Cycling Puglia & Matera

We thoroughly enjoyed our Exodus cycling trip from Matera to Leece in June 2025. As first time visitors to this part of Italy we really appreciated our guide, Manni's knowledge of the area, contemporary and historical. We had a great group of fellow cyclists, eleven of us in total. The accommodation was excellent as were our bikes. This is our second Exodus cycle trip and we would thoroughly recommend the trip.

The perfect way to see the best of Italy for those who want to be outdoors and exercise

A superb cycling adventure in Puglia in hot and sunny weather in June 2024. Our leader Manni was excellent in every way making sure everyone had a wonderful trip and was kept safe at all times. Mostly quiet undulating back roads with 2 quite hilly days, we visited some spectacular towns in this lovely region - for me the highlights were Matera, Alberobello, Gallipoli and Otranto., staying in ‘Cave Room’ and ‘Trulli’ hotels, not forgetting a fantastic Masseria where the wine and olive oil were produced on site - with a beautiful bedroom and super swimming pool. But one thing was unforgettable, and that was the opportunity to swim several times in crystal clear Ionian and Adriatic seas, including a pre-breakfast 6.30am swim in Otranto. Thank you Manni for all your hard work making this a special trip

Overall very enjoyable trip

Excellent tour through the heel of Italy's boot. Beautiful scenery cycling on country lanes, coastlines and walled cities. Delicious food and wine along the way.

A most charming part of Italy, well worth exploring by bike. Passing through picturesque villages and ancient towns laden with history, every place has something unique to offer. Architecturally impressive churches, cathedrals and basilicas dominate the landscape. The cuisine is delicious and there is plenty of culinary variety to satisfy any preference. The accommodation was good and very good throughout the trip.

What a fantastic trip. Great group, felt like I was laughing all the time. The leader, Michele, was full of energy and organised little extras that really made the trip memorable. The hotels were good too, particularly the masseria, and the cycling was great fun.

A very scenic cycling tour of Matera and Puglia, though the cycling landscape is not as diverse or dramatic as some tours. The challenge was coping with the temperatures of around 30c rather than too many hills. The region though offers great food and drink, and as well as the lovely dinners the lunches were also excellent. It also has stunning religious buildings along the way even in the smallest of towns. The tour is split in two parts, with countryside rides in the first half where you stay in some iconic accommodation such as a cave hotel, trulli house and a masseria. The second half hugs the coast with tourist hotel stays.

Wonderful! The guide and driver, the hotels and the routes were all excellent. A memorable trip with a great group.

Beautiful countryside, just the right amount of challenging hills, and amazing food and drinks - what more could you ask for? This trip is so well planned to see the best that Puglia has to offer. Matera is a must see (we spent a couple extra nights there and HIGHLY recommend it if you can), but the real gem here is the countryside full of olive groves, old farmhouses, small towns, and beautiful sea views. Our personal favorite parts were the small towns we stopped in daily for a cappuccino breaks - you won't see these places from a bus. Our group leader (Manny) made the trip unforgettable - he kept a good pace, told us just the right amount of history about the area, and made sure we well fed and taken care of. While we didn't require van support - we always knew he was there if needed - and brought fresh snacks (and water) daily to all our stops. Of course the highlight for us was staying at Maseria Bosco (day 4) - the old farmhouse was the perfect place to stay for the evening, surrounded by olive groves, and the restaurant was amazing. Thanks to all the recommendations and support from Exodus before our trip - we got engaged this night, they went above and beyond to make it perfect!

We waited two years for this trip but it was worth the wait - beautiful scenery, relaxed riding, lovely food, excellent tour leader and a great fun group. Bikes were comfortable and very able to cope with the terrain.

A great trip with some beautiful scenery and stunning towns. Cycling on some of the days was quite tough given the weight of the bikes combined with the undulating terrain and Puglian heat (end May 2022). Great tour guide Antonio and driver Piero could not have been better. Very good standard of accommodation.

