January 24, 2021 – Cycling tourism in Istria has long been recognised as a niche that can enrich the overall tourist offer, extend the pre and post-season, and be an additional motive for guests exploring new destinations on two wheels. To further improve and develop cycling tourism, Istria County is preparing a Study on the quality management of cycling tourism development.

"With this study, we want to get the data we need for the quality management of the development of this product at the destination level. We want to find out how users and service providers in cycling tourism perceive this tourist product, what motivates visitors to come, product satisfaction, and what facilities are missing," explains the head of tourism in Istria County, Nada Prodan Mraković.

The Study includes users and the local population's opinions and monitors cycling tourism's impact on other activities and society.

The study's value stands at 187,500 kuna, of which 150,000 kuna was approved from the Tourism Development Fund of the Ministry of Tourism and Sport. The Institute of Agriculture and Tourism in Poreč will prepare the study, which is expected to be completed this June.

When it comes to cycling tourism, the Parenzana bike-hiking trail is indispensable. In the past five years, Istria County, local self-government units, and the Ministry of Tourism invested 3,388,000 kuna in Parenzana's arrangement, maintenance, and promotion.

Photo: Facebook Parenzana

In 2020, for example, a new lookout Brkač and protective wooden fences were installed on the Grožnjan bridge and the Pirelići overpass to increase the safety of drivers and pedestrians. Investments were made in lighting the Kalcini tunnel and general regular maintenance of the route (mowing, landscaping) was undertaken.

In cooperation with Hrvatske šume (Croatian forests), trees were planted on the rest areas and lookouts of Brkač and Rakotule. At the end of the year, for the first time, ten short videos of 15 seconds each were made to promote Parenzana.

In 2021, the emphasis will be placed on the maintenance of drainage canals, of which there are about fifty on Parenzana. Besides that, regular mowing and the upkeep of signposts, info tables, lookouts, WiFi points, and the promotional campaign on social media will continue.

The plan is also to shoot a dozen more short videos that would show off the additional content at Parenzana (gastronomy, cultural content). These activities will undoubtedly further improve but also popularise the former narrow-gauge railway which used to connect the ports of Trieste and Poreč during the 20th century. Its attractiveness is evidenced by the data on over 260,000 visitors in the past three years alone.

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September 28, 2020 - If you enjoy discovering divine nature by cycling, Turistickeprice.hr has narrowed it down to six breathtaking Croatian continental routes. Get ready for your next adventure!

The center of the world (yes, that's the real thing!)

Cycle to the very center of the world! The magical Ludbreg is known as the world's official center, so start by conquering it by bike. The oldest and most famous bicycle path in this area is the so-called Drava path. Eighty kilometers long, the trail follows the Drava River through a series of picturesque villages and hamlets located in the Drava lowlands.

Drava River | Photo by Romulic and Stojcic

If you are a river fan, this one is for you

Do you want your ride to be accompanied by water? Continental Croatia is rich in rivers, and the roads that stretch along them offer perfect trails for more experienced road racers. Start from Varazdin or Cakovec and drive along the Drava River and the Mura estuary towards Koprivnica, Pitomaca, Virovitica, Valpovo, Osijek, all the way to Vukovar in eastern Croatia. It is more than 300 kilometers along the rapids of the river Drava. If you don’t know where to go, do what Bear Grylls does - follow the river!

Drava River | Photo by Romulic and Stojcic

Cycling around waterfalls? You got it!

There is no greater symbol of the beauty of Croatian nature than Plitvice Lakes, which bears the title of UNESCO World Heritage Site and is visited by more than a million people every year. However, few do so by bicycle. Around the Plitvice Lakes National Park, there are beautifully landscaped bike paths of all levels of difficulty, and many take you to areas of this park that are far from the reach of other tourists. Want to have a day to remember? Start from Karlovac and drive about seventy kilometers along the old mountain road towards Josipdol. Well, that's a real challenge!

Plitvice | Photo by Romulic and Stojcic

Do you like fairytales? Trakoscan awaits for you!

If you are looking for your prince or princess, take a peek at the castle! This gem, located along the border of Croatia and Slovenia, is called Trakoscan. It is one of the most important Croatian castles, and equally attracts tourists and cyclists. Who knows, maybe among them you will find the "right one". If you are not interested in fairy tales about princes and princesses and you are looking for an ordinary man with traditional skills, there is no better place than Krapina, where the magnificent Museum of Krapina Neanderthals is located. The popular circular path that leads to the castle begins and ends in Djurmanac, and includes a 38-kilometer drive along the Macelj mountain, at an altitude of approximately 380 meters.

Trakoscan | Photo by Romulic and Stojcic

Escape the city, go to the Medvednica Mountain

Head to the Medvednica Nature Park, only twenty minutes away from Zagreb. Not far from the hustle and bustle of Zagreb, with an altitude of up to 1000 meters, this place is a paradise for cyclists eager for adventure, whether it is road or mountain biking. It’s a real challenge when you have to climb an hour and a half by bike to the top of the mountain to get down to the base in fifteen minutes. The adrenaline will rush through your veins as you ride the Medvednica bike trails - because they are truly breathtaking!

