Italy: Valleys of the Dolomites

All you have to do is get to the airport. On our Air Packages, we’ll take care of the rest, handling all the logistics, so you can travel with peace of mind. Spend your first night aloft and arrive refreshed for an unforgettable trip.

Start off your first day in Venice right by having a VBT representative greet you at the airport. A complimentary water taxi service will whisk you to your centrally located hotel. From here, you are perfectly positioned to explore this charming city at your leisure.

After an included breakfast at your Venice hotel, meet your VBT representative at 9:00 a.m. in the main lobby; the representative will be holding a VBT sign.

From the hotel, a water taxi will provide transportation first to the mainland and the Venice Marco Polo Airport, where you’ll board your private motorcoach and continue on to Cortina. The drive will last about two hours, with a short stop on the way. Your VBT trip leaders will meet your group at its arrival point and escort you to your first hotel, in Cortina.

You’ll arrive in Cortina in time for lunch on your own. The hotel is located in the heart of the city, a few steps from the main shopping and pedestrian area full of life, elegant shops, restaurants, and trendy cafés. After lunch, enjoy time to settle into your hotel. Later, join your VBT trip leaders for a safety and bike-fitting session, followed   by a warm-up ride on Cortina bike paths.

Tonight, enjoy a welcome cocktail reception in the hotel’s elegant bar, followed by a special welcome dinner in a local restaurant. Some local Ampezzan specialties will immerse you in culinary traditions influenced by both Austrian Tyrol and Italian Veneto kitchens.

Today’s Ride Choices

Afternoon Cortina d’Ampezzo Warm-up — 6 km (4 miles)

What to Expect:

Today’s warm up-ride unfolds on a well-paved and well-marked bike path that by-passes the city of Cortina d’Ampezzo but is totally free from any car traffic. You will cycle it back and forth.

Cumulative Distance Range: 6 km (4 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, set out on a downhill spin along the Boite River Valley on the Dolomites Bike Path. This invigorating descent begins at 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) and ends at 3,000 feet (850 meters), in Valle di Cadore. This scenic path was once a railway that connected the little villages of the Cadore mountain community. Le Tofane mountain range marks your progress. Soon you’ll admire the towering pyramidal peak of Antelao to your left and the saddle-like summit of Mount Pelmo to your right. The latter is a nature reserve that protects many prehistoric fossils and dinosaur footprints.

You are now in the Ampezzan Valley, one of the four historic Ladin valleys. The Ladins—a population evolved from Celtic tribes and Roman soldiers—call this lovely pocket of Italy home. Long remote and secluded from the rest of Italy, they remain a proud people whose rare language, Ladin, is closely related to Swiss Romansh, Surselvan, and Friulian. It is also still spoken in nearby Austro-Italian border regions.

The two Italian provinces of Trento and Bolzano are administratively independent from the rest of Italy, affording them a degree of autonomy. In particular, Cortina retains its own legislative system, one that is unique in the Dolomites: a council known as Regole d’Ampezzo. Under the regole and the ancient Celtic structure of property ownership, the 800 original families administer the community’s common land, which cannot be split or sold to outsiders or other families.

Enjoy a lunch of mountain specialties during a picnic in a panoramic setting along your route. Early this afternoon, you may shuttle or cycle back to Cortina, where you have time to explore on your own. Take an easy walk around Cortina following the VBT route directions, or visit the Ethnography Museum to view its collection of antique tools and cultural artifacts. In the summertime, ride a gondola to the slopes of Le Tofane or Faloria to enjoy breathtaking alpine vistas. Or take a taxi and a walk to the open-air Museum of the Great War, set on the peaks of Rifugio 5-Torri, one of the most fascinating and moving excursions in the Dolomites. Another option is to relax at the hotel and enjoy its amenities before venturing out on your own to dine at one of the town’s many fine restaurants.