A varied trip with great cycling opportunities, mostly off main roads, led by an experienced leader. Emanuele was our leader, a local man with knowledge and passion for local history and geography. There were opportunities each day to eat and drink local specialities, and a couple of special treats such as cheese-making and olive oil tasting. There are no bus transfers, you cycle a good way each day, sometimes a few challenging hills and dips, sometimes a chance to cycle as fast as you want off road, but on good surfaces. Emanuele is an excellent leader who keeps control of the group at the same time as giving everyone the chance to go at their own pace. You don't need to be a strong cyclist to do the trip, there are always regroupings so that nobody gets left behind, and nobody feels left out. There are a couple of coffee and lunch stops where we were able to swim in the gorgeous blues of the Ionian Sea if we wanted, or just laze on a bench with a marvellous gelato. A couple of the hotels en route had swimming pools.

I'd highly recommend this cycling trip to those who are looking for a 'moderate' cycling holiday. The route is great - you visit some of the main tourist sites in Puglia, but also visit some of the little towns that have very few tourists. The scenery is beautiful - you cycle through olive groves, along the coast and through narrow lanes in little towns. Our tour leader, Emanuele (Mani) was fantastic. He was keen to ensure that everyone had a great time. I really can't praise him enough. We ate in a range of cafes and restaurants for lunch and dinner - all were very good with some delicious food.

Have just returned from a brilliant 8 days with a great fun group of people. Its a beautiful part of Italy with plenty of pretty towns and villages that differ from one to the next and great mixture of peaceful countryside and coastal views. The bikes were very comfortable, with gel seats and easy to ride. Everything was very well organised and the staff at every hotel were welcoming and friendly and getting our rooms every day was quick and efficient which is so important after a long day in the saddle! The food was fantastic and I tried so many things I haven't tasted or heard of before! The afternoon at the farm location with the most stunning pool is a real treat after a very hot ride! There is plenty of spare time at the end of the ride of a few days or that could have been because we had an efficient group that all kept up. Nobody was particularly super quick or slow and our leader kept a good pace the whole week.

A wonderful trip with a dedicated and passionate guide, Antonio, who was determined to ensure we experienced the best in the safest possible way. It was reassuring when he would direct the traffic at tricky intersections. Pierrot was his conscientious and polite offsider. The itinerary was carefully selected to showcase amazing locations, cultural experiences, landscapes and history. The Sassi, Trulli were only two stand outs in a landscape of fields splashed with red poppies and yellow, pink, and white wild flowers. The accommodation was generally good to very good. The price of food, the coffee, aperitifs and gelato was so cheap compared to the north and our home country.

Excellent rating for the leader and route. However a few hotels were damp and musty due to the early date of holiday.The first and last hotels were by far the best.

A fabulous, but not too difficult cycling trip through Puglia, stopping off in lovely hilltop towns and other places of interest. Sampling delicious local food. Varied accommodation. Great scenery.

Thoroughly enjoyed my first Exodus cycling adventure, which exceeded expectations. The scenery was beautiful, a mixture of olive groves, coast lines, varied villages and country lanes. Matera as a starting point was stunning, but the dramatic weather as we set off was challenging, to say the least. Cycling 43 miles in torrential rain and wind through floods, with shower caps over our helmets, was a group bonding experience like no other! Thankfully the rest of the week was perfect weather, if a little windy at times. All the places we stayed in were well chosen - I especially enjoyed the farm house with its amazing rooms and lovely pool. The meals, eaten together, were delicious and lots of fun, with a mixture of new food to try and copious amounts of local wine to wash it down, all in the knowledge we would be working off the calories the next day.

Thank you Exodus for an excellent first cycling holiday. I loved every minute... even the ‘undulations’ !!! I had not cycled more than 15miles in one go ever, but felt I was so strong by the end of the 6 days. A great personal challenge! It was great being in a big group, and soon got to know the people we had just met. Manuela was a tremendous guide & Pierrot was a superb support guy... providing us with healthy snacks , fresh water & delicious local food picnics. This trip is to be recommended. I will definitely go back to the area. And definitely travel with exodus again. The bicycles we hired were of a superb quality & very comfortable to ride.

