Published on: 23 September 2014  | Last updated: 15 March 2018

Through the Vinschgau (Val Venosta) to Meran

The Vinschgau cycleway (Vinschgau Radweg or Ciclabile della Val Venosta) runs for 78 kilometres between the Lago di Resia (Reschensee) at 1504m and Meran (altitude: 325). You could do it from Meran to the Lago di Resia, but the train to Mals (Malles) provides an easier option (but make sure to read the inform­ation in the Getting there section further on.

You could simply cycle from Mals, but for my money the climb to the Reschensee (Lago di Reisen) is well worth the effort. Not just to see the lake with its iconic sunken church tower but also for the glorious ride down to the village of Sankt Valentin auf der (Sant Valentino all Muta) Heide, which is one of the prettiest villages in the area. The climb involves a 400 metre altitude gain over 17 kilometres.

Equally, you could do this cycleway in a single day, but equally there is so much to enjoy along the way, and lots of places to stay, that it would be a shame to rush it.

You can cycle on either the west or the east banks of the Reschensee (Lago di Resia), but you may well want to make a detour to see the submerged bell tower at Graun in Vinschgau which has become a symbol for the whole area.

Beyond Mals is the medieval town of Glurns (Glorenza) - officially Italy’s smallest city, and defin­itely worth a brief stop. Look out for its porticoed streets, the massive fortified gatehouses and the wooden bridge over the river.

From here the cycleway takes you to the lovely village of Sankt Valentin auf der Haide a little way further on. Look out for the Kloster Marienburg on your right-hand side as you cycle towards Mals (Malles). The Abbey also owns the nearby Castel Fürstenberg - now a college for agriculture and forestry.

Naturns and the Sankt Prokulus church

Meran

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.

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.

Into apple country

You are now in the heart of Italy’s Apple country. This area accounts for half of Italy’s apple production and if you add in neigh­bouring Trentino they produce three-quarters of Italy’s apples (1.5 million tonnes). If you’re imagining orchards I’m going to have to disap­point you - ‘apple plant­a­tions’ might be a better term as the apple trees are trained along steel wires strung between concrete posts. Sadly, while many native varieties of apple face extinction, the apples produced in the apple plant­a­tions are the same varieties you’ll find on super­market shelves the world over (with the same names too).

You’ll see people drinking local apple juice in the bars, but strangely, they don’t make cider (or at least it seems strange to someone who comes from Britain’s West Country where cider has always rivalled beer). 

Map and altitude profile

Powered by WP-GPX Maps

tips for using the map

Distances

Vinschgau Radweg
Reschensee - Mals	17kms
Mals - Naturns	48kms
Naturns - Meran	14kms

Options and connections

The Vinschgau cycleway also connects at Meran with the Etsch Radweg/Ciclabile dell Vall’Adige (together they form part of the Via Claudia Augusta) that takes you to Bozen (Bolzano). Most people head south from Bozen on towards Trento but you could also 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.