Published on: 23 April 2018  | Last updated: 26 December 2019

At a glance

Distance

102 kms

Difficulty/terrain

Easy. If you are heading north to south the route is predom­in­antly downhill with the occasional small climb.

Traffic

Almost entirely on traffic-free cycleways or quiet roads. However, there is a section, just before Franzensfeste Fortezza where the cycleway has been closed and you have to ride on the main road.

Surfaces

There are a couple of short sections of aggregate-surfaced cycleway north of Brixen, but otherwise the cycleway is entirely on asphalt.

Signs

Well signposted and easy to follow

Also known as …

This route is also known as the Eisacktal Radweg (because it follows the Eisack river). It forms part of the München-Venezia and Ciclopista del Sole cycle routes. Until relat­ively recently it was part of eurovelo 7, but seems to have now disap­peared from the maps of the eurovelo network.

Overview

The Brenner pass is the most important transport corridor between Italy and northern Europe. For cyclists, the cycleway is one of the main gateways into Italy and is a key link in the München-Venezia inter­na­tional cycle route. 

The cycleway does a brilliant job of offering a tranquil and peaceful altern­ative. For long sections it follows the course of the old railway line to the Brenner — with the upgraded line rerouted through tunnels. 

While it offers a very welcome altern­ative for inter­na­tional travellers, the cycleway is worth riding for its own sake. The main highlights are the towns of Sterzing (Vipiteno), Brixen (Bressanone), Klausen (Chiusa) and Bozen (Bolzano). The centres of these towns are some of the prettiest and most historic in the region.

Map and altitude profile

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Run your cursor over the graph to show the elevation, and distance from the start, for any given point on the route. (Note: the altitude graph is not shown where the route is flat).

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Distances
Brenner to Sterzing (Vipiteno)	22 kms
Sterzing (Vipiteno) to Fortezza Franzensfeste	23 kms
Fortezza Franzensfeste to Brixen (Bressanone)	10 kms
Brixen to Klausen (Chiusa)	13 kms
Klausen - Bozen (end to junction with the Etsch Radroute)	34 kms

The Brennerradroute near Natz-Schabs (Naz-Sciaves)

Options and variations

The Brennerradroute connects with three other important traffic-free cycleways:

• you can continue south, following the Etsch (Adige) river as it continues on towards Trento, Rovereto, Verona and the Adriatic coast. You can also pick-up another cycleway that takes you to Torbole on the Lago di Garda
• at Fortezza Franzensfeste you can turn east and pickup the Fahrradroute Pustertal (Pustertal cycleway) that continues to Innichen (San Candido) close to the border with Austria where it connects with the Drauradweg
• at the junction with the Etschradroute (part of the Via Claudia Augusta), instead of continuing south, you can turn north and head towards Meran (Meran) and the Vinschgau (Val Venosta).
• heading north you can ride to Innsbruck, but note that after Brenner you have to continue by road for several kilometres.

Getting there … and getting back

Trains

The rail line through Brenner and Bozen is the main rail connection between Italy, Austria and southern Germany. Heading south to services run to Trento, Verona and Bologna. Three train companies operate services along the line:

• Trenitalia offer bike-friendly regional services to Bologna (via Bozen, Trento, and Verona)
• the SAD regional train company operates services north to Brenner and to Lienz in Austria
• the Deutsche Bahn-ÖBB Eurocity services to Innsbruck and München in the north and Bozen, Trento, Bologna, Verona and Venezia to the south.

To travel on the Eurocity services you need to reserve a bike place (cost 10€) in advance, and so far as I know, you can’t do this online. The DB-ÖBB service is the best option if you want to travel to Innsbruck or München, but the other companies’ services may be a better choice for other destinations. 

You can download the timetable for the DB-ÖBB EuroCity service DB-ÖBB Eurocity service 2018 timetable   and route map.

Planes

The closest airport is destin­a­tions and airlines). München airport is also easy to get to —simply get off at München’s Ostbahnhof and take the S-Bahn to the airport.

Heading south, the nearest airport is Verona, followed by Treviso, Venezia and Bologna.

Weather and when to go

April to June and September to October are the ideal months to ride this cycleway. You could also ride it in July and August, but bear in mind that at the height of summer the area around Bozen is often one of the hottest parts of Italy. The temper­atures aren’t an issue on the higher sections (where the altitude is above, say, 1000 metres) but at lower altitudes, you are likely to see temper­atures over 30ºC in mid-afternoon — so think ‘start early, finish early’.

More information