Do you love exploring new places by bicycle as a family?
So do we! I try to find a bike tour, bicycle guide, or bicycle rental wherever we end up, and recently our destination was Puglia.
I’ve cycled in Puglia on my own and with clients, but I wanted to have a safe, fun, and stress-free experience, so I started looking for a cycling guide or cycling tour.
I found a cycling guide through a friend who lives in the area, and after a few WhatsApp messages, we’d set up a half day trip in the Valle d’Itria.
If you’re interested in cycling with your kids in Puglia but don’t know where to start with the organizing, I’ve got you!
Let’s take a look at:
- If a cycling trip in Puglia is a good idea for your family
- The cycling guide and company we used for our cycling tour in Puglia
- What we did and saw on our half day cycling trip
- What to pack/bring with you
- Other options for cycling in Puglia with your family
- Other ways to get physically active in Puglia with kids
Andiamo – Let’s go!
You may also want to read my guide to Puglia with Kids
Should You Cycle with Your Family in Puglia?
While I’m passionate about cycling, I do get nervous about taking my kids on some of Italy’s roads. Most Italian drivers are respectful of cyclists, but roads here tend to be narrow and there’s usually not a wide shoulder. Bike paths are not common, but they’re definitely becoming more popular, both in cities and in the countryside.
My favorite place to cycle with my kids is on Dolomites bike paths (way up in the north of Italy), but with a guide, Puglia felt like a safe, fun, and interesting alternative.
You can find quiet roads in Puglia (often side roads between olive groves), but they can be narrow and there’s no shoulder because there are stone walls on either side (usually about waist high).
For the most stress-free option, I recommend hiring a cycling guide or at least having someone at the bike rental shop help you design your route.
The other thing to keep in mind is that Puglia is very hot in the summer! If you only have time to ride midday, I’d give it a pass. Try to cycle in the morning – you can follow the ride up with gelato and/or a swim.
I appreciated the stops we made on our cycling trip (more on the stops below), and I think they were important for my kids. Otherwise, a multi-hour ride through olive groves could get boring or tiring.
Who We Cycled with in Puglia
We cycled with Mimmo at The Bikes in Fasano (Valle d’Itria).
Mimmo is an experienced cyclist, lovely host, and local expert. I felt so comfortable with his focus on safety and he kept my boys engaged in the ride and the cultural and historical stops. He loves cycling, is always out exploring new roads in Puglia, and he can design trips all over the region. I highly recommend Mimmo as a guide for families who want to cycle in Puglia.
The shop is on Via Roma, 85 in Fasano. It’s easy to reach and you can find paid street parking (use the EasyPark app).
The Bikes has a huge selection of well-maintained bicycles for kids and adults. You can choose from mountain bikes, city bikes, road bikes, hybrid bikes, and gravel bikes. He has child seats that go on the back of the bike.
With Mimmo, we cycled ‘off-the-beaten-path,’ exploring Puglia as a family. We never met up with other groups, and at each stop our experience was just for our family.
You may want to read
Parking in Italy for Visitors
My Favorite Italy Travel Apps
Our Experience Cycling in Puglia as a Family
- Distance: 16 kilometers
- Time: 3 hours and 25 minutes total trip time (we had two stops)
- Bicycles: I rode a hybrid bicycle with a child seat on the back (for my 4-year-old). My 7-year-old and 11-year-old rode on mountain bikes.
- Stops: mozzarella demo & lunch, olive oil mill
- Terrain: wide, paved, traffic-free roads; marked bicycle lanes; dirt trails through olive groves; small, paved roads between olive groves; strade bianche (gravel roads). There were a few potholes and rough sections, but nothing we couldn’t navigate easily. My boys loved the variety of terrain as it kept things interesting for them.
- Traffic: almost non-existent; we were even able to have a few races on the wide, paved roads
After writing back and forth on WhatsApp about our family’s riding experience and preferences, Mimmo designed a half-day cycling trip for us in the Valle d’Itria.
