So much beauty. That was my first thought after pulling into the sun-soaked harbour on the Croatian island of Hvar, where the sky and sea seemed to be duking it out for the prettiest shade of blue.
My second thought: so many tourists.
Lots of them arrived here just like me, on a cruise ship plying the waters of the Adriatic, ping-ponging between storybook settings on the Dalmatian Coast. But unlike most cruisers, I would spend much of my time on terra firma sightseeing from the saddle of a bicycle, pedalling along quiet roads flanking olive groves, vineyards and ancient stone walls.
I could do this because I was on an active cruise, which might sound like an oxymoron. But that鈥檚 how California-based adventure travel company bills its Venice-to-Croatia ocean cruise bike tour, a trip that鈥檚 like two vacations rolled into one.
Over the course of the weeklong voyage, I got a workout cycling roughly 300 kilometres, mostly in the hilly Croatian countryside. I climbed a total of nearly 15,000 feet, the equivalent of more than eight CN Towers, returning each night to my floating hotel room.
Dressed in a cycling jersey and padded bike shorts, I tucked into hearty lunches at rustic, family-owned restaurants in remote locales. For dinner, I was back on-board the small luxury ship Le Jacques-Cartier, indulging in an elegant multi-course meal under the stars or in the formal dining room.
The bike-cruise combo meant I could cover a lot of ground, both on two wheels and by water, without having to schlep from one hotel to the next, packing and unpacking along the way.
Le Jacques-Cartier belongs to Ponant, a French cruise line that also caters to a North American clientele. The Backroads contingent made up roughly 20 per cent of the ship鈥檚 155 passengers on my sailing in September, which started and ended in Venice, Italy.
Most of the Backroads group consisted of a convivial bunch of friends from the state of Georgia. They brought an infectious energy to the ship鈥檚 refined surroundings, especially during karaoke night. One man鈥檚 intentionally overwrought performance of George Michael鈥檚 鈥淐areless Whisper,鈥 complete with one-arm push-ups, proved just as memorable as the postcard-worthy scenery of Croatia.
All told, 15 couples were on the Backroads trip 鈥 and me, the only solo traveller. But I didn鈥檛 feel alone for long. If I wanted some company while cycling, another Backroads guest was never far away.
Neither was a Backroads guide. We had two of them, Anja Sorsak and Zala Kham, who grew up in nearby Slovenia. The duo cycled and sailed with us, happily sharing their knowledge about this complicated slice of the Balkans, known for most of the 20th century as Yugoslavia. Other Backroads staff 鈥 the 鈥渘ight ninjas,鈥 as Sorsak called them 鈥 travelled by land in support vans, making sure our fleet of custom-fit titanium bikes was ready and waiting at each destination.
On the Croatian island of Korcula, you can bike high into the hills for a stunning view of Korcula Old Town, a medieval walled city.
Lori RacklMost guests opted to ride e-bikes, or electric-assist bikes. These increasingly popular machines come with motors that help propel cyclists as they pedal up hills and mountains, the kind of terrain that accounts for a lot of Croatia鈥檚 rugged good looks.
Electric bikes enabled the oldest couple on the trip, septuagenarians Jordan and Kathleen Luke of Virginia, to finally scratch this itinerary off their bucket list.
鈥淲e鈥檇 wanted to do Croatia for a long time, but we were put off by the hills,鈥 said Kathleen, who鈥檚 been on more than 20 Backroads trips. 鈥淓-bikes extended our riding life by at least 10 years.鈥
I rode a regular bike, often shifting all the way down to granny gear to make it up steeper sections. The prize at the summit usually came in the form of sweeping views of red tile roofs and craggy mountains plunging into the Adriatic. After a particularly tough climb in the bucolic Konavle region at the southern tip of Croatia, the reward was a tasty fig and boisterous applause from a friendly guy running a roadside farm stand.
We took a break from the bike in the tiny country of Montenegro. That day鈥檚 outdoor adventure called for a 10-kilometre hike high in the hills. I counted more pomegranates than people on the trail. The path led us to a rocky perch for goosebump-inducing views of the mountain-ringed Bay of Kotor, which managed to look even more dramatic that evening as our ship did a slow roll out of this fjordlike landscape at sunset.
Cycling upwards of 45 kilometres a day still left time for exploring in port before getting back on the boat. Local guides took our group on walking tours in bustling Split, where we poked around the sprawling remains of Diocletian鈥檚 Palace, and the walled city of Dubrovnik, the Pearl of the Adriatic that featured prominently in 鈥淕ame of Thrones.鈥 Our guide, who was a location scout for the HBO series, showed us the baroque Jesuit Stairs, where a naked Cersei commenced her infamous walk of shame.
These tourist hot spots were worthy visits, but I preferred the tranquility of the countryside, where we often ended up for lunch. At a family-run joint in the Dalmatian hinterland, long tables with bowls of figs, fried dough and bottles of grappa-like rakija greeted us after a 37-kilometre ride. Platters of prosciutto and cheese were followed by more platters, this time stocked with veal, rooster and potatoes cooked for hours under a dome covered in hot coals. On the Istrian peninsula in north Croatia, we passed around toothsome pljukanci, a hand-rolled pasta that鈥檚 a regional specialty.
I never shied away from second helpings, given the calories we were torching on the bike. That same logic served me well at a gelato shop on sunny Hvar, where our group gathered for an afternoon ice cream break. I couldn鈥檛 decide between pistachio and lavender.
鈥淕et both,鈥 Kham said.
I did. And the two flavours paired perfectly. Just like biking and cruising.
Lori Rackl travelled as a guest of Backroads, which did not review or approve this article.
Just the facts
When: In 2023, Backroads will offer three Venice-to-Croatia ocean cruise bike tours. Two trips are for couples, friends and solo travellers: June 7 to 14 and Aug. 29 to Sept. 5. A third departure, Aug. 20 to 27, is aimed at families with children ages 20-plus.
Where: The cruises start and end in Venice, with ports of call in Croatia and Montenegro.
How much: The eight-day trips start from $9,499 (U.S.) per person, based on double occupancy.
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