After dinner, we recommend a stroll in Cortina. In the summer, your visit might coincide with a cultural event, folk festival, or classical music concert.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Cortina to Cadore — 27.2 km (17 miles)

Afternoon Cadore to Cortina — 27.1 km (17 miles)

What to Expect:

Descend via an old rail trail that links Dobbiaco to Calalzo. Our morning ride follows the downhill stretch of this trail. You start in Cortina and end in Valle di Cadore, losing 1,000 feet (305 meters) elevation. For a longer and easy/moderate option, you may return the same way.

Cumulative Distance Range: 27 – 54 km (17 – 34 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning a brief shuttle takes you on the scenic Cimabanche Pass and Lake Landro, where you start biking an easy downhill and flat ride on bike paths to Dobbiaco and San Candido. The views on the way are spectacular: You’ll pedal past Pomagagnon Mountain, Tre Cime di Lavaredo (the famous “Three Peaks”), and picturesque Toblacher Lake. En route, you might stop to pay tribute to the fallen of World War I at an intimate cemetery at the foothills of Monte Piana.

As you arrive in Dobbiaco, the landscape changes: rugged mountains skirted with green and roadside alpine lakes give way to open meadows and emerald pastures dotted with large, isolated farmhouses, or masi. Snow-capped peaks rise in the distance. This is the Pusteria Valley, a paradise for cyclists with its network of bike paths, bike hotels, and bike shops aimed at promoting an environmentally friendly lifestyle and healthy discovery of the valleys.

Soon, you’ll arrive in San Candido in South Tyrol, close to the Austrian border. After lunch here, there’ll be time for a stroll in this millennium-old little city. Visit the ancient, Romanesque Duomo della Collegiata—the oldest monastery in the Dolomites—and drink at one of the many stone fountains in the cobblestone pedestrian area. The Pusteria Valley is rich in history and legend, as it was on the ancient trade route to Aguntum (now in Austria) from Rome.

Later, cycle along the Upper Pusteria Valley to Brunico through lush meadows, sylvan forests, and charming villages, always following the course of the Rienza River. As you ride through the heart of South Tyrol, you’ll experience a strong Austrian influence in the language (all signs are first in German and then Italian), the architectural features, and the local traditions. The terrain here is paved except for some short stretches in the woods. VBT offers both an easy and an easy-to-moderate ride.

Later, you arrive at your hotel in Riscone, beautifully situated at the foothills of the Plan de Corones mountain ridge. You’re sure to feel comfortable and even spoiled here: The hotel features a large garden, an indoor swimming pool fed by pristine mountain springs, in-room waterbeds, and sauna options. Dinner is served at the elegant hotel restaurant and includes a large salad buffet of fresh, locally sourced produce and local wines.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Lake Landro to San Candido — 17 km (10 miles)

Afternoon San Candido to Riscone with Shuttle — 17 km – (10 miles | San Candido to Riscone — 37 km (23 miles)

What to Expect:

Start with a shuttle up the Cimabanche Pass and Lake Landro. The flatlegs of today’s ride are from Lake Landro and San Candido (your lunch stop) and between San Candido and Monguelfo. Some short stretches are on well-beaten gravel bike path, but most of your ride is on well-paved bike paths. From Monguelfo, take the VBT shuttle to the hotel or continue cycling a slightly rolling stretch with some unpaved sections in the woods to Riscone.

Cumulative Distance Range: 17 – 54 km (10 – 33 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, begin cycling to Brunico where an easy bike path takes you in the surroundings of the city and along the roaring Rienza River. Later, discover the beauty of the valleys of Aurina and Tures. About 90% of today’s route follows easy paths and country roads along the Aurino River, by high mountains dotted with slope-hugging castles and cattle farms. Brunico was built in a strategic position at the crossroads of four valleys; the castles you see once watched and defended the territory. Ride past tidy hamlets of wooden houses, high steeples, well-manicured gardens, and cattle pens.

Lunch is included today in a spectacularly scenic spot, a special barbecue meal of tasty meats and crispy vegetables prepared by our host, Mani. After lunch, it is worthwhile to take a short easy walk or 5 minute bike ride to the first of the three roaring Riva waterfalls. There perhaps choose to explore these lovely surroundings further and hike to the higher waterfall and try the fly-line to quickly descend back. Bike back to your hotel, or hop a shuttle and pamper yourself at the hotel spa.

