Poreč and Portorož reconnected by Parenzana: trail and gravel weekend gathered more than 600 participants from a range of European countries
Poreč was the starting point on February 14 and 15, 2026, for two international outdoor events that have grown strongly in visibility and number of participants in recent years:
Parenzana Ultra Trail and
Parenzana Gravel Race. The organizer states that
more than 600 competitors from about fifteen countries participated on both days of the competition, and the common denominator was the same: a sporting challenge along with the experience of the landscape, historical heritage, and the cross-border route of the former narrow-gauge Parenzana railway. The starts were held at
Freedom Square (Trgu slobode) in Poreč, while the finish of all sections was at
Camp Lucija in Portorož, which once again confirmed the cross-border character of the event.
The atmosphere in the center of Poreč was typical for "pre-season" sports weekends, which are increasingly turning into a serious tourism product in Istria: early morning gathering of runners on Saturday, followed by Sunday's shift of cyclists, logistics at the start, volunteers and visitors, and the constant dynamics of arrivals and departures. According to the organizer, the participants were greeted at the start by the Mayor of Poreč,
Loris Peršurić, with a message of welcome to the athletes and an emphasis on the importance of the event for the destination in the winter months. For visitors who spent the weekend in the city and surrounding areas, current demand once again raised the question of practical stay planning, so this year too,
accommodation offers in Poreč and "near the start" options in the old town core and in zones with good transport connectivity were sought.
Saturday: Parenzana Ultra Trail – a running program on several levels of difficulty
Saturday's program belonged to trail runners.
Parenzana Ultra Trail was held on February 14, 2026, and the main start according to the rules of the event was at
6:00 in the morning in the center of Poreč, on Freedom Square. The race concept is designed to attract competitors of different abilities and ambitions to the same route: from recreationalists who want a "big excursion" through Istria, to experienced runners for whom 88 kilometers is a serious test of form at the beginning of the season. Official information about the event mentions multiple distances, including
88 km (Poreč – Portorož),
50 km (Livade – Portorož), and
30 km (Grožnjan – Portorož), along with an
88 km relay race for teams of two or three members. It is precisely this range of categories that is one of the reasons the event simultaneously maintains competitiveness and broad accessibility.
On the ground, the Parenzana route offers a typical "mix" that makes trail races attractive: forest sections, macadam, climbs and descents, passing through tunnels and crossing viaducts that remained as part of the infrastructural heritage of the former railway. Besides the sporting aspect, runners on such routes face tactical decisions: the pace needs to be adjusted to the surface, the rhythm changes when entering cooler tunnels, and on open sections, wind and microclimate can be decisive. This year, the organizer again emphasized the safety aspect and the fact that a large part of the route takes place outside classic roads, which is important for both the experience and the safety of the participants.
For those who came to Poreč to follow the competitors or combine the race with a short holiday, the weekend again showed how sports events spill over into the city's economy: occupancy of restaurant terraces, higher traffic in shops, and an "off-season" rhythm that usually only comes with spring. In this context, it is logical that
accommodation near the starting point in Poreč is sought before and during the event, especially among participants coming from abroad who want to stay overnight before the early Saturday departure.
Sunday: Parenzana Gravel Race – a cycling program for gravel, MTB, and E-MTB
A day later, on February 15, 2026, the
Parenzana Gravel Race started at the same location in Poreč, an international cycling race that according to the rules of the event has its main start at
11:00 (gravel), with an additional start for the MTB category at
11:15. Here, too, the organizational concept relies on multiple categories and different profiles of cyclists: gravel as a discipline has experienced strong growth in Europe in recent years because it combines the speed of road cycling and the freedom of macadam sections, while MTB and E-MTB attract a wider base of recreationalists and competitors. Official announcements of the event for 2026 list distances optionally at
30, 50, and 88 kilometers, with the goal of all sections in Portorož, at Camp Lucija.
For Poreč, such a Sunday image of the city means an additional wave of visitors: some of the runners stay for a second day, cyclists arrive, along with support teams and families, and the destination gains visibility even outside the classic summer season. This is precisely why organizers and local partners of the event often emphasize the advantages of the "active pre-season" in their communication, as athletes plan trips months in advance, look for logistically simple destinations, and expect clear infrastructure on the route. In these circumstances, information about
accommodation for visitors of Parenzana races in Poreč becomes an integral part of preparation, especially for competitors coming from more distant countries who want to arrive a day earlier.
Parenzana as a sporting and cultural route: from a narrow-gauge railway to the "path of health and friendship"
Parenzana is more than a sports track. It is the historical route of the former narrow-gauge railway which, according to official descriptions, operated between
1902 and 1935 and connected
Trieste and Poreč, passing through northwestern Istria and the interior of the peninsula. After the cessation of railway traffic, a significant part of the infrastructure remained recognizable in the landscape, and in recent decades the route has been arranged and improved as a pedestrian-cycling path. Official tourist materials emphasize that Parenzana is special precisely because of the combination of natural vistas and "engineering" elements of the track: tunnels, viaducts, bridges, and viewpoints that are today part of the experience of moving along the trail.
