to Pula for a guided tour, featuring landmarks like the Roman amphitheater and the Temple of Augustus. Spend the evening discovering Pula’s streets and local culture before staying overnight in the city.
Day 3: Pula - Vrsar - Porec
25 mi. / 40 km
Begin the morning with breakfast aboard as the boat makes its way to Vrsar, a town linked to the legendary Casanova, who reputedly sought refuge here. From Vrsar, embark on a bike ride along the scenic Limski Canal, passing through the tranquil rural landscape until you reach Kloštar and then Poreč. Poreč is lively with its bustling promenade and vibrant shopping streets. Be sure to visit the Euphrasius Basilica, famous for its early Christian mosaics. Spend the afternoon swimming and unwinding before enjoying an overnight stay in Poreč.
Day 4: Poreč - Novigrad
41 mi. / 66 km
Start the day cycling along the "Parenzana," an old railway route that once connected Istrian towns. This scenic ride leads to Grožnjan, a medieval village celebrated for its vibrant arts community. Known for its flower-filled squares and galleries in traditional stone buildings, Grožnjan has been a haven for artists and musicians for decades. In the afternoon, continue through the picturesque Istrian landscape, making a stop in Buje, a town famed for its wine production. Proceed to Novigrad, where the coastline offers beautiful views and a rich maritime history. The evening is perfect for exploring Novigrad’s charming waterfront and enjoying an overnight stay in this coastal town.
Day 5: Rovinj
10 mi. / 16 km
Breakfast is served on board as the boat approaches Rovinj, the gateway to today’s biking excursion. From Rovinj, the route leads along an old railway to the Lim Canal before coming to a local park with scenic trails that wind past picturesque bays, ideal for a swim. After some time at the beach, return to the boat and explore Rovinj’s winding streets and historic sites. In the evening, a guided city tour reveals the town’s rich history and lesser-known highlights. The night is spent in Rovinj, allowing for an immersive experience of its vibrant atmosphere.
Day 6: Rovinj - Fažana - Rabac
22 mi. / 37 km
In the morning, bike along scenic coastal forest trails leading to Fažana, a village with a charming harbor and a promenade lined with colorful buildings. After boarding the boat, continue with a coastal cruise to Rabac. Located in a picturesque bay on Istria’s eastern shore, Rabac is known for its striking white pebble beaches and transparent waters. Consider ending the day with a cocktail at a local bar, a great way to relax and take in the evening atmosphere.
Day 7: Rabac - Njivice - Omišalj
27 mi. / 44 km
Early in the morning, the journey moves to the island of Krk for the final cycling leg. This stage traverses from Njivice to Omišalj on Croatia’s largest island, noted for its diverse landscapes and the acclaimed Zlahtina white wine. Pause to explore Soline Bay, where the mineral-rich mud is renowned for its therapeutic benefits and adds a memorable touch to the holiday experience. After returning to Omišalj’s harbor, a farewell dinner aboard the boat offers a chance to celebrate with fellow travelers, the crew, and guides.
Day 8: Omisalj
Disembarkation
After breakfast disembarkation by 9 am.
x1 Set Departure Transfer time from Omišalj to Zagreb on disembarkation day: 8:00 am. Please make sure, that your return flight does not depart from Zagreb before 12:00 pm!
All distances are approximate. If you do not want to cycle one day, you can skip the bike tour and relax on board while cruising to the next harbor. We reserve the right to make changes to the planned itinerary due to changing wind and weather conditions as well as organizational requirements.
2-Day Extension in Zagreb
Extend your trip with a 2-day Zagreb extension, available before or after tours starting or ending in Omišalj. This package offers a blend of guided activities and free time, allowing you to explore Croatia’s vibrant capital at your own pace. It includes one night in a centrally located hotel, private transfers, a guided activity of your choice, and a detailed information booklet with recommendations for your stay. Minimum 2 persons.
Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Zagreb
Upon arrival in Zagreb, a private transfer will take you from the airport to your centrally located hotel. After check-in, you will have time to explore the city at your own pace. Later, enjoy a guided city tour of your choice: a walking tour through historic Zagreb or a bike tour through the city's main districts.
Day 2: Departure from Zagreb
After breakfast, check out of your hotel. A private transfer will take you to Omišalj if you are continuing to an Islandhopping tour or to Zagreb Airport for your onward journey.
Guided Activity Options (choose one)
Option 1: Zagreb walking tour
Discover the secrets of Zagreb’s historic center with a knowledgeable guide. Explore the charming streets of the old town, visit iconic landmarks like the Kaptol and Gradec districts, and learn about the city's fascinating history.
Option 2: Zagreb bike tour (Available from May 1 at 5:00 pm)
See more of the city on a guided bike tour. Ride through Zagreb’s main districts, stopping at important sights while learning about the city’s past and present. A great option for those who want an active and scenic way to explore.
Want to experience both activities? Additional tours can be booked for an extra charge.
Included Services
- Accommodation for 1 night in a centrally located 4-star hotel
- Private transfers between Zagreb Airport and your hotel (if booked before the tour) or between Omišalj and your hotel (if booked after the tour)
- One guided activity (walking tour or bike tour)
- Private transfer from Zagreb to Omišalj (if booked before the Islandhopping tour) or from Omišalj to Zagreb (if booked after the tour)
- Detailed information booklet with recommendations for leisure activities in Zagreb
- Taxes and service charges
Andela Lora
17 cabins, 2 decks, 2 tours The Andela Lora is a motor yacht, launched in June 2012, and is an elegant steel ship. The attentive and helpful crew is ready to do anything for a light-hearted journey through the…
Boats
Hotels
Extra Nights will be accommodated in one of the following hotels depending on availability.
Krk, 4-star: Hotel Miramare or similar. Pricing available upon request.
Extension overnights will be accommodated in one of the following hotels depending on availability.
Zagreb, 4-star: Hotel Manda Heritage, Hotel Dubrovnik, or similar
Bikes
Electric Bicycle
Granville Urban (or similar)
- Wheels: 28"
- Gears: 9-speed Shimano Alivio
- Brakes: Shimano BR-MT200 hydraulic disc brakes
- Motor: Bosch Active+
- Battery: 500 Wh
- Frame: Aluminium
- Weight: 21 kg (without battery)
Cube Reaction Hybrid Performance
- Wheels: 28"
- Gears: 9-speed
- Brakes: Shimano BR-MT200
- Motor: Bosch Performance Line Gen 3
- Frame: Aluminium
- Weight: 23 kg (without battery)
Cube Cross Hybrid Pro Allroad
- Wheels: 28"
- Gears: 9-speed Shimano Deore SL
- Brakes: Shimano BR-MT200 hydraulic disc brakes
- Frame: Aluminium
- Weight: 20 kg (without battery)
Gravel Bicycle
Gravel Bike Trek Checkpoint ALR 3
- Wheels: Bontrager Girona Pro, Tubeless Ready, GR puncture protection, Aramid Bead, 60 tpi, 700 x 42
- Transmission: Shimano Sora HG400, 11-32, 9-speed
- Brakes: Tektro C550 mechanical disc brake, dual piston, flat mount
- Frame: 300 Series Alpha Aluminium
- Weight: 56 - 10.61 kg
Accessories
- Pannier bag
- Helmets:
Helmets are required on all cycle tours. Rental helmets are available onboard free of charge when reserved in advance. You must bring your own helmets for children. We strongly recommend that you bring or buy your own helmet for safety and hygiene purposes. - Pedals:
The bikes will have flat pedals. If you want to bring your own pedals, please bring your own shoes and also the necessary equipment to change the pedals.
