- Discover the best of Puglia and Matera by bike, riding through the Italian countryside
- Begin in the extraordinary cave town of Matera – a spectacular opening to the adventure
- Ride to Alberobello and wander among fairytale trulli houses
- Cycle along the Ionian Coast with a chance for a refreshing dip
- Finish in Lecce, known as the Florence of the South for its magnificent baroque buildings
- Stay at Masseria Bosco, a converted farmhouse with home-grown produce
Cycling Puglia & Matera
8 Days
Excluding Flights From
8 Days
from
Incl. taxes
Excl. flights
Cycling
Activity Level
Moderate
See our Activity Level Guidelines to check if this holiday is right for you
Comfort Level
Classic
Discover the heel of Italy by bike, taking a country-and-coast route from the cave town of Matera to baroque Lecce
Cycle the captivating region of Puglia, riding through olive groves and along the winding coast to stay in some of the most spectacular cities and towns in Italy. The adventure begins in the cave town of Matera, officially in the Basilicata region and beloved by film directors for its ancient beauty, before progressing to the fairytale trulli houses of Alberobello, the White City of Ostuni, and seaside Gallipoli. It ends in Lecce, known as the Florence of the South for its extraordinary collection of baroque landmarks.
Highlights
Key Information
- Accommodation: 7 Classic nights (5 hotel, 2 agriturismo/farmhouse)
- Six days cycling with partial vehicle support (limited seats)
- Group normally 6 to 16, plus leader. Minimum age: 16
- Countries visited: Italy
What's Included
- All breakfasts
- All accommodation
- All transport and listed activities
- Tour leader throughout
- Group arrival and departure transfers available
- Local bike hire
What's Not Included
- Travel insurance
- Single accommodation (available on request)
- Visas or vaccinations
- Local city taxes (approx. €10)
- E-bike hire (available for an additional cost)
6 Days of Cycling
Pace:
Moderate: 8mi-10mi (13km-16km) an hour
Terrain:
Low altitude; 99 percent paved, 1 percent short sections of gravel.
Quiet, rural, rolling roads
Day 2
69 km / 42.9 miles
Day 3
39 km / 24.2 miles
Day 4
61 km / 37.9 miles
Day 5
58 km / 36 miles
Day 6
71 km / 44.1 miles
Day 7
54 km / 33.6 miles
Start
Finish
Availability
Land Only Trip Price
Optional Single Supplement
Sunday Sunday
04 Apr 2027 04 Apr 2027
Sunday Sunday
11 Apr 2027 11 Apr 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
11 Apr 2027 11 Apr 2027
Sunday Sunday
18 Apr 2027 18 Apr 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
25 Apr 2027 25 Apr 2027
Sunday Sunday
02 May 2027 02 May 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
02 May 2027 02 May 2027
Sunday Sunday
09 May 2027 09 May 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
09 May 2027 09 May 2027
Sunday Sunday
16 May 2027 16 May 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
16 May 2027 16 May 2027
Sunday Sunday
23 May 2027 23 May 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
23 May 2027 23 May 2027
Sunday Sunday
30 May 2027 30 May 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
30 May 2027 30 May 2027
Sunday Sunday
06 Jun 2027 06 Jun 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
06 Jun 2027 06 Jun 2027
Sunday Sunday
13 Jun 2027 13 Jun 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
13 Jun 2027 13 Jun 2027
Sunday Sunday
20 Jun 2027 20 Jun 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
20 Jun 2027 20 Jun 2027
Sunday Sunday
27 Jun 2027 27 Jun 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
29 Aug 2027 29 Aug 2027
Sunday Sunday
05 Sep 2027 05 Sep 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
05 Sep 2027 05 Sep 2027
Sunday Sunday
12 Sep 2027 12 Sep 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
12 Sep 2027 12 Sep 2027
Sunday Sunday
19 Sep 2027 19 Sep 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
19 Sep 2027 19 Sep 2027
Sunday Sunday
26 Sep 2027 26 Sep 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
26 Sep 2027 26 Sep 2027
Sunday Sunday
03 Oct 2027 03 Oct 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
03 Oct 2027 03 Oct 2027
Sunday Sunday
10 Oct 2027 10 Oct 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
10 Oct 2027 10 Oct 2027
Sunday Sunday
17 Oct 2027 17 Oct 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
17 Oct 2027 17 Oct 2027
Sunday Sunday
24 Oct 2027 24 Oct 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip NotesSunday Sunday
24 Oct 2027 24 Oct 2027
Sunday Sunday
31 Oct 2027 31 Oct 2027
Availability Available
Land Only Trip Price CAD 4715 Book with CAD 1178 deposit Book with CAD 500 deposit
Optional Single Supplement +CAD 1644
Availability
This departure is available for new bookings, and will be guaranteed to go ahead once it reaches minimum numbers. Please click Continue to proceed with booking or contact our Sales team for assistance.
