In, over or around the Alps
It is probably almost every cyclist's dream to cycle across the Alps. However, this is often a difficult or strenuous endeavour. There is a remedy: Velociped offers easier tours over the Alpine mountains, but also cycle tours in the Alpine region or around the mountains. Then you always have them in view, but you don't have to cycle up them straight away.
Our journey along the Alpe-Adria Cycle Path, for example, offers the Alps and the Adriatic, the mountains and the sea, the lakes and the sea. The 410-kilometre cycle path from Salzburg in Austria to Grado in Italy leads through Salzburger Land, Carinthia and Friuli Venezia Giulia. The special thing about it: just after Bad Gastein, the Monte Carlo of the Alps with its old villas that bear witness to the visits of the haute volée in the past, you simply hop on the train at Böckstein station. The bikes are loaded and you race through the Tauern lock to Mallnitz. Because you don't cross the Alps, you cross them on the shuttle train. There could hardly be a more relaxed crossing of the Alps for cyclists.
You also have the Alps in view on the beautiful Adige Cycle Path, but you don't cycle up: from Innsbruck you cycle towards the magnificent mountain panorama, but then casually hop on the shuttle bus that takes you and your bike up to the Reschen Pass. Then it's downhill to Lake Reschen. The cycle path de luxe runs smoothly along the lake on tarmac. You can see the mountains, but you don't have to feel them in your calves. Instead, the motto is downhill, with a few undulating ups and downs at the start. To the left, the Romanesque church tower of Graun rises out of the clear water, a symbol of the Vinschgau Valley. It is a real pleasure to whizz through the Vinschgau Valley - Val Venosta in Italian. This is the name of the sun-kissed, 75-kilometre-long South Tyrolean valley between the Resia Pass and Merano, through which the turquoise-coloured Adige River flows. It is a rumour that it is steep there. The valley is cross-country, even when it comes to cycling tours, as the valley turns at Prad and no longer runs southwards, but eastwards towards Meran. Pleasure tours in the middle of the mountains are guaranteed.
This is also the case on our other South Tyrolean tours from Bressanone to Merano or on the South Tyrolean tour with charming hotels. Enjoyment is the order of the day! And there is plenty to enjoy here:
The Ur-Paarl, for example. This original bread was the first South Tyrolean product to be awarded the Slowfood seal, the snail. It is baked in a peculiar shape: two connected, flat loaves. They were served at weddings to symbolise the togetherness of the bride and groom - after all, the way to the heart is through the stomach. In the medieval walled town of Glorenza/Glurns, you can find the best ice cream as well as cakes and "Turt" (cake) at the "Konditorei Riedl" pastry shop. You can also eat marble cubes at the "Konditorei Greta" pastry shop in Lasa/Laas. You don't necessarily need energy on the slightly sloping path along the Adige, but a cube is a must. You can often top up your bike bottle with water from the fountain. Fresh spring water. Or you can visit one of the many wine taverns. There is often a farm shop, distillery, winery, cheese dairy or butcher's shop attached.
On all tours on or around Lake Constance, you naturally also have the impressive Alpine panorama in your sights: green mountains below, grey stone or even white snow above, the steel-blue sky behind and the deep blue of Lake Constance make the panorama perfect. Here you might eat whitefish and drink a Fendant. Of course, you can also visit the Swiss side of the Three-Country Sea. Or you can tackle the Swiss Lakes Route, where you can visit the Rhine Falls and Lake Zurich as well as Lake Constance.
When you say the Alps, you also mean the Swiss. There are a whole host of Alpine tours there, such as the radial bike tours on Lake Maggiore in Ticino, where you are sure to notice the Mediterranean plants as well as the majestic mountain scenery. Palm trees and camellias from East Asia line the lakeside promenade. Che bello!
The tours around the Munich lakes are similar: you cycle in a relaxed manner on flat terrain and catch glimpses of the impressive mountains in the distance.
So choose a beautiful, relaxed Velociped tour in, on or around the Alps and enjoy!
