Cycling is a popular sport – also in Croatia ! This is clear by the increasing number of bike shops, good quality rental bikes, marked bike paths, and mobile GPS applications for cyclists. The bike trails often lead over asphalted roads, of-the-road and / or unpaved gravel roads. The pleasant climate is particularly good for cycling in spring and autumn, the summers are quite hot, but if you start early in the morning it is good to go cycling in sunny summer months.
Croatia is an ideal destination for a cycling vacation with it’s mild climate plenty of sunshine and little rain.
On the peninsula Istria you can choose from many well marked cycling routes in not to difficult terrain. It is an ideal region to combine your cycling with sightseeing and breaks at restaurants with delicious foods or at vineyards. In Istria the local tourist offices organise plenty of cycling events throughout the year. Also in the north-eastern region Medjimurje there are well marked cycling routes mainly along the riverbeds of the Mura and Drava. These routes can be combined with the long distance cycling routes from Austria, through Slovenia to Croatia. A website with much information about cycling routes in Croatia is pedala.hr, unfortunately this site is only in the Croatian language, but the maps are good. A long distance cycling route of about 450km in total starts near the capital Zagreb and goes through the national park Medvednica, via NP Papuk, NP Kopački Rit and ends in NP Lonjsko Polje in the east of Croatia.
In Croatia you can choose from easy moderate intensive cycling routes along riverbeds in the north-east, along rolling hills in the interior or more challenging routes along mountainous areas. Take your own bike or hire a bike in one of the more touristic places or resorts. Usually you can take you bike, for a small additional price, with you on the train, boat or ferry. It is perfectly feasible to plan your own cycling vacation, but there are also plenty of tourist organisations that offer a wide range of cycling vacations in Croatia, so you spent less time planning and searching accommodations along your route.
The most important international cycling event in Croatia, that has been organised for the last two years in April, in the ‘Tour of Croatia‘, with many international cyclists. Adria bike also organises various bike events throughout the year. The next event will be the Adria Bike “4 Islands MTB stage race”. In 4 days of MTB racing the participants will cover about 270 km and climb up 5.000 meters, while passing through the most beautiful locations on the islands Krk, Rab, Cres and Lošinj.
