Matuljicious Bike & Taste from 10 June combines e-bike tours, local flavours and stories of the Matulji area
During the summer months, the Tourist Board of the Municipality of Matulji is once again launching the Matuljicious / Matuljišs / Bike & Taste programme, a series of guided electric bike tours that connects recreation, heritage interpretation and the gastronomy of the Kvarner hinterland. According to the organisers’ announcement, the tours will take place on Wednesdays from 10 June to 16 September 2026, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and are intended for visitors staying in the Matulji area and their hosts. The programme is carried out under the patronage of the Croatian National Tourist Board and the Kvarner Tourist Board, in cooperation with the Matulji-based company Partenca and licensed cycling guides, with technical support in the field. Electric bicycles are provided for participants who need them, while the number of places is limited to 12 people per tour. Due to the limited capacity, registration is mandatory no later than Tuesday at 12 noon before the selected ride, with payment of a 30-euro advance.
An active holiday with an emphasis on heritage and local food
Bike & Taste is conceived as a recreational and educational experience in which the bicycle is not just a means of transport, but a way of getting to know the area, people and customs. In its official materials, the Tourist Board of the Municipality of Matulji describes the programme as interpretive rides that bring visitors closer to the natural beauty, historical and cultural heritage, and the potential of Matulji as a cycling destination. Special emphasis is placed on the stories that shape the identity of the area: from the routes of the milkmaids and mountain villages, through traditional places and local legends, to landscapes that connect the Liburnian hinterland, Ćićarija and the Opatija Riviera. According to the announcement of the programme for 2026, interpretations will be provided in Croatian, English, German, Dutch and Italian, making the tours accessible to a wider international audience. The organiser also points out that the goal is to offer content that is not reduced to a classic sightseeing tour, but to an experience in which riding, short stops, local stories and product tasting complement one another into a unique whole.
The gastronomic part of the programme is an important element of Matuljicious’s recognisability. According to the organisers’ announcement, the rides include hospitality establishments, family farms and producers from the territory of the Municipality of Matulji, among them Oštarija Fiorin, Stancija Kovačići, Carpe Diem, Mala riba, Zvončarnica, Benin, Vina Kapić, OPG Ružić-Jarbola, OPG Dokozić, Suza Croatian Spirit, OPG Pčelarstvo Kos, Buretić Bregi SHARKY – smoked fish Bregi, Bistro Tramontana and Baraka. The programme also includes the Lipa Remembers Memorial Centre and the Genealogical Centre of Kastavština and Liburnia, which further expands the content of the tours beyond recreation and gastronomy alone. According to the Tourist Board’s official website, the Matuljicious concept relies on connecting local specialities, producers, storytelling and guided movement through the area. Precisely for this reason, the programme also functions as a promotion of small producers, restaurants and interpretive points that would otherwise not always be the first choice of visitors staying by the coast.
Schedule of rides from June to September
According to the submitted schedule, the programme begins on Wednesday, 10 June, with the One su hodile tour, and ends on 16 September with the ride Saka noć ima svoju moć. Tours are held every Wednesday, except 2 September, which is not listed in the announced schedule. The names of individual rides point to the thematic character of the programme, so along with standard cycling elements, stories about local paths, natural areas, old borders, rural heritage and places that are not always found on the usual tourist routes are expected. According to official data from the Tourist Board, a network of cycling and walking trails with several circular routes has been developed in the Matulji area, and some of them bear names that also appear in the Bike & Taste programme. This allows the rides to rely on already existing outdoor infrastructure, while adding to it a guided, gastronomic and interpretive layer.
- 10 June: One su hodile
- 17 June: Od Golopusta do sup Šije
- 24 June: Saka noć ima svoju moć
- 1 July: Tramontana
- 8 July: Uz Rapalsku granicu
- 15 July: Skriveni biseri
- 22 July: Antičke utvrde
- 29 July: Skriveni biseri
- 5 August: Antičke utvrde
- 12 August: Obiteljska Mune
- 19 August: Tramontana
- 26 August: Uz Rapalsku granicu
- 9 September: Obiteljska Mune
- 16 September: Saka noć ima svoju moć
Some of the names are connected with routes presented by the Tourist Board of the Municipality of Matulji as part of the Matulji Bike & Hike offer. For example, the One su hodile route, according to the official description, is a circular trail 18 kilometres long with a total ascent of 540 metres, and its starting point is in Zvoneća, a place known for jarbola and for the memory of the milkmaids. On this route, the memorial plaque and resting place in Zdemer are especially highlighted, as a reminder of the daily journeys of women who carried milk towards Opatija. The Od Golopusta do sup Šije route, according to Tourist Board data, is 15 kilometres long, starts from Vele Mune and passes over mixed terrain through inhabited and forest landscapes. Such examples show that Bike & Taste is not conceived only as light recreation, but also as a form of interpreting the history of work, movement and life in the hinterland of the Opatija Riviera.
