Venice – Sunny Island (Grado)

Veneto-Friuli Venezia Giulia

260km ↔️

3 days 📅

34% unpaved 🚵‍♂️

390m D+ ↗️

370m D- ↘️

14m asl ⛰

🗺 Venice (VE)

📅 April – October

Activities

🔎 Overview

A Flow Experience on the wonderful eastern Venice coast. 🚲 🇮🇹

We started our mini bikepackig tour in Venice Lido, an island between Venice Lagoon and the Adriatic Sea. We arrived to the world known “lagoon city” with the train and we then very easily reached Venice Lido -a really mondane town- with a ferry boat.

Moving towards east we reached the Cavallino Island, where the first jewel waited – Lio Piccolo. A narrow trail between the wide basins of the lagoon, with lots of wildlife and just a wonderful atmosphere. A highlight itself was our night stop at “Le Dune” farmstay – where sustainability and local food is the leitmotif. 🏡

After passing the ancient town of Caorle we arrived to the next lagoon. A fisherman took his boat and dropped us on the opposte beach. La Brussa is a wild part of coast and protected area. Cycling on the wide seashore with the calm sea on our right was just wonderful – a real flow experience.

The next beautiful lagoon was then standing between us and Lignagno Sabbiadoro, where we wanted to pass the night. We had to circle around it on cycling routes. Lignano lies on the western shore of the next big lagoon, the “Marano Lagoon”.

First thing in the following morning, we crossed the city from the sea shore to the shore of the Lagoon. Our eyes blinked when we gazed over the lagoon and saw the whole eastern Alps – a sight you get only in autumn. Wow! We circled around the big lagoon, crossed the waters on a 7 km long bridge and finally arrived in the lagoon city of Grado – also known as “the Sunny Island”. ☀️ The tiny town was declared an official touristic site by the Austrian Emperor around 1890; and this heritage can still be felt.

The last day took us along a wonderful cycling path close to the sea; we honestly didn’t expect such beauty here! The cycling path on the dam above the sea gave us such a relaxed feeling. 🌊

We closed our tour on the Isonzo river estuary at a small Hotel/Restaurant on the brink of a sea of reed – a wonderful place in the midst of nature.

From there it was just a matter of a few kms to the train station of Monfalcone.

👀 Our advices

For the astonishing views of the lagoons AND the Alps in the background we suggest you do this tour in spring or autumn.


Make sure you reserve the boat ride from Caorle/Falconera port to la Brussa beach in advance.

The best time to ride along la Brussa beach (well, on the beach) is on low tide.

📸 Points of interest

Venice
—the lagoon city

Venice Lido
—a mondane city-island

Cavallino Island

Lio Piccolo

Caorle

La Brussa
—a wild protected area

Lignano Sabbiadoro

Marano Lagoon

Grado
—a city-island knwon as “the Sunny Island”

Photo Gallery

Developed by: Patrick