Touring Bike
£80 for 5 days
Discover South Tyrol at a relaxed family pace on this six-day loop along the Adige River Cycle Route, Italy’s very first dedicated bike path. Starting and finishing in bilingual Bolzano, you’ll follow gentle, mostly traffic-free cycle paths past the famous submerged bell tower of Lake Resia, apple orchards and storybook Tyrolean villages, with two nights in the elegant spa town of Merano and time to explore the Passeier Valley.
Trip Highlights
What to Expect
This easy tour is built for families, with short daily rides of 22–31 miles on flat, well-signposted cycle paths and only a few gentle climbs. Child bikes, tag-alongs, tandems, trailers and seats are all available to hire, and trains shadow the route for most of the week so any stage can be shortened if little legs get tired.
Arrive in bilingual Bolzano, where Italian and German cultures meet at the gateway to the Dolomites. Explore the arcaded old town, the Gothic cathedral and lively Piazza Walther, or meet Ötzi the Iceman at the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology before your first night.
A scenic transfer climbs to the Reschen Pass at 1,500 m, where the riding begins. Freewheel down past Lake Resia and its famous submerged bell tower, the hilltop Monte Maria Abbey and the tiny walled town of Glorenza, then follow the Vinschgau Valley through Lasa, known for its white marble, to Silandro.
Optional: shorten the stage by train from Malles or Lasa to Silandro.
Roll gently downhill through a sea of apple orchards and pretty Tyrolean villages to the elegant spa town of Merano, famous for its palm-lined Passer promenade and thermal baths — the first of two relaxing nights here.
A flexible day. Unwind in Merano’s gardens and thermal baths, or ride out along the Passeier Valley towards San Leonardo, passing the Sandwirt inn — birthplace of Tyrolean hero Andreas Hofer — beneath the peaks of the Texelgruppe Nature Reserve, before returning to Merano for a second night.
This ride is optional — many families keep it as a rest day in Merano.
Follow the apple-lined Ciclabile delle Mele back down the valley, with a chance to visit the Apple Museum in Lana, returning to Bolzano at the confluence of the Isarco and Adige for a final evening in the city.
After breakfast your holiday comes to an end — or extend your stay to discover more of South Tyrol.
We recommend flying to Verona Airport (VRN) and returning from Verona Airport (VRN).
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Getting to Bolzano (start and end of tour)
By plane: Bolzano’s own airport (BZO) has only limited scheduled flights, so most travellers use a larger gateway. The nearest are Verona (VRN, about 1.5 hours away by train or road) and Innsbruck (INN, about 1 hour over the Brenner), with Venice, Bergamo, Milan and Munich also within easy reach and offering wide international connections.
By train: Bolzano/Bozen sits on the Brenner main line, with direct trains from Verona (around 1.5 hours), Innsbruck (around 2 hours) and Munich (around 3.5 hours), and fast onward links from Verona across the rest of Italy.
By car: Bolzano is right on the A22 Brenner motorway — about 1 hour from Innsbruck to the north and 1.5 hours from Verona to the south. As the tour begins and ends in Bolzano, a car left here is easy to collect at the end.
Bikes are not included. You are welcome to bring your own bike or hire one. Please see our bike hire section for details.
Flights are not included. Please refer to the what's included section for full details.
We will confirm your booking within 48 hours of receiving your enquiry. Please wait for confirmation before booking flights or making other travel arrangements.
Most itineraries include cycling on most days, with some rest or shorter days built in. Please check the itinerary for day-by-day details.
The latest you can book is 9 days before departure. This gives us enough time to confirm arrangements and accommodation.
You will receive full travel details, including accommodation, meeting points and local contacts, 3 to 5 weeks before departure.
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