explore istria

Parenzana MTB Day Tour 
(approx. 50 km / 730 m of elevation, MTB Level 2)

Interested in time travel? Our Parenzana MTB day tour takes place on one of the most popular bike trails in Croatia: the old railway track; Parenzana.

The name of this historical track is the route of health and friendship. The railway began operation at the beginning of the 20th century and continued until 1935. The track stretches from Italy (Trieste), through Slovenia, and into Croatia, ending in Poreč. It is 123 km long with 604 curves, 9 tunnels, 11 bridges and 6 viaducts. 

Our tour will take you on the most interesting part of the railway. In the morning, there will be a transfer available from the Bike Center Labinci to the starting point in Buje, a small town in north western Istria. Here we will join the Parenzana and ride all the way to Labinci, which will be the end of our tour. Along the route we will discover many hidden trails, romantic villages and the picturesque old town of Grožnjan, where we will relax over a cup of coffee. The next stop of the day’s bike ride will be the famous, old town of Motovun, the trademark of Istria. This is the best place to begin to taste your holiday by enjoying some of the local specialties of the region.

This tour is offered on request all year round on any day of the week with a minimum number of 3 participants. Duration of the tour is approx. 7 hours.

The meeting point for this tour is the Bike Center Labinci a few kilometres northwest of Poreč. On request, we are happy to organise a free transfer between your accommodation and the Bike Centre (up to 10km distance, min. 3 participants).

From Labinci we transfer you to the starting point in Buje, where we will get on our bikes and join the Parenzana route. Expected time to begin the bike tour is around 10:00 am. 

The Parenzana trail is a nice, wide gravel road. The first 6km will be at an incline until we reach Grožnjan. Here we will take a break to visit the old town and enjoy a coffee.

We will then continue with 4km of undulating road before reaching a pleasant 16km long downhill ride – it is at this part of the old railway that we will encounter tunnels, viaducts and bridges. Along the way we will be able to enjoy beautiful views of the surrounding valley, Mirna River and Motovun forest.

Soon after, we will reach the village of Livade and take a short uphill ride to Motovun. At this section of Parenzana, while the trains were still running, the old locomotives used to take so long to ascend the steep climbs that some passengers would get off the train to stretch their legs a while before returning to their wagons! 

Once we reach Motovun we, too, will be able to stretch our legs, not only by having a stroll through the old town, but also by taking this perfect opportunity to have a lunch break. Motovun is a gastronomic mecca and has a wide range of restaurants. After lunch we will return to the Parenzana route, starting with a downhill ride.  The last 10km we will follow an undulating gravel road to Labinci, where we will round up the tour. 

The total biking distance is approximately 50km with 730 meters of elevation. 

This tour is offered on request all year round on any day of the week with a minimum number of 3 participants. Duration of the tour is approx. 7 hours.