Published on: 16 March 2014 | Last updated: 31 December 2019
Cycleway between Bozen (Bolzano) and Trento
At a glance
Distance
93 kilometres via Meran | 94 Kilometres via (Marling)
Difficulty/Terrain
Easy - flat or slightly downhill
Traffic
Traffic-free cycleways if you go via Meran. The Marling option involves some quiet roads.
Note that at weekends in summer the cycleway gets very busy. In my experience it is friendlier and more relaxed during the week.
Surface
Surfaced
Signs
Well-signed
Overview
Leaving the Vinschgau behind, the Via Claudia heads into the broad river valley with the high rock walls on either side. You are now on the Etschtal Radweg (Ciclabile Valle dell’Adige) which runs on the top of the high embankments (levees) built as flood defences along the banks of the river. The landscape is dominated by apple growing: it must be a wonderful sight in spring when the apple blossom is out. Continuing to follow the river Etsch-Adige the route crosses the border into the Trentino.
Map and altitude profile
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Distances
| Distances | |
|---|---|
| Algund - Meran (Merano) | 4 kms |
| Meranto Bozen (Bolzano) | 35 kms |
| Bozen to Auer (Ora) | 17 kms |
| Auer to Salurn (Salurno) | 12 kms |
| Salurn to Lavis | 33kms |
| Lavis to Trento | 9 kms |
Crossing the Etsch (Adige) near Bozen
Options
Through Germany and Austria there’s one single route, but in Italy, there are a number of points where you have choices. One of these is at Algund (Lagundo). The route shown on the viaclaudia.org website (and on OpenStreetMap maps) crosses the Adige and heads via Marling and Lana. However, you can also continue on towards Meran and Bozen. The two options converge near Bozen.
If you’re not interested in visiting Meran or Bozen then the Marling route is quite a scenic option, but note that, apart from some Via Claudia information panels, it is unsigned. It also follows quiet roads rather than traffic-free cycleways (although the roads are very quiet).
Map of the two options at Algund
Map: VCA-Algund-options-map-show map in overlay | VCA-Algund-options-map-show map in new window
Even more options
There’s nothing that says that you have to head south from Bozen; you could head north towards Brixen (Bressanone) and from there take the Pusterbike through the Pustertal (val Pusteria). See Südtirol cycleways and the Pusterbike cycleway for more information.
Heading south from Bozen you could take the option of going through the wine country around Kaltern and the KaltererSee. This might combine well with the Marling option of the Via Claudia.
The Sudtirol Wine Road (Suedtiroler Weinstrasse) website has information about three circular rides around Bozen. The northern wine route is a 45-kilometre circular route to the north and west of Bozen. The central wine route is a 23-kilometre circular ride in the Kaltern area. The southern wine route is a 39-kilometre circular ride through the wine-growing area to the south of the Kalterersee.
Figure outside the Pircher restaurant near Nals. The blue apron is traditional workwear in the area
Algund (Lagundo)
The wooden bridge on the approach to Algund is also the parting of the way for the two options. Turn right if you want to go to Marling. The route passes Forst Brauerei. Nearby is the Burg Vorst (Castello Foresta) which is owned by the family who own the brewery.
Note that the route crosses a main road that is, a little further on, off-limits to bikes, as it heads into a long tunnel.
Meran (Merano)
After Naturns comes the spa town of Meran. I would definitely advise detouring off the cycle route to explore the city centre. If you have the time and the inclination you might want to visit the spa itself (opening times and prices). (You may also want to check out the link for the Piscina Naturale/Naturbad at Gargazzone (photogallery | opening hours and prices). Take the underpass that links the cycleway with Gargazzone and then follow the signs.
The Naturbad Gargazon. Photo Georg Mayr by courtesy of the Naturbad Gargazon
You could also visit the Schloss Tirol castle - home to the dukes of Tyrol until they moved their capital to Innsbruck, or the gardens of the Trauttmansdorff Castle.
Bozen (Bolzano)
Bozen is about 100 metres in altitude below Meran - so enjoy the last bit of downhill. From Bozen to Trento it’s pretty much all flat. You could bypass the centre of Bozen (Bolzano) but again it would be a pity to miss out on it. The city has one of the best networks of cycleways of any city in Italy and it’s definitely worth taking the time to wander around. (download a pdf map of the city’s cyclepaths ). Fore more about Bozen see: italy-cycling-guide.info: Bozen.
Signs on the Bozen city boundary welcoming cyclists to the city of the bicycle
Sigmundskron (Ponte d’Adige)
The two variants rejoin near to Terlan and Andrian. A little further on you come to Sigmundskron (Ponte d’Adige) and the only point on the route where the signage is confusing: it seems to be directing you right, over the bridge, when in fact you need to go left (following the sign for the Radstation Wiesl). ( picture of the signs). By the way, even if you are heading for Eppian and the wine route it’s still better to go left than right: there’s an old railway bridge that takes you over the river and you can pick up the cycleway to Eppian.