If you’re cycling back to your hotel, pause on your way to discover the city of Brunico and its pedestrian area, full of cafés, gelato shops, and boutiques. Or visit Ripa Castle, once the summer residence of prince-bishops. Today, it is one of the five museum-castles that world-famous mountain climber Reinhold Messner has transformed into a cultural center dedicated to mountain people from four continents.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Riscone to Wasserfallbar — 27 km (16 miles)

Afternoon Wasserfallbar to Riscone — 19 km (11 miles)

What to Expect:

At the base of the Vedrette di Ries Mountains (3,436 meters/11,273 feet), ride the Val di Tures, stretching between the Valle Aurina and the Vetta d’Italia Mountain. The ride is mostly on a well-paved bike path. Throughout your ride, admire Dolomite mountains that soar as high as 3,510 meters (11,516 feet). The last 2 km (1.2 miles) back to your hotel are uphill; you can choose to take our shuttle with your trip leaders.

Cumulative Distance Range: 19 – 46 km (11 – 27 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, join the picturesque Pusteria Valley bike path along the Rienza River and enjoy a beautiful ride though forests, tiny villages, and covered bridges. Your ride will end in Fortezza, where you will be in sight of the mighty fortress built under the Austrian Emperor Franz I, and the Sachsenklemme, a place that had a significant role to play in the Tyrolean freedom fights of 1809.

Before lunch, shuttle into the medieval city of Bressanone. Located at the confluence of the Rienza and Isarco rivers, it was an important religious center, evidenced by its cathedral, with its beautiful frescoed and sculptured cloister; the Hofburg Bishopric Palace; and the stone city gates. The narrow, porticoed streets and multicolored houses will capture your heart as you follow your local guide Gerdi on a walking tour. After the tour enjoy lunch on your own.

Early this afternoon, shuttle to Merano. Your hotel is centrally located on the pedestrian Kurpromenade on the River Adige, opposite the historic Kurhouse. There’ll be time before dinner to relax, perhaps enjoy the wellness center and pool, or indulge in the famous thermal pools for which Merano is known.

Like Cortina, Merano is a vibrant cultural city, offering concerts and entertainment on summer evenings. You will enjoy strolling the porticoed streets and admiring its historical houses. The city features great gourmet restaurants and fine wine bars.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Casteldarne to Fortezza — 34 km (21 miles)

What to Expect:

Exit the Val Pusteria and cycle through the Eisack/Isarco River valley to Fortezza on bike paths and in the woods. In Fortezza, the bike path ends, and you board a 20-minute shuttle to Bressanone so that you may spend some time on your own in this historic and pedestrian town. You will not cycle in the afternoon. After a short walking tour of Bressanone with a local guide, travel to Merano.

Cumulative Distance Range: 34 km (21 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast

Today, prepare for a particularly picturesque ride during your final day road cycling Dolomites, as you gradually descend and follow the course of the river. You’ll start riding in the Renaissance village of Glorenza, surrounded by mountain peaks, and you’ll cycle through dozens of sprawling apple orchards, for which Venosta Valley is famous. You’ll also pass vineyards and castles adorning the slopes. In late August, you roll by many tractors and farmers tending to their fields. It’s sure to be one of your more memorable rides. For lunch on your own, we recommend pausing at one of the restaurants that you find along the river.

If you feel energetic, you can ride all the way back to Merano. Otherwise, we have planned to shuttle you by local train (a 20-30 minute ride), a very popular and convenient option for bikers and locals in this area.

