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Service Rating 4.7 from 898 reviews

Adige River to Verona Cycling Holiday

4.9
(7 reviews)

Another variation of our popular Adige River and Lake Garda Cycling Holiday. This option allows you to cycle from high in the Dolomites, along an idyllic cycle path, past quaint mountain villages and historic towns to stunning Lake Garda and finally the bustling city of Verona.

The small village of Resia at the head of the Resia pass, just 3 kms from the Austrian border is the starting point for this easy, scenic cycling holiday. The picturesque lake adjacent to the village is not a lake at all but a reservoir and the rather incongruous sight of a church bell tower protruding from the water marks the location of one of several villages submerged following the construction of the nearby dam in 1950.

Flexitreks Cycling HolidayVerona

From Resia a pleasant cycle path leads you gently downhill, along the valley floor, past pretty villages and stunning alpine scenery. Throughout the route you'll never be too far from the Adige river and you'll witness it grow from a tumbling mountain stream to a deep wide river. You'll overnight in small alpine villages as well as enchanting medieval towns and cities, such as Bolzano and Trento, along the way .

Over 6 days you'll descend from high alpine pastures through huge fruit orchards and vineyards to the shores of Lake Garda and finally the ancient Roman city of Verona on the plains of Lombardy. Many of the villages and towns along the way originate from Roman times as this is also the route of the Via Claudia Augusta, a trans-alpine path first opened in 46 AD.

There really is only one climb on this whole route. It's not very long or steep and your efforts are rewarded with a jaw dropping view down the length of Lake Garda. After an exhilarating descent you enjoy a ferry ride down to the southern end of the lake.

Your final ride leads you to Verona a historic city known for its Arena (Roman Colosseum) and many other ancient sights. Head to the bustling Piazza Bra, adjacent to the Arena, in the early evening for a meal and a drink to celebrate completing your journey.

This is an easy route the vast majority of which is on a gently descending well-maintained cycle path. The daily sectors are easily managed in around three hours or so of continuous cycling so there's plenty of time to stop and admire the views or to explore a town or village along the way.

Itinerary

Your holiday begins in or near the alpine town of Bolzano. It’s the capital of the South Tyrol region and sits at the southern end of the Brenner Pass in the Italian Alps. There’s plenty to see and do here from taking a cable car up one of surrounding mountains for an alpine walk to visiting Bolzano’s most famous resident, ‘Ötzi’, a 5,000 year old neolithic iceman who’s well-preserved remains were discovered in a nearby glacier in 1991. The town consistently ranks highly in the most-popular-town-to live-in stakes thanks to its culture, restaurants, pleasant climate and alpine air. A wander through the bustling historic old town with its narrow cobbled streets is a must. Here you’ll find an excellent choice of restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. Get a good night’s sleep to prepare yourself for your cycling adventure that starts in the morning.

An early start today, as you are picked up and transferred by van with your bikes to the top of the Resia Pass at the end of the Venosta Valley. The scenic journey takes about two and a half hours and you disembark in the village of Resia which enjoys a stunning location at the northern end of Resia Lake. The lake is actually artificial and was created just after World War II immersing a small village. Today’s ride really is special as you’ll be pedalling along a peaceful cycle path beside the babbling Adige River, enjoying jaw-dropping alpine vistas all the way. Because you’ve started at the top of the pass, the cycling is predominantly downhill and in our opinion leisure cycling really doesn’t get much better than this. The gorgeous natural scenery is interrupted only by charming alpine villages such as Burgusio, Malles and Glorenza. All too soon, you arrive at your overnight stop in the pretty little town of Silandro.

After breakfast you rejoin the idyllic cycle path and continue on down the Venosta Valley beside the Adige River letting the impressive alpine scenery roll past. As well as being scenic, the Venosta Valley is also fertile and on today’s ride you’ll pass many fruit orchards - apricots, apples, strawberries and pears all thrive here. In the village of Laces you could lock the bikes up and take the cable car up to 1740m to the tiny village of San Martino Al Monte. Here you can enjoy fabulous views along the valley and admire one of the most beautiful pilgrimage churches of the South Tyrol. More easy riding beside the Adige River brings you to the town of Merano your home for the evening. Merano is a spa town and a visit to its centrally located thermal pool complex is highly recommended, particularly after a long day in the saddle.

By now you’ll be getting into a pleasant rhythm and your legs will know what’s expected of them. More leisurely cycling along the Adige cycle path today as you descend the Upper Adige Valley to Bolzano (where your holiday began three days ago). The valley is wide and fertile and we recommend detouring from the cycle path to small alpine villages such as Nals and Andriano for an ice-cream or coffee break. Your trusty guide, The Adige river, finally delivers you to Bolzano where you’ll stop for the night. Take a stroll through the atmospheric old town along the narrow arcade-lined lanes or visit the Reinhold Messner Climbing Museum. If it’s hot, you might opt for an afternoon at the open-air swimming pool.

