Split, Dubrovnik & the Dalmatian Coast by Bike - Premium Adventure

We start in Split, a beautiful city where a tumble of red-roof buildings edges the Adriatic Sea. We'll have a welcome dinner at the hotel, during which the Tour Leader will host a welcome briefing – a great chance to ask any questions you may have about this cycling adventure. Stay: Hotel President (four-star) (D).

We start our cycling adventure with a circular route around Split. It'll take us past the Green Market, where traders sell fruit, vegetables and flowers, to Split promenade. Here we learn about Diocletian's Palace, a magnificent fourth-century complex built for Roman emperor Diocletian.

The second part of the tour takes us up Marjan Hill, through pine forest, to the viewpoints known as Telegrin and Vidilica, without doubt the best place to see the old town of Split. The final section takes us through the old neighbourhood of Varos, once the settlement of poor fisherman and farmers, who lived in tiny stone houses separated by narrow streets. We end the cycling back in the busy town centre.

In the afternoon, we take a ferry/catamaran to Hvar island. Stay: Hotel Adriana (four-star) (B).

After breakfast, we transfer to Stari Grad – which literally means the old town in Croatian – where our cycling begins. We'll ride through the Stari Grad Plain, a Unesco-listed landscape where celebrated olive oil is produced, en route to Vrboska, a town known locally as Little Venice for its many small bridges crossing a network of waterways. After cycling along the coast to the neighbouring town of Jelsa, we pause for a wine and olive oil tasting at a local winery. We then start our return, stopping at a family estate for a traditional lunch of organic food and locally produced wine. We then continue cycling back to Stari Grad, where we catch our transfer back to the hotel. Stay: Hotel Adriana (four-star) (B/L).

We catch the morning catamaran to Korčula, another beautiful Croatian island, after breakfast. After settling into our hotel, we take to the saddle for an afternoon ride to the coastal village of Lumbarda. Our route takes us on a combination of asphalt, gravel and gravel roads, passing through fields and villages, which open up to views of Mount Saint Elijah and magical vineyards.

Lumbarda has a tradition of wine production since the Illyrian era in the Bronze and Iron Ages. Our first stop is at a local family winery, where we have a wine and food tasting, which includes a selection of three wines, plus homemade cheese, prosciutto and bread. After, you can refresh at the beach. Our tour ends with a return to Korčula town. Stay: Hotel Moro Inn (four-star) (B).

From Korčula town, we cycle to Žrnovo, one of the oldest settlements on the island and home to a rich tradition in wine and olive oil-making, agriculture and stonemasonry.

After a short break, we continue on a gravel road to Kočje, a protected nature park where we can see a labyrinth of strangely shaped dolomite rocks dressed in moss, overgrown with ivy, and surrounded by holm oak and fern. On the way back, we return to Žrnovo, we visit an old stone house to sample local olive oil and other organic products from the area. We then return to Korčula by different route to take in more of this beautiful Adriatic island. Stay: Hotel Moro Inn (four-star) (B/L).

We start with transfer to Dubrovnik, visiting Ston, small fisherman town, en route. Historically, Ston was an important salt producing town, strategically positioned on the Adriatic shore along important trade routes. Now it's a popular destination for foodies thanks to the local mussel and oyster population. Our lunch in Ston is the culinary highlight of the tour for many: a unique gastronomic experience in which we take to a sailing boat and explore the natural beauty of bay while learning about the process of cultivating oysters.

After arriving in Dubrovnik and settling into our hotel, we'll ride to city centre and then continue to the coast of Lapad, passing the enchanting gothic renaissance Sorkočević Castle, built in 1521 as an aristocrat's summer residence. Our tour continues along the coast, all around the Lapad peninsula its long stretches of pebbled beaches, of which the most famous is named Copacabana.

We climb to Petka, the only fully green hill in Dubrovnik, before visiting Gorica, a hill topped by the baroque Church of Saint Blaise. From there, we'll proceed to Boninovo, a neighbourhood where sea views stretch uninterrupted to Italy. Here we'll have a photo stop and then ride back. Stay: Hotel Adria (four-star) (B/L).

Enjoy your final breakfast of the trip this morning; an excellent chance to reminisce about the many adventures you've just enjoyed. If you've still got a little appetite for adventure, speak to your sales representative about extending your stay in Dubrovnik. Or if you're ready to put up your feet, now's the time to start your journey home (B).