Cycling Tour in Alto Adige-South Tyrol & Trentino

This area is famous for its industrious, active people: a fabulous mix of Italian, Austrian, and Ladin customs and mindsets. Learn more about the local people through our visits to small producers, the people behind your food. Discuss with your tour leaders the history and traditions of this part of Italy, collect inspiring stories, and learn recipes to take home with you.

Enjoy your 6-night journey at your own rhythm, immersing yourself in the exquisite alpine atmosphere and pastoral bliss of Trentino and South Tyrol, all while riding on quiet bike paths from Venosta and Adige Valleys to Lake Garda: Welcome to the kingdom of cycling, skiing, and hiking!

See here for more info on Trentino and Alto Adige/South Tyrol provinces.

Dates & Pricing

Minimum of 6 participants, maximum of 16, with a maximum guide-to-guest ratio of 1 to 8

DATES (7 days)

June 5-11, 2023

For more info and availability please contact us.

TOUR PRICE

Per person in double occupancy: from $4,290

Single Supplement: $790

For travel in 2021 and beyond, your tour is carbon neutral! In addition, we donate more than 1% of your trip price to food-literacy and environmental non-profits that share our values. (Details here)

Tour Highlights

Meet local experts and taste regional products
Discover the Venosta, Sarca and Adige Valleys, and the towns of Merano, Bolzano, Trento, Riva del Garda and the village of Rablà
Explore on your bike the tranquil countryside on quiet bike paths, at times surrounded by century-old forests, lakes, green valleys, fruit orchards and vineyards
Savor local wine, beer, bread, cured meat, cheese, olive oil and other local products
Experience authentic Trentina and South Tyrolean cuisines through local traditional recipes featuring fresh and seasonal ingredients in restaurants and agriturismi
Some of the best local indigenous grapes, Marzemino, Teroldego, Nosiola and Traminer
Relax in unique 4-star and boutique hotels distinctly representing the local Italian and Austrian cultures
Delve into history and traditions in this unique area of northeastern Italy with your tour leaders, while meeting the local food makers and artisans!

Cycling Level 1 – Antipasto (Appetizer)

What's Included

6 nights of accommodation in 4-star and boutique hotels
6 breakfasts, 2 lunches, and 5 dinners with either a 3- or 4-course menu
Walks with your guides in Bolzano, Trento and Riva del Garda
Entry fees to Archeological Musem in Bolzano and to Buonconsiglio castle in Trento
2 visits and tasting to local wineries near Riva and Trento
1 visit & beer tasting to a brewery in Bolzano
1 visit & tasting to olive oil mill in Riva
1 visit to a bike shop in Nalles
Rides on quiet bike paths, hikes on scenic trails, and optional kayaking on Lake Garda
Bike rental (see more info here) and Garmin Touring Edge unit (if you have one, bring yours and we’ll upload the routes onto your unit)
Comfortable transportation and assistance by 9-seat van for all travel on tour as cited in the itinerary
Refreshments, snacks, fruits, and other local delicacies during our rides
Two bilingual, professional Tour Leaders
One group transfer from/to Verona airport at the beginning and at the end of the tour
Local taxes and gratuities for luggage porters and restaurant servers during tour

What's Not Included

4 lunches and 1 dinner on your own
Alcoholic beverages at group meals (including wine and spirits)
Round-trip airfare and expenses to/from the tour
E-bike, upon request and availability, with $150-250 surcharge depending on the type (see more info here)
Trip cancellation, baggage loss or travel delay insurance (this optional coverage is highly recommended. See more info here)
Gratuities for your Tour Leader
Personal expenses, such as, but not limited to, phone calls, laundry, emails, snacks, gifts

Itinerary

Optional Pre-Tour Night in Rablà
Day 1 – Rablà and Venosta Valley

Cycling Route Info on Day 1: Main Route: 14mi/450ft of elev. gain | Extra loop adds: 5mi/150ft

Fly to Verona Airport and join us for a 2-hour group transfer to our accommodation for the next night in Rablà. Check in and relax before meeting your guide for a light lunch and introduction to the tour. Later, we enjoy a warm up ride on the scenic bike path throug Venosta Valley and start our exploration of the South Tyrol.

