A point of connection between the Alps and the Adriatic Sea, this region boasts a special geographical location and offers the chance to choose from countless amazing environments – and, if you wish, to change scenery quickly.

Peaceful forests, bold peaks and legendary routes await you in the mountains, whereas the coast is there for you with its tranquil lagoons or its sheer cliffs overlooking the sea.  In between are the spectacle of the great Tagliamento river, romantic vineyard-covered hills and expanses of plain drawn by the geometry of land reclamation. Rural villages and historical towns await you along the way, where you can sample the specialities of regional food and wine.

Whether you are fast or slow tourism lovers, dreamers or daredevils, loners or families, you will find your ideal itinerary for sure!  Find lots of suggestions and all the information you need at www.turismofvg.it

If you want to admire the beauty of Carnia, its unspoilt nature and wonderful views, mountain biking is what you need. A dense network of roads and routes is there to lead you everywhere, from typical villages to mountain peaks.  Ancient paths with evocative names wind through silent mountain meadows, full of streams and small lakes, until they reach the ‘malghe’ (shepherd’s huts), where you can taste simple, genuine food.  If you are more experienced and well-trained, you can follow more demanding itineraries: steep climbs and breathtaking descents await you, such as the famous climb of Mount Zoncolan against which the cyclists of the Giro d’Italia have competed several times.

Tarvisio lies at the foot of the Julian Alps, the mountains where the cyclists of the Giro d’Italia were engaged in tackling the climb to the Montasio Plateau and that of Mount Lussari. The Alpe Adria Cycle Route, the route from Salzburg to Grado, crosses the entire region from north to south, offering an extraordinary variety of landscapes. The northernmost part of the route displays difficulties and gradients suitable for everyone, but also offers unmissable road bike trails straddling three countries:  Italy, Austria and Slovenia.  Proceeding towards the coast, history and legends await you: along the route, you will encounter two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Palmanova, the Venetian fortress city with its perfect star shape, and Aquileia, one of the most important archaeological sites in Italy, famous for its extraordinary Roman and early Christian mosaics. You will also pass through two of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy:  Venzone, a fascinating 13th-century fortified village, and Strassoldo.

The Pordenone area is crossed by the Pedemontana Cycle Route, winner of the Best Italian Cycle Route 2024 award. The route starts in Sacile and ends in Gorizia, passing through evocative places such as Maniago, Gemona del Friuli and Cividale del Friuli. The cycle route winds through an incredible variety of landscapes, from the resurgence area to the alluvial plain of the magredi, and touches two UNESCO World Heritage Sites – Palù di Livenza and Cividale del Friuli –  as well as six of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy:  Polcenigo, Toppo, Poffabro, Spilimbergo, Venzone and Cividale del Friuli. The route also crosses the mosaic lands and their medieval ambiances, and offers cyclists magnificent views of the Friulian Dolomites, also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  This a ‘gourmet-oriented’ cycle route, since it crosses areas where numerous Slow Food presidia can be tasted directly in the places where they are produced, accompanied by wines from the famous Colli Orientali and Collio wine-growing areas. For those who love a challenge, the Giro d’Italia climb Aviano-Piancavallo should not be missed, while gravel enthusiasts will enjoy the suggestive Strada Venezia delle Nevi.

Want to get to know Udine in depth? Just take your bike! Friuli’s capital is a cyclist-friendly city.  Crossed by the Alpe Adria Cycle Route and touched on its borders by the Pedemontana Cycle Route, Udine is the ideal starting point for exploring evocative routes amidst Venetian-style architecture, Tiepolo masterpieces, mills, irrigation ditches, parks and the Colli Orientali del Friuli wine-growing area. Udine is less than two hours from two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Cividale del Friuli, an ancient Lombard capital, and Palmanova, the famous Venetian fortress. From here, it only takes a few kilometres to cycle through the gentle landscapes of the Friuli Collinare area: magnificent castles and the charming village of Fagagna, one of the Most Beautiful Villages in Italy, just await to be visited. An unmissable stop for gourmets, San Daniele del Friuli is where you can taste an excellence of Italian gastronomy: the famous San Daniele PDO prosciutto.

Between the Collio and the Karst, divided by the Isonzo river, lies Gorizia, a city on the national border and the arrival point of the Pedemontana Cycle Route. Together with Nova Gorica (Slovenia), it is the European Capital of Culture 2025, assuming for the first time at EU level a cross-border role that has led to the creation of thematic itineraries crossing the border: these include the route through the Collio and Brda vineyards, an enchanting landscape of rolling hills dotted with wine shops, wineries and cellars, where some of the world’s best white wines and fine full-bodied red wines are produced. Another route immersed in nature leads along the Soča river, while the historical route passes through places marked by the Great War, of which the area preserves many testimonies. Trenches and communication trenches have been restored and are now easily accessible also by bicycle, offering a once-in-a-lifetime experience that combines landscape and historical memory.

A special mix of nature and history make the Karst plateau a one-of-a-kind environment awaiting to be discovered.  Cycling enthusiasts can take spectacular tours through coniferous forests, enjoy views imbued with the whiteness of the rocks and the blue of the sea, and finally indulge in pleasant stops in the osmizze, the typical Karst farmhouses.

Bike and boat are the perfect combination for exploring the coast along the route of the Adriabike, the cross-border cycling network connecting Ravenna to Kranjska Gora in Slovenia.

A renowned tourist resort since the times of the Habsburg Empire, Grado is also the final stage of the Alpe Adria Cycle Route. The bicycle is the ideal way to discover Lignano Sabbiadoro, a modern seaside town famous for its golden beaches and its fun and lively summer nightlife.

Lignano is also the starting point of the Tagliamento Cycle Route and of routes that cross forests, plains and canals, offering cycling enthusiasts an immersive experience in nature.

For a more relaxed exploration, boats are waiting for you to discover the lagoon and its delicate ecosystem, protected by several Nature Reserves.