Cycling route Portoroz- St. Bartholomew Channell – Sečoveljske soline salt pans
Cycling trip guide
Distance
22.7 km
Time
2:03 h
Elevation
110 m
Difficulty
Medium
A varied cycling route with views of Portoroz Bay, St. Bartolomew Channel with its moorings and the Sečovlje Salt Pans. First, the route winds along the road from Portoroz towards Lucija and Seca. Then it continues to the border crossing and the Sečovlje Salt Pans. Suitable for the more physically fit. You will mostly drive on a local road, which is not busy with traffic. You can go by mountain-bike or trekking bike. Not suitable for road bikes, due to the gravel area.
Don't forget your ID or passport to cross the border Slovenia-Croatia and a few € to enter the Sečovlje Salt Pans.
Cycling tour on Komoot application
To make it easier for you to follow the cycle route, click on the larger map button below. The Komoot app will open where you can see an interactive map and additional information. With your help, the Portorož-Jerne Canal-Sečovlje Salt Pans cycle route can become even more interesting. If you are logged in to the app, you can add your pictures and comments. The gpx file allows you to download the route on your navigation device. You must have WIFI or mobile data turned on.
The start of the cycling trip is in Portoroz. There are several car parks, we suggest you start from the Marina Portoroz car park. From the car park, turn right and follow the main road towards Camping Lucija, where you can ride in peace, as bikes are allowed to pass here. You will pass through the campsite for 2 km until you reach the exit.
You will take the cycle road, past the local beach and recreation areas to the parking area of the Ribič Inn. Here you can enjoy views of the sea, Portoroz, Piran and neighbouring Croatia.
From here, drive on past the entrance to the Fonda fish farm and "Škver" a shipyard where wooden boats are made. Drive along the 4 km long road along the St. Bartholomew Channell, which is characterised by the wooden piers where the vessels are moored.
You will find many cyclists and walkers here, as the area enjoys plenty of sunshine and is sheltered from the winds at all times of the year.
You will arrive after a 10-minute drive at the former Droga Portorož industrial complex (they produced coffe, tea and spices) on your right. At the crossroads turn right towards the salt pans. Before the entrance to the salt pans, turn onto the cycle road along the salt pans, which will take you to Sečovlje. The road was part of the Parenzana narrow-gauge railway connecting Trieste and Poreč in Croatia.
You will arrive in Sečovlje to a large gravel parking area. The ruins on your right are the remains of a former lignite mine. Drive straight on until you see a bicycle crossing on your left under a bridge.
Continue your trip to the right along the local road, following the stream and the fruit tree groves to the Sečovlje border crossing. If you are lucky, you will see a plane take off or land, as Portoroz small Airport is in the immediate vicinity.
Go through the Slovenian border to the first exit on the right before the Croatian border towards Sečoveljske soline salt pans. Please note that if you do not have your ID or passport, you will not be allowed to cross the border. The salt pans are in Slovenia, but you go through a piece of Croatian terrain,
From here, continue along the macadam road along the salt pans and the Dragonja River, which defines the border with Croatia. You will have to stop along the way to pay the entrance fee to the salt pans. Continue to the end of the road, where the mouth of the Dragonija River is located. You will see the salt-maker's house, which is now a museum. The entrance fee includes a visit to the museum.
After the tour and a short rest, follow the same path back to the border and from there continue 100 m to the right on the road you came on, which will lead you to Sečovlje.
In Sečovlje, continue straight ahead to the main road, which after 1 km turns right uphill at the Marička Inn. Drive uphill until you reach the chapel. There, turn left downhill towards Seca. At the crossroads by the pink house, turn right on the road and after 100 m turn right again.
You will find yourself on a local road under the main road. Turn right here and again at the junction with the sawn cypress tree turn left along the fields to the main road, where you will turn left and at the junction turn left to the roundabout in Lucija.
At the roundabout, go straight past the residential blocks and the shopping centre to the roundabout by the health centre and the post office. At the roundabout turn left and after 200 m turn right. You will arrive at the Marina car park in Portoroz.
