Cycle the Balkans

Get your legs moving on a Balkan cycling adventure from Dubrovnik to Sarajevo. Ride along the Ciro Trail – a new rail trail that follows the now defunct Austro-Hungarian railway line, visit the Ostrog Monastery and take in the coastal views as you follow the shoreline of the Bay of Kotor. Explore Kostar – the 5th-century UNESCO World Heritage-listed city – and Mostar to see the bridge divers hurl themselves off the Old Bridge into the Neretva River. As you ride, pass abandoned hamlets, local shepherds, scenic flats and rolling country and spend free evenings soaking up the local culture.To complete this trip, it’s important that you are both confident and competent in riding a bicycle., You’ll have a leader that rides with the group, and another that drives the support vehicle (acting as a back marker where needed). Where the vehicle cannot travel directly with the cyclists (e.g. a cyclists-only path) your leader will assign a person from the group to act as a back marker., While the cycling distances on this trip are relatively short (the longest ride is only 60 km), the terrain of the Balkans is naturally hilly and the climate often warm. You’ll need a reasonable level of fitness to enjoy the trip, but the support vehicle is always on hand if you need to take a break for an hour or a day., As your riding is done mostly on sealed roads with the occasional gravel cycle path, there are no technical cycling skills required. Given the hills, we do suggest practicing riding downhill, so you’re comfortable once the trip begins., As there are cobblestones and many stairs in most European towns, and space in our support van is limited, it's strongly recommended that you leave any wheelie bags/cases at home and bring a backpack instead., This trip is part of a longer itinerary. You might be joining travellers who have already spent some time together. If you have more time to explore, you might like to check out our Cycle Croatia & the Balkans trip.