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Deluxe Puglia Italy Self-Guided Bike Tour: Dig your heels into your cycling vacation aspirations and visit the “heel” of Italy on this 9-day, self-guided tour of Puglia with Pure Adventures Tours. This cycling tour takes you to the best of Italy — a tour that allows you to bike through some of the most beautiful, unique parts of Italy while also getting a feel for the Adriatic. View the region where Frederick II built many towering castles, vineyards, and olive groves. Start in the UNESCO-listed city of Matera and enjoy a moderate, eight-day bicycling tour of the beautiful Puglian countryside. From the UNESCO-listed trulli architecture in Alberobello to the coastal town of Otranto, the rolling hills of the region are sure to charm even the most veteran cycling vacation goer. Rest in deluxe, hand-picked accommodations throughout your tour, so you can relax and enjoy every moment!
A shorter version of this trip is available – please inquire!
Take the train to Matera for the tour’s start. Depart from Lecce and train to Bari or other.
Not Included: Choice of Hybrid, Road, or E-bike Rental
Deluxe Hotels – Standard Offer:
About: Hotels on this tour are usually family-owned with local charm, and in central locations for your convenience. The hotel in Vernole is at an agriturismo, which is a very special experience and a beautiful setting. All lodging includes a private bathroom and a variety of other amenities. Upgraded pricing offers room upgrades to “Deluxe” and “Superior” category rooms at the above hotels, subject to availability. Please refer to the “Rates” section and inquire at the time of booking.
Local Expert: On your arrival in Southern Italy, Giuseppe or another friendly colleague, will be on hand with a wealth of local information, charm, and enthusiasm. During your thorough bike fitting and orientation, he will share the many secrets of this undiscovered region to ensure that you get the very best out of your cycling holiday. Along with our team of dedicated bike mechanics and logistics coordinators, our local representative is there to make sure your vacation runs smoothly so that you have the maximum time to enjoy the area!
Need to Know:
Arrive on your own (at any time) to Matera, the UNESCO-listed city located just outside of Puglia. This ancient city is truly breathtaking and is one of the most fascinating historical sites in Italy. Well-known for its ancient cave dwellings inhabited since the Paleolithic period, the “Sassi” have been described by Fodor’s as “one of the most unique landscapes in Europe.”
Meals: on own
Overnight: Matera
Today is a free day to enjoy and explore Matera on your own. Starting at 11:00 AM, our local representative will welcome you and give you the bikes for your trip. Tonight, we recommend trying one of Sassi’s many pizzerias!
Meals: breakfast
Note: Orientation is at 9:30 AM today; loop ride options will be presented.
Distance: 31-47 km/20-30 mi
Overnight: Matera
Today starts with a 9:00 AM transfer to ride’s start in Gioia del Colle. Today you’ll leave Matera and begin your ride into the Apulia region. As you make your way, you will soon see how the countryside changes: flat terrain, stone walls, olive trees, and the famous trulli. The world-renowned trulli are the most iconic houses of the region, built in a conical shape of mortar and stacked stones, often with painted designs on the rooftops. The region of Alberobello is best known for the trulli, which is your home for the next two nights!
Meals: breakfast
Distance: 37 km/ 22 mi, +427m
Highlights: Alberobello trulli houses
Overnight: Alberobello
Today you can enjoy a relaxing start to your day, as you have a loop ride! To start, you will bike to the town of Putignano, known for its karst caves and ancient Carnivale. Take some time to enjoy and explore both of these towns before heading back to your accommodations in Alberobello.
Meals: breakfast
Distance: 47 km/28 mi, +544m
Highlights: explore Alberobello, Putignano, Baroque architecture
Overnight: Alberobello
Continue on to Locorotondo, widely considered the “prettiest town” in Puglia. Your biking destination for the day is Ostuni, the famous “white town” overlooking the sea. Here, you will notice the houses and buildings are all painted with white lime. Today’s ride is short and enjoyable, and Ostuni is a lovely town to visit. In the afternoon, take the train to Lecce and from Lecce, ride the short distance to a charming agriturismo (farm with accommodations) in the countryside in the province of Lecce. Dinner is included at the agriturismo tonight.
