I would like to cycle down Italy's Adriatic coast, from Venice to Lecce - a journey of about 600 miles, along cycle routes.
If anybody has done this I'd be very grateful to know how it worked - and especially if the routes are suitable for road touring bikes.
Also, what is the best way of getting there and back, with your bike? I'd be confident enough of doing the bike journey in 7-8 days, but wonder how long it would take 'all in'.
TIA,
David
Venice to Lecce - and how to get there (and back)
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thebedfordfox
- Posts: 54
- Joined: 27 Apr 2012, 6:59pm
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Miles_Back
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- Joined: 9 Mar 2013, 1:20pm
Re: Venice to Lecce - and how to get there (and back)
We have just returned from Italy having ridden down from the UK to near Rome. We returned to London by a variety of trains, including the Venice-Paris Thello sleeper, which we boarded at it's Milan stop.
Italian railways are generally pretty good with bikes and they can be carried on their Fleccia Rossa high speed lines provided they are in a bike bags*. These trains have space at the end of the carriage that easily accommodated both our bike bags (wheels removed). However, if you use Trenitalia's slower speed "Regionale" trains (they have an R prefix before the train number), then than the bikes can usually travel whole in a special compartment at the front/rear of the train. However bikes are not permitted on all regionale trains, but a glance at the time table in the station or on line will quickly tell you those that do permit bikes.
Personally I found Deutsche Bahn's website (http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/) easier to use than Trenitalia's website to find the Regionale trains (just untick "Prefer fast connections" and tick "Local transport" on the serach screen). Returning to Venice from Lecce would take about 24 hours using the Regionale trains and involve several chains, but it may be possible to break the journey over several days, perhaps riding some of it. However it will be worth it, I have previously toured in Puglia and it is great and has some of the best food in Italy.... which is really saying something!
* we bought ours at a Decathlon store at the end of the ride near Rome.
Italian railways are generally pretty good with bikes and they can be carried on their Fleccia Rossa high speed lines provided they are in a bike bags*. These trains have space at the end of the carriage that easily accommodated both our bike bags (wheels removed). However, if you use Trenitalia's slower speed "Regionale" trains (they have an R prefix before the train number), then than the bikes can usually travel whole in a special compartment at the front/rear of the train. However bikes are not permitted on all regionale trains, but a glance at the time table in the station or on line will quickly tell you those that do permit bikes.
Personally I found Deutsche Bahn's website (http://www.bahn.com/i/view/GBR/en/) easier to use than Trenitalia's website to find the Regionale trains (just untick "Prefer fast connections" and tick "Local transport" on the serach screen). Returning to Venice from Lecce would take about 24 hours using the Regionale trains and involve several chains, but it may be possible to break the journey over several days, perhaps riding some of it. However it will be worth it, I have previously toured in Puglia and it is great and has some of the best food in Italy.... which is really saying something!
* we bought ours at a Decathlon store at the end of the ride near Rome.
Last edited by Miles_Back on 14 Oct 2014, 11:01am, edited 1 time in total.
Re: Venice to Lecce - and how to get there (and back)
thebedfordfox wrote:I would like to cycle down Italy's Adriatic coast, from Venice to Lecce - a journey of about 600 miles, along cycle routes.
Also, what is the best way of getting there and back, with your bike? I'd be confident enough of doing the bike journey in 7-8 days, but wonder how long it would take 'all in'.
TIA,
David
I have flown into Venice airport (using a disposable cardboard box from a bike shop to transport the bike) and while it is a little tricky for the first mile or so leaving the airport, getting onto to quiet roads heading west and then south should be perfectly feasible. I was heading north to the Dolomites. Venice airport is nowhere near the city so its relatively easy to leave the built up areas which surround most airports.
It might be possible to leave a proper bike box at an airport hotel if you stay overnight before and after. Alternatively, there is a Decathlon not far from the airport where you should be able to get a box for the return trip.