Perfect combination of good cycling, great company, excellent accommodation and fine food and drink. The negatives? Be prepared for even more potholes than in the uk and many of the roads are lined with garbage/rubbish which spoils the natural beauty

This was my third cycling holiday with Exodus and I can't wait to book the next one. Once again, I chose somewhere where I had no previous knowledge, thus making it a bit of an 'Adventure. Inevitably slightly apprehensive about how well I would fit in to a group of sixteen people that I had never met before. My worries were needless; we all got on famously and just got on with enjoying the well organised trip. Great hotels, food and wine. Distances not too challenging, although the heat was at times. All breaks, rest stops and overnights were entirely adequate. Important to bear in mind that this is first and foremost a cycling holiday. There were many occasions when, as a keen photographer, I would like to have stopped but that wouldnt have been fair on the 'Back Marker'.

great trip all round

This was my 2nd cycle trip (both with Exodus). And it did not disappoint. Fabulous and challenging. This is a beautiful region in Italy. We enjoyed great food and wine and lovely accommodations. The weather was hot and sunny, although we did out-cycle a few potential storms! The group of 16 were terrific and our leader, Emanuele, was wonderful ~ so well organized, and tireless in his efforts to meet all the diverse needs.

A great week of cycling staying in fascinating old towns with narrow picturesque streets. Whilst the countryside is no match for Tuscany there are some nice sections and some glorious coastlines. Another star of the holiday is the food of the region, certainly some great group meals enjoying excellent food and wine.

From the very start my wife and I were warmly welcomed by our guide Emanuele and our other 12 cycling companions. We had done a couple of other cycling holidays but this was our first with Exodus and with a leader who cycled with us along the way. Emanuele was fantastic - nothing was too much trouble for him, he has a great sense of humour and knows when to use diffent options when things might not go as expected. His vast experence meant that we visited places we would never have found ourselves - absolutely beautiful villages, landscapes and places to enjoy Italys wonderful food and drink. The cycling was on mainly good surfaces and well paced each day so that no one felt left out. Our group quickly became friends enjoying each others company and watching out for those inevitable potholes! We will definitely do another Exedous trip - we throughly reccommend it!

There is a cast of ancient towns, beautiful countryside, fantastic food, tremendous wine and 16 highly sociable cyclists. Nevertheless, you need a guide like Michele. "Why?" you ask, as would Michele himself. The answer is because every orchestra needs a conductor and Michele is up there with the Italian greatest, creating, with his never-ending good humour and meticulous organisation, the happiest of harmony between the cyclists, the towns, the countryside, the food and the wine. Overlook this trip to your eternal regret!

The trip was really amazing. The itinerary was perfect, with long and short rides, a variety of interesting places to see and to stay. The group was very compatible, and we elected to eat all dinners together. As said at our final meal, we really became a team over the week having fun together and looking out for each other. Our leader, Michele, was terrific and kept us all together with friendly and upbeat manner.

I have just returned from a fantastic week, exceptionally well organised and led by Michele our superb guide. Through his infectious laugh, confident and approachable manner he quickly developed an excellent group spirit. It was great to cycle through such a rich and varied landscape, visiting many UNSECO sites. He found amazing restaurants for us to eat at every night and organised a fantastic array of dishes for us to try. He was well informed about all the places we visited and for those that wanted to he would show us around.

A varied week of cycling terrains offering an insight into Puglia. The locals were the friendliest yet and their food spectacular and inexpensive.

This was my 8th cycling trip and my first time in Puglia and it was a very enjoyable tour. The overnight towns were all very beautiful each with their own special charm. All the hotels were located in or within a 15-20 minute walk to the historic centre. Our group was lots of fun and got along well. The cycling was fairly relaxed overall but there were some short hills and one day was quite windy so it was more challenging than other days. Highly recommend this tour for the fabulous food, wine and sights.

A thoroughly enjoyable cycling holiday in a beautiful part of Italy with amazing scenery, food and comfortable hotels. The group were a friendly and fun bunch of people and we all got on extremely well. The cycling was just right with enough variation and climbs to challenge but not overwhelm.

Emanuele was an excellent guide. He went above and beyond to create a truly memorable cycling trip for all the people on the tour. This trip is a photographers mecca, the towns we visited were so unique, beautiful scenery and visiting UNESCO world heritage sites. An excellent group of like minded people whose company we all enjoyed sharing a laugh over a beer at the end of the day.The roads we cycled were very beautiful, mostly very quiet and a couple of days were more challenging with the hills but quite manageable. The accommodations were truly memorable from Sassi to Trulli to a Convent.

Excellent tour.

The sun shone,the bikes were sturdy to cope with the bumpy roads and the food was outstanding. After a long and undulating first day I thought I'd never keep up. But my legs did get used to the speed of the others and the hills became just a small challenge. A great holiday with lovely people.