Elegant and upscale
Sea access
Deck chairs
Cosy lounge area
Several sun decks
The largest peninsula in Croatia offers an incredible backdrop for our e-bike tour Istria Highlights Plus. Situated between the Kvarner Bay and the Gulf of Triest, Istria is an oasis of superlatives. The 500m long coastline offers countless picture perfect beaches and fascinating historical harbor towns such as Pula, Porec and Rovinj. The fertile hinterlands in contrast, are characterized by their medieval hilltop villages and colorful vineyards and the silver-green olive groves. Much like the landscapes typical for Tuscany. In addition, Istria is graced with over 2300 hours of sun […]
Mainland of Istria
Historical harbor towns
233 km / 145 miles
Motoryacht with max. 29 passengers
The largest peninsula in Croatia offers an incredible backdrop for our e-bike tour Istria Highlights Plus. Situated between the Kvarner Bay and the Gulf of Triest, Istria is an oasis of superlatives. The 500m long coastline offers countless picture perfect beaches and fascinating historical harbor towns such as Pula, Porec and Rovinj. The fertile hinterlands in contrast, are characterized by their medieval hilltop villages and colorful vineyards and the silver-green olive groves. Much like the landscapes typical for Tuscany.
In addition, Istria is graced with over 2300 hours of sun each year, assuring with great certainty that your visit will be a sunny one. The region has also made itself a name for its culinary delights: home to some of the world’s best truffles, olive oil and wine. Discover the vast diversity of this delightful region on board your deluxe ship, your floating accommodation for the week, and a reliable e-bike as your means of transport on land.
The itinerary of the Istria Highlights PLUS tour is the same as the itinerary of the Istria Highlights tour, making them both great alternatives to each other should you have difficulties finding availability on this trip.
E-Bike Tour
The riding pace is determined by the cyclists on e-bikes. Guests who are taking part on this tour on a gravel bike should have the necessary physical condition to keep up with this pace. The day-tours (12 mi./20 km to 43 mi./70 km and 656 ft./200 m to 3280 ft./1000 m of elevation gain) will take us through hilly terrain and will be mainly on asphalt roads. Thank you for your understanding.
The ship – Your sailing hotel
In between cycling excursions, you cruise along with the ship, which travels to a new destination every day. You will sleep and have breakfast and 1 or 2 warm meals on board. Depending on the program, this will be lunch or dinner. The other meal is ashore (not included). It’s possible to spend a day on board if you like. There are rental E-bikes on board.
All distances are “approximate distances” of recommended bike tours.
The tour details are barring changes, a.o. as a result of nautical, technical or meteorological reasons. We reserve the right to make changes to the planned itinerary due to changing wind and weather conditions as well as organizational requirements. If necessary the tour will be operated in reverse.
Day 1: Omišalj (Embarkation) – Cres
Individual arrival to Omišalj, a charming pirate’s nest on the island of Krk. If you decide to arrive by car, we can gladly organize a secure parking space for your car for the week. If you are arriving from Zagreb, we can also arrange a transfer for you to the harbor of Omišalj. Check-in on board is possible from around 2pm. Once we have made ourselves comfortable in our cabins, we enjoy the first crossing to Cres. If the weather is good, we stop for a swim in a beautiful bay and you can take a dip in the Adriatic Sea. Our destination is the island capital of the same name, where we spend the night. The Venetian-influenced old town of Cres, with its beautiful alleys and many churches, entices you to take an extensive evening stroll.
Day 2: Cres – Pula | Pula roundtour (approx. 17 mi./28 km)
In the morning we enjoy our breakfast on board with a pleasant morning cruise to Pula. In the afternoon we explore some picturesque places in and around Pula. Via Galizana we go to Vodnjan and further through the fishing village Fazana before coming back to Pula. After the bike tour you can take part on an inspiring guided city tour before enjoying our evening exploring
Day 3: Pula – Vrsar – Poreč (approx. 26 mi./42 km)
In the morning we enjoy our breakfast on board with another pleasant morning cruise, this time to Vsar. It’s in Vrsar that the heartbreaker Casanova is believed to have sought temporary refuge from the husbands of his lovers. From here we cycle along the Limski Canal to Kloštar in the rural hinterland to the destination of today, Poreč. The town has a lively vibe with its long promenade and shopping streets. A visit to the famous Euphrasius Basilica with its magnificent early Christian mosaics is also worthwhile. There is also plenty of time to go for a swim and relax in the afternoon. The night is spent in Poreč.
Day 4: Poreč – Novigrad ( approx. 41 mi./66 km)
In the morning we follow the “Parenzana”, an abandoned railroad line, which leads us to the famous artists’ village of Groznjan. The picturesque artists’ village is a medieval jewel in the Istrian hinterland. It awaits us with romantic alleys, flower-filled squares and diverse galleries that have made their home in old natural stone houses. In the afternoon, we bike through rural Istria via Buje to Novigrad, where we can enjoy the evening and spend the night.
