City Bike Tour of Split

Posted By : vmreese
I cannot speak highly enough of Drazen and the team at Red Adventures who expertly and meticulously planned a wonderful self-guided 7-day ebike tour across three Croatian Islands for my travel group of four. The team went above and beyond to ensure we had the trip of a lifetime.

Before we arrived, we received a detailed day-by-day itinerary including an overview of our routes, thoughtful context on the history and culture of the areas through which we would pass, and recommendations for restaurants and attractions along the way.

Before our journey began, the Red team picked us up in Split for a gear fitting and trip orientation where we were outfitted with superb e-bikes, helmets, and panniers. For the following 7 days, we travelled across three stunning Croatian islands including Brac, Hvar, Korchula and the Pelisac peninsula, ending our journey outside of Dubrovnik. At the trip's end the Red team picked us up and provided a lift to our AirBnb.

The distances planned for each day were achievable and satisfyin. The routes took us across lovely rolling coastal hillsides, charming villages, verdant vineyards, spectacular vistas, medieval fortresses, and refreshing secret beaches. We ended each day with a dip in the sea and exquisite meals to fuel our happy bodies. The Red team seamlessly coordinated our entire journey, handling the transport of our luggage to each of our accommodations, notifying us of any weather concerns and promptly addressing all our questions via our group WhatsApp thread. The accommodations each night were comfortable and well-located for us to fully enjoy the charm and beauty of each town.

The Red teams familiarity with and love for the beauty of Croatia really shone in their trip planning. Look no further for a gorgeous and thoughtfully planned adventure with ample personal touches.
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Posted On : 2024-06-16 13:10:21

Posted By : martinarE480DP
Our intergenerational party of four had an excellent time on the seven-day island hopping bike tour planned and executed by Red Adventures. We chose e-bikes and were given high-quality machines with long-lasting batteries and four power modes. The young, strong ones in our party favored "eco" and "tour" and I, the old lady of the group, spent a lot of time in "sport" and "turbo" mode, which earned me the nickname "Kiki Trbo." The amazing terrain of the islands includes, at times, long ascents and descents--and the e-bikes allowed us to take them in stride.
We began in Split and departed immediately by ferry for Brac island, where we biked for two days. Our first night we rested up at beautiful private accommodations in peaceful Postira (our hosts welcomed us with home-made fruit brandy). We enjoyed a late-day dip at the pebble beach and had a tasty, relaxed meal overlooking the harbor. Day two took us on another beautiful day of cycling to Bol, a buzzing, tourist-friendly town with a postcard-worthy beach, restaurants for every taste and price-point, and restful hotel-style rooms that included an excellent breakfast buffet on the terrace.
A no-hassle private boat transfer zipped us across the channel to Hvar island, where we enjoyed an amazing day of cycling through the countryside with stops at several picturesque towns. Highlight of the day: a truly memorable meal at a restaurant recommended by Red Adventures in Stari Grad--do not miss the wild boar stew. Our evening destination, the town of Hvar, manages to combine the intact bones of a remarkable, historically significant port town with dizzy-stepped alleyways and overlooking fortifications--plus as much beautiful-people nightlife as anyone could ever want.
A ferry took us to Korcula island, where we stayed for two nights inside the walls of the compact, extraordinary old city in a comfortable and well-appointed apartment. Our between-day bike circuit led us through vineyards, olive groves and allowed for optional detours to secret beaches.
Day 6 took us by ferry to the Peljesac Peninsula, where we traversed yet another of the heartlands of Croatian wine cultivation and making. We viewed big landscapes from varying elevations as we climbed and descended the rugged limestone terrain. Our day's destination was the amazing city of Ston (one of my favorites), where a coastal salt evaporation "farm" established in the Roman era continues operation to the present day. I recommend a climb along the unfathomably long, walkable fortified wall that scales the hillside above Ston. Do try the fresh, local oysters that are cultivated in the bay over the mountain.
On our last day, we biked for a half day then opted for the recommended van ride for the last stretch to Dubrovnik in order to avoid the heavy car traffic. We consoled ourselves at the prospect of ending the tour with another wonderful meal at one of the recommended restaurants, overlooking a pretty harbor with, yes, another glass of local wine.
All along the way, we enjoyed excellent, well-coordinated service from pleasant and accommodating operators. With all the transfers and daily movement, we expected some glitches, but there weren't any. Each day while we biked, our luggage was moved to our next-day's accommodation and was waiting for us when we arrived at our destination end of day. The daily itineraries were ambitious enough that we got to see a tremendous number and variety of places, but achievable enough that we could take our time, pause for coffee, lunch, or a glass of local wine, and arrive at our destination in time for a relaxing evening in each new town.
We appreciated the provided notes about history and culture and the restaurant recommendations. We felt many times that this Croatian-owned company had an advantage in setting up an amazing tour because of their deep familiarity with the country and their established network of trusted regional collaborators.
The two designated navigators in our group used handlebar-mounted Wahoo displays and cell phone-loaded GPX route maps provided by Red Adventures to guide us through the turns, and we enjoyed our confident independence. If we had problems or questions, the tour operators were easily contactable on our Whats App group chat--consistently responsive and helpful.
I was struck by how well maintained the road surfaces were (Illinois, please do better), which helped me feel confident about riding safely for more kilometers than I thought I was capable of.
Our seven-day tour was an extremely memorable, beautiful journey of discovery through a beautiful region of coastal Croatia. I will never forget the crystal-clear waters of the Adriatic, floating buoyantly on the salty sea, looking up at the expanse of sky and being grateful I was able to experience this trip with my family.
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Posted On : 2024-06-14 15:00:07