Meals: breakfast & dinner
Distance: 63 km/38 mi, +511m
Highlights: beautiful scenic ride, orchards & coastline, agriturismo stay
Overnight: Vernole
Today you will leave the lovely agriturismo and ride to Otranto, best-known for its UNESCO-listed old town ‘centro storico’ and its medieval castle, “Castello Aragonese.” Enjoy another fun ride day that takes you through small villages and the quiet countryside, before reaching your destination for the evening. Otranto is often considered one of the most interesting destinations in Apulia, with plenty to explore and discover once you are there. Be sure to visit the famous 12th-century mosaic, located in the Romanesque cathedral, and tonight, try some local specialties with a more Mediterranean flavor!
Meals: breakfast
Distance: 30 km/18 mi, +163m
Highlights: scenic ride to Otranto, UNESCO site, medieval castle
Overnight: Otranto
After enjoying a nice breakfast and coffee to start your day, get ready to explore the Salento Coast! This region is characterized by a variety of landscapes: clear blue skies, fine sandy beaches of the Santa Cesarea seafront, and cavernous grottos and arches along the waterfront. Make your way along the coast and take time to stop and take in the beautiful scenery. Return to the hotel along a different route with fields of olive trees and small villages.
Meals: breakfast
Distance: 49 km/30 mi, +522m
Highlights: coastal riding, grottos, olive groves
Overnight: Otranto
Today is your last ride day in Apuglia, where you will enjoy an easy ride back to Lecce. Once there, you will have some time to enjoy the town. Stroll along the open plazas, visit the Baroque cathedral, and enjoy a wine or cafe!
Meals: breakfast
Distance: 47 km/28 mi, +245m
Highlights: Lecce – Basilica di Santa Croce, Porta Napoli, the Duomo
Overnight: Lecce
Departure on your own, after breakfast. From Lecce train station, you can easily reach many places. We hope you enjoyed exploring beautiful Apuglia!
Meals: breakfast
Dates: Plan your trip at a time that best fits your schedule! Pure Adventures tours have flexible start dates.
2024 Tour Rates: (based on double occupancy)
Standard Hotels Rate:
Upgraded Rate: please refer to the “Lodging” section
Note: July & August are considered high season; a supplement will apply. Not recommended due to heat and traffic.
Choice of Bike Rental:
New! Travel Insurance is now required to participate in this tour. You can book through our preferred vendors or your own. Proof of coverage may be required.
We had a great time biking through Puglia. The cycling was great, especially with the fields of poppys everywhere, I would say our favorite ride was the Otranto loop along the coast, we had perfect weather and the Adriatic along there is just spectacular. The food of course was amazing, reservations and a little research ahead of time is highly recommended, we were glad we did both. Of the towns we stayed in Matera was probably my favorite along with Otranto and it’s boardwalk along the harbor. I would have stayed an extra day or two in Matera, with or without the bikes, there is so much to see and do there. We also enjoyed our extra day in Lecce and would highly recommend that also to other travelers if time provides. Thanks for putting this together!
Not sure where to start as we have so many good things to say about this trip and the list would be verrrry looongg! SO Grateful to Pure Adventures for putting this together for us for our “cycling honeymoon.” We will be back!
We just wanted to thank you and all those involved for putting together a beautiful trip for us. Everything went extremely smooth and all the places we stayed exceeded our expectations. Matera and Lecce were great places to start and end the trip. Both beautiful and interesting cities. The Biking along the Adriatic Sea was our favorite ride. We are still recovering from all the great food and the daily Aperol Spritz?. Thanks again!
This tour was one of the best bike tours we have done, and my wife and I have done several with other companies. We loved the relaxed style for this trip, but every detail was thoughtful planned – hotels, route, scenery, and local recommendations. Loved Puglia and how different it is from other parts of Italy. We will be back to Pure adventures but the question is, where to next????
All the towns and places we stayed were great in terms of location and amenities! We would definitely recommend this tour and Pure Adventures.