Day 5: Novigrad – Rovinj | Rovinj, roundtour (10 mi./16 km)
In the morning the ship takes us to Rovinj during breakfast, the starting point of today’s bike tour. Close to the town, the sprawling green wilderness of the local park is the perfect setting for a bike ride past picture perfect bays where we can stop for a refreshing swim. After a pleasant morning on our bikes and at the beach, we return back to the ship and there is plenty of time to explore the city in the afternoon. In the evening a guided city tour reveals the secrets of the town before spending the night there.
Day 6: Rovinj – Fažana – Rabac (aprx. 22 mi./37 km)
Our morning bike ride takes us near the coast, mostly on natural forest paths to Fažana, with its quaint little harbor and promenade lined with colorful houses. Afterwards, we continue to Pula, where our ship will take us on a longer crossing to Rabac. Here, located on a picturesque bay on the east coast of Istria, we can enjoy gorgeous white pebble beaches, crystal clear waters and a beautiful harbor. Not to be missed is an evening cocktail in a local bar.
Day 7: Rabac – Njivice – Omišalj (aprx. 27 mi./44 km)
In the early morning, we cross to the island of Krk, where a final cycling stage awaits us. The route will lead us from Njivice to Omišalj. The largest island in Croatia and home of the delicious Zlahtina white wine impresses with its diverse landscapes. Don’t miss the opportunity to cover yourself in the mineral rich mud in the bay of Soline – it will not only leave you looking ten years younger, but also makes for a wonderful holiday memory! Back in the harbor of Omišalj, our ship awaits us with a delicious last evening meal on board which can be spent in great cheer in the company of the fellow travelers, crew and guides.
Day 8: Omisalj (Disembarkation)
After breakfast disembarkation until 9 am and individual trip home.
To view the availability of this tour and/or book online please click on the button below. A new screen will open.
On selected departures, you will receive a discount of 200 euro per person. The discount is only valid for new bookings and cannot be combined with other discounts. In the calendar, discount dates are highlighted in orange.
E-Bikes: High-quality pedelec, powered mainly by a Bosch motor capable of covering long distances, and characterized by their light weight and great components. Alternative drive systems may also be used. Standard components of our e-bikes in varying frame sizes include, 28 inch hollow chamber rims with puncture-proof touring tires, high-quality derailleur gears and break systems, a carrier and a sturdy bike stand, touring saddle as well as mudguards and a pannier rack. We offer a trapeze frame for all guests up to 1.79 m, and a diamond frame for people taller than 1.80 m.
The gravel bikes can be ridden over a variety of terrain. These bikes run perfectly on smooth asphalt surfaces as well as on gravel trails. The Orbea Terra H (or similar model) is the ideal all-terrain road bike. The ‘H’ stands for ‘hydro’ and indicates the extensive versatility of the bike. The aluminium frame allows for an upright seating position, as required for non-asphalted roads. Orbea calls this “all-road geometry”. The Terra H has a carbon fork, which allows tire widths up to 40 mm, flat mounted disc brakes, and 12 mm thru axles. A Shimano Tiagra transmission completes the bike’s components. The bike is fast, light, robust, extremely versatile, and is exceptional to handle.
Bringing private bikes & exclusion of private e-bikes
The tour which you have booked requires an e-bike in top technical condition. Islandhopping can offer you high quality, fully serviced rental bikes perfect for the terrain of this tour.
We do not allow you to bring your own e-bike due to the safety regulations on ship as well as ensuring the safety of our employees. If you would like to ride an e-bike, please rent one from our inventory.
We do not advise bringing your own tour or hybrid bike, as the guided group pace is oriented towards the e-bike riders. If you want to ride your own bike on the trip, we recommend bringing a sporty bike that meets the technical requirements to keep pace with the higher speed of the e-bikes. In addition, your bike will need to have good tires (ex. Gravel Bike or Cyclocross Bike). Furthermore, you should ensure you have the required level of physical fitness. Before traveling, please check the condition of brakes, gears and tires as well bringing repair kits and essential spare parts (e.g. inner tube). Your bike must be in top technical condition. Please keep in mind that transporting your own bicycle will result in relatively high additional costs (particularly when flying) and the risk of transport damages is high.
Elegant and upscale
Sea access
Deck chairs
Cosy lounge area
Several sun decks
The exclusive charms of the Adriatic Sea
The diversity of the Kvarner Bay islands
196 km / 122 miles
Motoryacht: max. 34 passengers
Discover the charm of the Adriatic Sea
The diversity of the Kvarner Bay islands
178 km / 111 miles
Motoryacht: max. 28 passengers
Trogir, Primošten, Šibenik, & Zadar PLUS
Parks, Krka-waterfalls & Kornati Islands
140 km / 85 miles
Motoryachts with 28 to max. 34 passengers
Croatia: Highlights of Istria | Plus
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