Parenzana Trail

The Parenzana was a narrow-gauge line built to connect Trieste with Porec, opened in 1902 and closed in 1935 after thirty-three years of losing money, with the rails lifted and shipped away. The bed survived, and since the 2000s it has been converted into a walking and cycling route running about 123 kilometres from Trieste through Slovenia and down through Istria - past viaducts, through tunnels, along ledges cut into hillsides, with the old station buildings still standing in places. Because it was a railway, the gradients are gentle throughout, which makes a long ride through hill country manageable. A museum at Livade covers the line.

What you actually see

• A railway bed from 1902 - closed in 1935 and the rails removed.
• Viaducts, tunnels and cuttings - the engineering left in place.
• Gentle railway gradients - the reason it rides easily through hills.
• A museum at Livade - devoted to the line.

When to go

April to June and September to October; midsummer is too hot on the exposed sections. Two to three days.

Honest expectations

Surfaces vary from asphalt to loose gravel and some sections are rough. Tunnels are unlit and need a light. Signposting is inconsistent across borders. Water points are sparse in the middle sections.

Nearby

Groznjan and Motovun sit above the route; Livade is on it.