Published on: 13 May 2014  | Last updated: 6 January 2020

This section of the route takes you along the coast from the border with Slovenia through Trieste to the UNESCO World Heritage site at Aquileia, it then follows the Adriatic coast towards Venezia, where there’s a memorable section island-hopping along the eastern side of the lagoon. From Chioggia on the southern tip of the laguna di Venezia the route heads south through the Po delta to the mouth of the Po.

The total distance for this section is approx­im­ately 320 kilometres, mainly on quiet roads although there are some sections of cycleway.

There’s a more detailed description of this section of the route in the series Islands and Lagoons of the Adriatic Coast.

Map

Distances
Trieste - Aquileia	78kms
Aquileia - Caorle	110kms
Caorle - Lido di Venezia	53kms
Lido di Venezia - Chioggia	25kms
Chioggia - Porto Tolle	56kms

Crossing the border

The Open Street Map maps show the eurovelo 8 crossing into Slovenia at Rabuiese (Škofijski Potok) near Muggia (Milje). I’ve not seen a detailed map of the eurovelo 8 as it goes into and out of Trieste (Trst) but the maps I’ve seen show the route heading north-east out of Trieste and then following an inland route before rejoining the coast at Duino. The most logical candidates for the route are the Ciclabile Giordano Cottur (also known as the Val Rosandra cycleway) and the regional FVG2 Pedemontana route - both of these are shown in the OSM maps.

If you don’t want to visit the centre of Trieste, then, looking at the possible options I think the quietest option is probably to pick up the ciclabile at the junction with the Via Costalunga. Zoom in on the map to see my suggested route in more detail.

If you want to visit the centre of Trieste (and I would) then I think you really have two basic options. The first, if you are an exper­i­enced cyclist is to follow main road as it goes into town. (Note: the main Nuovo Sopraelevato flyover is off-limits to bikes). If you are nervous about busy roads then I’d consider taking the traghetto (ferry-boat) over the Golfo di Trieste.

If you don’t want to go into the centre of Trieste then you might want to consider impro­vising a route using minor roads and rejoining the eurovelo 8 at (say) San Antonio in Bosco.

The official route climbs out of Trieste and follow quiet roads parallel with the coast. You may be tempted to take the coast road that passes the Castello Miramare one of the region’s landmarks. You could also take the Strada del Friuli as it climbs out of Trieste (with some great views over the golfo) before joining the Strada Provinciale 1 (SP1). I rode both of these roads on a Sunday when they were pretty quiet - but I don’t know how busy they get during the week.

On to Grado and Aquileia

The route continues, following quiet roads via Monfalcone to Grado. Grado was once a rival to Venezia today it’s an attractive seaside resort with a lovely centro storico and harbour area that’s still busy with small fishing vessels. 

From Grado there’s a section of the Ciclovia Alpe-Adria Radweg that follows the old railway line to Aquileia (if you want to you can make a side-trip to the star-shaped city of Palmanova). 

After Aquileia the geography means you need to swing inland a couple of times before reaching Caorle and then the town of Jesolo on the laguna di Venezia. Jesolo has now been overshadowed by the tower blocks of the Lido di Jesolo resort. Fortunately you can avoid the most over-developed parts of the coast and the route continues through peaceful market gardens. 

Island-hopping along the edge of the laguna di Venezia

The route along the eastern edge of the lagoon is a memorable exper­ience. There’s more practical inform­ation on ferries etc in the Practicalities section below (or you could also read the article: Island-hopping on the Venetian lagoon: The Ciclovia delle Isole.

Bear in mind that you can’t take your bike to the main island of Venezia (although there is a ferry that will take you to the Santa Lucia rail station. If you want to visit Venezia then your best bet is to find somewhere to stay on the Lido, or at Punto Sabbioni or Chioggia, and then pick up a vaporetto. The view of the Piazza di San Marco from the water is the best way to see Venezia for the first time (or indeed the umpteenth time). Don’t forget that Venezia isn’t just the main island - the other islands such as Burano, Murano, and Torcello are just as enjoyable, if not more so.

From Chioggia to Porto Tolle

If you’re just passing through it’s worth taking a few moments to savour the charm of Chioggia before pushing on south.

South of Chioggia three of Italy’s great rivers, the Brenta, the Adige and the Po, reach the sea. The landscape is composed of flatlands and lagoons. It also means that you have to get across the rivers, and unfor­tu­nately, unless you are prepared to make a detour inland, this means contending with short stretches of the SS309. These are over with fairly quickly and the rest of the ride is very pleasant one.

The good news is that there is a ferry service offering an altern­ative at Porto Levante. The service is operated by Marino Cacciatori (0426 380314).

Options and connections

At Porto Tolle you have three main options:

• follow the quiet roads along the northern bank of the Po
• cross the river and then cut across country to Mesola where you can pick up the cycleway that takes you to Serravalle where it connects with the main Destra Po cycleway that takes you to Ferrara
• follow the Anello della Donzella (Donzella Ring) regional cycleway via Scardovari to Santa Giulia where you cross the boat bridge and then head for Gorino at the mouth of the Po di Gorino. This is the start/end point of the Destra Po cycleway.

If you have the time, you could very easily make a side-trip to Ravenna via Comacchio. See Islands and Lagoons of the Adriatic Coast: Part 1

Articles in this series

• eurovelo 8 in Italy: Overview
• eurovelo 8 in Italy: Part 1: Trieste to Venezia and the Po delta
• eurovelo 8 in Italy: Part 2: Along the Po
• eurovelo 8 in Italy: Part 3: Torino to Cuneo and the Col de Tende
• eurovelo 8 in Italy: detour to Mantova and Sabbioneta
• eurovelo 8 in Italy: Planning your route: books, maps and GPS tracks