Croatia cycling advice
Highlights
Marijana Filipovic of our partner, shares her tips on Croatia’s cycling highlights: “Don't miss our mountains in the Gorski Kotar region. Most of the tourism focuses on the blues of the coast, but this is the green heart of Croatia. You might even spot bears up there if you are lucky.
“We want people to enjoy themselves on holiday, so if they get too hot or tired, we have a backup van to pick them up and travel back with us. We just want to create trips for people who want to enjoy visiting off the beaten track by bike, but we don't want them to be exhausted.”
“We want people to enjoy themselves on holiday, so if they get too hot or tired, we have a backup van to pick them up and travel back with us. We just want to create trips for people who want to enjoy visiting off the beaten track by bike, but we don't want them to be exhausted.”
Weather
Andrew Appleyard from our partner Exodus Travels:“Whilst Croatia has a fantastic coastline don't forget there are some hills to negotiate. And it’s worth remembering that the weather on the coast can be very different to a few miles inland. Make sure you take your bike to Mljet, which is a national park, as it’s easier to see the whole island this way. And make sure you take your trunks for a swim.”
Routes
Ana Vujakovic from our partner, Huck Finn Adventure Travel, shares her Croatia cycling advice: “When planning a cycling holiday in Croatia, it is highly recommended to explore the routes you wish to take prior to your arrival due to a lot of traffic on all roads in summer months. Taking local roads is a safer way to travel or explore the area. We recommend going with a local operator that can provide bikes and has already planned routes for a good cycling holiday in Croatia. Always have a lot of water, sun cream and snacks while on the road.”Ilija Miloš, from Fiore Tours has this advice about cycling in Istria:
Best time to go
The best time for cycling in Istria is April, May, June, September and October. Not just because at that time of year it’s not as hot as July and August (and it is less busy), but because Istria offers a lot of gastro and culture events at that time. During April and May you can try dishes based on wild asparagus which are ready for picking at that time. In September white truffle season starts, it’s another specialty of region. In Livade – centre of truffles – you can find a truffle fair with gastro events. I don’t need to mention that September and October are the grape and olive harvest so you can really enjoy a local experience while you cycle.
Border crossings
The border between Italy and Slovenia doesn't exist any more. There is a toll-free pass which you won’t even recognize while you bike. Between Slovenia and Croatia there is still a border with tolls but controls are not restricted. All you need to do is show your ID or passport. Croatia is at the moment in the process of establishing the Shengen zone so we hope there won’t be a border in the next two years between Croatia and Slovenia.
The terrain
The terrain is mostly small rolling hills. We use roads with less traffic as much as possible. These take you to small villages but sometimes when you are approaching bigger towns (Poreč, Umag, Rovinj) you will notice more traffic. Hilltop town Motovun is 260m from sea level but once you arrive there you will forget all the effort you needed to get up. For those who think that the tour might be too hard we have solution – E-bikes.
Overtourism
During July and August the region has more tourists than in pre and post season so we would always encourage cyclist to arrive in less busy seasons and help the local community to extend the season.
Andy Ross, head of cycling at Exodus, has this to say about Croatian culture:
“My main comment would be that close fitting cycle clothing really isn’t culturally appropriate in quite a few destinations. It is the duty of a tour operator to ensure that clients are aware of this and to implement it on the ground. You may have paid a lot of money to visit, but you are only a visitor!”
“My main comment would be that close fitting cycle clothing really isn’t culturally appropriate in quite a few destinations. It is the duty of a tour operator to ensure that clients are aware of this and to implement it on the ground. You may have paid a lot of money to visit, but you are only a visitor!”
