Published on: 19 January 2017 | Last updated: 13 January 2020
At a glance
Distance
355 kilometres (Ostiglia option) or 387 kilometres (Quarto d’Altino/Venezia option)
Difficulty/terrain
Easy but there are more challenging options if you want them.
Traffic
The northern part of the route is almost entirely on traffic-free cycleways. On the southern parts of the route it mainly uses quiet roads.
Surfaces
Predominantly on surfaced roads or cycleways
Finding your way
The signposting is generally excellent but note that some of the variants aren’t signposted, and once beyond Verona and Feltre signposting tends to be very patchy.
Introduction
The Via Claudia crosses the Italian-Austrian border near Nauders and follows the Adige (Etsch) river as it heads towards Verona and then the Adriatic.
The route takes you through the Südtirol, and Trentino into the Veneto —each region with its own history and identity. The Trentino and Südtirol are two of Italy’s most distinctive areas. The Südtirol is overwhelmingly German-speaking while the Trentino is predominantly Italian-speaking.
The Italian section includes some of Europe’s premier traffic-free cycleways. These bike paths are a bit like the cycling equivalent of motorways and the only disadvantage is that it’s all too easy to zoom through and miss the riches along the way.
Highlights
The scenery along this stretch of the route is gorgeous. On one side of the broad river valley you have the great mountains of Lombardia and the Brenta Dolomites, and on the other the Dolomites.
Verona and Venezia are the best-known city destinations along the way, but some of the less well-known towns are great places to visit. My pick of the places you haven’t heard of but are worth your time would be: Glurns (Glorenza), Bozen (Bolzano), Trento and Feltre.
The Via Claudia in Italy: Overview map
Map: VCA-Italy-overview-show map in overlay | VCA-Italy-overview-show map in new window
Options and connections
The official route has two main options - one goes via Feltre to Altino near Venezia, and the other via Verona to Ostiglia (the former was one of the main ports on the Adriatic, and the other an important port on the Po river). They’re both good options. The first option has the obvious attraction of Venezia but there is a tricky climb from Trento —although you can avoid it by taking the shuttle or the train. The second option offers a relaxed cruise to Verona, but to be honest after Verona it’s not especially interesting.
Variations
The position is complicated by the fact that the official route as you see it on the viaclaudia.org website (viaclaudia.org: interactive map), and on OpenStreetMap maps differs from the route as it exists on the ground. For example, at Algund (Lagundo) north of Meran (Merano) the official route leaves the river and detours through the wine country via Marling. It’s a nice route, but as far as the Südtirol region, and the signposting, is concerned the route continues to follow the river on towards Meran and Bozen.
In this guide I have presented all of the variants so that you can choose between them. The other main variant is at Borgo Valsugana where the official route climbs to Castello Tesino and goes from there to the Croce d’Aune. The original route also offered the option of continuing along the Valsugana cycleway to Tezze and then on from there to Feltre. This option is still signposted and still perfectly viable.
Connections
As cycle routes go, the Via Claudia is well connected, so there are lots of options if you want to include it in a longer journey. It connects with two of Italy’s main international cycle routes: the Ciclopista del Sole (eurovelo 7) and with the Ciclovia del Po (eurovelo 8) which runs east-west across the country.
The Ciclopista del Sole continues south from Trento to the Lago di Garda, and then Mantova. From Mantova you can continue to Bologna and then Firenze and Rome. You could also turn left at Bozen and then follow the PusterBike cycleway to Toblach (Dobbiaco). At Toblach you can then head south into the heart of the Dolomites on the Ciclabile delle Dolomiti or pick up the Drauradweg through Austria (see also: italy-cycling-guide.info: Through Austria along the River Drau from Toblach to Tarvisio).
The Via Claudia connects with the Ciclovia del Po/eurovelo 8 at Ostiglia on the Po, and on the Adriatic coast north of Venezia. You could follow the coastline north into Friuli-Venezia-Giulia and on from there along the coast of Slovenija and Hrvatska (Croatia). Or you could head south, island-hopping along the eastern side of the Venetian lagoon (see italy-cycling-guide.info: Islands and lagoons of the Adriatic Coast)
Distances
Via Claudia Augusta: Feltre-Treviso-Venezia option | |
---|---|
Reschensee to Bozen (Bolzano) | 113kms |
Bozen to Trento | 60kms |
Trento to Feltre | 106 kms |
Feltre to Treviso | 81 kms |
Feltre to Treviso (via Passo di Praderadego) | 108 kms |
Treviso to Altino | 32 kms |
Via Claudia Augusta: Verona-Ostiglia option | |
---|---|
Reschensee to Bozen (Bolzano) | 113 kms |
Bozen to Trento | 60 kms |
Trento to Verona | 99 kms |
Verona to Ostiglia | 81 kms |
More information
Places to stay
Transport and services
Resources
Articles in this series
- The Via Claudia in Germany and Austria: Overview
- Via Claudia Part 1: Donauwörth to Landsberg Am Lech
- Via Claudia Part 2: Landsberg am Lech to Füssen
- Via Claudia Part 3: Füssen to Imst
- Via Claudia Part 4: Along the valley of the Inn
- The Via Claudia in Italy: Overview
- Via Claudia Part 5: The Vinschgau
- Via Claudia Part 6: Algund to Trento
- Via Claudia Part 7: Trento to the Lago di Caldonazzo
- Via Claudia 8: San Cristoforo al Lago to Feltre via the Valsugana
- Via Claudia Part 9: the Valsugana cycleway to Bassano del Grappa
- Via Claudia Part 10: San Cristoforo al Lago to Feltre via the Passo Croce d’Aune
- Via Claudia Part 11: Feltre to Treviso
- Via Claudia Part 12: Treviso to Altino (and Venezia)
- Via Claudia Part 13: Trento to Verona and Ostiglia
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Please get in touch if you find any errors in the information, or if there’s anything, good or bad, that you’d want other cyclists to know.
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