Croatia Bike & Boat Tour

2024 Tour Dates: May 24 – May 31 (space available) and May 31 – June 7 (this date is full)

Croatia is a picturesque country poised on the eastern side of the Adriatic Sea. This is a biking paradise of rolling green hillsides speckled with wildflowers and paved roads with very little traffic. Croatia’s rugged coastline, known as the Dalmatian Coast, is dotted with hundreds of unique islands, turquoise bays, elegant ships and historic seaports. In the neatly kept towns, there are stone paved streets winding past medieval buildings and sidewalk cafes that beckon for a cappuccino stop. Here, old world Europe meets the 21st century.

We have chartered a 27-meter gullet-style sailing yacht solely for our group. Living aboard a yacht is relaxing, though quite different from a hotel. It is a trade-off between the space of a hotel room and the expansiveness of the sea and your surroundings. Plus, the camaraderie of living on a yacht will add a fun dimension to the bike tour. The boat comes with an experienced captain and crew, and each cabin has a double bed (some have an additional single bunk), air conditioning and private bathroom. All meals are provided, and once on board, you only need to unpack once and keep the same cabin for the week. How easy is that!

We rate this a moderately difficult bike tour due to the very hilly nature of the islands. Our daily riding distances are 40-70 km. A guide will accompany us and we plan to ride together as a group. On some of the islands we will do a loop ride and on others, we will be dropped off at one port and meet the yacht at another port where we spend the night. It is important to keep in mind that we will not have a support van following us to pick up tired riders. And riding is optional and you can choose to spend a day cruising on the boat whenever you like.

2024 Price: €3,275 Euros per person double occupancy

Price Includes:
  • 1 night in hotel in Split
  • 6 nights cabin on Gulet
  • breakfast in Split
  • all meals beginning with breakfast on day 2 on the boat through breakfast on Day 8 on the boat
  • bilingual bike tour guide
Price Does Not Include:

Airfare, airport-hotel transfers, bike rentals (hybrid / €180 Euros, road bikes / €220 Euros, electric bikes / €250 Euros, ), hotel after the boat tour.

We had an excellent trip thanks to your team and the work that you have put into making a wonderful excursion for all of us.  Our guide was excellent,  full of history and knowledge of the whole country.  The boat and the entire crew were friendly, professional, and a real delight.  Thank you for letting us experience such a wonderful place in such a special way.  We will be back to Nichols Expeditions for future trips and have already spread the word about you.

Carol and Russ A.

Itinerary

Day 1:

We’ll meet in the lobby of our hotel in Split in the late afternoon for a trip orientation.

Day 2:

After breakfast, we will have a bike fitting and then board our yacht/Gulet. We’ll depart Split and begin our cruise in the gorgeous Adriatic Sea.

Days 3 – 7:

We will visit a variety of islands, but it is important to understand that the weather and the seas will dictate our daily itinerary. Some days we will pack our lunches to take with us for the day and we’ll meet the boat at a new dock in the late afternoon. Other days, we may begin with a cruise to a new island and then do a loop ride upon our arrival.
Here are some of the islands: Please note that the weather and sea conditions will ultimately determine the order and availability of the islands we actually visit.

Korcula, one of Croatia’s greenest islands, has extensive pine forests, vineyards and beautiful old villages. One of its showpieces is the main town also named Korcula. It is a beautiful example of a medieval walled city set on a gorgeous seaside promontory. Korcula is believed to be the birthplace of the famed explorer Marco Polo.

Hvar is known as the queen of the Croatian islands with its lush Mediterranean vegetation and cultural and natural monuments. Our ride takes us past fields of lavender, olive trees and pinewoods. The town of Hvar has 7th century AD walls and the site of the oldest municipal theatre in Europe.

Vis is the most remote, and the town of Vis was established 2000 years ago as a Greek colony by the name of Issa. It is said that the first grape vine in Dalmatia was planted by the ancient Greeks on a Vis field. After the Second World War, Vis was a military base and closed to visitors. It was reopened after Croatia’s independence in 1990.

Brac is the largest island and it has a karst limestone landscape. Brac’s stone quarries have been a source of building stone since Roman times. Our ride on Brac will take us past a number of beautiful bays and beaches along the crystal blue sea.

Day 8:

Our tour ends in Split after breakfast. We will return to Split in the morning and we can assist with arranging transfers to the Split airport or bus station (easy access to Dubrovnik). Do not book any flights until late afternoon today.

While we strive to create the most accurate itinerary possible, the nature of international travel demands that participants remain flexible to any changes. We will do our best to substitute activities and services of equal quality for those listed.