Trieste to Pula cycling tour, self guided
Self-guided cycling tours through Italy, Slovenia and Croatia
From
€1020 to €1420
8 days
ex flights
Cycling holiday in Croatia, Dalmatian Coast
Cycling through the Dalmatian Coast Islands in Croatia
From
£2280 to £2580
8 days
ex flights
Croatia Ciro bike route tour, Dubrovnik to Mostar
Unique bike tour, rails to trail from Dubrovnik to Mostar
From
€920 to €1015
6 days
ex flights
Self guided cycling holiday in Croatia, Istria
Discover the sights and sounds of Parenzana by bike
From
€650 to €880
5 days
ex flights
Dalmatian Island cruise and cycling holiday, Croatia
Explore six islands by bike & premium gulet
From
£1829
8 days
ex flights
Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia guided cycling holiday
Cycling in the Balkans: Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia
From
€1595
8 days
ex flights
Health and safety
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Tips from our travellers
At Responsible Travel, we think the best people to advise our travellers are often... other travellers. They always return from our tours with packing tips, weather reports, ideas about what to do – and opinions about what not to.
We have selected some of the most useful Croatia cycling travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday – and the space inside your suitcase.
We have selected some of the most useful Croatia cycling travel tips that our guests have provided over the years to help you make the very most of your holiday – and the space inside your suitcase.
Be prepared for hilly conditions and know that there are virtually no shoulders on the roads in Croatia.![]()
– Eileen Haflich
“Bring good quality earplugs for sleeping (Dubrovnik and Mjlet were noisy), bug spray, a daypack, plus a few bungee cords. Pack light if cycling! Some areas are hilly, so being fit is essential. We're a couple in our early 60s – one of us used an E-bike, which did ease the hill climbs. We were able to strap the daypack on the E-bike rack.” – James Shatford a self guided biking tour in Croatia
“It was nowhere near as intense as I thought it would be and we were well looked after by the organisation. We got to meet great people and have new experiences – really recommend the food and at each place you stay there is a new visit or learning to do. For example our best bit was visiting the cave system in the Bosnian mountains in Zavala. We also went on to explore Sarajevo despite the biking ending up in Mostar.” – Juliette Goddard booked Dubrovnik to Mostar
“It was nowhere near as intense as I thought it would be and we were well looked after by the organisation. We got to meet great people and have new experiences – really recommend the food and at each place you stay there is a new visit or learning to do. For example our best bit was visiting the cave system in the Bosnian mountains in Zavala. We also went on to explore Sarajevo despite the biking ending up in Mostar.” – Juliette Goddard booked Dubrovnik to Mostar
It is worth going off route to visit towns that are not necessarily included on the route.
Take the opportunity to visit local wineries, olive oil farms and small villages which are known for local produce and delicacies.
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– Mary Fox
“A decent level of fitness is required as there is quite a bit of climbing involved, which are obviously rewarded by some nice long downhills. We did the cycle at the beginning of August which is peak season here. There were so many foreign cars on the sections of main roads that we went on, so we can imagine that out with peak seasons the roads would be a lot quieter.” – Margit Matthews booked a Croatia self guided cycling holiday, Istrian Peninsula
“Our trip started in Trieste and we were offered a lift with the bikes out of town to start there. We valiantly refused as it felt like cheating... in hindsight it would have been a better idea as getting out of Trieste was the least favourite part of our cycling. Do take a trip down to the fjord between Porec and Rovinj. It's well worth the 4km climb back up and puts in to context one of the abandoned towns passed the day before. Plus they do the most amazing chocolate cake at the café at the bottom!” – Sue McNuff booked an Istria self guided cycling holiday in Croatia
“Our trip started in Trieste and we were offered a lift with the bikes out of town to start there. We valiantly refused as it felt like cheating... in hindsight it would have been a better idea as getting out of Trieste was the least favourite part of our cycling. Do take a trip down to the fjord between Porec and Rovinj. It's well worth the 4km climb back up and puts in to context one of the abandoned towns passed the day before. Plus they do the most amazing chocolate cake at the café at the bottom!” – Sue McNuff booked an Istria self guided cycling holiday in Croatia
More Croatia cycling articles
Our highlights page presents our top places to pedal in Croatia, from Istria and the islands to the Konavle Valley.
Pedal through our Croatia cycling travel guide to find when and where to go on your next biking trip.
There are some 500km of trails mapped over Istria connecting you to hilltops, vineyards and harbours.
What’s great about the routes on the Dalmatian Coast is that you don’t have to take the biking all too seriously.
