About Apulia Bike Tours

Our story: from travel agency to bike tour operator

It started with a view from an office window. Our founder, Manuel Maggi, was putting together itineraries and quotes in his travel agency when he noticed two cyclists riding through the streets of his town in the province of Brindisi, clearly enchanted by what they saw. Why not combine his two passions, travel and cycling, and show visitors the roads he knew inch by inch and rode whenever he could?

In 2013 he turned the travel agency into a tour operator specialised in cycle tourism. Today Apulia Bike Tours offers 19 self-guided bike, gravel and walking tours across Puglia and Basilicata, as well as tailor-made trips.

Why Puglia by bike?

Because Puglia is best understood slowly. Red earth and prickly pears in Salento, fruit trees in the countryside around Bari, vineyards and centuries-old olive trees with trunks that look like mythical creatures. Old villages that fall silent in the early afternoon and come back to life every evening in the squares, with summer festivals, music and dancing.

And the food: Sunday ragù, meatballs, orecchiette and braciole. For Apulians, cooking is an act of love. Pedalling, stopping often, sometimes riding into the wind, you get all of it, on a dense network of quiet, green back roads that can take you almost anywhere in the region.

A local team that tests everything first

Everyone in our office loves the outdoors, and we believe cycling and walking are the best way to get to know a country, its landscapes, its heritage and its rural areas. Routes, accommodation and bikes are tried and tested before they reach a tour, and we take care of the details: hotels, daily luggage transfers, quality bikes and a navigation app with GPS tracks and roadbook.

The team includes booking and quality management, customer care, a walking tour expert, a bike expert and mechanic, and two logistics experts. Meet them on our team page.

What do our guests say?

Across Tripadvisor, Google and WeTravel our guests have left 412 reviews, with an average of 4.65 out of 5.

• Tripadvisor: 4.8 out of 5 from 210 reviews
• Google: 4.5 out of 5 from 75 reviews
• WeTravel: 4.5 out of 5 from 127 reviews

Licensed, insured and committed to sustainability

Bike & Hike Srl holds tour operator licence no. 873 issued by the Puglia Region on 06.11.2006, with liability insurance (Unipol Sai) and a travel guarantee fund (Il Salvagente). VAT number IT 02475020745.

We have been members of Travelife, the sustainability certification programme for tour operators, since 2023, and we support the replanting of olive trees in Salento with Olivami. Read more on our sustainable tourism page.

Where to find us

Our office is at Via Mons. Annibale De Leo, 19 – 72019 San Vito dei Normanni (BR), open Monday to Friday from 8:30 to 18:00. Phone +39 0831 172 1226, mobile +39 391 116 7713, e-mail booking@bikeandhikeitalia.com.