Later tonight in Merano, raise a glass of Blauburgunder wine and toast the week over a farewell dinner in a typical local restaurant and Biergarden.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Glorenza to Castelbello — 36 km (22 miles)

Afternoon Castelbello to Merano — 25 km (15 miles)

What to Expect:

Today’s ride follows the Val Venosta Bike Path, starting from an altitude of 2,975 feet (907 meters) and gradually descending. Most of the path is on well-paved terrain. The short option ends at Castelbello train station after 22 miles (35 km) and a descent of 1,050 feet (320 meters). If you choose this option, you will embark a train to Merano. Your trip leader will handle your ticket and show you where to leave your bike. Today’s longer cycling option leads to your hotel in Merano, after a total descent of 1,900 feet (580 meters).

Cumulative Distance Range: 25 – 61 km (15 – 37 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, say ciao to your trip leaders and spend the rest of the morning discovering Merano. You can enjoy the amazing Terme Merano thermal pools in the beautifully designed building set in a 12-acre (five-hectare) garden (with 10% off your entry fee, compliments of your hotel). For more information, visit termemerano.it. The facility is directly connected to your hotel by an underground tunnel.

If you prefer, shop and stroll the historic city center. Or walk out of the city to visit the Truttmansdorff Gardens and Castle, where Austrian Empress Sissi lived. The gardens’ 30 acres (12 hectares) are beautifully landscaped and were voted Italy’s Most Beautiful Garden in 2005. After lunch on your own, return to the hotel to depart at 1:00 p.m. on a private motorcoach to your Verona hotel. The orientation tour will start promptly on your arrival in Verona around 3:00 p.m.

At the hotel, our local Verona guide will meet you and host an informative introduction and an orientation tour of the city. The rest of the day is free to explore on your own with VBT’s city information as your guide. If you are visiting from mid-June to the end of August, don’t miss the opera performances in the open-air Roman Arena, an unforgettable experience. Local opera lovers say the best seats (particularly for acoustics) are the very affordable “Unreserved Stone Steps in Sectors D or E (Gradinata D or E).” If available, you can buy these last-minute at the ticket office, but it is best to purchase them in advance online at arena.it/arena/en. The Roman Arena is a very short walk from your hotel.

Post-Trip Extension guests: If you have chosen the independent Post-Trip Extension to Verona, you remain at this hotel for three nights.

Please note: Italian museums are closed on Mondays.

Included Meals: Breakfast

After an included breakfast this morning, transportation to the Verona airport will be provided (an approximately 15 to 20 minute drive, depending on traffic) for your departing flight.

Included Meals: Breakfast

All you have to do is get to the airport. On our Air Packages, we’ll take care of the rest, handling all the logistics, so you can travel with peace of mind. Spend your first night aloft and arrive refreshed for an unforgettable trip.

Start off your first day in Venice right by having a VBT representative greet you at the airport. A complimentary water taxi service will whisk you to your centrally located hotel. From here, you are perfectly positioned to explore this charming city at your leisure.

After an included breakfast at your Venice hotel, meet your VBT representative at 9:00 a.m. in the main lobby; the representative will be holding a VBT sign.

From the hotel, a water taxi will provide transportation first to the mainland and the Venice Marco Polo Airport, where you’ll board your private motorcoach and continue on to Cortina. The drive will last about two hours, with a short stop on the way. Your VBT trip leaders will meet your group at its arrival point and escort you to your first hotel, in Cortina.

You’ll arrive in Cortina in time for lunch on your own. The hotel is located in the heart of the city, a few steps from the main shopping and pedestrian area full of life, elegant shops, restaurants, and trendy cafés. After lunch, enjoy time to settle into your hotel. Later, join your VBT trip leaders for a safety and bike-fitting session, followed   by a warm-up ride on Cortina bike paths.

Tonight, enjoy a welcome cocktail reception in the hotel’s elegant bar, followed by a special welcome dinner in a local restaurant. Some local Ampezzan specialties will immerse you in culinary traditions influenced by both Austrian Tyrol and Italian Veneto kitchens.

Today’s Ride Choices

Afternoon: Cortina d’Ampezzo Warm-up — 6 km (4 miles)

What to Expect:

Today’s warm up-ride unfolds on a well-paved and well-marked bike path that by-passes the city of Cortina d’Ampezzo but is totally free from any car traffic. You will cycle it back and forth.