View Trip Notes
Itinerary
Matera Lecce
Adventure begins in Matera
The town of Matera is a real jewel of southern Italy, and our hotel is just a short walk from the historic centre. There is usually time in the afternoon to wander through the narrow alleys of the town’s Unesco-listed cave-dwelling district and enjoy the unique atmosphere of this enchanting city.
For millennia, inhabitants of this region have carved dwellings directly into ravines and gullies made of tuff (or tufa), a characteristic honey-coloured soft stone. These houses are called Sassi and are a Unesco World Heritage site. Matera is the only place in the world where people still live in the same houses as their ancestors did 9,000 years ago.
We’ll also enjoy a welcome briefing today – the perfect chance to meet the group and your expert tour leader.
Accommodation: Hotel Il Belvedere (or similar)
Ride past the historic Sassi houses of Matera before heading to Alberobello
On leaving Matera, we pedal through the area that makes this town so special. Today’s ride is mostly hilly with gentle ascents throughout, as we cycle on quiet rural roads among the picturesque Apulian countryside towards Alberobello. We’ll pass the lovely towns of Noci and Gioia del Colle plus fairytale trulli houses that have made the historic centre of Alberobello another World Heritage site.
Accommodation: Traditional trulli houses or Colle del Sole (or similar)
Cycle through the lush Valle d'Itria, past the fairytale trulli houses to the hilltop town of Ostuni
Today we cycle through the lush Valle d’Itria, one of the prettiest cultural and natural landscapes in southern Italy, to the hilltop town of Ostuni. The route is rolling throughout but much shorter than yesterday’s ride. This allows us to enjoy the views at a more leisurely pace with plenty of opportunities for rest stops. Along the way we pass the wine town of Locorotondo and Cisternino, both known for their historic centres filled with whitewashed houses, narrow streets, churches and elegant piazzas. In the afternoon, we reach Ostuni, known as the White City thanks to the dazzling effect of its white buildings.
Accommodation: Masseria Valente (or similar)
Ride through quaint villages and country lanes to a typical masseria (renovated farmhouse) where we spend the night
We continue pedalling through tranquil country lanes to the town of Francavilla Fontana and on to Oria. A popular destination among Apulians, Oria is famous for its 13th-century castle and delightful historic centre of cobbled streets, whitewashed walls and beautiful architecture. We continue through the countryside to a masseria, a typical Apulian converted farmhouse and our accommodation for the night. The masseria is still a working farm and most of the produce grown here, from vegetables to olives and wheat, is used daily for the preparation of local dishes. Before dinner we will have the opportunity to taste some organic olive oil produced by the family that runs the farm and accommodation.
Accommodation: Masseria Bosco/Masseria Strazzati (or similar)
Upgrade to a junior-suite today – speak to your sales representative for more details
Cycle to the coast and swim in the crystal-clear sea before continuing towards Gallipoli with its old town on a rocky island
From the masseria we cycle towards the Ionian Coast and the beautiful town of Gallipoli, known as the Ionian Pearl with its old town on a rocky island offering fantastic views both to north and south. The town itself has many churches and narrow alleys and was the largest exporter of lamp oil made from olives in the 17th and 18th centuries. There are plenty of opportunities for swimming in the Ionian sea near the popular seaside resort of Porto Cesareo (weather permitting).
Accommodation: 33Baroni/Palazzo Piro/Hotel Fly (or similar)
Upgrade to a suite today – speak to your sales representative for more details
Head towards the Adriatic Sea and the ancient town of Otranto
Leaving the Ionian Sea behind, we head across the peninsula to the Adriatic sea and the ancient Messapian town of Otranto, the easternmost point in Italy. Before dinner there will be time at leisure to explore the medieval town centre. Here the interesting architecture, views, sea-front restaurants and white sandy beaches make it one of the most picturesque towns in Puglia.