I pre-paid for the trip by credit card.
We arrived at our meeting time (9:00) and Mimmo had our bikes set up in front of the shop. He helped adjust the bikes for my boys and fit our helmets securely.
After a quick lathering of sunscreen, we were off!
We rode a loop from The Bike shop in Fasano.
Mimmo led us out of town (this section to/from the bike shop was the only part of the ride that had traffic) for a couple of blocks before we made our way onto a quiet cycling path.
The combo of cycling in the countryside and stopping at the farm and the olive oil mill was perfect for our family.
Stop #1: Farm – We said ciao to some of the animals on the farm (chickens, cows and a baby calf, donkeys) and then suited up in our sanitary clothing and entered the cheese-making facility. Oscar gave us an amazing mozzarella-making demonstration and showed us how to form some of the shapes (knot, ball, etc) and how to make stracciatella and burrata. He was so good with the kids and really helped them understand the process. Then – the best part – we ate loads of cheese and other treats like cured meats, friselle, taralli, and jams.
Stop #2: Olive oil mill – We rode a bit more, winding our way through olive groves, before stopping at an old, underground olive oil mill. My boys were fascinated – they said it felt like an Indiana Jones adventure!
As we meandered our way back toward Fasano, he continued peppering the conversations with fun facts and interesting stories that only a local would know.
When we were just a few hundred meters from the finish at the shop, my 7-year-old got tired. Mimmo was very encouraging, and we made it back to the shop with smiles.
Good To Know: We started/finished our cycling tour from Mimmo’s bike shop. He can also bring bicycles to you, so you could start from your hotel/masseria/apartment/trullo.
Good To Know: If you’re cycling with Mimmo from his bike shop in Fasano and are looking for something to do before or after your bike trip, you could visit:
Would I Cycle in Puglia Again with Kids?
Yes! In fact, one of my regrets for the trip was that we weren’t able to add another ride later in our itinerary.
We’ll definitely be back to ride with Mimmo, next time with my parents. This is a great activity to do with grandparents – there aren’t any strenuous hills, the cultural and historic stops are interesting for all ages, and you’re in good hands with Mimmo.
Helpful Tip: If you’d like to book a cycling tour with Mimmo, contact him as soon as you know your dates. He’s popular with travelers and gets many repeat clients.
What to Pack for Cycling in Puglia with Kids
If you’re joining a cycling tour or renting bikes, confirm that you can rent or use helmets (for adults and children).
I recommend packing:
- Sunscreen
- Sunglasses
- Water (if your company doesn’t provide it; Mimmo provided plenty of cold water for our group)
- Hydration drink (like Gatorade, if your family drinks it)
- Comfortable cycling clothing – quick dry material; sporty shorts without weird seams
- Sneakers with decent grip – so they ‘stick’ to the pedals
- Camera – or smartphone
- External charger – you may need it if you’re taking a lot of photos or
- Change of clothing – optional, but you may want to change post-ride if you’re really sweaty
- Smartwatch or fitness tracker or fitness app – if you track your ride and see a map of where you rode
- Snacks – it’s always nice to have a couple of snacks handy, but on our trip, we were so full of cheese and other goodies that we didn’t need them
Other Cycling Options in Puglia
Velorent – Rents bicycles in Bari and Lecce. We looked into renting bicycles from them in Lecce, but they didn’t have the bikes we needed. We did use the company for a rickshaw tour of Lecce and it was fantastic.
Southern Visions Travel – Runs high-end, customized bicycle tours (day or longer) that can include cultural and culinary experiences.
Other Ways to Be Active with Your Family in Puglia
If you can’t swing a cycling trip on this visit to Puglia, there are plenty of other ways to keep your kids active. Some of our family’s favorites here are:
- Swimming (beaches or swimming pools)
- Playgrounds (best in the evening in the summer when it’s cooler and they fill up with local kids)
- Adventure playgrounds
- Soccer with local kids
