Across South Tyrol on two wheels.
If you have never heard of the South Tyrol cycle way, pay attention! It is a route – or rather two – that delights locals and holidaymakers, bike fanatics and leisure cyclists, racing, mountain and E-bikers alike. In short, it is a path that runs in stages across the land, including plenty of impressive scenery!
Two routes of five stages each
There are two routes to choose from on the South Tyrol cycle way that in principle only differ in their starting point: route A begins in Vipiteno-Sterzing, in the north of the province and once home to the Fugger dynasty, leading to Brunico-Bruneck in the Puster Valley and continuing down to Bressanone-Brixen, then further south towards the provincial capital of Bolzano-Bozen. From there the longest stage – around 70 km – runs along the River Etsch down to the Unterland region and Lake Kaltern. On the other side of the valley it then continues back up the Etsch to the spa town of Merano-Meran. The final stage takes you to the medieval town of Glorenza-Glurns - South Tyrol’s smallest city.
Route B follows exactly the same route, simply taking Glorenza as its starting point and running in the opposite direction.
Along the cycle way
With five stages averaging over 40 kilometres each, every cyclist will of course need to take a break at some point. To get back to where you are staying – with your South Tyrol private landlord, who may even be a
bike specialist – simply take the train, bus, cable car or shuttle service.
A helping hand
Uh-oh - a flat tyre! Or - even worse – your brakes won’t work! Fortunately there are a number of bike shops along the South Tyrol cycle way that can get you back on track again! There are also places to hire bikes close to the route, as the cycle way is first and foremost designed for spontaneous pedal-pushers!
GPX data, bike maps and an app are also available for download here. So - saddle up and off you go!