Road trips and hikes are both brilliant ways to explore a landscape, but cycling gives you the opportunity to both soak up stunning off-road views and still cover an enormous amount of ground. And though Europe is already full of some beautiful bike rides, a particularly spectacular new route is opening this week.
The Trans Dinarica route, which we picked as one of the best new things to do in the world this year, journeys a momentous 5,000km and contains around 100 different stages. It was completed at the end of June and will launch tomorrow on Wednesday July 31.
Trans Dinarica is the first and only route to link all seven Western Balkan countries, connecting Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia as well as Slovenia, and it follows national parks, forests, inland villages, quiet roads, existing bike paths and the Adriatic coast.
Sounds pretty incredible, right? Here are some snaps of the route.
But this isn’t just any cycling route. Designed to showcase towns and villages, the development team GoodTrail have emphasised its focus on responsible travel which brings sustainable economic prospects to the communities across the region.
‘This is a route for travellers who like to cycle,’ Alex Crevar, co-developer and travel writer, tells Time Out Croatia, ‘It’s for people who want to discover parts of the Balkans that weren’t on their radar before, a combination of coast, forest and inland villages, broken up into 50km sections with a place to eat and stay at the end of each day’s ride.’
Also being released tomorrow is a navigation pack, which will include all the info you could possibly need about points of interest, services and accommodation along the way. Check out the Trans Dinarica website for all the info on this exciting new trail.
For some more inspo on a trip to the gorgeous Balkans, you can have a look at our roundups of the best things to do in Croatia, Serbia, Albania and Montenegro.
Did you see that Italy’s most romantic hiking trail has officially reopened after over a decade?
Plus: Here’s why the Czech Republic has changed its name to Czechia.
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