Bike Protection:
Bike protection can be purchased at the time of booking. You can read more about that HERE
Please note: Guests are more than welcome to bring their own bike along. You can bring your own trekking bike or MTB or road bike, but please make sure to check the condition of your breaks, gears, and tires and don’t forget to bring along a puncture repair kit and the essential spare parts (e.g. brake pads and tubes). Your bike should be in prefect mechanical working order. We do not allow private e-bikes on board of our boats. However, be aware that we are not insured for the private bikes on board and that all maintenance of private bikes are the responsibility of the owner. Additionally, onboard of our boats we have a weight restriction of 22 kg for all private bikes, for health and safety reasons. Bikes above this weight will not be accepted on board for daily use.
Dates & Prices
Questions about pricing or options? Call +1-215-613-0874 to talk to a Tour Advisor now.
Loading dates and prices…
Surface and terrain
This guided tour can be comfortably tackled with an e-bike, covering distances of 12 - 38 miles (20 - 60 km) and elevations of 656 - 3280 feet (200 - 1000 meters) per day. Participants should have a basic level of fitness and prior bike riding experience. It is important to note that approximately 30% of the routes are on natural paths and gravel roads.
How to get there
Tour start and end
Port in Omišalj
The following group transfers are offered for a fee with advanced reservation (on arrival and departure days only at the indicated times):
Airport of Zagreb (ZAG) - Port of Embarkation
ZAG to Omišalj: 12:15 pm
Zagreb City Center to Omišalj: 11:30 am
Departure times from Omišalj to Zagreb on disembarkation day: 8:00 am. Please make sure, that your return flight does not depart from Zagreb before 12:00 pm!
Airport of Rijeka (RJK) – Port of Embarkation
On request, flight information is required to reserve.
Railway Station Rijeka - Port of Embarkation
Rijeka Station to Omišalj: 9:30 am
Departure times from Omišalj to Rijeka on disembarkation day: 8:00 am (45 minutes approx.)
Tips on getting to and from your tour.
Reviews
- ★★★★★ David Gunther
Great Tour and Great Guides!
I had a great time on this bike tour, and Tony and Dominic (Dominik) made it truly special. Both of them were so friendly, and we spoke for hours, exchanging stories and having a great time together. I can’t imagine doing the tour without them!
- ★★★★★ Meg Bates
The Istrian Peninsula by Electric Bike
tt was a great trip. The boat was gorgeous and very comfortable. All the staff on the boat were great and the food was really good. The bike guides were also very good.
Would suggest that the description you have of this ride be updated. You not only 30% gravel and it was at least 50%. The guides knew the routes very well and did everything to minimize traffic which was great.
Also Mariam - who helped deal with hotels before and after the tour was fabulous. She was very very helpful and extremely responsive to questions.
The issue of helmets needs to be clarified. We understood they were required, which is great. However there was a person who asked if it was required and he did not want to wear one and was not required to do so. Think this is a big mistake. Helmets should be required by all on the ride - even if local laws don't require it. Still should be required for the tour.