Today there are two route options to choose from. The easiest and most direct route leads you south along the lower Adige valley beside the river which is bigger now, swollen by its confluence with the Eisack River at Bolzano. The second, slightly longer option includes a couple of short climbs but the payoff is a ride through the stunning Caladaro Valley to Lake Caldaro. The lake is one of the warmest in the alps and just perfect for a swim if the weather is hot. The two routes converge further down the Adige Valley, near the town of Ora from where you continue your journey south. For centuries this wide fertile valley has been one of the primary north-south trading routes through the alps and the scenery is spectacular. Tiny alpine villages, perched on the green mountainsides on either side of the valley, are overlooked by towering granite peaks. The easy, level cycle path sticks resolutely to the valley floor leading you through the small pleasant villages of Ora, Egna and Salorno before arriving at Trento, today’s destination. Trento has a long and colourful history, thanks to its strategic position on one of the Alps’ main passes. Head for the picturesque medieval city centre to absorb the atmosphere and learn more.

Leaving Trento, you continue down the valley, beside the river, to the village of Mori where you leave the Adige and cycle up and over a small ridge. This short climb is rewarded with a truly stunning panoramic view of the northern end of Lake Garda. After an exhilarating freewheel down to the picturesque lakeside village of Torbole, you follow the shoreline the short distance to Riva, a beautiful old town at the northwestern tip of the lake . Here you embark on a wonderful ferry ride (4-5 hours) down the entire length of the Lake to Peschiera on the southern shore. The scenery from the boat is spectacular with sheer limestone cliffs and tree-lined hillsides plunging down into the deep blue lake. Pretty villages line the shore and brightly coloured windsurfing sails flit to and fro across the lake’s surface. At the southern end of the lake you disembark in Peschiera and make your way to your nearby hotel which will be in Peschiera or nearby Desenzano.

Leave Desenzano/Peschiera behind and cycle eastwards through open countryside to the Roman city of Verona. Shakespeare chose the beautiful city as the setting for Romeo and Juliet and you can visit Casa di Giulietta, purported to be the location of the famous balcony scene. The wonderful Arena, a crumbling Roman amphitheatre still hosts lavish productions today and you may wish to time your arrival to coincide with a particular performance – use this link to research further but be sure to book in advance as most performances are sold out months in advance. Ascend the Lamberti tower for a great view over the city, enjoy an ice cream in the buzzing Piazza Bra and stroll through the atmospheric old town exploring the maze-like streets.

Please note: Today's route is 60 km if you start from Desenzano and 35 km if you start from Peschiera.

After breakfast it’s time to head for home or your next adventure.

Bikes

On this tour you can choose between a regular bike, a regular plus bike or an E-bike.

Regular bikes: They are modern alloy framed touring models with 27 speeds and gel saddles which offer a very comfortable riding position. Minimum height for unisex/step-through bike is 150cm. Minimum height for male specific bike is 160cm. Bikes come equipped with a pannier and per room a front bag, lock and repair kit. 

Regular plus bikes: They are 27 speed hybrid bikes which have a lighter, more compact frame and more sporty riding position. They have disk brakes, gravel tyres and do not have mud guards. Minimum height for unisex/step-through bike is 150cm. Important: Anyone, male or female, who is 160cm or taller will be assigned a male specific bike. Bikes come equipped with a pannier and per room a front bag, lock and repair kit. 

Electric bikes: The 9 speed electric bikes have unisex low-entry frames feature gel saddles and ergonomic grips. The Bosch powerpack offers a range of 90km (over flat terrain at an average speed). Minimum height for unisex/step-through bike is 150cm. Minimum age for e-bike is 18. Electric bikes come equipped with a pannier, battery charger plus, per room, a front bag, lock and repair kit. 

We suggest you bring your own helmet for safety and hygiene reasons. Alternatively, helmets for adults only, are available for rent at the time of booking.

Accommodation

Below you will find examples of the accommodations typically used on this tour. Please note that the hotels we book for you may differ slightly from those described but they will certainly be of a similar standard.

Superior: Good quality hotels and guesthouses.

Bolzano: Hotel Chrys

Silandro: Pension Schweitzer

Merano: Hotel Gruberhof

Bolzano: Hotel Chrys

Trento: Grand Hotel Trento

Peschiera: Hotel Clarin 14

Verona: Hotel San Marco Verona

Local taxes

Some hotels have started to charge a local/tourist tax. These taxes are not included in the sale price of the tour and must be paid directly by you at check-in or checkout at the hotels. This fee varies and is ever changing but as a guide, you may be asked to pay between €1-€4 per person per night

Getting There

Fly to Verona or Venice airport and then take the train to Bolzano. From Verona the train takes approximately 2 hours and from Venice approximately 3 hours. Fly back from Verona (Venice is also possible).

Research flights from the UK here.

Research trains in Italy here.

You can also take the train all the way from the UK – checkout this article in the Guardian.

