Doing a crossing of the alps by bike is a dream for many trekking bikers. Whereas just a few years ago, a bike tour across the alps was preceded by excessive planning, today digital stage planning using interactive maps and GPS tracks makes custom transalping relatively easy.
Cycling-friendly accommodations offer a roof over your head, and even the trails are now easy to navigate by bike. We present you in this post the most beautiful routes for your transalp bike tour.
The most beautiful transalp bike tours
1. Transalp-rhone cycle route
From andermatt to geneva
The challenging 350 km bike tour leads in 8 stages in front of imposing mountain scenery on quiet paths along the rhone and ends in the cosmopolitan city of geneva. First the route leads over treeless alpine pastures of the urseren valley up to the furka pass, before a pleasant descent past the melting ice towers of the rhone glacier follows. Other beautiful places on the route are the nature reserve "pfynwald" and the lac lèman, a lake surrounded by snow-capped peaks and the vineyards of lavaux and la côte.
- Experience the cosmopolitan city of geneva, located in the heart of europe
- While the pfynwald was once feared because of the robbers and highwaymen who lived there, today it is one of the last large pine forests in europe.
2. Via claudia augusta
From donauworth to ostiglia
The alpe adria cycle path leads in 717 km in 12 stages from donauworth in bavaria to altino near venice or ostiglia in italy. It is considered one of the easier crossings of the alps. Emperor claudius had the via claudia augusta developed into the first real road across the alps. It connected the adriatic port of altinum with the danube. Today, the former cultural and trade route of the roman empire is brought back to life by the cycle route.
The cycle path takes you to augsburg, to the picturesque neuschwanstein castle and on to the mountains of tyrol and the reschen pass. In south tyrol you will pass the idyllic lake reschen to merano, bolzano, trento and finally to the end of the cycle route. The route consists of asphalted or gravelled cycle paths and quiet side roads.
- Enjoy the beautiful nature in the national park region reutte
- Ride the tyrolean zugspitzbahn, built in 1991, to the western summit of the zugspitze mountain.
- Visit landeck castle and nauders fortress
To the via claudia augusta from augsburg to venice
3. Transalp munich – venice
From munich to venice
This 8-stage bike tour covers 580 km from munich via cortina d'ampezzo to venice. First it goes along the isar, then follows the descent into the inn valley and the brenner cycle path, which leads south as a small challenge. In sterzing you can enjoy the first italian cappucchino before continuing to the dolomites, to belluno and finally to venice. The route is sporty and technically easy and leads across the alps with a lot of enjoyment.
- Discover venice and enjoy the delicious italian food.
- Countless beautiful views of the various peaks await you on your ride through the dolomites.
4. Ciclovia alpe adria cycle path
In one week from salzburg to grado
The ciclovia alpe-adria cycle route from salzburg to grado is one of the most famous crossings of the alps by bicycle and has been in use since 2012. In a cross-border project, existing bike paths were connected and new sections were built. Today it consists of bike-friendly paths and is well signposted across borders. It connects the city of mozart with the adriatic sea in eight stages.
The new cycle route, including the eight-kilometer-long tauern railroad tunnel, makes it possible to cross the alps without major inclines.
- Start your tour in the beautiful city of mozart
- By integrating old railroad roads and numerous tunnels, the alpe adria cycle path becomes a pleasure tour on two wheels – culturally, sportily and also culinary.
- Particularly impressive is the new 140 meter long klammstein cycle tunnel in the gasteinertal valley.
5. Along the innradweg
From st. Moritz to passau
The innradweg leads you on ca. 520 km in 6 stages from st. Moritz via innsbruck to passau. It follows the inn from its source to its mouth, with some nice downhill stretches ahead of you due to the gradient. From the rugged mountain panorama in switzerland and the tyrolean oberland, the route passes through the wide tyrolean inn valley into the hilly to flat alpine foothills of bavaria and upper austria. The crowning glory of the bike tour is in passau, where the three rivers inn, ilz and danube converge. On the route you can always make small detours, because there is a good connection to regional bike path networks.
Have you found the optimal route?
Have you decided to cross the alps by bike? No matter which route you take, easier or harder, shorter or longer, breathtaking views and many beautiful moments await you.