In 2018, I went on my first bike tour ever, not knowing whether I was going to love it or hate it. If you were following along as I pedaled through Portugal, and then Austria, and then the Swiss Alps, mile by mile, then you already know how quickly I fell in love and became surprisingly obsessed with cycle touring.

In 2019, I got to take cycle touring to a whole new level, by boarding a YACHT in Croatia and exploring the islands of Dalmatia by bike!

Watch my Instagram Story from the boat

What a difference it makes to be able to bring your bed WITH you every night. That and the fact that I was with a group of about 30 wonderful people were the biggest differences between this style of bike tour and my previous, self-guided trips.

Here’s what a bike and boat cruise on a yacht in Croatia looks like, and for those of you who have signed up for my group bike & boat island hopping adventure in 2020, here’s a general idea of what we’ll get to experience!

A Typical Day on a Bike & Boat Cruise

Breakfast was buffet style and would start around 8am. During breakfast we would have a briefing presented by our guides about our ride for the day, which would generally start around 9am and last until around noon or 1pm, depending on the island to be explored.

We stuck together throughout our rides, with one guide in front and one guide in back. Sometimes we would stop in a small town for a gelato or coffee in the middle of our ride, and there were always plenty of photo stops, Croatia is too beautiful – we couldn’t put our cameras away!

After our morning rides, we would meet back at the boat. Once everyone was accounted for and bikes were loaded back into the bike garage on the boat, we would set off for our next destination or island, and that’s when we would come together for lunch on board.

During this bike and boat trip, I was on a boat called the Melody. On the Melody, lunches and dinners were plated, generally with a shared appetizer and salad buffet. We were traveling with another boat this week, the Princeza Diana, and I know on that boat they had more buffet style meals than we did, so it’s up to the chef and crew on each boat to determine how meals are served.

After lunch we had free time until landing at our new destination, where in some cases we would have educational walking tours to orient ourselves in the new town, and sometimes we just had more free time until dinner. We filled this time with naps, lounging, paddle boarding, swimming, reading, exploring, or whatever we wanted.

Dinners were mostly on board together, and afterwards we could choose to go out in whatever village we were docked in, or hang out on the boat, or go to bed and get ready to do it all over again the next day!

Boat & Cabins

The Melody

The Melody (my boat for this particular week), has four levels, which includes a top deck full of lounge chairs. The upper deck includes the dining salon, a lounge space, the kitchen, and some cabins. The middle deck is mostly cabins with a bit of lounge space, a bike garage (yeah, a room for storing all the bikes!) and a swim deck, where a paddle board is stored and a ladder makes it easy to swim off the back of the boat. The lower deck consists only of cabins.

We had about 30 guests on the boat, plus a crew of about 7 people, and 2 cycling guides. All of the crew and guides were local Croatians and so much fun to get to know throughout the week.

One of the things I love about the size of the boat is that even though 40 people may sound like a lot, it didn’t feel crowded at all. There was plenty of space for all of us – in our rooms, in lounge spaces, in the dining salon; the only time we were all in the same space was during meals, and that felt like family time. The rest of the time (aside from bike rides), everyone was dispersed, doing their own things.

Cabins

With three deck levels for cabins (upper, middle, and lower) there is plenty of space for people and cabins, which are usually double occupancy. Each cabin has one large or two twin beds and its own ensuite bathroom, fresh linens and towels, and A/C.

My cabin on the Melody was below deck, which made it very private and quieter than other places on the boat. My roommate and I quickly became accustomed to sleeping to the hum of the engine as we set off for a new island each morning around dawn.

Below deck cabins have two small portholes, whereas upper deck cabins have regular windows. We didn’t spend much time in our cabins, so this didn’t bother us at all!

Daily Bike Rides

Our rides varied in length from about 8 miles to up to around 30 miles a day, sometimes hilly, sometimes not so hilly, depending on the island. ALL of the rides were beautiful, and in early October we had sunshine and perfect temps for riding.

Cycling is a fabulous way to see the islands of Dalmatia, because the roads are small, the villages remote, and the landscapes in between often full of orchards or vineyards with plenty to see and smell.

One day we stopped to visit a beekeeper, so we got to learn about bees, purchase some of his honey products, and continue on our way. More than once I stopped to eat fresh figs off the trees, I LOVE fresh figs.

My favorite riding moments from the week were:

• Winding down a loooong serpentine road after an equally long climb with an incredible view, ending up down in a tiny marina village on Vis where we had a coffee in the sunshine.
• Riding along a flat, beautiful and narrow winding path lined with trees on Hvar, right next to crystal clear green waters, until we reached a village with canals that reminded me of a tiny Venice.
• Group camaraderie as we huffed up hills together, always cheering each other on, and reaping the rewards of incredible views together.

Bikes: Hybrid Touring Bikes v E-Bikes

Guests had their choice ahead of the trip to rent either a hybrid touring bike or an e-bike. The hybrid bikes are definitely for gluttons for hill punishment, as the islands in Croatia are NOT flat! I had a hybrid bike, just as I did in the Swiss Alps, and I love the challenge it provides, but I will admit – one especially hilly day I opted to switch for an e-bike and holy goodness! The ride is a completely different experience on an e-bike.

In my opinion, riding an e-bike is less stressful because rather than expending more energy in simply arriving to the next stop, you really get to relax a bit and put that extra energy into absorbing your surroundings.

Both bike options are winners for different reasons, so when you go on a bike tour of your own, be sure to choose the bike that will provide YOU with the experience that YOU are seeking.

Food & Drinks on the Boat

Every boat has its own crew, which includes a chef and kitchen staff. I was completely impressed by the quality of food on our boat, I looked forward to every meal!

Since lunches and dinners on the Melody were plated, we got to choose each main dish ahead of time from a set menu of options, which usually included a meat, a fish, or a vegetarian dish. We also had a salad bar and an appetizer to share.

The breakfast buffet included some version of eggs (each day they were prepared differently), bread, pastries, fruit, yogurt, and granola.

There is a required flat fee for water for each person on board, and with this, we always got big bottles of still and sparkling water to share at meals. There was also a big water jug available to refill bottles.

Tea and coffee were included for breakfast, and all other beverages could be purchased at the bar on board. These drinks were tallied by room number, and we each paid our final tabs at the end of the week.

Group Love

I didn’t know a single person on my boat before I showed up for this tour. But as with any group adventure (in my experience) it is the PEOPLE who make the trip. It takes a certain person to sign up for a physically challenging “vacation” like this in the first place, which automatically puts you in a group of like-minded people.

Learning about all these people and where they come from and what they’re doing on this trip is half the fun, and the memories made with these beautiful humans by your side in such a beautiful corner of this planet are the ones that will last a lifetime.

Check out:

• My 220-mile solo bike ride across Austria
• Cycling through the Swiss Alps, self-guided
• My Castles & Wines Bike Tour in Portugal
• How to Pack for a Bike Trip in Any Weather
• Don’t Let These Fears Stop You From Trying a Bike Tour

I’m leading a group bike & boat trip to Croatia in 2020!