Island Hopping by Bicycle in Northern Dalmatia

 1 week ex Zadar – departures on Saturdays

1st day: between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm, boarding in the port of Zadar; shortly afterwards we will take our bikes and discover the Riviera of Zadar. From Zadar we will continue through Kozino, the fishing and holiday resort, Petrcane and Zaton, to Nin. Nin, located on a small island and connected by two bridges to the mainland, was once the seat of Croatian Bishops and at times even the royal city. Particularly noteworthy is the church of Sv. Kriz (the Holy Cross) from the 11th century, also known as “the smallest cathedral in the world”. Today’s tour will end in the harbour of the holiday resort Zaton. After arriving in Zaton, we will load the bikes on board and sail to Mandre on the island of Pag. Dinner and overnight stay in Mandre (approx. 19.0 km by bike).

 2nd day: The island of Pag is embellished by its opposites – partly a meagre lunar landscape, partly covered with lush green mountain fields, which feed countless flocks of sheep, “producing” the famous Pag cheese. We ride to Pag, the capital of the island’s southern half, where we will have lunch in a restaurant or a tavern. We then continue to Povljana, where our ship will be expecting us. Dinner and overnight stay in Povljana (approx. 33.5 km).

 3rd day: After breakfast, we head to the island of Molat, which belongs to the “urban area” of Zadar. After landing in the fishing village of Molat, we ride bicycles to the village of Zapuntel and return by the same route back to our ship. Along the way we will stop for lunch at a restaurant on the island. In the afternoon, there will be plenty of time to take a swim; dinner and overnight stay in Molat (approx. 21.4 km).

 4th day: After breakfast, we weigh anchor and head towards Bozava on the island of Dugi Otok. The island is called “Long Island” for a good reason – it is about 44 km long and in some parts only a few hundred metres wide. We unload the bikes and ride to the lighthouse of Veli Rat, which marks the northwestern end of the island. From the lighthouse we continue past the beautiful bay of Saharun, across Dragove to Brbinj. We will spend the evening and the night at Brbinj, where we can have dinner in one of the restaurants (approx. 33.0 km).

 5th day: On Tuesday we discovered the northern part of the island, so now we will be heading south. Past Zman and Zaglav, we go to Sali, the capital and administrative centre of the island. On the way we will be able to enjoy unforgettable views of pristine beaches, the offshore islands and the mainland – when the skies are clear, we might even be able to see Italy on the horizon. In Sali we will load our bikes on deck and while having lunch, we will head towards the National Park of the Kornati Islands. Here we can fully enjoy the peace and quiet of the 125 mostly uninhabited islands and islets of the National Park, where we will stop for a swimming break. After four to five hours, we will reach the popular tourist resort Vodice. You can have dinner in one of the taverns; overnight stay on board (approx. 27.5 km).

 6th day: Today we’ll discover the coast and its numerous offshore islets – from Vodice, we will ride through Tribunj to Tisno, where a bridge will lead us to the island of Murter. There we’ll enjoy a tour around the island – past Jezera, Murter, Betina and Plitkavala we will return to Tisno. The small village of Betina is considered the centre of traditional shipbuilding, where still today boats are handcrafted in small private shipyards. Along the way we will have lunch in one of the island resorts. We again set sail and after a swimming break we will head towards Tkon, south of the island of Pasman, where we will spend the night (approx. 30.0 km).

 7th day: Today we will “conquer” two islands in their full length, from North to South – Pasman and Ugljan. From Tkon we will ride over Pasman, Nevidjane, Dobropoljana and Zdrelac to the bridge that connects the two islands. At lunchtime, we stop in Preko, where we will have lunch in a restaurant. We then continue across Poljana, Sutomiscica and Lukoran to Ugljan, and finally back to Preko, where our ship is expecting us. After loading the bikes we head in direction Zadar. Dinner on board and overnight stay in Zadar (approx. 46 km).

 8th day: After breakfast, disembarkation until 9:00 am.