Cycling
From Austria to the lands of Venice

Individual arrival and overnight in Innsbruck. The city of sport and culture nestled in the Austrian Alps welcomes you with its colourful houses and scenic streets. Take the opportunity to take a walk in the old town and enjoy its architectural wonders, like the Golden Roof and the Imperial Palace.

The day begins with a minivan transfer to the Brenner Pass, at 1,372 meters above sea level, where your biking vacation officially begins. Since ancient times, the Brenner Pass has been the most important communication route between the North Sea and the Italian peninsula. Since 1919, the pass has marked the border between Italy and Austria. You’ll start pedaling along the Isarco Valley bike path through quaint villages and lush green meadows to Sterzing, the capital of the Isarco Valley and a town of Roman origin. Sterzing is also famous for its social dairy, which produces milk, butter and yogurt. Just before arriving in Bressanone, your destination today, we recommend the short detour to Neustift Abbey: founded in 1142 by Brixen Bishop Hartmann to house Augustinian canons, it became the most important cultural and spiritual center in the Tyrol. The abbey brings together different stylistic influences, ranging from Romanesque to Baroque. The Neustift Abbey winery is counted among the oldest active wineries in the world; if you have time, stop by and take a look and, why not, taste some of the wines produced here.

Bressanone is considered the oldest city in the Tyrol and is known for its variety: the perfect combination of city and mountain, of culture and sports, between the picturesque alleys of its lively old town and the adjacent Plose mountain. Before setting off on your bike, visit the sumptuous Baroque-style cathedral and Romanesque cloister with medieval frescoes. Along today’s route, we recommend a stop at the Sabiona Monastery, which towers above the city of Klausen and dominates the Isarco Valley: the spiritual cradle of the entire Tyrol, it constitutes one of the oldest Christian monuments in the entire Alpine region.
Then remount your bike and reach Bolzano, which awaits you with its delightful center made up of cobblestoned streets overlooked by colorful houses in typical Tyrolean style. Always a crossroads of trade between the Mediterranean and Central Europe, Bolzano is now an important center of commerce and tourism and boasts a perfect balance of innovation and tradition.

Shorten the stage You can shorten the stage by taking a train to Bolzano from the stations of Chiusa/Klausen or Ponte Gardena/Waidbruck.

Start cycling along the Adige River bike path, among the famous vineyards of the South Tyrolean Wine Route, one of the oldest wine routes in Italy. With its 4,250 hectares of cultivation, the Route accounts for 84 percent of the vineyards in South Tyrol and is home to both internationally renowned wines and native grape varieties. Today, you can choose to ride a hilly variant, which takes you to beautiful Lake Kaltern, or you can stay on the completely flat bike path along the Adige River (total length: 65 km, elevation gain +295 m/-365 m). In either case, you’ll continue on to Trento, where you can explore its charming historic center, admiring the elegant frescoed buildings. The city is guarded by the Buonconsiglio Castle, built starting in 1200 and from where you can enjoy a unique view of Trento and the valley below.

Shortenthe stage You can shorten the stage by taking a train to Trento from the following stations: Ora, Egna, Salorno, or Mezzocorona. You can also get on the train at Grumo-San Michele all’Adige (Malè-Trento line).

The Adige River accompanies you to Rovereto, a town famous for its MART museum of contemporary art. From here you leave the valley to tackle the short ascent of Passo di San Giovanni and then the breathtaking descent, which provides spectacular views of Lake Garda and the town of Torbole. In Riva del Garda, you embark on a ferry to reach the southern shore of the lake, enjoying a wonderful, relaxing cruise to Peschiera or Desenzano.

Shorten the stage You can shorten the stage by taking the train from Trento to Rovereto or Mori.

Passing the rolling hills that surround Lake Garda, you’ll meet the Adige River again, and together you make your way into Verona, one of the most beautiful and important cities of art in the Veneto region. You’re spoiled for choice when deciding what to visit: Piazza Bra and the Roman Arena, Castelvecchio and its museum, the Church of San Zeno, Juliet’s House… Then top off the day with an aperitif in Piazza delle Erbe and a tasty dinner in a downtown eatery.

If you slept in Desenzano, this stage is 60 km with an elevation gain +490m/-495m.

Continue into the Veronese countryside, on the slopes of the Lessini Mountains, crossing another important wine-growing area, where among the vineyards you encounter the village of Soave. Take time for a walk in this town famous for its perfectly preserved city walls, which enclose the beautiful historic center with the Scaliger Castle. Then you can choose between two routes: the flat path (+425 m/-435 m) brings you close to the beautiful castles of Romeo and Juliet in Montecchio Maggiore, while the hilly one leads you through the Berici hills. Either way, you reach Vicenza. An aperitif in the shadow of Basilica Palladiana is a must! Vicenza is best known for the works of Andrea Palladio, one of the most important architects of the Italian Renaissance, who also inspired the architecture of the White House.

Shorten the stage You can shorten the stage by taking a train from the intermediate station of San Bonifacio, which is located along the Verona-Vicenza railway line.

Just outside Vicenza, you can admire Villa Valmarana ai Nani, famous for its frescoes by Tiepolo, and Villa Capra, known as the Rotonda, considered Palladio’s masterpiece villa: looking at the perfection and geometric rigor, it will not be hard to see why. Then, past the hamlet of Montegalda, you will head towards the Euganean Hills, where you can relax in the largest European thermal district. Your destination today is a village within Europe’s largest spa area, nestled in the green hills of the Euganean Hills regional park.

You’ll first reach Padua, an important university city rich in art and history, known for being the city of the three “withouts.” The city of the saint without a name, because Anthony for the people of Padua is the saint par excellence; the city of the café without doors, because the historic Caffè Pedrocchi used to be open at all hours of the day and night; and the city of the meadow without grass, because the monumental square of “Prato della Valle” was originally a marshy area. Leaving Padua, following the Naviglio del Brenta you encounter some famous villas of the ancient Venetian nobility. You can admire Villa Giovanelli in Noventana, Villa Pisani and Villa Foscarini Rossi in Stra, Villa Valmarana and Villa Seriman Widmann-Foscari in Mira. You finally arrive in Mestre on the mainland of Venice.

Shorten the stage You can take a train from the Terme Euganee-Abano-Montegrotto station to Padua, or from Padua to Mestre/Venice.

If you need to return to Innsbruck, you can go by train. There are no direct connections between Mestre/Venice and Innsbruck, so you would change trains at Verona Porta Nuova. For those who can indulge a little more vacation time, we recommend a visit to Venice, easily reached from Mestre by train or bus.