Cycling the Dolomites – Venice to Munich
We again took another couple of days in Bologna to tend to the travel admin (re: laundry, bike maintenance, etc) before transferring to Treviso to begin the Munich to Venice Cycle Trail. We found Bologna an absolute gem of a city, great architecture, young and friendly and relaxed vibe, all the shopping you need, fantastic restaurants and food.
In our initial planning we were thinking of tracking the EV7 (Sun Route) from Verona towards Trento and Bolzano, and then head over the Brenner Pass into Innsbruck before moving on to Munich.
During the researching though, we found another option that is closer to the Dolomites and gets to the Brenner pass from Venice by tracking some alpine rivers, cycle trails, old railways and some roads. Both options would provide spectacular scenery, but after what really was a toss of the coin, we settled on the Venice to Munich route.
Getting to Treviso
We again used the Trenitalia website to book our travel without any issues. To ensure we maximised our 2-day Treviso (with a side visit to Venice) stay we booked on an early morning 3-hour regional train to Treviso via Venice Mestre.
Tip – don’t forget to digitally ‘Check-in’ before you board any regional train (as opposed to the super slick Frecciarossa trains) – you can ask for help from the train conductor once aboard if needed – but try to do this as soon as possible because some do get cranky and may fine you if you wait!
We chose to stay in Treviso primarily because bikes are not permitted in Venice (we would have to lock them in a Bike Park Garage) and getting our gear between bike and any hotel (no logical Camping!) was problematic. We also considered how crowded Venice gets and this was well evidenced by the amount of people on the Venice Mestre platform waiting to board already packed trains at 9:30am! Overall, we wanted a far more relaxed stay so settled on Treviso as it is close enough for a day trip and is worth a visit in its own right with its historic canal laced centre, Venetian villas and easy-going vibe.
We are staying at the B&B Hotel Treviso, which is centrally located and judging by the numbers of fellow cycle tourists checking in, it should suit our needs well! Bike storage is not an issue here as they have a large locked garage, and nor is there risk of missing out on a sample of the local Prosecco as the lobby area bar is fully stocked.
Wow! We knew the Munich / Venice Path (MV) was going to offer some spectacular views, but we didn’t expect it from near on the get go. Even though we are still to hit the Dolomites proper we have been awed by the views on offer.
This was going to be our longest day in the saddle for a few weeks and we were also aware that the climbing would begin in earnest, so we set sail relatively early (well, after stopping for a coffee – but early!) We mostly followed the MV to Farra d’Alpago, and used an old railway path called the La Tradotta from Giavera Del Montello to Bidasio. The mountain range began to open up as we approached Vittorio Veneto (see Insta Post) and Serraville in particular, was a pretty town where we rode alongside the alpine fed Fiume Meshino as we started our longer climb of the day.
As we rode through some of these towns the pink signs and decorations made it evident that the recent Giro d’Italia had passed through these parts and whilst we may not have moved at the speed the peloton hits, it was pleasing to know that the route we had chosen was considered grand tour worthy! We have also noticed a considerable uptick in the number of both cycle tourists and road riders in this area. Large groups of riders wearing matching kits regularly sped by in the opposite direction, and maybe sometimes past our slow moving rigs…
The final long climb to reach Camping Sarthei on the Lago di Santa Croce took us along the SS51 where we encountered multiple warnings of landslide risks. There were red lights, several roadblocks and some flashing lights. Concerned by these obvious warnings, we had pulled over to consider our options but around that time groups of cyclists, and considerably more than a few motorcyclists arrived from the danger area and cheerfully advised us that the road was ok and that we should continue. With some trepidation, and perhaps with a little extra incentive to power on, we did indeed proceed. Perhaps we have acquired a little bit of Italian healthy (?) disrespect for rules.
Another spectacular day as we continued up into the Dolomites through the Pieve valley. Once again followed the MV path for most of the day, except where we were required to back track and take a detour due to landslide warnings – this time we obeyed because it was delivered by a chap who obviously held some official capacity as he was dressed in high-vis and had a nifty ‘stop’ paddle. The backtrack and detour was only going to add 5km, but it did result in a puncture to Chris’ real wheel as we crossed a small stream. Our recent issues with gearing and axles put us on alert and we worried that we might not get it perfect for the climbs ahead. In the end, all was well (so far) and all available gears we used over the next 30 kms.