Accommodation: Vittoria Resort (or similar)
Upgrade to a superior or deluxe room today – speak to your sales representative for more details
Continue along the shoreline to the beautiful baroque city of Lecce
Today we follow the shoreline through innumerable olive groves to Lecce, the baroque masterpiece of southern Italy, in the heart of Puglia. Sometimes described as the Florence of the South, the city is an architectural gem, with sumptuous palazzi and churches. Today’s ride is relatively short and easy, giving us time to stop for a last swim (seasonal) in Torre dell’Orso, a lovely bay surrounded by limestone cliffs with many ancient caves to discover. In Lecce, there will be free time to explore the historic centre before an optional farewell dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel delle Palme/Hotel Eos (or similar)
End Lecce
We enjoy our final breakfast of the adventure this morning. But if you’d like an extra day in Lecce to soak up the atmosphere of this elegant baroque city, contact your sales representative to arrange post-tour accommodation.
Essential Info
Is this trip for you?
This trip is classified Road and Activity Level 3 (Moderate). For more information on our trip gradings please visit our Activity Level Guidelines page. If you have any queries about the difficulty of the trip please do not hesitate to contact us.
- Six days of cycling
- Average 37mi (60km) per day
- Terrain and route: 99 percent paved road, with a couple of very short sections of gravel
Most of the cycling is along flat to hilly paved roads with a few steady ascents and descents along the way, so a reasonably good fitness level is required. Road conditions are generally good, but the roads may be pot-holed in places. A support vehicle (with only two passenger seats) is available throughout the trip, it can’t follow the group at all times but it will meet you at the end of cycle paths and at junctions to give route directions and allow access to any items you don’t wish to carry on the bike.
Some roads on the trip will be busy, particularly in June to September when Italians traditionally take their holidays and drive to the seaside. The most challenging cycling is on Day 2, when we cover approximately 43mi (69km) and there is an ascent of 2,162ft (659m). Be prepared for high temperatures during the summer months, when 30C (86F) in the daytime can be expected.
Joining Instructions
Key information
Start hotel: Hotel Il Belvedere, Via Casalnuovo, 133, 75100 Matera MT
Phone: +39 0835 311702
Recommended arrival time: There will be a welcome briefing around 5.30pm at the start hotel; if you arrive later, the tour leader can give you a shortened version the following morning
Airport: Bari (BRI)
Getting to the start hotel
The start hotel is approximately a one-hour drive from the airport. Your options for this journey are:
Take a group transfer
We provide one group transfer from the airport to the hotel, which you can join at no extra cost, provided you can be at the airport before the transfer leaves. Speak to your sales representative for the transfer times or to arrange a private transfer.
Make your own way
You can reach the start hotel relatively easily on public transport. From Bari Aiport, catch the Pugliairbus bus service to the stop in Matera. The journey takes 1hr 15min and tickets cost €6 from www.aeroportidipuglia.it/en/bus-pugliairbus-/. The hotel is then a 20-minute walk or 10-minute cab away.
Catching your return flight
There’s one group transfer to the airport, which you can join at no extra cost. Please speak to your sales representative for the time of the transfer. If the group transfer does not suit your flight time, speak to your sales representative to arrange an alternative.
Full joining instructions including local emergency numbers will be sent to you as part of our Final Joining Instructions. If you do not receive these at least a week before departure, or require them earlier please contact our office or your travel agent.
Location start: Matera
Location end: Lecce
Passport
Remember to check the expiration date of your passport if travelling internationally. Many countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months after the date of your scheduled return.
Hotels and masserias
We aim to secure locally owned accommodation that is well located, offers good value for money, and plenty of comfort. To help you find your ideal adventure, each trip is given a Comfort Level rating, which indicates the overall standard of accommodation. For more on our ratings, see our Comfort Level guidelines.
Worth knowing
- Tailor your trip: Extend your adventure by securing extra hotel nights before or after the main itinerary. Speak to your sales representative to book.
- Private rooms: Like most tour operators, we room solo passengers together. If you’d prefer to have a private room, it’s normally possible to do this for a supplement. Speak to your sales representative to book.
- Room upgrades: Upgrade your room on Day 4, 5, and 6 this itinerary – speak to your sales representative for more details.
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Cycling Puglia & Matera
8 Days
Excluding Flights From
8 Days
from
Incl. taxes
Excl. flights