SalentoBike rental
San Foca bike rental, with free pickup at our depot
San Foca is the only spot on the Adriatic side of Salento where one of our bikes is already waiting for you. Our depot is at Via D'Annunzio 13, in the old fishing village known in Griko as As Fukà. You collect and return here by appointment, without paying a cent for the handover, and from the first turn of the pedals you are among watchtowers, sea stacks and Blue Flag coves. What follows is how the depot works, how the wind changes the plan, and where we would point you north, south and inland.
Our San Foca depot: how pickup and return work
The depot always works by appointment: pickup and return happen at a time we fix together, never on walk-in hours. Tell us your dates and each rider's height, and we agree when to meet you at Via D'Annunzio 13. Free parking is available near the depot, handy if you arrive by car. We fit saddle and pedals to every rider, mount the bags and send you the GPX tracks of the rides below. On your last day you bring the bike back to the same address, at the time agreed, and neither handover costs anything. No deposit is asked; you pay at the handover.
San Foca is one of three depots, all with free pickup and return: the others are Via Ribezzo 2D in Lecce and Via Roma 163 in Calimera, and a bike picked up here can go back to either of them at no extra cost. If you want your rental to end somewhere other than one of our depots, ask us and we put the terms in writing before you book (rentals ending elsewhere). Staying in Torre dell'Orso, Sant'Andrea, a campsite or inland? We bring the bikes to your door at a supplement quoted by distance, and you pay on delivery.
Reaching San Foca without a car
There is no railway on this coast; Melendugno, the town San Foca belongs to, is about 20 km from Lecce station. From 13 June to 13 September 2026 the provincial Salento in Bus line 101 runs from Lecce City Terminal through Acaya to San Foca, then on to Roca, Torre dell'Orso, Sant'Andrea, the Alimini and Otranto. In June and September there are three runs a day each way; the 07:30 from City Terminal reaches San Foca at 08:14. The timetable does not mention bikes, so treat the bus as your way to reach the depot, with the bike collected here.
Prefer to arrive on two wheels? Collect in Lecce (bike rental in Lecce) and pedal over. Our own loop from Lecce station through San Foca and Pisignano has a short unpaved stretch; ask and we send the GPX track.
Scirocco or tramontana: picking a direction
On this coast the wind sets the day. When the scirocco blows from the south, the Adriatic from the Lecce marinas down to Otranto lies calm, and Torre dell'Orso is at its best. When the tramontana comes from the north, the same water turns rough; with a moderate tramontana the small cove at Torre Sant'Andrea, tucked between its rocks, stays swimmable.
Our habit on the bike is simple: pedal the first half against the wind and let it carry you back to the depot. In July and August the SP366 coast road is busy roughly from 10:00 to 18:00 and has no continuous cycle lane, so set off early or late and keep children on the inside. May, June and September are the most comfortable months for riding here.
South on the SP366: Roca, Torre dell'Orso, Sant'Andrea
Roca Vecchia comes first. The Grotta della Poesia is two sea pools in the limestone, and the smaller one holds more than 3,000 inscriptions in Messapian, Greek and Latin. In summer 2026 the archaeological area moved to a paid entry: from 18 July to the end of September a standard ticket cost 5 €, free for Melendugno residents, and swimming and diving stay forbidden whatever you pay. Out of season, check archeoroca.it first. Lock up at the entrance and walk the walls and citadel. More in our guide to Grotta della Poesia and Roca Vecchia.
Torre dell'Orso is the swim. Its bay is about 800 m long, held between two high cliffs, with a pine wood behind the dunes and the twin sea stacks called the Due Sorelle at the southern end. The watchtower above the beach was begun in 1568 and finished after 1580.
Torre Sant'Andrea follows, about 2 km on: a fishing landing with a lighthouse, an arched sea stack and pinnacles of white rock. It closes the Melendugno coast, which runs for more than 15 km from Torre Specchia. Beyond it the pine wood leads to the Alimini lakes, and Otranto is next: see bike rental in Otranto.
North: Torre Specchia, Le Cesine and Acaya
Up the coast, Torre Specchia Ruggeri marks the boundary between Melendugno and Vernole; the tower dates from 1568 and is in poor condition. Past it lies Le Cesine, a 348-hectare WWF reserve, the last piece of the marshes that once lined this coast from Brindisi to Otranto, with ponds, Aleppo pines and holm oaks. You can only enter with the reserve's guides and by booking: on Sundays and holidays the visits start at 10:00 and 16:00, weekdays for groups on request.
The flattest ride we have starts at Torre Specchia and runs via San Cataldo to Frigole, almost without a rise, so you can go out and back with a coffee in the middle; the GPX track is ours to send. Inland from there is Acaya, the walled town that the military architect Gian Giacomo dell'Acaya laid out and named after himself in 1535.
Inland towards Calimera: dolmens and Griko villages
Melendugno is a short ride from the sea. Its Palazzo D'Amely is a star-shaped tower designed by that same Gian Giacomo dell'Acaya. West of town, on the provincial road to Calimera, stand two Bronze Age dolmens, Placa and Gurgulante, right beside the fields.