Photo by Romulic and Stojcic

The golden route, rich with wine

The smallest and northernmost Croatian county is known for washing gold, and there is the first oil field in Croatia (and the world!). Medjimurje offers many top bike trails that stretch throughout the county, and this region is also known for the production of top wines. With a concept that combines the pleasure of wine and the pleasure of cycling, visitors have the opportunity to experience the two main attractions of Medjimurje at once.

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August 22, 2020 -The Croatian National Tourist Board has created a new website dedicated to the Croatian part of the new Mediterranean cycling route EuroVelo 8, as part of the EU project MEDCYCLETOUR, in which it actively participates as one of the eight project partners.

HTZ announced that this interactive page in Croatian and English would help in planning a cycling holiday and better navigation in the seven Croatian tourist regions through which the EuroVelo 8 cycling route passes in Croatia.

"Cyclotourism is generally one of the fastest-growing tourist products, which in these market circumstances can make a significant contribution to the faster recovery of tourism, given that it is a year-round, healthy and safe activity that basically absolutely respects social distancing measures. I believe that the Croatian part of the beautiful Mediterranean route will attract many domestic and foreign cyclists, who can now find comprehensive technical and tourist information on our website to create their trip," said the director of the Croatian Tourist Board Kristjan Stanicic. 

The new page invites you to explore and discover the natural beauties, cultural sights and rich tourist offer of destinations on the coast, islands and hinterland, offering information on twenty main and eight alternative Croatian sections of the Mediterranean route. The Croatian section of the route covers the entire coast from Istria to Dubrovnik, 1116 kilometers long, while the total length of the entire Mediterranean route, from Cadiz to Cyprus, is about 7500 km and passes through the most attractive parts of eleven countries in the Mediterranean region, namely Spain, France, Monaco, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Greece and Cyprus.

Let us remind you that Croatia is integrated into the EuroVelo network of bicycle routes, which connect the entire European continent via 17 bicycle routes in the length of 90 thousand kilometers, through 42 European countries. Marked routes throughout Europe can be used by tourists on excursions, those who are on multi-day and multi-month trips and the local population who walk shorter sections of the EuroVelo route in daily cycling or enjoy them on cycling trips.

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Croatia boasts many a stunning national park, and the stunning NP Krka is just one on a list of must-see's when in Croatia, either on the continent or on the coast. How about experiencing what NP Krka has to offer on two wheels with the national park's brand new tourist offer for cycling lovers - Krka Bike?

As Morski writes on the 26th of February, 2019, Krka National Park has expanded its tourist offer to include bicycle routes that connect some of the most beautiful parts of NP Krka, revealing its sheer natural beauty to its numerous international visitors, not to mention offering them a few brand new cycling challenges as well.

Krka Bike comprises a total of fourteen routes, including five fit for mountain bikes (MTBs), three for road bikes (Road) and six trekking routes (Track) for a more enjoyable, less challenging bike ride. Along these picturesque bike routes, vertical signaling with the appropriate markings which state the track type will be set up. For example, the R-1 mark, the M-1 mountain sign, and the T-1 trekking mark.

Krka Bike's more challenging mountain routes are designed for bicyclists in good physical condition and who possess more advanced bicycle management skills, these paths take riders along properly looked after and yet still relatively undisturbed forest paths with ups and downs which provide a higher incline.

The road routes are characterised by high quality asphalted roads and are intended for more active athletes looking for physically demanding sporting challenges. For active family outings in nature as well as for recreational cycling, there are six trekking routes, on which riders cycle along properly asphalted roads to take in NP Krka's postcard-like scenery. All the routes, regardless of their classification, are circular in shape and are designed in order to facilitate the cycling, nestled in amongst some utterly jaw-dropping scenery.

In the cooler spring months, NP Krka is a far more welcoming place than it is during the warm summer months. With less people around and less sweat to wipe off one's forehead, exploring the less developed, but no less fascinating parts of this fairytale-like Croatian national park, is a must-do.

Make sure to stay up to date following our dedicated lifetyle page.

Good news for lovers of active tourism!

Cyclotourism has finally been getting some prime time in Varaždin County. Although, the headline “Cyclist Restroom by the Cemetery” probably wasn’t envisioned as a Haloween publicity stunt but rather a misjudged decision by someone who believed that an 878.000 kuna investment might go unnoticed because it involved the word cycling. Or was it the word cemetery? Still, it is a sign of the times that bikes are en vogue.

While clearly not on the quintessential bucket list of any cycling bible, Karlovac County is a great starting point for bicycle touring addicts to embark on their exploratory Tour of Croatia, or a wonderful rural retreat for those cyclists in search of a spot to gather their thoughts and quietly pass a few weeks with their favourite two wheeled beast.

The Guardian shines the spotlight on the Dubrovnik Circular cycling route.

Mark Cavendish took the overall lead in the Tour of Croatia by sprinting to a comfortable stage two victory in Split.

Our goal is to have 3000 kilometres of cycling paths in the county by 2017, Joško Stella said during today's Assembly