Puglia Cycle Tours Reviews 29

We’re avid cyclists and have travelled with many cycling agencies worldwide—this two-week trip with Puglia Cycle was our best ever.

The routes were outstanding, clearly shaped by deep local knowledge, with about 95% on quiet country roads. Puglia in the spring is absolutely beautiful, and every detail was perfectly planned—from charming coffee stops to points of interest along the way.

A special thank you to Chiara—you were brilliant.

Bravo, we’ll be back.

We did the self-guided Salento tour with Puglia Cycling Tours, and it was fantastic. The routes were phenomenal—beautiful, well-planned, and easy to follow. They use Ride with GPS and provide the tour as a daily “experience,” complete with routes and helpful notes like “beware of sand.” It was very thoughtfully designed. I was able to upload everything directly to my own account, and they also provided a GPS device as backup.

The accommodations each night were excellent—very bike-friendly, each with its own character and history. Everything felt carefully selected.

The team was very responsive, and I always felt supported, like I had an emergency line if needed.

One tip: bring a mirror or Varia radar. Some roads are very quiet, but cars can appear suddenly.

We traveled in March and had quite a bit of rain, but it was still one of the best trips I’ve ever taken.

After the tour, I rented a bike from them as well—they delivered and picked it up, which was incredibly convenient.

I highly recommend Puglia Cycling Tours.

We are seasoned travellers who have completed 10 cycling trips around the world. Having just competed an 11 day cycling tour in Puglia. From start to finish the trip was exceptional. Communication was prompt and easy, addressing any issues we might have had. Accommodation was above what was expected, ranging from sophisticated hotels (Matera and Lecce) to a farm house stay. It allowed you to immerse yourself in the culture and the people as your rode through the countryside. And as you decide the restaurants, so you can make the decisions as to the establishments you go, which is not always available on most tours. We also had two older ladies cycling most of the way with us, and the company had and did give them a lot of assistance before hand and during to calm any concerns or questions they had. In other words they were always available for assistance if needed. I can honestly say that it was a soul lifting experience that we would not have wanted to miss. One drawback, was that the Ride with GPS system was not working with their phones they provided and could only be used on your own. This will hopefully be corrected in the near future.

Puglia Cycle Tours exceeded expectations.
We found all our routes and suggested stops to be thoughtfully curated; excellent and well organized.
Any changes or questions we had were dealt with promptly and effectively.
Puglia is a beautiful part of Italy and Puglia Cycle Tours did its best to show us that.
Thanks Valentina!
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip.

We had a fabulous experience with Puglia Cycle tours. The electric bikes were excellent and took a lot of pain out of the journey as we are not experienced cyclists and it was our first cycling holiday. The route through Puglia was great and we saw lots of the countryside and lovely towns and villages. The overnight stops were in beautiful towns and we learned about them from the guides. The accommodation was in lovely unique hotels. Our favourite was Palazzo Isabella which had a really beautiful courtyard and we had a great dinner there. The guides Philippo and Mirko were brilliant. They were extremely helpful, enthusiastic about Puglia, informative, entertaining and knowledgeable. All you could ask for. We could not recommend Puglia Cycle Tours highly enough.

Of four 8 - 10 day bike tours over the past 4 years we booked through Exodus bike travel, this is one of the very best accommodations we've had - beautiful peaceful setting, spacious rooms, gracious hostess, and delightful breakfast with many home grown choices from their farm. Our highest recommend here!

I'm long overdue in writing this review from our ride last May, but it's never too late. Chiara coordinated our tour. She was exceptional from start to finish. The tour exceeded our expectations. If you enjoy cycling, history, coastal views, charming towns, warm hospitality, amazing food, and being in the heart of Italy this is a trip to take. I've done several cycling tours and Puglia Cycle Tours was number one for helping you put together your experience in Puglia. They are very proud of the region and willing to help you. They enhanced our trip to Puglia.
Grazie mille!
Maureen

We cycled the 5 day Bari- Brindisi self guided trip. We highly recommend. The bikes were perfect and the gps guide easy to follow. We had all the information needed. The route was varied and the hotels at Monopoli and Ostuni central and full of local character. Valentina and Antonia were very helpful during booking and setting off.

we loved everything about the tour and the ride...guides, support, accommodations, route, etc - everything was top notch. coming back next year to do another ride

Our Puglia Cycle tours self-guided trip from Putignano to Brindisi was amazing. Antonio’s briefing was the most welcoming and comprehensive in over 20 cycle tours we have done in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Chiara did a a wonderful job in the preparation stages and it was lovely to meet her by briefly, as we were heading off on our trip.
The selected routes provided lots of variety in the scenery. The accommodation options covered a range of types from small boutique to larger hotels in some cities, and all were great options with very friendly staff. A minor technical issue with one of the bikes was dealt with very promptly. We can definitely recommend Puglia Cycle tours.