You take the next right and then right again. In front of you you should see a castle on a hill — this is the Schloss Sigmundskron (Castello Firmiano). The castle has been restored and is now home to the Messner Mountain Museum Firmian. The museum’s theme (borrowing the words from the website) is man’s encounter with the mountains. An itinerary between the various works of art, installations and relics and explores the religious significance of the peaks as an aid to orientation and a bridge to the beyond. It looks like an interesting place, I just wish I’d known about it when I passed by. The Museum is open every day except Thursdays from late March to November —follow the link to check opening times.
Cyclists on the Adige cycleway near Salurn (Salorno)
On to Trento
The villages in the valley tend to be located a little away from the river, so the cycleway will take you past the villages rather than through them so you need to make a conscious effort to make side-trips. My suggestion would be to stop off at Egna/Neumarkt, a wine-producing centre and pretty village with arcaded streets and Venetian-influenced architecture. You could also stop off at the nearby Klösterle Sankt Florian once a hospice for pilgrims (including Albrecht Dürer on his way to Venezia). Look out also for the Schlöss Haderberg on a rocky spike above Salurn. In an area with so many castles, this has perhaps the most dramatic location.
The bicigrills
A bicigrill is a cafe beside a cycleway. The name comes from the Autogrills on Italy’s autostrade. The bicigrill by the bridge at Salurn is, for me at least, always a welcome sight and an obligatory stop. It’s something of an institution, although it now has a rival for your affections a a few kilometres further on: the Bicigrill Faeda aka Bike Break. If you’re heading on towards Verona, look out for another institution the Bicigrill Nomi near Rovereto.
A few kilometres even further on, near Mezzacorona, is La Cacciatora restaurant. Not a bicigrill, but a popular stop on the route. Recommended, but it gets busy.
After Salurn, you come into the Trentino. The first town on the Trentino side of the border is Lavis and the route detours into the town in order to cross a bridge over a tributary of the Adige. Lavis has an attractive historic centre with a couple of nice bars and cafes so it’s worth seeking out. Look out for the frescoed bookshop. There’s also a bar on the bridge on the route itself.
Decorated building facade - Lavis (Trentino)
The Moser Museum
At Lavis cycling fans may want to turn off the route to visit the Museo dei Moser at the Cantina Moser vineyard (Maso Villa Warth).
The Moser family has produced more than its fair share of cycling champions - the Gazzetta dello Sport (Italy’s main sports paper - you’ll find it in every Italian cafe and bar) called them a dinastia: producing eight professional cyclists. (Including Gilberto Simoni the total comes to nine). The village they come from, Palù di Giovo, has produced four pink-jersey winners.
The best-known member of the family is Francesco Moser who in 1984 broke the one-hour record set by Eddy Merckx 12 years before, and went on to win the Giro d’Italia in the same year.
The Museo Moser: one of Francesco Moser’s bikes, and in the background one of the family’s collection of pink jerseys. Photo: Cantina Moser
You can reach the Cantina Moser taking the SP131 out of Lavis (avoiding the SS12). Note that visits are by appointment - the email address is info@mosertrento.com.
The Moserissima
The city of Trento has launched a new cycling event La Moserissima named after Sr. Moser. It’s a non-competitve cycling event for vintage bikes (biciclette di epoca) inspired by Toscana’s Eroica — the course is 55 kilometres over a mixture of surfaced and unsurfaced roads with a respectable but not scary amount of climbing (678 metres total altitude gain). There are stops at the Cantina CAVIT as well as the Cantina Moser. Judging by the promo video it looks quite fun if you’re into the retro thing:
There’s full information on discovertrento.it: La Moserissima you can also go find the event on facebook facebook.com/LaMoserissima.
Trento
Trento is a few kilometres further on. Trento is definitely worth a stop - even if it’s only a brief one to visit the Piazza del Duomo - this is only a couple of hundred metres or so off the route (but sadly, not signposted), with the frescoed palazzi and the nearby Palazzo Geremia on the Via Belanzani.
If you have more time then you definitely shouldn’t miss the Castello Buonconsiglio. For more about Trento see italy-cycling-guide.info: Trento.
Trento: Palazzo Geremia. Photo by Matteo Ianeselli. Source Wikimedia Commons
More information
Places to stay
Transport and services
Resources
Sign for a bar-spaghetteria on the Valle dell’Adige cycleway
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
- Via Claudia Part 5: The Vinschgau
- Via Claudia Part 6: Algund to Trento
- 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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