Individual arrival. Start your cycling holiday in Bled, a world-renowned alpine town on the banks of the beautiful glacial lake, with the striking island church surrounded by high peaks, and the cliff-top castle guarding the town. Bled is one of the most popular and well-known tourist attractions in Slovenia. If you arrive early enough, you can walk around the lake or take the boat to the island church and make a wish. A stay in Bled is not complete without seeing the lake from above. So walk to the castle or hike 40 minutes to Mala Osojnica for beautiful views. Round off your evening with Bled’s culinary delight – the cream cake.

You will be taken by car to Pokljuka, a forested plateau. Then you cycle through beautiful alpine villages, through the Triglav National Park to Lake Bohinj surrounded by the mighty Julian Alps. It is the largest and deepest lake in the national park. If you arrive early enough, you can take a 20-minute hike to the Savica waterfall that fills the lake and Sava Bohinjka river.

Today you can cycle over the Sorica Pass over the Julian Alps or take the train through the Bohinj Tunnel to Podbrdo. Then continue cycling through a narrow valley where you will join the beautiful emerald green Soča River as it tumbles out of the mountains towards the west side of the Julian Alps. Hurry up and visit the Tolmin Gorge with its breathtaking scenery, like the Bear’s Head – a natural bridge made of a huge boulder wedged into a narrow part of the gorge.

You start with a transfer to the ridge of Kolovrat – the best vantage point, high above the Soča valley that forms the border between Slovenia and Italy. The ridge is about 7 km long and lies at an altitude of between 800 m and 1150 m. Be sure to visit Mrs Josephine, who runs an old-fashioned pub in the first village you cycle through. After descending, you will reach your destination for the day – Šmartno v Goriških Brdih, a recently beautifully renovated medieval village with narrow streets and Mediterranean houses. Relax here with a glass of white wine in an authentic village pub.

After leaving the Brda wine region, you will reach the so-called »Southern City of Berlin«. The city of Gorizia was once the dividing point between Italy and Yugoslavia. Here you can visit a very interesting museum. Further along the border you come to the smallest military museum in the world (an old Yugoslavian outpost) and the ancient Kostanjevica Monastery, where the last French king was buried. Then it goes south, to Italy, where you soon reach the sea. Spend the afternoon in the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, passing rivers, canals and ancient Roman cities. Your destination is Aquileia, with its Roman ruins, or Grado, a historic resort on a lagoon island.

This morning you cycle back a bit, inland and leave the sea behind. You will traverse a multitude of ‘Valli da pesca’ (long stretches of lagoons enclosed by dams and home to extensive fish farming) and ‘casoni’ (constructions once used by fishermen during the fishing season). Your destination is the city of Portogruaro, which was one of the centers during the Venetian Republic period and still impresses with its magnificent palazzi or palaces.

From Portogruaro you can expect a comfortable drive west along beautiful Adriatic beaches. There are plenty of relaxation and swimming opportunities, so don’t forget to take your swimming gear with you. You will stay in one of the two towns along this famous coastline, subject to availability. Jesolo is a gateway to Venice, from here you can easily travel to the airport or to the old town on the lagoon.

After breakfast the cycling from Lake Bled to Venice tour ends. But you can stay longer or visit the historic city of Venice.