Highlights of Puglia Cycling

Activity Level

Easy & Moderate

Activity

Cycling

Overview

This self-guided, ten-night cycling holiday explores Italy’s beautiful, sun-drenched Puglia region with its vibrant fishing villages, sandy beaches and beautiful, rolling hills, all above the mesmerising blue of the Adriatic Sea.

Puglia offers a wonderful contrast of landscapes, from the fertile farming hamlets, vineyards and orchards of its interior to its dramatic, rocky coastline. Your holiday starts in Conversano and heads inland where you’ll be blown away by a rich landscape of vineyards, olive groves, fruit orchards and fields of tomatoes and peppers alive with colour. Marvel at the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Alberobello with its unique trulli houses – emblematic of the region – and the glistening, whitewashed village of Ostuni. After a transfer to San Cataldo you’ll discover the delights of the stunning Salento coast, taking in Puglia’s easternmost and southernmost point – an amazing sight – and the Baroque masterpiece that is Lecce, renowned for its stunning 18th century architecture and known as the ‘Florence of the South’.

Key Information

Trip Code: C10PU
Ways to Travel: Self-Guided Holidays
Countries: Italy

What's Included

All accommodation
All continental breakfasts and 2 evening meals
Management by your local Headwater-appointed agent
GPS route directions and maps
RideWithGPS
High quality bikes
Luggage transfers between hotels

Terrain:

The cycle routes mainly follow tarmac country roads.

Day 2: 39 km / 24.2 miles
Day 4: 49 km / 30.4 miles
Day 6: 37 km / 23 miles
Day 8: 42 km / 26.1 miles
Day 10: 37 km / 23 miles

Highlights

Sun-drenched, unspoilt region; contrasting cycling routes taking in the rugged coast and lush green countryside
Vibrant fishing villages, white-sand beaches, historic wine towns and ancient olive orchards
Stunning Salento coast - visit Otranto and Baroque Lecce
Hand-picked accommodation including a unique trullo house in UNESCO Alberobello
Excellent regional wines and Mediterranean cuisine

Itinerary

First Destination: Conversano
Next Destination: Lecce

Meals included:None

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

Meals included:Breakfast

First Destination: Conversano
Next Destination: Lecce

Arrive at your hotel for a welcome briefing. There’s time to discover the historic town of Conversano befroe choosing one of the many restaurants for dinner (payable locally).

Today’s pedalling takes you through the rolling hills of the Valle d’Itria where the air is perfumed with wild mint and herbs. Stop off in the little towns of Putignano and Noci, and view their characteristic whitewashed houses and narrow alleyways. It’s then off to unique Alberobello and its plethora of trulli houses, the architectural symbol of the region. On arrival you’ll be met by one of the staff, who will show you to your own private trullo house.

Meals included:Breakfast

Explore the narrow streets and kitsch souvenir shops, or visit the Museo del Territorio. Alternatively, cycle into the Itria Valley to visit stunning Locorotondo, with its panoramic views across the valley. Continue on to Martina Franca, with its beautiful Baroque architechture and stunning palazzi.

Meals included:Breakfast

You’ll spend this morning cycling along beautiful undulating country lanes lined with weathered stone walls, before enjoying a long downhill run with panoramic views of the Adriatic coastline and the lower fertile plains. This incredible descent will bring you down towards Capitolo and finishes through a patchwork of almond orchards, olive groves, vineyards and gloriously coloured fields of fresh tomatoes and peppers.

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

Relax by the hotel’s pool, or cycle to the nearby beach. For the more energetic, ride to charming Ostuni whose whitewashed houses are neatly piled on hills rich in olive groves and vineyards.

Meals included:Breakfast, Dinner

This morning you leave the masseria and head back to the Adriatic coast on a gentle flat route. You will cycle past the colourful fishing village of Savelletri, a perfect stop for an authentic Italian espresso or to indulge in a delicious seafood lunch. Your ride will continue past the archaeological site of Egnazia, once the location of a Greco-Roman town, dating as far back as 4BC. You then return to the picturesque coastal town of Monopoli and the 4-star Albergo Diffuso in time for a stroll before choosing your evening restaurant from one of the many eateries in the heart of the old town.

Meals included:Breakfast

Today’s route takes you along the stunning coastline all the way to the beautiful Polignano a Mare. Take the time to explore this vibrant fishing village before continuing to the picturesque village of San Vito with its multi-coloured boats. Head back to Monopoli and enjoy an aperitivo in the old town’s square watching the world walk past.

Meals included:Breakfast

We transfer you and your bike to Acaya, from where you’ll cycle along the stunning Salento coast to Otranto, taking in ancient olive groves and fishing villages en route.