The day was generally an ‘up day’ with 740 metres of climbing as we climbed to 900 metres over the 55kms. The final 8kms was expected to be a challenge, but the surprise near vertical last 1.5kms that wind their way up into Pieve di Cadore nearly cooked our legs! There was another round of ‘hike a bike’ to get to a deserved beer and supporting sparkling water! Anyone who is coming this way, note that there are multiple bike paths (checkout the Komoot map above) that climb the hill, make sure you pick the one that suits your end of day ability, we may not have!!!
Given the shortage of camping options in Pieve (unless you are in a Camper / Motorhome) we have need to check into a hotel. We are staying at Giallo Dolomiti but still self-catering, with bread, cheese, salami and wine continuing to be the basic food groups!
We spoke in our early blog posts about the sparing use of superlatives as we tracked through the different landscapes and towns over the course of our travels. Today we set a new benchmark for use of ‘spectacular’ and henceforth will only use it when you cannot identify a word that describes the scenery adequately (see Insta Post near Cortina d’Ampezzo). It was a day that probably took about two hours longer than needed because we stopped about every 200m to take a photo and we will let the photos speak for themselves, other than a few facts. We followed the MV path and climbed another 650 metres to reach 1,350 metres over 37 Kms. The path followed the now disused Cortina – Calalzo railway, complete with ravine bridges and tunnels. Tonight, we are camping at the International Camping Olympia in Fiames which is right on the alpine Boite river…and yes, it is icy cold.
Today was a shorter day after we replanned to include some ‘active rest days’ to give the legs a break after the last few days of climbing. That said, after 11kms of further climbing on gravel roads we reached the high point of our trip of 1,530 metres when we reached Passo Cimabanche. Why did we call it a rest day, well after reaching this high point, the next 20 kms were an enjoyable 360 metre descent following the Rienz river, past some beautiful lakes, until we reached camp site for the night at Camping Olympia – Dobbiaco / Tolbach. We have now crossed into the South Tyrol region of Italy, and almost immediately the Austrian history of this region is evident in the dual town names, the menu and the language. It was again a day best summed up in pictures.
The last couple of days have seen us make our way from Dobbiaco / Tolbach to Vipiteno Sterzing just south of the Brenner Pass and Austria.
The journey from Dobbiaco / Tolbach down the Flueme Rienza to Vahrner See was a significant downhill day where we followed the MV path (now also part of the longer EV7 – we last saw in Bologna!) from 1200 to 700 metres. The path was that was predominately asphalt that we literally glided down, with some gravel trails, that was sometimes part of a disused railway. Although the day was over 60km, and had some short 12-15% gradient climbs, physically speaking it was a welcome relief overall. The ride continues to be special, and this section saw the steep peaks begin to open into green valleys on both sides of the Flueme Rienz as we passed through some nice towns including Niederdorf, Bruneck, St. Lorenzen and Mühlbach. The path continues to be a favorite for many cyclists, and its easy to see why the SS49 which tracked our path from Dobbiaco / Tolbach to Vahrner See is a favourite with the motorcyclists.
In Vahrner See we stayed at the Camping Vahrner See, which has great green space for tents no timers on the showers (and toilet paper is included!). There was an apparent restaurant and shop, but it was not open at this time, so ensure you bring dinner supplies (we did) and breakfast (we did not!!!). There is also a need to ride on the very busy SS12 (which feed into the main Brenner pass autobahn) for a short time from our direction of travel, so just beware.
Our journey from Vahrner See to Vipiteno Sterzing was a short day by design as we look to opportunities to ‘actively rest’ given the Dolomites climbing. The lack of breakfast also took a small toll as we left hungry and with little fuel for the immediate uphill’s. That said, although only a short day of ~30kms, we did climb again for 400 metres to finish the day at 1100 metres as we followed the MV path along the Isarco River valley, through some nice villages, dairy farms and 2 hill top castles (Reifenstein & Sprechenstein) that protected the valley in medieval times. With a absence of camping in Vipiteno Sterzing we have checked into the Hotel Mondschein, and with the first English channels in a few months, it looks like Janette will be catching up on Bridgerton after we explore the town and have our last Italian pizza and vino.