The staff were fantastic from Silvia in the booking to Roberto at the orientation the GPS was the best and the hotels provided were excellent

What a brilliant experience from booking through to the end of the ride! We reached out to Puglia Cycle tours to see if they could help us curate a semi-custom self guided ride based on one of their existing packages. We wanted to add a few nights here and there, and we made some accommodation requests. Puglia Cycle Tours were able to accommodate all of our requests and were super helpful with suggestions and recommendations.

The ride itself was unreal. We were met by a team member the day before we set off to deliver our bikes, take us through the GPS navigation system and briefly go over the route and what to expect.

We loved that we could go at our own pace, take detours if we wanted and could determine timings to arrive at destinations at the best times. We found that if we arrived into towns between 1pm and 4pm everything was super quiet and many places were closed as it was their rest time (like siesta). But the ability to spot something that looked interesting and just pull over and spend some time there was brilliant.

The various landscapes were beautiful and all different to each other, and the suggested places to stop from Puglia Cycle Tours were perfect. The route itself avoided all main roads and we felt safe throughout the whole journey.

Would highly recommend to anyone with a sense of adventure who wants to enjoy a more authentic Puglia.

Thanks team!
Sara and Chris (Sydney, Australia)

Great route. Excellent support and advice. Lovely hotels and super restaurant recommendations. Well done

My partner and I did our first ever cycle tour May 5th-12th 2025, cycling around the Salerno coastline. Most of us wete relatively fit 50+ in age, amd five were in our 70s. Ebikes are the game-changer! No need to stress about the relatively steep bits.
We truly felt like we were experiencing southern Italy. Riding through all those villages and stopping for coffee and or lunch along the way in a new place each time. environment. And five. All of the hotels were four or five star , unique and not at all 'corporate'. The restaurant selections were excellent- good value , excellent food, and although typically not english speakingers, our Puglia Cycle hosts insured we knew what we were ordering!
Our guide and driver were good humored. made all aspects of the trip fun. And bringing out a surprise birthday cake at a lunch time picnic one day. They also got me to a pharmacost when I had a health issue.
We cannot recommend Puglia cycle tours highly enough.

There aren’t enough positive words to describe the exceptional quality of the tour organized for us by Puglia Cycling Tours. Seven days of cycling along scenic backroads in Puglia, between Manduria and Matera, were simply unforgettable.

The hotels along the route were outstanding—clearly, no expense was spared in selecting top-quality accommodations. The company’s technical support was superb; they even came out to replace bike saddles that were too stiff for riding on gravel roads.

Everything was meticulously planned and executed with great attention to detail. Truly a first-class experience from start to finish!

Grazie Cristina, Adriano, and Piero! The Heart of Puglia Tour rocked!!
Went on my first bike trip (and my first time riding an e-bike) with my daughter. She did extensive research and chose Puglia Cycle based on our criteria. I chose Puglia. I was nervous as I’m 65 and clumsy. I wanted to make sure we had guides and a van in case I couldn’t hang or my bike failed. The trip could not have been better from beginning where we stayed in a cave in Matera, to the end when we stayed at an unbelievable hotel in the center of Lecce. I was a “nervous Nelly” and they ensured I was comfortable with the bike and checked everyone regularly. The sights and educational stops were perfect. The coffee stops and special coffee and unique pastry recommendations were just plain fun. Group dinners were a joy. The group was diverse and interesting and we bonded. All food recommendations were good and we didn’t have to manage the decision and reservation making after biking. The protection from traffic they provided was invaluable. The ending was sad and that’s a good thing! Nothing better than a vacation that you don’t want to end. We are already planning our next bike trip. Highly encourage this company, Puglia, and this wonderful guide team
!!! Each town we visited was on our list of towns to visit in Puglia. The Olive 🫒 Oil tour was a hoot. Was sorry to see the tour end but more bike trips to follow 🚲

