Parenzana Trail Biking Experience from Koper
Description
Take a ride on one of the most beautiful biking trails in Slovene Istria, where once a narrow gauge railway called Parenzana was situated, and experience an unforgettable day in the unspoiled nature, filling your body with positive energy.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We will take a bike ride on the Parenzana trail, also known as the route of health and friendship. It runs along the former Istrian narrow gauge railway which at one time connected 33 Istrian towns from Italy (Trieste) to Croatia (Poreč). Over the past decades the route has become the symbol of friendship since it represents a connection between Slovene, Italian and Croatian municipalities. Today it is intended for recreational activities and offers an excellent opportunity to learn about historical facts and places in a more dynamic way. The entire route had 8 tunnels, which are still preserved. During our biking trip we will ride through two of them, both of which are situated in the Slovene part of the Istrian peninsula. The first tunnel connects Izola with Strunjan, whereas the second one is situated between Strunjan and Portorož. Furthermore, we will visit old town centres and cycle along the seashore, through vineyards, olive plantations, tunnels and valleys. Our biking trip will start in the port town of Koper. We will then cycle along the seashore towards the fishing town of Izola, where our tourist guide will talk about the culture and history of the area. After a short stop, we will visit a salt evaporation pond, situated right above the first tunnel, and our guide will explain us the importance of salt for the region. After passing through the tunnel, we will reach the final point of our trip, where we will refresh ourselves with tasting of excellent traditional wine and food.
Biking through Koper
Biking through Izola
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
- The pickup is flexible (any hotel, apartment, cruise terminal, bus station, train station etc.). - For Cruise Passengers the tour departs from Cruise Passenger Terminal in Koper, Slovenia. Your guide will be holding a sign with KoperTrips and Viator logos. - For Hotel Guests the departure location is flexible. Please advise supplier as soon as possible your hotel details or any other preferred pickup location.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Cruise Passengers must advise supplier as soon as possible: ship name, arrival time and departure time
- Hotel Guests must advise supplier as soon as possible: hotel details or any other preferred pickup location
Reviews(11)
This is a great tour with wonderful guides. There are enough stops along the way to rest and hydrate. The guides were knowledgeable about the area. The views were spectacular.
Not recommended for older riders. E bike helps but the trail is very rocky. It is pretty scenery but much the same throughout.
Our guide, Dan, was very friendly and pleasant. He was very knowledgeable and had good stories but the bike tour didn’t live up to expectations. I don’t think we did any of the things that were advertised. It mentioned going through two of the tunnels and we never did that. It said food and wine tasting but really what it was was a stop in a store where we could each have a half a cookie and a little jam along with a half a shot of some type of spirit. I think we paid like $95 a person and it just wasn’t worth it. We paid the same amount of money for a five hour excursions on ATVs and had a full lunch at a different stop!
Thank you for your review. The tour was delivered exactly as advertised, including the full tasting experience - nowhere in the description is a lunch mentioned. Expecting extras that are not listed is simply unrealistic. The tunnels were skipped because the guide had to adapt the route due to your group’s lack of biking experience to ensure everyone’s safety.
My husband and I arrived via cruise ship and the representative was waiting for us after we passed through passport control. Our guide walked us to the office and talked about the town’s history. After making sure that everyone in our group of 10 had pumped up tires and seats adjusted as desired, we were off. A short distance of cycling within the Old Town streets and then we were on the bike path. This path is a converted railway bed and is well marked for walkers & cyclists. Our guide stopped periodically to give us information about the area & to take pictures. As we approached Isola, our guide, Nikola, stopped at a church and bell tower. He called the caretaker and she came to open the place up for us to explore. This was not stated in the itinerary, but was a wonderful surprise addition to the day! Once in Isola, we stopped at a cafe for beer, coffee and good conversation. After our break, the group was given a choice to continue past Isola into the hills, lengthening our trip by another hour, or return to the shop. Once back at the shop, we enjoyed tasting olives, meats, cheese, 4 different flavored olive oils & 5 different wines. We would recommend this tour. Notes: - there is a bathroom at bike shop, at cafe & along bike path - beer & coffee are extra, but are good & reasonably priced - you should bring a water bottle, bikes have bottle holders - guide gave us a map and directions to a couple of areas we wanted to see after the tour - regular bikes & e-bikes available
The bike trip from Koper to Izola was just right. There were options on how far and where the group wanted to go, based on clients' physical level, heat of the day, etc. There was time for a cold beer in Izola, half-way through, and the wine and 'meze' back in Koper were quiet nice. I'll probably take the same tour again some day, this time with family and / or friends. Some e-bikes were available, which was helpful for a hill up to the tunnel.