Reviews

Anonymous - June, 10 Jun 2024
Service
5
Service
5
This was a great trip. Really varied in terms of scenery, culture and terrain and even a boat trip on Lake Garda! Distances were good for us and the option of shortening the day's trip is an added bonus of which we took advantage on the longest day's ride! (bad weather day!) Lovely to be on cycle paths and very quiet roads most of the way. Route maps were faultless and accommodation was very good with clear directions to it on the app.(an added wee bonus to make for a carefree holiday) We thoroughly enjoyed our cycle trip.
Andy - October, 26 Oct 2024
Thank you so much for submitting this lovely review.
Anonymous - August, 03 Aug 2023
Service
5
The company was very responsive to questions pre-tour. They accommodated our specific hotel requests as well. Ally was great at answering our questions and with an initial phone call to explain everything.
Andy - March, 22 Mar 2024
Just what we strive for - thank you!
Service
5
We have done other bike tours. This one was our favorite for beginners / intermediate people (we are avid bikers, but 60 years old) and the majority of this trip was on bike paths, and mostly downhill so we did not have to worry about traffic.
Andy - March, 22 Mar 2024
Thank you for the lovely review. This route ticks all the boxes. Scenic, easy and traffic free!
Anonymous - October, 29 Oct 2022
Service
5
Very responsive to all queries
Service
4
The first four days were especially good scenery wise. However we would have liked more time to explore the areas mentioned on the route information and there was not enough time to do this. Also it would have been nice to have had 2 nights in one place for a bit of down time . The e bikes were excellent. The sat nav app was essential but had some baffling features and drained the phone battery vey fast - power bank essential. The hotels were good with excellent breakfasts. Thet trip onLake Garda was far too long. It would have been nice to have had somebody check in with us after the first day to make sure everything was ok . . But overall a very enjoyable holiday
Andy - July, 25 Jul 2023
Many thanks for the useful feedback and I'm glad you had an enjoyable holiday. Power-banks are definitely a good idea, or at the very least a charging cable as most cafes/bars along the route will be happy to let you top up whilst enjoying a drink. I also try to turn it off every now and then, especially when I can see the route is pretty straightforward for the next few miles. Some customers love the trip on the lake while others find it a bit long but it really is the only option as the lake shore roads are busy and include lots of galleries and tunnels.
Colin Conway - August, 15 Aug 2022
Service
5
Very helpful. Excellent communication & pre-trip info.
Andy - October, 24 Oct 2022
Thanks Colin, love the title of this review, maybe we should make that the official name!
Service
5
Excellent throughout. Very well set-up bikes. Nice hotels. Superb route, following the Adige River down from the mountains. Almost entirely on dedicated cycle paths. Very good local support.
Andy - October, 24 Oct 2022
Thanks Colin, so glad you enjoyed this wonderful route and thanks for the lovely review.
Marion Owen - July, 10 Jul 2022
Service
5
Always good communication and information.
Andy - October, 22 Oct 2022
Thank you for taking the time to submit this review.
Service
4
Some excellent sections, others rather dull.
Andy - October, 22 Oct 2022
Thanks Marion, we appreciate the feedback.
Anonymous - June, 28 Jun 2022
Service
5
Excellent prompt support for all enquiries. Extremely knowledgable & helpful staff especially Ally Helped to create the cycling holiday that suited our needs
Service
4
The actual route is 5 star. Fantastic scenery mainly on 2 major cycle routes clearly marked. Issues- Hotel Chrys is a long way from Bolzano centre ( train station & evening meal) Pick up for transport to Resia with Rental Bikes arrived promptly but 2 bikes missing. Time was wasted when the problem was obvious. Returned to bike garage, had to unhook bike trailer & man handled in to street. 2 bikes were there n garage. Probably wasted 2 hours. Didn’t start until o cycle till after 12. Over heard comment that it’s always like this!! GPS map & instructions difficult to follow to hotel & back to route in morning
Andy - June, 30 Jun 2022
So glad you enjoyed the holiday overall and thanks for providing more background on the bike issue during our recent telephone conversation. We're very sorry about this less than perfect start to your holiday and are liaising with our local supplier to ensure it does not happen again.
Anonymous - May, 18 May 2022
Service
4
Always very friendly and helpful. Was a bit annoying getting three or maybe four updated travel arrangements. Would have been helpful to have had the minor changes highlighted in some way. It was disappointing not to get ‘local guidebooks’ as used to be the case.
Andy - June, 30 Jun 2022
Thanks for your feedback. Yes, the pandemic has accelerated the transition from hard copy guide books to smartphone apps on a lot of our routes. They do take a little getting used to but ultimately we are convinced they make navigation easier overall.
Service
5
A very pretty and varied route mainly downhill. It is slightly noisy in parts because route follows main road and railway line that also follows Adige River.
Andy - June, 30 Jun 2022
Thanks for the feedback. It's true, the cycle path does flirt with a main road at times but at least they never actually converge.