Dolomites, Bolzano and Merano
Biking tours in South Tyrol
On wonderful, well-maintained cycle paths you cycle away from the traffic through the eastern Pustertal valley and the sunny Vinschgau valley. With the imposing mountains of the Dolomites in view, the landscape is characterised by vineyards, lush orchards and enchants with rushing rivers and idyllic lakes. In the picturesque villages, lived customs are just as much at home as northern Italian chic. Enjoy the highly praised Tyrolean hospitality along the way with a hearty Brettljausen and a good drop of South Tyrolean wine. In Bolzano and Merano, stroll through flowering parks with exotic plants and along picturesque leafy lanes with fine boutiques, pretty shops and cafés.
The mountains in view, but not in the calves
On our bike tours through South Tyrol you cycle on very well developed bike paths and without traffic through Italy's northernmost province. The towering mountains are in your sights, but you don't have to climb them, instead you roll through South Tyrol's valleys on easy-to-ride, flat bike routes without major gradients.
South and Sissi
In South Tyrol you can explore the eastern Pusteria Valley and the sun-drenched Val Venosta with Velociped. There it is already like in the deep south: arches under which you can take refuge in the shade when the sun is bright. You will find them in places such as Bolzano, Merano and Brixen. In Brixen, it is worth visiting the yellow and light blue cathedral as well as the parish church and the Hofgarten, a Renaissance garden next to the bishop's court. In Merano, admire the Merano Art Nouveau style of the new spa house, the quaint Steinach quarter or the fashionable promenades along the Passer. Sissi here! Her statue is in Elisabeth Park. Opposite the Passerpromenade is the Merano Therme in purist cube design by Matteo Thun. In Burgeis you will find artfully painted houses with frescoes. Painted ribbons are meant to stop evil. Bolzano's house facades are often decorated with bay windows and paintings, Gothic and Rococo elements, but also hypermodern architecture such as the Museion in Bolzano or the Messner Mountain Museum designed by Zaha Hadid will amaze you.
Old customs and modernity
Many traditions, still lived today, such as the Almabrieb, the Heart-Jesu-Fire or Watten, a social card game, but also festivals such as the Bolzano Dance or the Alto Adige South Tyrolean Jazz Festival await you. There are also open-air events throughout the summer, such as the Rittner Sommerspiele or the Appiano Humor Festival on Lake Montigl. Friends of contemporary fine art will find something at the Gherdëina Biennale and the Unika art fair.
Buschenschank and Brettljause
Already from the saddle you will notice the vines and the orchards. Here everything flourishes splendidly and finds its way onto the plate or into the glass. Be sure to stop in one of the bush taverns and treat yourself to a hearty Brettljause, accompanied by a glass of South Tyrolean wine. Maybe a Frauerler, an old grape variety, or a Vernatsch, the classic. But there is also elderberry juice or apple juice from the many apple trees that line the bike paths. In Laatsch in Vinschgau, you should treat yourself to a Palabirnen bread in the bakery Schuster. And another bread is a Vinschger speciality: the Ur-Paarl. Only from the fields of the Val Venosta region can the rye used, from which the Ur-Paarl is baked in its peculiar form: two continuous, flat slices. At weddings, they were put on the table as a symbol of the togetherness of the bride and groom - love finally passes through the stomach. The "Vinschgerle", as it is also called in Germany, is better known than the Vinschgau region itself. In addition to the Vinschgerle, the Törggelen (young wine with homemade Schlutzkrapfen, dumplings, surf meat, sausages with sauerkraut, sweet donuts and fried chestnuts), South Tyrolean bacon, Schüttelbrot and Schlutzkrapfen are well known and popular. Foodies stick to apple strudel and Kaiserschmarrn.
Nature
The towering mountain peaks of the Dolomites, rushing South Tyrolean rivers and streams as well as idyllic lakes make cycling tours through South Tyrol a unique natural experience. Even in the cities you will find impressive nature: in the parks of Merano, for example - with exotic tree giants such as Lebanon cedars, palms or the Californian mammoth tree, which thrive here in the mild climate. - The Kalterer See biotope is located in the Natura 2000 Wetland Nature Reserve and can be encircled on a seven kilometre long hiking trail with display boards explaining the biotope. Early in the year it is warm, so in addition to vines and apples, figs and almonds flourish in the area.