Matulji as an outdoor destination
The official website of the Tourist Board of the Municipality of Matulji states that the territory of the municipality is largely covered by forests and forest land and that a network of a total of 150 kilometres of cycling and walking trails has been developed, with ten circular routes. Such infrastructure is important for the development of programmes that do not rely only on the summer season and the coast, but direct visitors towards the green hinterland, smaller settlements and natural viewpoints. The Tourist Board points out that work is being done on marking trails in accordance with Kvarner bike standards and on shaping circular routes with attractive stories, interesting features and natural beauty. In this context, Bike & Taste has a dual function: it offers ready-made organised content to those who do not want to plan a route on their own, while at the same time promoting an area that can also be explored outside guided time slots. For visitors arriving for several days, accommodation offers in Matulji and the surrounding area may also be useful, especially if they want to combine cycling tours with other summer events in the municipality.
The outdoor identity of Matulji additionally rests on its position between the sea and the mountain hinterland. According to official tourist descriptions, Matulji is presented as the green-blue hinterland of the Opatija Riviera and a historical crossroads of routes. This description fits well with the concept of e-bike tours because electric bicycles make it easier to overcome climbs and make mountain routes more accessible to a wider circle of recreational cyclists. Nevertheless, these are organised rides in the open air, so participants are expected to have basic physical fitness, appropriate clothing and to follow the guides’ instructions. The organiser announces that rides are held regardless of weather conditions, but in practice it is important for participants to follow all additional information they receive after registration, especially if weather conditions change shortly before departure. Technical support, a limited number of participants and guidance by licensed guides should contribute to a safer and more organised experience in the field.
Lisina, villages and stories that expand the experience of the ride
One of the important natural values of the Matulji area is the significant landscape of Lisina. According to data from the Tourist Board of the Municipality of Matulji, Lisina was declared a protected area in 1997, covers 1,394 hectares and is located in the area of Ćićarija. The official description states that it is a spacious, predominantly forested area in the mountain regions that naturally continues onto Učka Nature Park, with preserved habitats, forest communities and diverse plant and animal life. In a recreational sense, Lisina is important because of its network of forest roads, hiking routes and areas suitable for spending time in nature. It is precisely such spaces that give the Bike & Taste programme a broader context, because the rides are not reduced to passing from point to point, but include an understanding of the landscape and people’s relationship with it.
The Matulji area is especially interesting because of its combination of villages, forests, old paths and local names that preserve memories of earlier ways of life. The announced programme features Mune, Zvoneća, Lipa, Bregi, Permani and other places that connect stories about work, trade, borders, migrations and everyday life. The One su hodile route, for example, recalls the milkmaids, women who for decades carried milk towards the Opatija area and thus left a deep mark in local memory. The theme Uz Rapalsku granicu points to the historical legacy of borders and political divisions in this area, while names such as Skriveni biseri and Antičke utvrde announce visits to lesser-known points and layers of older history. Such an approach makes the rides suitable also for participants interested in the cultural landscape, local dialects, family stories and small details that are often lost in fast tourist tours.
Registrations, equipment and what should be stated to the organiser
Participation in the guided tours requires prior registration at tzmatulji@tzmatulji.hr, no later than Tuesday at 12 noon for the tour taking place the following day. According to the organiser’s announcement, when registering it is necessary to state the participant’s name and surname, contact details, height, and information on whether the person has their own electric bicycle and helmet or would like the organiser to provide the equipment. The participant’s height is important for adjusting the bicycle size, especially because these are electric bicycles that must fit the user so that the ride is comfortable and safer. The organiser states that the price of the tour is the same for all participants, regardless of whether they use their own electric bicycle or a rented bicycle. After receiving the registration, participants are sent confirmation of participation, payment details for the advance and additional information related to the holding of the selected tour.
