Parenzana Trail Biking Experience from Koper

Our guide, Dan, was very friendly and pleasant. He was very knowledgeable and had good stories but the bike tour didn’t live up to expectations. I don’t think we did any of the things that were advertised. It mentioned going through two of the tunnels and we never did that. It said food and wine tasting but really what it was was a stop in a store where we could each have a half a cookie and a little jam along with a half a shot of some type of spirit. I think we paid like $95 a person and it just wasn’t worth it. We paid the same amount of money for a five hour excursions on ATVs and had a full lunch at a different stop!

My husband and I arrived via cruise ship and the representative was waiting for us after we passed through passport control. Our guide walked us to the office and talked about the town’s history. After making sure that everyone in our group of 10 had pumped up tires and seats adjusted as desired, we were off. A short distance of cycling within the Old Town streets and then we were on the bike path. This path is a converted railway bed and is well marked for walkers & cyclists. Our guide stopped periodically to give us information about the area & to take pictures. As we approached Isola, our guide, Nikola, stopped at a church and bell tower. He called the caretaker and she came to open the place up for us to explore. This was not stated in the itinerary, but was a wonderful surprise addition to the day! Once in Isola, we stopped at a cafe for beer, coffee and good conversation. After our break, the group was given a choice to continue past Isola into the hills, lengthening our trip by another hour, or return to the shop. Once back at the shop, we enjoyed tasting olives, meats, cheese, 4 different flavored olive oils & 5 different wines. We would recommend this tour. Notes: - there is a bathroom at bike shop, at cafe & along bike path - beer & coffee are extra, but are good & reasonably priced - you should bring a water bottle, bikes have bottle holders - guide gave us a map and directions to a couple of areas we wanted to see after the tour - regular bikes & e-bikes available

The bike trip from Koper to Izola was just right. There were options on how far and where the group wanted to go, based on clients' physical level, heat of the day, etc. There was time for a cold beer in Izola, half-way through, and the wine and 'meze' back in Koper were quiet nice. I'll probably take the same tour again some day, this time with family and / or friends. Some e-bikes were available, which was helpful for a hill up to the tunnel.