For events like the Parenzana Ultra Trail and Parenzana Gravel Race, this context is key: the competition does not take place in an "empty space", but on a route that has a story and identity. Sections pass by vineyards and olive groves, along the edges of medieval towns in the interior, through forest corridors, and along parts that once served the transport of goods and passengers. The official description of individual sections on Parenzana highlights that the segment between Grožnjan and Livade is among the most attractive due to several tunnels and viaducts, which is also why many competitors return as tourists even outside the race days. In this second phase, Parenzana functions as an "extension" of the destination: the sporting experience turns into planning a return, and Poreč thereby gains an additional argument for
accommodation offers in Poreč outside the main season.
Who is behind the event and why it is important for the destination
According to official announcements in event calendars, the organization is signed by
Športno društvo Portorož, along with operational partners and cooperation with local tourist structures, while the
Poreč Tourist Board and other stakeholders are listed as co-organizers and partners. In practice, such projects require coordination with two countries and several local units: traffic logistics, refreshment points, medical support, route marking, volunteers, coordination of the finish in Portorož, and informing participants. When such a system is maintained without major incidents, the event gains a reputation as a "safe choice" among athletes, and reputation is often decisive in the outdoor community.
For Poreč, the additional value is also the symbolism of the start in the very center of the city. Freedom Square, as the central point, provides a visually recognizable framework for media posts, photos, and video content that spread through the social networks of the competitors. This is not incidental: in an era when sports tourism depends on the impressions of participants, authentic posts from the destination often have a stronger effect than classic promotional campaigns. Therefore, it is understandable that city institutions and tourist boards support events that in February create a "summer" intensity of interest, but without the pressure of mass tourism. Consequently, interest in
accommodation in Poreč for an active holiday also grows, especially among those who want to combine the race with a weekend stay and exploring Istria.
Wider effects: active tourism, pre-season, and cross-border cooperation
Parenzana Ultra Trail and Parenzana Gravel Race fit into a trend that is becoming increasingly clear in Istria and wider in the Adriatic: extending the season through content that is not related to swimming and summer months. Outdoor events in February have several advantages. First, weather conditions are often more pleasant for exertion on the track than in the warmer parts of the year, which motivates athletes to "open the season" right then. Second, destinations have greater availability of capacity, which facilitates logistics for large groups. Third, the local community gains traffic and visibility during a period that is traditionally quieter.
The cross-border dimension further strengthens the value of the story. The route connecting Poreč and Portorož shows how a shared natural and cultural resource can become a platform for cooperation, instead of a line of separation. For athletes, this is additional motivation: the race is not just a measure of time and strength, but also a journey through two countries, different landscapes, and identities, with the common historical thread of Parenzana. In this sense, the manifestation can also be read as an example of "soft" international cooperation, visible through sports, tourism, and local development.
What is known so far, and what is not yet clear
The organizer and partner event calendars for 2026 clearly state the dates, starting locations, target points, and the structure of disciplines and distances. The data on
more than 600 participants comes from the communication of the organizers after the weekend held, with an emphasis on international response. Currently, all details about results by categories are not publicly consolidated at the level of a single official report available in the same format as announcements and rules, so the public primarily emphasizes the overall impression of the event, the numbers, and the "story of the route". As usually happens with similar events, it is expected that additional result materials and galleries will be available through the channels of the organizers and partners, but at this moment the most stable publicly verifiable data refers to the event structure, the route, and basic logistics.
Poreč as a starting stage and a signal of the direction of development
The fourth edition of the Parenzana Ultra Trail and Parenzana Gravel Race in Poreč has once again confirmed that destination competitiveness is increasingly built on content, and not just on natural resources. When several hundred athletes from multiple countries come to the city in February, it is no longer an "incidental" event, but an element of the destination's identity: Poreč as the starting point for an active experience of Istria, along a route that has history and infrastructure, and a finish in Portorož that gives the story its final cross-border dimension. For the city and tourist partners, it is also a signal to the market: the pre-season is not necessarily a wait for summer, but a period that can be filled with quality sports programs and experiences in nature. And for visitors, especially those planning a similar weekend in the future, it is logical that along with the training plan and registration,
accommodation offers in Poreč are sought in parallel as a practical basis for the entire trip.
Sources:- Istra.hr (Istria TB) – announcement and description of Parenzana Ultra Trail (start in Poreč, finish in Camp Lucija, distances and relay) (istra.hr)- Istra.hr (Istria TB) – announcement and description of Parenzana Gravel Race (start in Poreč, international character, Parenzana route) (istra.hr)- MyPorec (official tourist portal of Poreč TB) – event calendar: Parenzana Ultra Trail (date, starting place, organizer) (myporec.com)- MyPorec (official tourist portal of Poreč TB) – event calendar: Parenzana Gravel Race (date, starting place, organizer) (myporec.com)- Športno društvo Portorož / Sportoroz – official race rules Parenzana Ultra Trail 2026 (start 6:00, event structure) (sportoroz.eu)- Športno društvo Portorož / Sportoroz – official race rules Parenzana Gravel Race 2026 (start 11:00 gravel, 11:15 MTB, basic rules) (sportoroz.eu)- Parenzana.net (official portal of the Parenzana project) – railway history and key facts (1902–1935, Trieste–Poreč, today's route) (parenzana.net)- Istria County (istra-istria.hr) – project “Parenzana – Path of Health and Friendship” and timeframe (1902–1935, revitalization) (istra-istria.hr)
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