Cumulative Distance Range: 6 km (4 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, set out on a downhill spin along the Boite River Valley on the Dolomites Bike Path. This invigorating descent begins at 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) and ends at 3,000 feet (850 meters), in Valle di Cadore. This scenic path was once a railway that connected the little villages of the Cadore mountain community. Le Tofane mountain range marks your progress. Soon you’ll admire the towering pyramidal peak of Antelao to your left and the saddle-like summit of Mount Pelmo to your right. The latter is a nature reserve that protects many prehistoric fossils and dinosaur footprints.

You are now in the Ampezzan Valley, one of the four historic Ladin valleys. The Ladins—a population evolved from Celtic tribes and Roman soldiers—call this lovely pocket of Italy home. Long remote and secluded from the rest of Italy, they remain a proud people whose rare language, Ladin, is closely related to Swiss Romansh, Surselvan, and Friulian. It is also still spoken in nearby Austro-Italian border regions.

The two Italian provinces of Trento and Bolzano are administratively independent from the rest of Italy, affording them a degree of autonomy. In particular, Cortina retains its own legislative system, one that is unique in the Dolomites: a council known as Regole d’Ampezzo. Under the regole and the ancient Celtic structure of property ownership, the 800 original families administer the community’s common land, which cannot be split or sold to outsiders or other families.

Enjoy a lunch of mountain specialties during a picnic in a panoramic setting along your route. Early this afternoon, you may shuttle or cycle back to Cortina, where you have time to explore on your own. Take an easy walk around Cortina following the VBT route directions, or visit the Ethnography Museum to view its collection of antique tools and cultural artifacts. In the summertime, ride a gondola to the slopes of Le Tofane or Faloria to enjoy breathtaking alpine vistas. Or take a taxi and a walk to the open-air Museum of the Great War, set on the peaks of Rifugio 5-Torri, one of the most fascinating and moving excursions in the Dolomites. Another option is to relax at the hotel with a plunge in the indoor swimming pool or indulge in a treatment at the spa before venturing out on your own to dine at one of the town’s many fine restaurants.

After dinner, we recommend a stroll in Cortina. In the summer, your visit might coincide with a cultural event, folk festival, or classical music concert.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning: Cortina to Cadore — 27.2 km (17 miles)

Afternoon: Cadore to Cortina — 27.1 km (17 miles)

What to Expect:

Descend via an old rail trail that links Dobbiaco to Calalzo. Our morning ride follows the downhill stretch of this trail. You start in Cortina and end in Valle di Cadore, losing 1,000 feet (305 meters) elevation. For a longer and easy/moderate option, you may return the same way.

Cumulative Distance Range: 27 – 54 km (17 – 34 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning a brief shuttle takes you on the scenic Cimabanche Pass and Lake Landro, where you start biking an easy downhill and flat ride on bike paths to Dobbiaco and San Candido. The views on the way are spectacular: You’ll pedal past Pomagagnon Mountain, Tre Cime di Lavaredo (the famous “Three Peaks”), and picturesque Toblacher Lake. En route, you might stop to pay tribute to the fallen of World War I at an intimate cemetery at the foothills of Monte Piana.

As you arrive in Dobbiaco, the landscape changes: rugged mountains skirted with green and roadside alpine lakes give way to open meadows and emerald pastures dotted with large, isolated farmhouses, or masi. Snow-capped peaks rise in the distance. This is the Pusteria Valley, a paradise for cyclists with its network of bike paths, bike hotels, and bike shops aimed at promoting an environmentally friendly lifestyle and healthy discovery of the valleys.

Soon, you’ll arrive in San Candido in South Tyrol, close to the Austrian border. After lunch here, there’ll be time for a stroll in this millennium-old little city. Visit the ancient, Romanesque Duomo della Collegiata—the oldest monastery in the Dolomites—and drink at one of the many stone fountains in the cobblestone pedestrian area. The Pusteria Valley is rich in history and legend, as it was on the ancient trade route to Aguntum (now in Austria) from Rome.

