“Enjoy a wonderful ride around Italy!”
8 Day The World Heritage Sites of Puglia and Basilicata Cycling Tour in Italy
Bari, Bari Metropolitan City, Apulia, Italy
Exciting Bike Tour in Italy
This bike tour takes you through a rich cultural and historical journey, visiting some of the most captivating towns and landmarks in the area.
Key information
- Trip type: Self-guided
- Lodging: Point to Point
- Starts in: Bari
- Ends in: Bari
- Total Distance: 190 - 204 Miles / 305 - 307 Kilometers
- Type of bike: Touring or gravel bike (included), or e-bike or road bike (excluded)
- E-bike: 150 EUR per bike
Highlights
- 6 riding days
- Cycle through scenic landscapes
- Discover the trulli houses of Alberobello
- Sightseeing in picturesque towns and villages
- 7 nights accommodation
- Breakfasts
- Bike rental and luggage transfers
- Access to a mobile navigation app system with preloaded tracks
7 days with instruction
Accommodation
For this cycling tour, you will be provided with seven nights accommodation.
- Night 1: Bari
- Night 2: Trani
- Night 3: Minervino Murge
- Night 4: Gravina in Puglia
- Night 5: Matera
- Night 6: Alberobello
- Night 7: Bari
Program
The tour likely starts in Bari, the capital of Puglia. This coastal city boasts a charming old town, known as Bari Vecchia, with narrow winding streets and historic buildings. Continuing along the coast, you may visit Trani, a picturesque port town renowned for its Romanesque cathedral overlooking the sea. Castel del Monte is a UNESCO World Heritage site, Castel del Monte is a unique and mysterious medieval fortress known for its octagonal shape and stunning hilltop location. The tour continues to Gravina, this ancient town is carved into the limestone cliffs, creating a fascinating and dramatic landscape.
Explore its underground caves and rock churches. Crossing into Basilicata, you'll reach Matera, another UNESCO World Heritage site famous for its "Sassi" - ancient cave dwellings that have been inhabited for thousands of years. This town is iconic for its trulli, traditional Apulian dry stone huts with conical roofs. The entire village of Alberobello is a UNESCO site. The tour ends in Polignano a Mare, this charming coastal town perched on limestone cliffs offers breathtaking views of the Adriatic Sea and features a delightful historic center.
Daily itinerary
Day 1: Arrival in Bari
You can visit the city and cultural crossroads since ancient times. Bari is an ideal starting point, a city where two souls meet: the old town, surrounded by an imposing wall and crossed with narrow streets that lead to the discovery of its rich heritage; and the modern city, built at the beginning of the 19th century and has endured several changes over time. Do not forget to visit the Basilica of San Nicola, a wonderful example of Apulian Romanesque. Overnight stay in Bari.
Day 2: Bari - Trani
%Bike and road map delivery, route description. Today, you will discover the beauty of the Apulian Romanesque cathedrals cycling toward the towns of Bitonto, Terlizzi, Ruvo di Puglia, and Trani, your final destination. Trani's cathedral, regarded by some as the “Queen of cathedrals in Puglia”, exhibits a finely decorated portal with a marvelous bronze door work of Barisano da Trani, comprising 32 panels each portraying a biblical character. Overnight stay in Trani.
- Distance: 67 kilometers / 42 miles
- Elevation: 430 meters / 1411 feet
Day 3: Trani - Castel del Monte
Today, you will cycle across the Apulian inland. Your first stop is Andria, where you can enjoy the famous Burrata (mozzarella that is formed into a pouch and then filled with soft, stringy curd and cream). Then you will continue for about 10 kilometers / 7 miles reaching the Alta Murgia National Park. Among hills, pastures, olive trees, and vineyards, on a hill of the Murge Plateau, you will finally get to the most important example of Swabian architecture: Castel del Monte (UNESCO World Heritage Site). Overnight stay in Minervino Murge or Area.
- Distance: 38 - 50 kilometers / 24 - 31 miles
- Elevation: 550 - 750 meters / 1805 - 2461 feet
Day 4: Castel del Monte - Gravina in Puglia
Today, you are still in the Murgia Plateau: Expanses of grassy terrain are broken up by the whiteness of the rocks, while a dense woodland changes color according to the seasons, and a network of canals through which creeks once ran are today marked by expansive, cultivated fields. Your destination for the day is Gravina in Puglia, a land of natural galleries, caves, and ravines carved out by an underground river and used as human dwellings in centuries past. Overnight stay in Gravina in Puglia.
