Published on: 3 January 2017  | Last updated: 12 January 2020

Overview

The Via Claudia follows Inn river from Imst to Martina in Switzerland before crossing back into Austria and the climb to the border with Italy and the highest point on the whole route at the Reschenpass. Things just keep getting better: the scenery is gorgeous, and there are some lovely Alpine villages on the way. The Altfinstermünz which once controlled the route is a real highlight.

Options

You could continue along the Innradweg to Innsbruck (and on to Passau) or continue on from Martina to Sankt Moritz and Maloja. Or you could pick up the Swiss Graubünden Route (national

Map and altitude profile

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Distances
Imst to Pfunds	54 kms
Pfunds to Martina	13 kms
Martina to Nauders	8 kms
Nauders to Reschenpass	5 kms
Reschenpass to Glurns	26 kms

Along the Inn

From Imst there’s a bit more downhill before the Via Claudia crosses the river and joins the Innradweg. From here it follows the river through the Inntal, to Martina just over the border in Switzerland. This section is one of the most scenic of the whole route through Austria.

The cycle route skirts round the town of Landeck on a bend in the river, passing below the castle before continuing on following the banks of the river towards Prutz and Pfunds. This is one of the nicest stretches of the route. 

The route crosses the river six times on its way towards the border with Switzerland. There’s a lovely roofed timber bridge just after Landeck. The most historic bridge is the Pontlatzer Brücke near Prutz. This was the site for a Roman bridge (the name comes from the Latin ‘Pons Ladis’) and was the scene of two historic victories by Tyrolean troops against Bavarian forces in 1703 and 1809. There’s a monument beside the bridge commem­or­ating these battles.

To the Reschenpass and Reschensee

Bikes are banned from the main road to the Reschenpass, so if you want to cycle to the pass then the you need to continue along the Inn to Martina (1005m). From Martina, there’s a straight­forward climb on a quiet road (the Martinsbruckerstraße) to the Norbertshöhe (1405m), before descending again to Nauders (1394m). After Nauders there’s a final climb to the Reschenpass (1509m).

I haven’t done it, but according to the signs along the route, you could continue along the old Roman route, but, according to the  warning signs, the route is unrideable even with a mountainbike so you would have to continue on foot as the Romans did.

The route from Nauders to the border with Italy follows the Nauders Alte Straße which I assume from its name (Old Nauders Road) must have been the original road to the pass. It’s a lovely ride across alpine hay meadows. There’s a sign at the border that says ‘Reschenpass Passo di Resia 1455m, but according to the map the pass (and the end of the climb) is a little further on. The source of the Etsch/Adige river (Etschquelle — Sorgente dell’Adige) is close by, although in keeping with the two passes there are two sources —an official one, and the real one inside a disused bunker.This section ends on the shore of the Reschensee (Lago di Resia). On a clear day the views of the Italian Alps are just fabulous: this is not just the physical high-point of the route.

The Finstermünz

Between Pfunds and Martina is one of the highlights of the whole cycle route: the Altfinstermünz. The Finstermünz is defin­itely worth the side trip. The deep, narrow river gorge, was the location of the old Roman bridge over the river, and continued as the main crossing point over the border until the completion of the modern road to the Reschenpass in 1854. You can see the modern road, almost clinging to the valley sides, high above the Finstermünz.

If you are heading north to south then it’s probably easier to continue along the road and then, once you’re over the border, look for the signs on the left-hand side. There is a (Swiss) cycle path that takes you down to the Finstermünz, but it’s a steepish climb back up, and if you are fully loaded, the easiest option is probably to hide your bikes out of sight and walk down and back up. If you are going south to north then you can easily follow the cycleway down and then continue beside the river towards Pfunds.

The bridge and the forti­fic­a­tions built to defend it have been restored and converted into a museum (the project is supported by local author­ities from Austria, Switzerland and Italy, as well as the European Union). Do visit the castle, if only for the video which follows a merchant travelling the route in the Middle Ages, and among other things, tells how he pays the guards on the bridge to fit smaller wheels to his cart so that it will pass over the bridge. You’ll need a pair of shoes with grippy soles for going up and down a stairway tunnelled through the rock. 

Martina, Nauders and the Reschenpass

The road to Martina continues, alongside the river, through a dramatic gorge. The road is relat­ively quiet. Look out for the great spike of rock that towers over the road on the left-hand side.

As you head for Martina you may notice signs in a language that seems like Italian, but isn’t Italian. This is Rumantsch — one of Switzerland’s four official languages (the others are German, French and Italian). 

From Martina you cross back over the Inn one final time and back into Austria. The route takes you along the Martinsbruckerstraße from Martina (1005m) to the Norbertshöhe (1405m), before descending again to Nauders (1394m).

After Nauders there’s a final climb to the Reschenpass and the Reschensee (1504m) a little further on. 

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