Keep going and you are in the Grecìa Salentina, the union of eleven towns where Griko, a variety of Greek, survives: Calimera, Martano, Martignano, Sternatia, Zollino and their neighbours. Calimera is where our third depot stands, so this inland ride can also start there, with free pickup and return at that depot.
San Foca itself, before or after the ride
A fishing village around one of the main harbours between Brindisi and Otranto. Its watchtower was built in 1568 by Antonio Saponaro of Lecce and now houses the coast guard. Sandy inlets lie either side of the harbour, and in 2026 the Melendugno marinas flew the Blue Flag for the sixteenth year running. On very clear days the mountains of Albania show on the horizon.
Three directions from the depot
| Direction | Stops in order | Ground | Suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| South | Roca Vecchia, Torre dell'Orso, Torre Sant'Andrea | tarmac, busy at midday in summer | every bike |
| North | Torre Specchia, Le Cesine, San Cataldo, Frigole | tarmac, almost level | every bike |
| Inland | Melendugno, the Placa and Gurgulante dolmens, Calimera | minor roads | gravel bike or e-bike |
Choosing between our bikes for this coast
Trek Domane AL, an endurance road bike (road bike rental): quick along the SP366 and on the ride in from Lecce. No rack fits it.
Trek Checkpoint ALR, a gravel bike on 42 mm tubeless tyres (gravel bike rental): the farm lanes to the dolmens and the unpaved bits on the way from Lecce.
E-bikes (e-bike rental). The Rockrider is the heavier of the two, with suspension and a removable battery good for 70 to 80 km, easy to charge indoors. The Trek is light for an e-bike at about 17 kg and handles everything here; its first battery is fixed, and a removable second one adds range for the longest days.
Frames go from XS up to 61, for heights from about 1.50 m to 1.97 m.
What a San Foca rental costs
| Bike | 1 day | 2 to 3 days | 4 to 7 days | 8 days and over |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domane or Checkpoint | 50 € | 45 € a day | 40 € a day | 35 € a day |
| Rockrider e-bike | 55 € | 50 € a day | 45 € a day | 40 € a day |
| Trek e-bike | 60 € | 55 € a day | 50 € a day | 45 € a day |
In the bag at no extra cost: helmet, front and rear lights, lock, frame bag, phone holder, pump, repair kit and a spare inner tube, plus a Garmin mount if you ask. Paid add-ons: SPD, SPD-SL or Look pedals for 5 €, a rack with two panniers for 2 € a day (not on the Domane), and the Trek's second battery for 10 € a day. Pickup and return at the depot are free, by appointment; cancelling is free, there is no deposit, and for stays away from San Foca, campsites included, the delivery is quoted by distance and paid when the bikes arrive. The full list is in our prices; other places we cover are on bike rental in Puglia.
Send us your dates, the number of riders and their heights, and we will hold the bikes at Via D'Annunzio 13 for you.
Free pickup is available at our three points in Lecce, San Foca and Calimera. Delivery elsewhere is quoted by distance.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a bike depot in San Foca?
- Yes. Our depot is at Via D'Annunzio 13 in San Foca and it works by appointment only: you collect and return the bike there at no charge, at a time we agree with you when you book. Free parking is available near the depot.
- Do I pay a deposit or pay in advance?
- No deposit is required. You pay when the bikes are handed over, at the San Foca depot or on delivery, and cancellation is free. Pickup and return at any of our three depots, San Foca (Via D'Annunzio 13), Lecce (Via Ribezzo 2D) and Calimera (Via Roma 163), cost nothing extra.
- Do you deliver to Torre dell'Orso or Sant'Andrea?
- Yes, we bring the bikes to hotels, villas, apartments and campsites along the Melendugno coast and inland, for a supplement based on the distance. Picking up at the San Foca depot avoids that cost.
- Can I swim in the Grotta della Poesia?
- No. Swimming and diving there have been banned for years, and the paid entry introduced on 18 July 2026 does not change that. Visit the archaeological area, then swim at Torre dell'Orso or San Foca.
- Can I ride into the Le Cesine reserve?
- No. Le Cesine can only be visited with the reserve's guides and with a booking; Sunday and holiday visits start at 10:00 and 16:00. Visits start from Masseria Cesine; the road outside the reserve stays open to bikes.
- Is there a bus from Lecce to San Foca, and can I bring a bike?
- From 13 June to 13 September 2026 Salento in Bus line 101 links Lecce City Terminal with San Foca in about 45 minutes. Its timetable says nothing about bikes, so take the bus without one and collect yours at our depot.
- Is the coast road safe for cycling in summer?
- In July and August the SP366 carries beach traffic, mostly between 10:00 and 18:00, and has no continuous cycle lane. Ride it early in the morning or late in the afternoon, and use the inland roads in between.
Request your bike
Send your dates, rider heights and pickup or delivery point. We reply with availability and the complete quote.