Posted By : E269WZjims
We went on the bike tour of Split and we exceptionally pleased with the effort of the staff to make us comfortable and make us familiar with the city. It is one of the most informative tour rides that I have had. Riders should be comfortable with riding in crowds and avoiding the usual street obstacles. I have done several bike tours and this was one of the best.
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Posted On : 2024-06-11 11:53:29

Posted By : Rachel_W
Fabulous way to explore the city. Pace was good with time for stopping to take photos & have a drink. Climb to the top was a challenge but definitely worth it!
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Posted On : 2024-06-11 10:31:28

Posted By : jamesjX6689KQ
We enjoyed our visit to Split City but would not want to spend more than a day there. There is a very pleasant Boulevard at ther edge of the old town and harbour although this is expensive and busy with tourists off cruise ships etc. However if you walk to the end near the marina you can find a quieter spot to admire the view and watch the water traffic.
The old town is interesting but looks run down (I assume they want to keep it looking like it was in the old days). We enjoyed a long walk along the coast and through the Marjan Forest Park (although the Botanical Gardens were closed!). There are some interesting land marks on the walk including an ancient Hermitage built into a cave in the hill side.
We stayed half an hour from the city along the coast which enabled us to visit the beaches etc. Beautiful clear water. The bus service is very good and easy to follow. I think you could make Split your base and then travel to neighbouring tourist attractions.
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Posted On : 2024-06-05 07:01:23

Posted By : andrewmI8822YX
Great guide and great ride. Good way to get oriented. We really learned a lot about the area and got a great workout at the same time.
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Posted On : 2024-06-01 01:33:19

Posted By : annakirstinj
The guides were very kind and helpful. Also the ride was really nice and beautiful as well, since you got to see most of Split.
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Posted On : 2024-05-31 13:43:14

Posted By : janetfletcher2002
Visited Split by cruise ship. We arrived for a scheduled 8:30 am bike tour that we booked several weeks ago. The Tour operator said he cancelled our tour because only 2 of us were scheduled. He said he tried calling and emailing yesterday, but we did not receive an email, message through trip advisor, text through WhatsApp or voicemail. No offer was provided to pay for a private tour. Very disappointing experience. Obviously honoring a trip was not worth his time or what would have been a very generous tip. Tip for you, book with another company!
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Posted On : 2024-05-29 07:01:25

Posted By : mboyce68
Lovely tour of Split with Darla! Certainly recommend this bike ride, even for people who are not particularly quick going up hills. :)
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Posted On : 2024-05-11 05:38:44

Posted By : Piritta_N
What a great way to see Split from a different perspective! Marjan Hill is a gorgeous recreation area and in this bike tour, it is covered thoroughly. With a very knowledgeable and friendly guide, we had the greatest time and learned a lot about the historical city.
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Posted On : 2024-05-11 01:37:03