Between the Adriatic and Ionian Seas
With soft, flowing forms, perhaps a bit sluggish and sluggish, “La Puglia” nestles against the rugged land of the Apennines, and, wide open on all sides, invites strangers to be guests. An ancient cultural land, Puglia has absorbed influences from all parts of the Mediterranean and beyond. Here - in Emperor Frederick II's "Arkadia" - we have developed a pleasure bike tour for you. Everywhere it smells of pine trees, sand and sea, of almonds and orange blossoms and you can feel the unique fusion of Orient and Occident!
UNIQUE ON THIS JOURNEY
- italian and Byzantine-Oriental culture
- Castel del Monte - the enigmatic castle of Friedrich II (World Heritage Site)
- original Trulli architecture (World Heritage Site)
- Cycle routes through gentle, fertile landscapes
- Lecce - baroque jewel: for many the most beautiful town in Italy
- Original, unadulterated places and cultural landscapes
ITINERARY
DAY 1: BENVENUTI - ARRIVAL TO BARI
Individual arrival in Bari. Your tour guides await you at 7:00 p.m. in the hotel lobby to welcome you and then take you on a walk through the old town to a small trattoria with a typical “Cucina di Terra”, a rustic interior and romantic old town flair. Here you will spend the first evening in Puglia. Apulia's capital is a lively metropolis that attracts with a wealth of sights. A city with over 300,000 inhabitants and the most important port city in the Italian southeast. Bari's Centro Storico is a gem! One would not expect this small, architecturally and historically harmonious old town with picturesque alleys and pretty little squares to be behind the extensive “belt belt” with many ugly silos. Our Hotel Oriente is only about 300 m outside of this ensemble on the magnificent avenue Corso Cavour, adjacent to the Teatro Petruzzelli. Dinner in the old town and 1st overnight stay at Oriente Hotel****, Bari.
DAY 2: ON THE TRACKS OF THE STAUFERS - BIKE: 49 km, middle stage
After breakfast we will take you by bus to Castel del Monte (55 km). The castle of Emperor Friedrich II towers majestically on a hilltop of the hilly Murgia, the heartland of Apulia (World Heritage Site). Then you drive through the National Park "Alta Murgia". This landscape protection area extends to almost 680 km².
Murge means "high rocky land" and is a rectangular limestone plateau in central Puglia. It is divided into Murge basse, the rockiest part, and Murge alte, where the soil is fertile and green. In this region there is no surface watercourse, but rich underground watercourses and striking karst phenomena such as gorges and caves. On the Alta Murgia plateau, you almost feel like you are on another planet! Small country lanes lead through a landscape with vineyards, orchards and countless limestone boulders. Only every now and then you come across a rural homestead. In a "masseria" we stop for an Apulian lunch/picnic (lunch is included instead of dinner today). Return transfer at the end of the cycle route to Bari (approx. 50 km).
In the late afternoon you are back at the hotel and you have the evening to explore the attractive and manageable old town with numerous bars and restaurants on your own. 2. Overnight stay Oriente Hotel****/ Bari.
DAY 3: TRULLI IN THE "VALLE D'ITRIA" - BIKE: 47 km, middle stage
A bus transfer (56 km) takes you in the morning to the lovely Itria Valley. Idyllic and lonely, our cycle path initially runs up and down along small walls made of stacked field stones to Alberobello. Alberobello is the center of trulli architecture and, with its districts consisting almost entirely of trulli, is a World Heritage Site. There is often a lot of hustle and bustle in this place due to numerous excursion guests, but you shouldn't let that spoil this unique place! After a tour, the bike route continues towards Locorotondo. Scattered trulli, olive and almond trees and more and more vines accompany you on the way to our destination for the day, the Hotel Relais Il Palmento, which is located in a rural setting and is built like a complete trulli village! Dinner and overnight stay at Hotel Relais Il Palmento**** / San Marco (north of Locorotondo).
DAY 4: TO THE IONIAN SEA - BIKE: 53 km, easy stage
At the foot of the town hill of Martina Franca, the cycling stage begins through the landscape of the Murgia with its endless groves of olive trees and the typically red glowing earth (transfer to the bike start: 13 km). Around noon we almost reach the Ionian Sea with Massafra. Massafra is a small town with a spectacular location: it lies on either side of the Gravina San Marco gorge (lunch break). In the afternoon we transfer you further into the Italian "boot heel", a region called Salento (78 km). You cycle directly to our hotel on the outskirts of Porto Cesareo through olive groves and a lot of rural idyll. Dinner and overnight at Club Azzurro Hotel**** / Porto Cesareo.
DAY 5: GALLIPOLI - BLACK PEARL OF THE SALENTO COAST - BIKE: 32 km, easy stage
Almost the entire bike route today leads directly along the Ionian Sea and the coast of the Gulf of Taranto. Many bathing tourists come here in summer due to the kilometer-long sandy beach bays. When you reach the coastal nature park "Porto Selvaggio e Palude del Capitano" you have to overcome a longer climb, for which your tour guide offers you a ride on the terranova bus. In the afternoon, too, the bike ride goes along the coast and past many small bathing resorts. The coastal road finally leads us to Gallípoli, probably the most popular town on the Gulf of Taranto. The last kilometers before our destination for the day lead along the coastal roads and towards the city the traffic gets heavier and heavier. That's why the guides offer you a transfer to the hotel for this last section, if you like. Greeks from Taranto founded the kale polis, the 'beautiful city', which was a thriving center of Byzantine culture until the Norman Conquest. The Greek Orthodox rite lasted here until 1513!