We are expecting a similar climb tomorrow over the Brenner Pass as we descend into Innsbruck. We have built a spare day into this stage, so we may also look to find a nice Austrian village with a classic alpine Inn for the night as well.
A bit of a milestone day as we crossed from Italy into Austria through the Brenner Pass. It was another day of climbing, and with the prediction of a northly wind, we left Vipiteno Sterzing before 8:30 after taking full advantage of the breakfast menu.
The first 20 odd Km’s to the pass was a climb of 320 metres, including a couple of challenging switchbacks on dedicated cycle path (including an old railway) that ran mostly parallel to the A22. Again, the path was very busy with cyclists of all types (racers, travellers and day trippers) and the northerly ensured we were consistently pushing against a 10k headwind. When planning the route, it was easy to get deceived that once reaching the pass, it was mostly downhill to Innsbruck, and that is the case as overall it’s an 800 metre descent over the day after the pass. We certainly enjoyed a significant 18k downhill from the pass, including on the very busy 182, that is also enjoyed by the many exotic German and Italian sports cars. Once you leave the 182, the MV route winds through some lovely villages and then takes you back up to a plateau that provides spectacular valley view’s toward Innsbruck after 36 kms. The continuous series of short 30-40 metres ups and downs on the plateau over the next 10kms provides an additional 400 metres climbing to then finish the day at 740 metres. It ended up being one of our highest climbing days so far that did seem to sneak up on us – amazingly, even though we planned it!!!
The route over the Dolomites and now over an Alps range into Austria has been over 8 continuous days and we are looking forward to a couple of days break in and around Innsbruck. We have decided to also take advantage of some of the great Alpine hotels to rest some weary legs (and get a good sleep) and are staying at the Sporthotel in the town of Igls that overlooks Innsbruck which we will descend into tomorrow.
We decided to leave the MV path behind for a bit as we left Innsbruck so that we could follow a more westerly route towards Seefeld on Tirol and follow the Isar river towards Kochel am See where we hoped to enjoy one of the saunas Germany is famous for. Departing from the MV meant that we would need to stitch together a few different paths and potentially spend more time on state road 11, but we were pleasantly surprised when we found the Isar Radweg that linked with the gravel path of the Verbindung Seefeld – Scharnitz. By following these paths we remained off road for around 42km before using state road 11 for the final 15km into Kochel am See. The road section was busy, but the drivers we always courteous to cyclists, of which there were many. In Kochel am See we checked into a traditional Bavarian inn, the Hotel zur Post which greeted us with the best smelling kitchen of our trip and ensured we also dined there.
We took the opportunity to relax our weary muscles at what must be one of the nicest spa/sauna facilities in Germany, the Kristall Therme Trimini. There were multiple pools and saunas, views of the mountains and. interestingly enough a swim up bar for its textile free patrons.
Today we made our way to Munich for the final day of this stage. The day was spent in the valleys and farmlands of Bavaria, initially following the offroad Bodensee-Konigssee Radweg before linking well signposted bicycle paths on secondary roads through the small farming villages and towns of Bad Heilbrunn and Konigsdorf. From there we followed the Isar Radweg which again was well signposted for Munich and this linked us back to the MV path.
The ride was relaxing and enjoyable and was mostly ‘flatish’ though did include one short but notable climb just before Grunwald which judging by the houses and wide streets must be the residence of choice for well healed Munich residents, and maybe some of the Bayern Munich footballers? The paths varied between gravel, asphalt and compacted dirt and they were in excellent condition despite recent storms in the area as you made your way through various forests. We finished our day, and riding stage with a celebratory stein at one of the various Augustiner Bauhaus’s before checking into the centrally located Hotel am Sendlinger Tor. The hotel is able to accommodate the bikes in their underground garage and is close to the Hauptbahnhof for our early morning journey to the Rhine.
