Cycling day trip from Pag to Novalja

Roll out from Pag’s stone-lined old town—famous for Pag lace and sea-salt pans—and climb gently away from the bay into the island’s lunar-like hills. The route is about 23 km with roughly 450 m of rolling ascent/descents, never high but with enough lumps to keep the legs honest.

It’s a mixed-surface ride: plenty of quiet asphalt, then stretches of gravel and hard-packed tracks between dry‑stone walls and sheep pastures. A sturdy hybrid or gravel bike with 35 mm+ tires is ideal. Expect mostly calm backroads with a couple of short busier links near towns—nothing long, just keep alert.

Shade is scarce and the bora wind can whip across the ridges, so bring water and sunscreen. Cheese fans: the island is home to Paški sir, and dairies around Kolan aren’t far off the corridor if you fancy a detour.

Roll down into Novalja, a lively seaside town known for Zrće Beach’s summer parties and an ancient Roman aqueduct carved into the rock.