The old town is located on an island that is only connected to the mainland by a bridge. From here you have a wonderful view of the sea and the crescent-shaped "Baia Verde" from almost all sides. Today you stay in a modern 5-star hotel just before the bridge to the old town island. Before dinner, we invite you to take a stroll through the narrow streets of the historic center, access to which is protected by a fortified castle. Enjoy dinner at a seafood restaurant overlooking the sea. Overnight at Hotel Palazzo del Corso***** / Gallipoli.
DAY 6: ACROSS SALENTO - BIKE: 57 km, middle stage
Today you cycle almost completely through the Italian boot heel!
From the hotel you cycle along the more than 5 km long sandy beach of the Baia Verde. Hardly any beach in Apulia is more popular than this bay! At the end of the bay, our route turns into the interior of the "Salento" and leads through sparsely populated Mediterranean landscapes. Shortly before we meet the Adriatic coast again near Otranto, today's bike tour ends and you will be driven by bus to the center of Lecce (approx. 40 km). Here you will stay for two nights in a comfortable hotel in the old town!
Lecce is a bustling metropolis with one of Italy's finest 'centro storico' at its heart: a festive baroque ensemble set in honey-colored tuff. "The Florence of the Baroque", as Italians often call Lecce, is still a prosperous city and conveys that typical southern flair that we northern Europeans - not without envy - love to experience in Italy. In the late afternoon, our city guide will show you around this architectural jewel, who can also give you tips for good restaurants and stylish bars. The evening is at your leisure (dinner not included tonight) so that you have time to stroll through the historic but very lively center on your own. 1. Overnight stay at the Hotel Hilton Garden Inn**** / Lecce.
DAY 7: ALONG THE ADRIATIC TO OTRANTO - BIKE: 27 km, easy stage
Short transfer from Lecce towards the Adriatic Sea (19 km). Here you start the last cycling stage, which initially runs along the Adriatic coast. At Torre dell'Orso (named after one of the old coastal watchtowers that were built against Turkish pirates) we turn with you into the lovely hinterland.
Finally, the route leads through a nature reserve along the fish-rich inland lakes Alimini Piccolo & Alimini Grande. Our cycle route ends in Otranto. Otranto is a finely spruced up place and impresses with a beautiful promenade and fortified old town on a peninsula (individual lunch break and free time).
In the afternoon we take you back to Lecce (47 km), where you have time to stroll through the old town until dinner. You will spend the final evening in a stylish restaurant in the center of the baroque city. 2. Overnight stay at the Hilton Garden Inn**** / Lecce.
DAY 8: ARRIVEDERCI ITALIA!
After a hearty breakfast, we will take you to the airport of Brindisi (approx. 45 km, EUR 30 per person) or Bari (176 km, EUR 70 per person) at around 9:00 a.m. These transfers can be booked in advance.
PLEASE NOTE
Please book the transfer from the last hotel in Lecce to the airports in Brindisi or Bari when booking your trip! If you have booked your flights yourself, we ask you to let us know the flight times at least 4 weeks before departure so that we can organize a suitable airport transfer for you (for a transfer fee).
Subject to program changes!
The minimum number of participants for this Italy bike tour is 8 people.
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EVALUATION: The total distance by bike and on foot is 265 km / 172 miles. We are cycling mostly on small rural roads. Almost all roads are paved. The landscape is sparsely populated and hilly.
The minimum number of participants are 8 guests
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- ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE
Your tour guides will be waiting for you on the 1st day of travel at 7:00 p.m. at the reception of the Hotel Oriente in Bari. After a warm welcome and a brief introduction to the trip, he will walk with you through the historic center to a cozy pub in the old town.
- The hotel address is: Hotel Oriente****
Corso Cavour, 32, 70122 Bari, Italy
Phone: +39 080 525 5100
- You will receive the cell phone number of our terranova tour guide in the letter with the last travel documents about 2 weeks before the start of the tour.
- Flights: We will book the best flight connection to Bari for you if requested.
- We advise you to take a taxi to get to the hotel. The airport is 11 km from the hotel. A regular taxi costs around EUR 25-30 for this route. There is also a bus line (line 16) that runs from the airport to the city center at least every hour (approx. 30 minutes). You can also travel to the city center by train (Ferrovia Regionale (FR2, gray); Metro Ferrovia Metropolitana (FM2, yellow)). It is only 17 minutes to the main train station Bari Centrale (2-4x per hour). The price for a ticket is EUR 6.00. Tickets are available at the airport. It is only 750 meters from the train station to the hotel.
- Departure: Around 09:00 our guides offer you an airport transfer (not included in the tour price) from Lecce to Brindisi (45 km) and/or Bari (176 km). This transfer can be booked in advance for an additional charge:
- EUR 30,- p.p. to Brindisi (minimum 2 people)
- EUR 70,- p.p. to Bari (minimum 2 people)
- If you want or need to leave at an earlier or later time, we can book an airport transfer for you in advance (costs depend on the number of people. The prices are valid for at least 2 people!).
Status: November 2022 - We reserve the right to make changes
- Extension of the tour
It is worth extending the tour by staying overnight or staying overnight afterwards. This applies to a stay in Bari or Lecce.BARI In order to be able to enjoy Bari's old town in peace, you should arrive a day earlier! The historical center is situated on a peninsula that can be circumnavigated on a promenade along the sea. Cozy cafés in beautiful squares invite you to linger. Our Hotel Oriente is comfortable and only a few steps away from the old town streets.
LECCE Lecce is a baroque jewel and is considered by many to be one of the most beautiful cities in Italy! Our Hotel Risorgimento Resort is one of the best in the city, right in the historic center!
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