Later, cycle along the Upper Pusteria Valley to Brunico through lush meadows, sylvan forests, and charming villages, always following the course of the Rienza River. As you ride through the heart of South Tyrol, you’ll experience a strong Austrian influence in the language (all signs are first in German and then Italian), the architectural features, and the local traditions. The terrain here is paved except for some short stretches in the woods. VBT offers both an easy and an easy-to-moderate ride.

Later, you arrive at your hotel in Riscone, beautifully situated at the foothills of the Plan de Corones mountain ridge. You’re sure to feel comfortable and even spoiled here: The hotel features a large garden, an indoor swimming pool fed by pristine mountain springs, in-room waterbeds, and sauna options. Dinner is served at the elegant hotel restaurant and includes a large salad buffet of fresh, locally sourced produce and local wines.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning: Lake Landro to San Candido — 17 km (10 miles)

Afternoon: San Candido to Riscone with Shuttle — 17 km – (10 miles | San Candido to Riscone — 37 km (23 miles)

What to Expect:

Start with a shuttle up the Cimabanche Pass and Lake Landro. The flatlegs of today’s ride are from Lake Landro and San Candido (your lunch stop) and between San Candido and Monguelfo. Some short stretches are on well-beaten gravel bike path, but most of your ride is on well-paved bike paths. From Monguelfo, take the VBT shuttle to the hotel or continue cycling a slightly rolling stretch with some unpaved sections in the woods to Riscone.

Cumulative Distance Range: 17 – 54 km (10 – 33 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, begin cycling to Brunico where an easy bike path takes you in the surroundings of the city and along the roaring Rienza River. Later, discover the beauty of the valleys of Aurina and Tures. About 90% of today’s route follows easy paths and country roads along the Aurino River, by high mountains dotted with slope-hugging castles and cattle farms. Brunico was built in a strategic position at the crossroads of four valleys; the castles you see once watched and defended the territory. Ride past tidy hamlets of wooden houses, high steeples, well-manicured gardens, and cattle pens.

Lunch is included today in a spectacularly scenic spot, a special barbecue meal of tasty meats and crispy vegetables prepared by our host, Michael. After lunch, it is worthwhile to take a short easy walk or 5 minute bike ride to the first of the three roaring Riva waterfalls. There perhaps choose to explore these lovely surroundings further and hike to the higher waterfall and try the fly-line to quickly descend back. Bike back to your hotel, or hop a shuttle and pamper yourself at the hotel spa.

If you’re cycling back to your hotel, pause on your way to discover the city of Brunico and its pedestrian area, full of cafés, gelato shops, and boutiques. Or visit Ripa Castle, once the summer residence of prince-bishops. Today, it is one of the five museum-castles that world-famous mountain climber Reinhold Messner has transformed into a cultural center dedicated to mountain people from four continents.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning: Riscone to Wasserfallbar — 27 km (16 miles)

Afternoon: Wasserfallbar to Riscone — 19 km (11 miles)

What to Expect:

At the base of the Vedrette di Ries Mountains (3,436 meters/11,273 feet), ride the Val di Tures, stretching between the Valle Aurina and the Vetta d’Italia Mountain. The ride is mostly on a well-paved bike path. Throughout your ride, admire Dolomite mountains that soar as high as 3,510 meters (11,516 feet). The last 2 km (1.2 miles) back to your hotel are uphill; you can choose to take our shuttle with your trip leaders.

Cumulative Distance Range: 19 – 46 km (11 – 27 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, join the picturesque Pusteria Valley bike path along the Rienza River and enjoy a beautiful ride though forests, tiny villages, and covered bridges. Your ride will end in Fortezza, where you will be in sight of the mighty fortress built under the Austrian Emperor Franz I, and the Sachsenklemme, a place that had a significant role to play in the Tyrolean freedom fights of 1809.

