I want to take a ferry from Ancona to Split (Croatia) or even better Dubrovnik. I will likely visit Venice first. Any recommendations for route from Venice to Ancona? Is the coast interesting for cyclists? Would it be better to take a train?
Thanks Kati

hello kati! not such a good idea to go down italian eastcoast by bike. dangerous(awful trucktraffic),noisy,polluted and last not least boring.-there is some alternative roads inland,-beautiful but extremely hilly.lots of ups and downs.
last year i tried another way which i really liked. you can go from venice by boat or train to rijeka(croatia) and then by bike islandhopping down to split or dubrovnik.the islands are gorgeous. you find camps or small pensions for little money everywhere.(i went as far as albania and took the ferry fom bar in montenegro to bari in puglia,italy.)but you can easy find a ferryboat to ancona from split or dubrovnik. which month are you going to travel? July,august will be very hot. all the best! fred

Fred, thanks very much for your reply. I had suspicion that it wasn't that interesting, so I am heading to Venice and take the boat till Pula. (Croatia) really looking forward to it actually! I am leaving next Sunday for Zurich and then will make my way down to Lugano, then Venice.
Thanks very much for your answer. Kati

Hi Kati

Frederico gave a good tip to do some island-hopping in Croatia. For the return leg from Dubrovnik north again, it's very easy to use a bus. There are plenty of busses going north along the coast from Dubrovnik. Several daily busses to Zagreb, and lot's more to places nearby (like Split). You'll probably have to pay the driver a small surcharge for your bike.
Do try to schedule Dubrovnik as far away as possible from the main tourist season. It's a very popular place for visiting. I was there in april after my Yugoslav trip (you probably remember the report from the touring-list), and it was just the rigth level of tourists there.
BTW, the Youthhostel in Dubrovnik has no bikeshed, located at the top of a long staircase. Still secluded enough to lock your bike safely somewhere on the forecourt.

Ivo

hello kati! forgot to tell you about using busses in croatia,but ivo already did.it is very important in case you have to ride along the coastroad.,which is full of trucks and busses and everything. road is sometimes too narrow,and for a cyclist too dangerous. for example you could take a bus when you finished the penninsula peljesac and hit the mainland the last kilometers until dubrovnik.-another hint: during this time of the year you dont have to worry about shelter and you dont need all that heavy camping stuff. there is lot of private offers like b&b or small hotels at very low expenses.-very good idea to start in pula .you will find a ferry to cres-losinj,and then youll find your way south via pag,ugljan,pasman etcet. after that is the only way to split via mainland,but you can take the small parallel-road a few km inland.from split i would recommand the ferry to korcula and after crossing the island,the boat to peljesac and so on until dubrovnik.
have a safe trip! fred

actually the only serious bycicle-only road of Italy can be found on the way:

http://www.cittaciclabili.it/aicc3/center/itinerari/itinerari.htm