- Distance: 45 - 55 kilometers / 28 - 35 miles
- Elevation: 320 - 540 meters / 1050 - 1772 feet
Day 5: Gravina in Puglia - Matera
Leaving Gravina, you will ride up to Altamura. The town can be spotted on a spur overlooking the plateau, with the Cathedral towers standing out against the sky. Do not miss the chance to taste the famous Altamura bread and Focaccia. At the end of the stage, your tour will lead you to another famous UNESCO World Heritage site: Matera. Famous for its Sassi and stunning landscapes, Matera, located on the border of Basilicata and Puglia, is not only breathtaking but fascinating. Overnight stay in Matera.
- Distance: 43 kilometers / 27 miles
- Elevation: 535 meters / 1756 feet
Day 6: Matera - Alberobello
Heading out of Basilicata, you will enter Apulia again. Crossing Gioia del Colle, home of the mozzarella, and Noci, you will reach ALBEROBELLO, universally known as the capital of the Trulli, distinctive, small, dry-stone buildings with a conical roof. There are about 1500 trulli scattered in Monti and Aia Piccola districts, both listed as World Heritage by UNESCO in 1996. If you want you can spend the night in a Trullo. Overnight stay in Alberobello.
- Distance: 78 kilometers / 49 miles
- Elevation: 650 meters / 2133 feet
Day 7: Alberobello - Polignano a Mare
Today, you will discover on your bike the stunning beauty of the Apulian countryside and not only that. You will ride towards Castellana Grotte, known for its intriguing underground caves. Amazing stalactites and stalagmites give shape to a fascinating and mysterious scenery, provided with an evocative play between light and shade. Then you will start the downhill run towards the sea until you will reach Polignano a Mare, a shining gem on the coast of the Valle d’Itria, perched atop a 20-meter-high limestone cliff above the crystal clear waters of the Adriatic. At this point, you can choose whether to reach Bari by train (ticket price is not included; your bike travels for free on regional rails), or by bike: Alberobello - Polignano a Mare - Bari 82 kilometers / 21 miles and +500 meters / 1641 feet. Overnight stay in Bari.
- Distance: 34 kilometers / 22 miles
- Elevation: 160 meters / 525 feet
Day 8: Departure day
End of services and goodbye Puglia.
Bikes
1. Trekking bikes
Specifications:
- Frame: Aluminium
- Fork: Suspension fork
- Brakes: Disc brakes
- Speed: 3 x 7-10 speed
- Wheels: 28 inches
- Pedals: flat (SPD, SPD-SL, LOOK on request)
- Accessories: rear rack
2. E-bikes
Specifications:
- Frame: Aluminium
- Fork: Suspension fork
- Brakes: Disc brakes
- Speed: 1 x 8-11 speed
- Battery: 418-500 W
- Wheels: 27.5, 28, or 29 inches
- Pedals: flat (SPD, SPD-SL, LOOK on request)
- Accessories: rear rack, battery charger
3. Road bikes
- Available size: S, S/M, M/L
- Frame: Ride lite
- Fork: Road carbon comp
- Front derailleur: Shimano Claris D
- Rear derailleur: Shimano Sora GS
- Shifters: Shimano Claris
- Brake lever: Attached
- Brakes: Road dual pivot
- Chainwheel: FSA Tempo 50-34
- BBset: Cartridge bearing
- Chain: KMC 8s
- Hubs: OV alloy or OV cassette
- Rim: Merida comp 20 pair
- Freewheel: Sunrise CS-8S 11-32
- Tires: Kenda K1018 700 25
- Handlebar stem: Merida Comp OS-6
- Handlebar: Merida Anatomic Road OS
- Headset: Big conoid semi-neck pro
- Seat post: Merida Road Comp SB12 27.2
- Saddle: Merida Race 5
- Pedal: Lock, SPD, SPD- LS
4. Gravel bikes
Specifications:
- Frame: Aluminium
- Fork: Carbon fork
- Brakes: Disc brakes
- Speed: 1x11 or 2x9 speed
- Wheels: 28 inches
- Pedals: no (flat, SPD, SPD-SL, LOOK on request)
- Accessories: rear rack
Location
This cycling tour will start and end in Bari, Italy.
Food
You will be served daily breakfast included in the price.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
What's included
- Cycling program
- 7 nights accommodation
- Daily breakfast
- Touring or gravel bike rental
- Bike equipment (helmet, lock, pannier, and water bottle)
- Repair kit (spare tube, pump, and tire lever)
- Luggage transfers
- Access to Apulia Bike Tours' mobile navigation app system with preloaded tracks, including the roadbook and the practical and tourist information
- Luggage or health insurance
- Telephone assistance
What's not included
- Airfare
- Lunches
- Dinners
- Transfers from and to the airport
- Minivan assistance
- Tourist taxes
- E-bike rental (150 EUR per bike)
- Road bike rental (70 EUR per bike)
- Everything not mentioned in "What is included"
How to get there
Recommended Airports
BRI
Bari Karol Wojtyła Airport
9 km
Transfer not provided
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 30% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through Tripaneer.com. All major credit cards supported.
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