Self guided Cycling

Discover Puglia by bike

Itria valley & Salento - PugliaDifficulty path:
Easy - Moderate
Self guided · CyclingDuration: 8 daysCode: bs008
from 700 €per person

Highlights

From Alberobello to Lecce: a week by bike in Puglia to appreciate the most beloved lands by local cyclists and to visit some of the musts of this region.
A classic and varied itinerary that puts together the most known places and highlights of Puglia. Cycling between land and sea, everyday discover history and legends, architecture and coastal landscapes of the heel of Italy.

 

  • Sleep among the trulli

  • The green Itria Valley with Ostuni, Cisternino and Locorotondo

  • Lecce and its 100 Churches

  • The Sea of Otranto, Leuca and Gallipoli

  • Salento countryside and the fortified village of Acaya

  • The amazing Cave of Poetry

Program

Day1

Alberobello

You are in Puglia, in the historic Land of Bari: your cycling week begins!
From the regional capital you will have easy access to Alberobello and its magical Trulli. The town is in an area called "Valley of Trulli" and has an historical centre declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The two souls of Alberobello are divided by Piazza Martellotta: Rione Aia with its streets still authentic and almost always silent, and Rione Monti, most devoted to tourism.

Day2

From Alberobello to Ostuni

40km

Today you will cycle between gentle slopes, vineyards and fields from which the inverted cones of ancient Trulli rise into the blue sky.
You will cross the Itria Valley, arriving until the city on the border between the Southern Murge and the Salento Plain: Ostuni, which welcomes you from the top of his Cathedral. Some say its name comes from an ancient Arabic word for "olive." From Ostuni in fact you can well admire the olive trees going from the old city to the long beaches of the Adriatic Sea.
During this first day by bike you will have the opportunity to visit two of the "most beautiful villages in Italy": Locorotondo, famous for its fresh and flavourful white wines, and Cisternino, the Casbah of the Itria Valley.
Overnight in Ostuni.

Day3

From Ostuni to Manduria

60km

Leaving Ostuni behind, you will cycle south to continue discovering Puglia on your bike.
The Murgia hills will now be far away when you will be welcomed by the immense Salento plain, yellow and green like its fields and red like its soil, which extends until it gets lost in the transparent and clear sea.
Today you will get to Manduria, the capital of the Primitivo grapes. Here you can visit the Museum of Primitivo Wine, located within the popular Manduria Winery. The museum collects objects of daily life and working tools of the old peasants telling the social history of the economy of Salento.
Overnight in Manduria.

Day4

From Manduria to Gallipoli

70km

This morning you will reach Torre Colimena and the Salt pan.
You will then follow the coast by bike in the next few days. Accompanied by the blue of the sea, between ancient coastal towers and fine sand, you will reach Porto Cesareo, where it is advisable to enjoy a good lunch fish-based: seafood, mussels, clams and the delicious sea urchins will delight your palate.
Rolling south, your present destination will be the Greek Kale Polis, today's Gallipoli, with one of the most beautiful historic centers of Salento and its streets full of shops, shops, restaurants, churches and views of the sea that surrounds it.
Overnight in Gallipoli.

Day5

From Gallipoli to Leuca

50km

Before continuing to explore Puglia by bike and leave the pretty Gallipoli, we recommend a morning dip in the small beach of Purità: in the background the island with the lighthouse of Sant'Andrea.
Today you will have kilometers of low and sandy coast washed by a sea that has nothing to envy to the Caribbean beaches: follow your instinct to choose your corner of paradise to enjoy the sun of the Ionian Sea.
At the end of the day you will reach the heel of Italy. From the Sanctuary of the Virgin Mary, you can admire the stairs of the monumental fountain built to honour the end of the Apulian aqueduct, the longest and most complex in Europe.
Overnight in Santa Maria di Leuca.

Day6

From Leuca to Otranto

50km

Cycling along the coast road, which rises and falls following the shape of the jagged coast, it will sometimes seem that you can see the Balkan mountains of Albania in the clouds. The event usually happens if in aid of your ride there will be the dry and fresh Tramontana wind; on the contrary, if the day will be ventilated by the Scirocco, you will have the wind perfectly in favor and also this day will be easy and pleasant.
Choose the descent that will take you to admire and rest in one of the many coves of the coasts. Discover for example the bay of Acquaviva, or if you like snorkeling, try to make you fascinate of the colors of the Grotta Azzurra; then again, a few kilometers from the arrival of Porto Badisco, where the "Grotta dei Cervi", archaeological wonder of Puglia, is located.
After crossing the Canale d’Otranto, you will arrive in the easternmost town of Italy, where you will stay overnight.

Day7

From Otranto to Lecce

55km

It will be hard to leave the enchanting city of Otranto.
Through the narrow streets that lead to the Cathedral, you will discover the history linked to the 800 Martyrs beheaded by the troops of Gedik Ahmet Pascià after having besieged the city for two weeks. It was 1480 but the fact still echoes in the western world; later Charles V wanted to give the Salento district the name of Terra d’Otranto.
Here the low and jagged coast offers restorative baths in authentic natural pools, such as the wonderful Grotta della Poesia near Roca. Then the last stretch along the path in the WWF coastal reserve "Le Cesine" and then definitively abandon the coast and head towards Lecce. A few kilometers from the arrival you will meet the fortified citadel of Acaya, halfway between Lecce and the sea. The Castle is an example of the first experiments in 16th-century military architecture commissioned by Giangiacomo d’Acaya who also redesigned the entire village, to the point that the city changed its name in his honor, from Segine to Acaya.
Leaving Acaya you will travel the last narrow country roads before reaching your final destination.
Overnight in Lecce.