Dinner tonight is at our elegant hotel and featuring local Tyrolean specialties. Relax in this unique corner of Italy before tomorrow's ride to Bolzano.

German is pervasive in South Tyrol, though of course Italian is also spoken, particularly in the capital Bolzano. Besides the dialects spoken around Trento and elsewhere, the third most common language in the region is Ladin, a Romance language used largely in the valleys of Fassa, Gardena, Badia and near Ampezzo, in the Dolomites that we are not going to explore on this tour given its challenging terrain. We do recommend visiting the area on your own, either before or after tour, to breathe in its majestic landscapes and pristine environment
Day 2 & 3 – Rablà to Bolzano and Caldaro Lake

Cycling Route Info on Day 2: Main Route 30mi/700ft | Extra loop adds: 4mi/300ft

Cycling Route Info on Day 3: Main Route 28mi/1250ft | Extra loop adds: 9mi/350ft

Today we continue through a scenic bike path and stop by Merano for a coffee and visit. Eventually we reach Bolzano, capital of South Tyrol, an incredibly cyclist-friendly city, and our base for the next two nights. Here we’ll enjoy together the many bike paths in and out of town and explore the area of Lake Caldaro surrounded by apple orchards and vineyards.

Off the bike, we’ll visit local beer makers to taste their works while savoring South Tyrolean specialties and hearing about local recipes! Be sure not to miss the local archeological museum, featuring 5000-year-old ice man Otzi, whose body was discovered in the Alps only a few years ago.

Relish the best of Trentino and South Tyrol provinces, both on and off bike, on this 6-night journey. The area is famous for its restorative benefits. As of the end of 2021, Trento and Bolzano each made the top three on a list of Italian cities offering the highest quality of life (based on research from University of La Sapienza in Rome).
Day 4 -- Bolzano to Trento

Cycling Route Info on Day 4: Main Route 36mi/900ft with van transfer to hotel | Extra loop adds: 7mi/200ft

Our next night finds us in the area around Trento, capital of Trentino province that we’ll start to discover through a visit at a family-run winery. Here, during a visit and tasting over lunch, you will savor the indigenous grapes Teroldego and Müller Thurgau and the local expression of Champenoise method (“metodo classico” in Italian) made with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir varieties. Finally we reach Trento that used to be the seat of the council of the Roman Catholic Reformation in the 1500s.

Here we enjoy leisurely ambles down the alleys of Trento and discover the majestic castle of Buonconsiglio, which dates back to the 13th C. This is the largest and most important castle in region and until the 18th C. it has been the seat of the local prince-bishops, until the secularization (confiscation of church property by the local government) of the principality. Since 1973 the castle became the regional museum of art

Relax in the late afternoon, or evening after dinner, at the wonderful private sauna or steam room in your own room at the hotel located in the historic center of Trento
Day 5 & 6 – Trento to Riva del Garda and Sarca Valley

Cycling Route Info on Day 5: Main Route 30mi/950ft | Extra loop adds: 9mi/300ft

Cycling Route Info on Day 6: Main Route 29mi/1400ft | Extra loop adds: 5mi/100ft

Riva del Garda, on the northern, Trentino side of Lake Garda (the lake acts as border between Trentino, Lombardy and Veneto) is our final destination. This is the largest lake of Italy and given its pristine waters and mild climate it attracts plenty of tourists looking for active vacations surrounded by a stunning scenery.

For our last two nights, enjoy this charming lakeside town from the comforts of our resort hotel near the lake. The surrounding countryside offers delectable panoramic views of the lake.

Here we’ll also be sure to visit an olive oil maker. The oil from this area is distinctively pungent and denser than the varieties you find further south. And our final day shall be punctuated by a visit to a local winery after another scenic ride on the bike path of Sarca valley and an optional kayaking trip on the lake on your own.
Day 7 – Verona airport

To request the itinerary as a PDF or to ask us any questions please contact us today!