This bike tour reads so well. It took 45 minutes to organise bikes. We were left standing around while tyres got pumped up. There was no communication from the tour organisation despite leaving several messages. The day before the tour I got a brief email outlining pick up details? My questions still unanswered? The ride itself was enjoyable. The old train line is actually a sealed section of the road which is I was disappointed by. The scenery was beautiful. We rode to Izola. A few stops along the way for information which was good. But we did not pass through any tunnels, did not see any olive or vineyard plantations which was written in the description? We stopped in Izola with no explanation as to what we were doing? I ended up asking if we could wander around after being left for too long to have coffee? It was then we got prompted to have 30 minutes free time. Izola is a beautiful seaside town but we got little as far as history and culture of the place as was outlined. Surprisingly we then turned around and headed back to the shop where we started where we stood around the counter tasting different cheeses and wine. The produce was nice but this was not a lunch in a small village as described? Overall the cost was too expensive and the ‘what to expect’ is inaccurate. We could have hired bikes ourselves and done this without a guide? Would not recommend this tour.
Dear client, please kindly note that we have sent to you all the details regarding your tour in a promptly matter. We also answered to all of your questions which mostly referred to if we can provide e-bikes instead of regular bikes. We kindly agreed to do the change and we upgraded some of your regular bikes to e-bikes at no extra charge. This service was completely complimentary. It’s a peak of the season and we receive many e-mails on a daily basis but we always try to answer to all of the questions as soon as possible. Please kindly note that the information regarding the pickup was also available on your vouchers (1 hour after cruise arrival at the cruise passenger terminal in Koper), therefore you received all the information prior the tour accordingly. Unfortunately, we cannot agree with your statements that we did not provide any feedback or that you were not informed about the pickup. Please also note that there is no mention of lunch being included in this tour. If you check inclusions, it is clearly stated that the tour includes tasting of food and wine. Tasting usually includes several traditional products specific for our region (olive oil, cheeses, ham, sardines, wine etc.) and this service was delivered as advertised. I checked the inclusions once again and I am really not sure why you thought that the lunch would be included. Lunch is usually planned during free time in Izola. I am really sorry that you felt that way regarding our tour. Customer satisfaction is our top priority and we always try to do our best to suit our customer’s needs. We also checked with our guide and he informed us that no complaint was made during the tour and no one asked any additional questions or requested to include any other points of interest. We are very flexible and willing to go the extra mile to satisfy our client’s needs, therefore communication during the tour is very important to us. Unfortunately, in this case no feedback was provided during the tour. Nevertheless, please kindly accept our sincere apologies if you felt your experience with us wasn't up to your standards.
Dejan from Koper Trips met us at the cruise terminal from where we walked for several minutes to his shop. Along the way he explained some of the history of Koper and surrounding buildings. Once at the shop we had a choice of some good looking bikes and soon we were off through the safe and well maintained bike paths. Such a beautiful hot day full of interesting facts and information. Riding was easy and mainly flat. The bikes made and small inclines easy. Along the way wine yards, salt fields and water front before entering the country side. After a couple of hours we arrived back at the shop to a fine selection of cheeses, hams, olives oils and wines to taste. I would highly recommend Koper Trips.
<p>We agree! We were on the same ride as Harrison and loved the scenery, tunnels, tapas/wine, and the history of this area provided by our guide, the owner. There were a few hills that were strenuous, but you can go at your own pace. We also liked that this tour gave us the exercise we were looking for after eating all that cruise food! Highly recommended!</p>
<p>This was probably the best excursion we did off our med cruise ship! The trails are awesome with super views and the tunnels are cool...literally....to ride thru and our guide took us on a walking trip thru Piran and to a great place for wine tasting and a snack.. Our guide turned out to be the company owner sorry I forgot how to spell....Dajean and he was GREAT. There were some hills, but luckily our wives 1 59 and 1 64 had the 2 electric assist bikes and had no problems. I highly recommend this trip :</p>
<p>, nice arragement and accomodationg great activity with our great guide Barbara well organized nice way to see the country side</p>
