Cycling UK Forum

I've done this twice:

Fly to Venice Treviso (or Marco Polo). From Treviso airport it's only half an hour mostly on cycle path/lane to Treviso railway station. You can get a direct train to Trieste via Gorizia for €13.45 plus €3.50 for your 24-hour bike ticket. These can be bought from one of the "Biglietto Veloce" machines. You have do them separately I think, and put in all your train info both times (cos if your ticket costs less than €3.50, then you only pay that amount for a single journey for your bike too). Your bike ticket is a SUPPLEMENTO.

Try to avoid the route via Mestre. It's €3 cheaper but a drag changing.

Trieste station is a breeze cos it's a terminus, so plenty of time to unload.

Both times I've left my bike bag at lovely Trieste YH. In a great situation 6.75km (last 3km you could sneak up the prom) 25 mins from the station, right on the quiet seafront. (But a nuisance having to carry bike up steps to patio.)

Heading for Slovenia/Croatia: not the easiest ride round the hilly coast (making sure you don't end up on the autostrada) but when you turn off for coastal Muggia (last town in Italy), it'll all be worth it! You're soon in Slovenia and can pick up the surfaced Friendship Route cycle path in Koper to the border with Croatia. The Friendship Route continues to Porec in Croatia, but is all unsurfaced and sometimes clay. I only did the bit from the border to Savudrija.

Helen, would you not recommend Ryanair as they fly into Trieste? By car its only about one hour or so to Slovenia. I have seen cyclists on our flight and as we were only on a long weekend, we were surprised they were also on our return flight. I am assuming these cyclists knew what they were doing using Ryanair.

Didn't even know Ryanair flew to Trieste! The airport's 20 miles west of Trieste. I see it goes from Birmingham and Stansted and I prefer Manchester and Liverpool.

Wouldn't hesitate to use Ryanair.

That's a useful tip about the Friendship cycle route - we're aiming for Slovenia/Croatia (albeit from Santander on an extended three month european tour so no flying to worry about) so will have to look into that.

Have just updated CTC's two information sheets on Croatia, following receipt of information (bit of clever marketing actually) from a cycling specific tour operator out there. There's nothing awsome in the way of information in them but they would make a useful introductory read. All weblinks work too! Mark

There is also an excellent inclined tramway, from the centre of Trieste to Villa Opicina, which saves a steep ride out of the city up towards the Slovenian border - the tram has a pair of prongs on the front, from which you hang your bike by the cross bar - quite an adventure in itsef!

http://www.tramdeopcina.it/tram/pages/tt2engl.htm

The terminus in Trieste is at Piazza Oberdan, not listed on Google maps apparently but on this street: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Via+Giosu%C3%A8+Carducci,+Trieste+Italia&sll=45.654226,13.775992&sspn=0.001699,0.004823&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Via+Giosu%C3%A8+Carducci,+Trieste,+Friuli-Venezia+Giulia,+Italy&ll=45.652043,13.77707&spn=0.00723,0.01929&z=16&iwloc=A