The limit of 12 participants per time slot has practical and content-related value. Smaller groups move more easily through villages, forest paths and local roads, and give guides more room for communication, stops and interpretation of the places visited. In the gastronomic part of the programme, a smaller group also makes it easier to organise tastings and contact with local producers or hospitality providers. Participants arriving with their own equipment should check the technical condition of the electric bicycle before arrival, while those using the organiser’s equipment need to submit the requested information in time so that the bicycles can be prepared. Since the programme lasts four hours and takes place outdoors, it is advisable to plan for water, appropriate sports clothing and footwear, sun protection and a light layer of clothing for the late-afternoon and evening parts of the ride.
A project already recognised in rural tourism
Matuljicious / Matuljišs / Bike & Taste is not merely a one-off summer activity, but a project that is developing as part of the wider tourist offer of Matulji. The Tourist Board of the Municipality of Matulji announced that the project won a silver award in the category of active tourist content in rural areas at the 2025 Suncokret rural tourism competition. According to the announcement by Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, the award was presented as part of the twelfth annual Suncokret Rural Tourism of Croatia awards ceremony, at which tourism stories from different parts of the country were presented. The explanations highlight the connection between interpretive rides, local producers, gastronomy, tradition and sustainable development. Such recognition is important because it confirms that the programme is not viewed only as a recreational activity, but as an example of connecting the local community and the tourist offer.
The Tourist Board’s official materials emphasise that Matuljicious is becoming a platform for connecting gastronomy, education and recreational tourism. This is especially important for destinations that want to extend the season and develop content outside the most heavily burdened coastal zones. E-bike tours can attract guests looking for an active holiday, but also those who want a structured, guided and culturally explained experience of the area. The inclusion of family farms and hospitality providers opens an additional sales and visibility channel for small producers, while giving visitors a direct encounter with local products. For a destination such as Matulji, located near larger tourist and urban centres, such programmes can be an important tool for a more even distribution of visits towards the hinterland and smaller places.
Summer content that connects movement, flavours and a stay in Matulji
Bike & Taste tours fit into the wider summer offer of Matulji, which during June, July and August also includes the cultural and entertainment programmes of the Matulji Summer Evenings. According to the programme announcement, the 2026 Matulji Summer Evenings are held from 7 June to 30 August. This gives visitors the opportunity, during the same period, to combine an afternoon cycling tour, an evening cultural programme and gastronomy. For those planning to stay longer than one day, such a schedule can be an incentive to explore accommodation near Matulji events and cycling routes. It is important, however, that the programme maintains a sense of balance: Bike & Taste remains a tourist and recreational offer, but at its centre are still the local area, its people and the interpretation of heritage.
According to the organisers’ announcements, participants can expect a guided experience that connects an active stay in nature, getting to know natural beauty and cultural heritage, and tasting the authentic flavours of the Matulji area. The programme begins on 10 June with the One su hodile tour, and each following Wednesday brings a new theme and a different emphasis. Due to the limited number of places, interested participants should send their registration on time and wait for the organiser’s confirmation with payment instructions and additional information. This continues the development of a model in which Matulji is presented as a destination for active exploration, and not only as a transit point between the coast, the hinterland and larger transport routes. In the summer of 2026, it is precisely the combination of e-bike rides, local producers and interpretive stories that could be one of the more recognisable ways of discovering the Matulji area.
Sources:
- Tourist Board of the Municipality of Matulji – official data on the Matuljicious / Matuljišs / Bike & Taste programme and the concept of interpretive rides (link)
- Tourist Board of the Municipality of Matulji – data on the Matulji Bike & Hike network, cycling and walking trails and local routes (link)
- Tourist Board of the Municipality of Matulji – official description of the significant landscape of Lisina and its natural features (link)
- Tourist Board of the Municipality of Matulji – announcement about the silver award for the Matuljicious / Matuljišs / Bike & Taste project at the Suncokret rural tourism competition (link)
- Primorje-Gorski Kotar County – report on the presentation of the Suncokret Rural Tourism of Croatia awards and recognitions in Primorje-Gorski Kotar County (link)
- Hedonist Magazin – announcement of the June programme in Matulji with information on registrations, the time of holding and the advance payment for Bike & Taste tours (link)