Meals included:Breakfast

A free day in Otranto today, or an optional challenging day’s cycling (55km/34.5mi) which takes you up and down along the coast south and west of Otranto, where you’ll see the easternmost and southernmost point of Puglia – a spectacular sight! You can also visit the Castel di Salve winery on your way to Santa Maria di Leuca, which is known as De Finibus Terrae, ‘the end of the earth’, before taking a shuttle back to the hotel.

Meals included:Breakfast

Today you head to Lecce on mostly flat terrain amidst endless olive orchards and menhirs. Tonight you’ll stay at the stylish 5 star Risorgimento Resort, just a few steps from some of Lecce’s Baroque masterpieces.

Meals included:Breakfast

The tour ends after breakfast in Lecce.

Meals included:Breakfast

Dates & Prices

Accommodation

Hotels

Your accommodation is as varied as the landscape, with each place specially chosen for its unique charm and character. In Conversano, your beautiful 12th century former court house, with barrel-vaulted ceilings, is just a stone’s throw from the elegant Romanesque cathedral; in Alberobello, you cannot fail to be seduced by the authentic trullo houses (limestone dwellings with conical roofs that are the architectural symbol of Puglia); in Pezze di Greco, you spend two nights in a beautifully restored 17th century masseria (fortified farmhouse) with lovely pool and in Monopoli, you stay in characterful rooms set in various locations just 3 minutes from the beach.

Essential Information

Cycling Conditions
Classification: Self–Guided
Average daily distance: 49.75km (25 miles).
No. of days cycling: 9 (3 optional)
Terrain and route: The cycle routes mainly follow tarmac country roads.
Vehicle Support: This is a self-guided trip for those who prefer to cycle independently, but with our assistance to take out the stress of the logistics and planning. We arrange your accommodation, provide you with a map and route notes so that you can cycle at your own pace, while your bags are transported from one hotel to the next.

It is important that you are happy reading maps and following route notes, we make these as accurate as possible and they are regularly checked.

As this is a self-guided holiday there is no group and no leader. There maybe others on the same departure date as you, but you will not be organised together. The routes notes contain a 24-hour emergency assistance telephone number should you need it and in emergencies, the hotels are normally able to dispatch a taxi or pick you up themselves. They may wish to charge for this service.

Alternative Air Travel
Alternative flights, onward rail to your holiday area, and connecting private transfers can be arranged from most UK airports. If you would like to use one of the many ‘low cost’ airlines, we can book these on your behalf (£30 admin fee per person). We can also book UK shuttles to connect with your onward flight, please call for details and prices.

Alternative transfers
If you require alternative transfers (because you will be arriving at a different time to our standard flights or into another airport), then we can usually arrange these for you (these will incur an additional charge).

Italy

Travellers from the UK, US and EU normally do not need a visa to enter Italy. Please note, visa requirements often change and it is your responsibility to obtain any required visas for this trip. Therefore, we recommend that you check with the nearest embassy or consulate of your chosen destination(s), including any countries you may be transiting or transferring through.

Some local governments provide guidance on what visas their citizens need. To help, we’ve gathered a selection of useful links below.

• Australia: www.smartraveller.gov.au/destinations/europe/italy
• Canada: www.travel.gc.ca/destinations/italy
• United Kingdom: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/italy/entry-requirements
• USA:  www.travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Italy.html

Please note: it is compulsory to carry ID with you at all times in Italy.

In Puglia you will find genuine regional cooking that has strong links to the land and the sea. To give you just a small list of the types of food on offer in Puglia: Bread from the Murge, durum wheat pasta, olives, the pasta delicacy Orecchiette served with a sauce of turnip-tops or fresh tomato and sheep’s ricotta-cheese, Cavatelli with pulses, aubergine and parmesan bake, grilled fish and seafood, burrata (soft mozzarella and cream cheese), plus excellent wines. This region is a food lovers paradise and the abundance of delicious vegetables makes it a perfect destination for vegetarians! On this trip there will be many opportunities to taste the best local specialities.

Puglia enjoys a wonderful Mediterranean climate with all year round sunshine and just enough rainfall to ensure that the green is never too far off. Although Puglia covers a large area it is long and narrow – not more than 30km across. This means that you’re never far from the sea which has a moderating effect on the weather. Please note that Puglia can be very hot, reaching high 30s in the summer.

As a certified B Corp, we’re on a mission to improve our social and environmental impact across all our adventures.

We do this through our innovative Thriving Nature, Thriving People plan.

This ‘nature positive’ approach is designed to help nature and communities thrive in harmony through practical solutions, such as reducing carbon and waste on our trips, supporting conservation projects through the Exodus Adventure Travels Foundation, and rewilding 100 square metres for every Exodus traveller.