Day8

Lecce

After breakfast end of services.
Do not let your holiday end without spending a few hours in Lecce, the Florence of the South: get lost in its historical centre, which will surprise you with a harmonious Baroque style. The stone which decorates many of the old town churches is called "Lecce Stone": white, weather-resistant and easy to work. Many of the most famous stonecutter artisans between 1600 and 1700 came here to work it and to decore palaces and churches facades today still intact.

 

Tour programme variations
Due to organizational reasons, weather conditions or provisions issued by local authorities, the itinerary may be subject to some changes before and/or during the holiday.
Along the way you may find temporary deviations (for example road works) which cannot be foreseen; in this case each biker can decide autonomously how to deal with these stretches.

What's included

Our offer includes

  • 7 nights with breakfast in double room
  • Welcome briefing and bike fitting
  • Luggage transportation hotel to hotel
  • Travel App (maps, tracks, route notes)
  • Phone assistance 08:00-20:00

Not included

  • Transfer IN and Transfer OUT
  • Meals and drinks
  • Entrance fees and tips
  • Bike rental
  • Hotel tourist taxes
  • Insurance and what's not listed as Included

Departures and prices

Mid Season02/09/2024 => 26/10/2024
Standard760 € /pSuperior1040 € /p
Low Season27/10/2024 => 30/11/2024
Standard700 € /pSuperior920 € /p
Low Season01/03/2025 => 28/03/2025
Standard700 € /pSuperior920 € /p
Mid Season29/03/2025 => 13/06/2025
Standard770 € /pSuperior1040 € /p
High Season 14/06/2025 => 11/07/2025
Standard960 € /pSuperior1200 € /p
Peak Season - ON REQUEST12/07/2025 => 31/08/2025
Mid Season01/09/2025 => 26/10/2025
Standard770 € /pSuperior1040 € /p
Low Season27/10/2025 => 20/11/2025
Standard700 € /pSuperior920 € /p

Supplements per person

6 days Trek bike rental
Standard110 € /pSuperior110 € /p
6 days Gravel bike rental
Standard160 € /pSuperior160 € /p
6 days E-bike rental
Standard240 € /pSuperior240 € /p
6 days helmet rental
Standard15 € /pSuperior15 € /p
Transfer Bari/Brindisi Apt-Alberobello (min 2 pax)
Standard75 € /pSuperior75 € /p
Transfer Lecce-Brindisi Apt (min 2 pax)
Standard48 € /pSuperior48 € /p
Transfer Lecce-Bari Apt (min 2 pax)
Standard110 € /pSuperior110 € /p
Single room | Low Season
Standard220 € /pSuperior350 € /p
Single room | Mid Season
Standard250 € /pSuperior400 € /p
Single room | High Season
Standard280 € /pSuperior450 € /p
Extra night in double room | Low Season
Standard62 € /pSuperior80 € /p
Extra night in double room | Mid Season
Standard69 € /pSuperior90 € /p
Extra night in double room | High Season
Standard79 € /pSuperior100 € /p
Extra night in single room | Low Season
Standard90 € /pSuperior120 € /p
Extra night in single room | Mid Season
Standard95 € /pSuperior140 € /p
Extra night in single room | High Season
Standard110 € /pSuperior160 € /p
Solo traveller
Standard250 € /pSuperior250 € /p

Other Information

Grade

Mostly flat with wavy lines.
This tour is suitable to anyone with a minimum of training to the bicycle. The daily mileage ranges from 40 to 70 kilometers per day, and you can stop at your leisure, or according to our advice, for visits and refreshments.
The bike will be a way to work off the good food and enjoy the many landscapes offered by this land. There will also be strictly cultural moments and the possibility of a refreshing swim in the clear sea of Puglia.

Accomodations & Meals

The Standard tour offers accommodation in simple B&B and selected 3* hotel.
The Superior tour offers accommodation in charming B&B and 4* hotel.
All rooms are ensuite.

  • 1 night in Alberobello
  • 1 night in Ostuni
  • 1 night in Manduria
  • 1 night in Gallipoli
  • 1 night in Leuca
  • 1 night in Otranto 
  • 1 night in Lecce

7 breakfasts included. All other meals are not included.

Support

The morning of the second day, after breakfast, you will have a Welcome briefing with Bike fitting.

We will take care of your luggage while you are cycling.
For the whole duration of the tour, you can contact our assistance numbers.

Travel documents

A few days before departure you will receive by email the Service List with instructions for using the Travel App.

During your Welcome briefing you will receive:

  • updated Service List;
  • luggage Labels;
  • requested rental bikes.
Arrival and Departure

Getting there
Alberobello is easily reachable by train, car and by air.

BY PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION. Buses and trains of the Trenitalia easily connect Alberobello with the railway stations of Bari, Taranto and Lecce.

BY AIR. The closest airports are Bari and Brindisi, both connected with the most important Italian and foreign cities.
From both airports, you should get to Bari train station by shuttle bus service or train, and from here continue with the Trenitalia to Alberobello.

BY CAR. The main highways are the A14 Bologna-Taranto and the A16 Napoli-Canosa. We recommend you to exit the motorway in Bari Nord and continue along the SS16 to Monopoli and continue on the SP113 towards Alberobello. maps.google.com can help you with the directions.

Back to Alberobello
From Lecce you can reach Alberobello with buses and trains Trenitalia, probably with 1 or 2 train changes. NB: Many train rides on public holidays are replaced by bus rides.

If you prefer to travel in total comfort, you can book a private transfer on the days of arrival and departure.

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Contacts

Slow Active Tours

Via Corrado Alvaro, 17a

73100 - Lecce, LE - Italia

VAT no. IT05328000756

Tel: +39 0832 1826868

info@slowactivetours.com