Overall it was a fabulous trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 3
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- ★★★★★ Nanette Bean
Adventure in Croatia
Our guides Christopher and Mirta were excellent, very thorough and reliable and fun. The boat, the Andela Lora Was well-maintained and a pleasure to be on. The food on the boat was excellent, kudos to the chefs. Croatia is a beautiful country and I’m glad we got to Bike on back roads, we had many fun adventures
- ★★★★★ Linden Bentley
Istrian adventure
Boat and boat accommodations were fine. Meals on board exceeded expectations. We like plenty of vegetables and that was provided. Crew and guides excellent! Bikes top class. Trails, trying in places. Destinations good, routes well guided. While we prefer all car-less rails to trails with consistent surfaces this was more varied between attention-required rocky/gravel/rutty surfaces, with 'turnstiles', paved surfaces with cars and no shoulders, and good smooths gravel--- it was a more demanding biking experience than those we prefer. Guides were excellent in explaining the upcoming terrain, traffic and inclines/declines. Pacing did not allow for much 'side tracking' for photos, or rests or independent exploring.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- ★★★★★ Elaine Kubicki
Charming Coratia
This was my second bike trip with Bike Tours. My first was the Albania tour, which was fabulous! Overall, the Croatia trip was very satisfying, i.e. the yacht was very accommodating, the staff was very attentive and informative including the email personnel who answered questions before the trip, the new chef was great, the e-bikes worked well, the other vacationers made for pleasant exchanges, and the small ports and villages were charming to visit and the staff tours were interesting. On the other hand, there were things that kept this tour from being a 5 rating. My biggest concern was the additional costs, i.e., expected tips and bar/water bills that were not mentioned in the initial cost of the tour and were only made aware a few weeks before the tour and after the initial commitment and payment for the tour was made. Also, along with those concerns, I am curious as to why there was an extra charge for an e-bike when the trip is advertised as “The Istrian Peninsula by Electric Bike” and everyone rode an e-bike except two people who brought their own bikes? We also had problems mid-week with sewer gases in the bathrooms, which did get repaired within a day or two, and the air conditioning in the cabins worked well only one night out of 7, which made the cabin quite warm and damp. There were 34 bikers riding at the same time and on many more rocky gravel trails and busy highway/roads then I had expected and, at times, felt rather dangerous. However, as you noticed I still gave this tour a rating of 4, so, enough good outweighed to make it a satisfying trip.
- ★★★★★ Elaine Kubicki
Charming Coratia
This was my second bike trip with Bike Tours. My first was the Albania tour, which was fabulous! Overall, the Croatia trip was very satisfying, i.e. the yacht was very accommodating, the staff was very attentive and informative including the email personnel who answered questions before the trip, the new chef was great, the e-bikes worked well, the other vacationers made for pleasant exchanges, and the small ports and villages were charming to visit and the staff tours were interesting. On the other hand, there were things that kept this tour from being a 5 rating. My biggest concern was the additional costs, i.e., expected tips and bar/water bills that were not mentioned in the initial cost of the tour and were only made aware a few weeks before the tour and after the initial commitment and payment for the tour was made. Also, along with those concerns, I am curious as to why there was an extra charge for an e-bike when the trip is advertised as “The Istrian Peninsula by Electric Bike” and everyone rode an e-bike except two people who brought their own bikes? We also had problems mid-week with sewer gases in the bathrooms, which did get repaired within a day or two, and the air conditioning in the cabins worked well only one night out of 7, which made the cabin quite warm and damp. There were 34 bikers riding at the same time and on many more rocky gravel trails and busy highway/roads then I had expected and, at times, felt rather dangerous. However, as you noticed I still gave this tour a rating of 4, so, enough good outweighed to make it a satisfying trip.
- ★★★★★ Mary Lou Taylor
More than I could have hoped for.
This was my first bike tour, and I was a little apprehensive. But it was great! The boat was first-rate, with a wonderful, accommodating crew and excellent chef. The tour guides were fun, responsible, and caring. And Croatia is beautiful. I would definitely recommend this adventure.
- ★★★★★ Bob VG
Wonderful trip!
Explored the Istrian Peninsula by day while relaxing on the wonderful Andela Lora at night. Pro tip: Don't book a lesser boat! Staff was very attentive. Guide Yana was a delight with her bubbly enthusiasm. Appreciated many costal ports as well as old historic inland villages. Would have appreciated the opportunity to for upgraded bikes and more food variety. The booking process was smooth and we would defiantly go with BikeTours.com again!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
- ★★★★★ Emma Broadfield
An excellent way to explore the Istrian Peninsula
This is a fabulous way to explore the Istrian Peninsula, as you have the opportunity to see the coast and also explore inland. The boat is very comfortable and it is great to be able to get away from the crowds at the end of the day! The towns and villages that you get to explore are gorgeous and the coastline spectacular. Being able to swim off the back of the boat and cool off is an added bonus!
- What was the date of your tour?
- August 2023
- How many tours have you completed?
- One
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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