We had such a fantastic trip! We went of the Heart of Puglia trip at the end of Oct. Apparently the weather can be a little rainy or cold this time of year, but it was perfect everyday for us, sunny and warm in the day, light jacket at night.
Logistics were all good. Alessandra helped us book and answered all our questions. This was our first biking trip so we had a lot of them. Payment was easy and I felt that the communication before the trip did everything it needed to.
We had a 16 person group, some couples, some singles, from US, New Zealand, Australia, and UK. A range of ages, and I think we got along well.
A few people in the group used roadbikes and were obviously very strong cyclists, often at the head of the group. I used an ebike and am so happy with my choice. It was a nice, well kept bike. You can set it at 0, so you're still doing a lot of work, or increase the assistance. I couldn't have gotten up some of the hills without it. Luckily we had a van following us. I would strongly recommend making sure your group is large enough to qualify for van support (I think the minimum is 6). Things you get with van support: a ride up any hill you can't get up, extra traffic blocking at intersections, and picnic lunches.

The hotels were all very nice and clean. Our final one in Lecce was really incredible, while some others were just nice. But we were only there to shower and sleep so that really doesn't matter to me. Piero took our luggage from reception and brought it in each day. We're so grateful for that! Not having to carry suitcases around after a day of biking was so nice.

All the food that was recommended was good. I'm happy that only one dinner was included. Between coffee stops (Adriano made excellent recommendations of regional coffee styles!) and lunch, we usually split a meal for dinner.

Ok, the bike trip: Puglia was beautiful. Our guides Cristina and Adriano are local, and it's obvious how much they love the region and want to share it. The biking was a good speed, and they did a great job keeping us all together. I bike in the city at home, so having someone physically blocking intersections so we could feel safe was great. They knew the route and warned us of any obstacles. A good mix of biking and stops for photos and history. The olive oil tasting was a highlight! I really can't say enough good things about their work as bike guides or as hosts.
I would absolutely recommend this trip. Thanks again to Cristina, Adriano, and Piero!

Puglia Cycle Tours - fantastic hospitality, amazing accommodation, so well organised - faultless and really good value.

Another fabulous trip with PCT. 6 magical days around the southern tip of Puglia with a wide variety of landscapes and cycling. It's probably our 5th or 6th trip with PCT and each time we keep coming back. There are just so many thing they do so well as a company; universally helpful lovely staff, great service, super routes, good kit, seamless logistics, lovely hotels etc One thing really stood out this time which is worth adding, and is evidence of their dedication to delivering a great experience. Our flights as diverted due to v bad weather and we landed 4 hours late, and in the middle a large storm. Throughout the rerouting PCT were in touch with me on whatsapp and arranged a driver for our group. Many on our flight, some on fancy tours, were not so fortunate. Grazie mille to Chiara, Antonio, Valentina and all the team who always go the extra metre!

We just completed a spectacular four weeks touring the Salento area of Puglia in September with a custom self-guided tour designed by Puglia Cycle Tours. We requested a special emphasis on history, swimming and diverse accommodations that provided great views and great outdoor patio spaces for relaxation. We also desired a “slow” tour with a 45km average distance per segment with a day in between for exploring the area and we used e-bikes for comfort and our senior status.

This was our second year of touring with Puglia Cycle Tours. Every aspect of the journey exceeded our expectations…and we have done multiple European cycling trips over the last five or six years. The routes mapped out on GPS were innovative and imaginative, winding through the countryside mostly on roads with little car traffic. We experienced small town festivals celebrating the local culture and the museums of the larger cities. The swimming spots were magical and the accommodations were everything we could have wished for. Even though our Italian is almost non-existent the local people we met were always friendly and helpful. Hats off to Puglia Cycle Tours team for designing a journey which will be really hard to surpass. They did everything they said they would do and never missed a luggage transfer or any other commitment. And a special thanks to a very competent and professional Chiara and her team for sharing their extensive knowledge and for their meticulous and detailed planning that made this journey special!

Shirley and Stephen
Vancouver, Canada.