Before lunch, shuttle into the medieval city of Bressanone. Located at the confluence of the Rienza and Isarco rivers, it was an important religious center, evidenced by its cathedral, with its beautiful frescoed and sculptured cloister; the Hofburg Bishopric Palace; and the stone city gates. The narrow, porticoed streets and multicolored houses will capture your heart as you follow your local guide Gerdi on a walking tour. After the tour enjoy lunch on your own.

Early this afternoon, shuttle to Merano. Your hotel is centrally located on the pedestrian Kurpromenade on the River Adige, opposite the historic Kurhouse. There’ll be time before dinner to relax, perhaps enjoy the wellness center and pool, or indulge in the famous thermal pools for which Merano is known.

Like Cortina, Merano is a vibrant cultural city, offering concerts and entertainment on summer evenings. You will enjoy strolling the porticoed streets and admiring its historical houses. The city features great gourmet restaurants and fine wine bars.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning: Casteldarne to Fortezza — 34 km (21 miles)

What to Expect:

Exit the Val Pusteria and cycle through the Eisack/Isarco River valley to Fortezza on bike paths and in the woods. In Fortezza, the bike path ends, and you board a 20-minute shuttle to Bressanone so that you may spend some time on your own in this historic and pedestrian town. You will not cycle in the afternoon. After a short walking tour of Bressanone with a local guide, travel to Merano.

Cumulative Distance Range: 34 km (21 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast

Today, prepare for a particularly picturesque ride during your final day road cycling Dolomites, as you gradually descend and follow the course of the river. You’ll start riding in the Renaissance village of Glorenza, surrounded by mountain peaks, and you’ll cycle through dozens of sprawling apple orchards, for which Venosta Valley is famous. You’ll also pass vineyards and castles adorning the slopes. In late August, you roll by many tractors and farmers tending to their fields. It’s sure to be one of your more memorable rides. For lunch on your own, we recommend pausing at one of the restaurants that you find along the river.

If you feel energetic, you can ride all the way back to Merano. Otherwise, we have planned to shuttle you by local train (a 20-30 minute ride), a very popular and convenient option for bikers and locals in this area.

Later tonight in Merano, raise a glass of Blauburgunder wine and toast the week over a farewell dinner in a typical local restaurant and Biergarden.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning: Glorenza to Castelbello — 36 km (22 miles)

Afternoon: Castelbello to Merano — 25 km (15 miles)

What to Expect:

Today’s ride follows the Val Venosta Bike Path, starting from an altitude of 2,975 feet (907 meters) and gradually descending. Most of the path is on well-paved terrain. The short option ends at Castelbello train station after 22 miles (35 km) and a descent of 1,050 feet (320 meters). If you choose this option, you will embark a train to Merano. Your trip leader will handle your ticket and show you where to leave your bike. Today’s longer cycling option leads to your hotel in Merano, after a total descent of 1,900 feet (580 meters).

Cumulative Distance Range: 25 – 61 km (15 – 37 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, say ciao to your trip leaders and spend the rest of the morning discovering Merano. You can enjoy the amazing Terme Merano thermal pools in the beautifully designed building set in a 12-acre (five-hectare) garden (with 10% off your entry fee, compliments of your hotel). For more information, visit termemerano.it. The facility is directly connected to your hotel by an underground tunnel.

If you prefer, shop and stroll the historic city center. Or walk out of the city to visit the Truttmansdorff Gardens and Castle, where Austrian Empress Sissi lived. The gardens’ 30 acres (12 hectares) are beautifully landscaped and were voted Italy’s Most Beautiful Garden in 2005. After lunch on your own, return to the hotel to depart at 1:00 p.m. on a private motorcoach to your Verona hotel. The orientation tour will start promptly on your arrival in Verona around 3:00 p.m.

At the hotel, our local Verona guide will meet you and host an informative introduction and an orientation tour of the city. The rest of the day is free to explore on your own with VBT’s city information as your guide. If you are visiting from mid-June to the end of August, don’t miss the opera performances in the open-air Roman Arena, an unforgettable experience. Local opera lovers say the best seats (particularly for acoustics) are the very affordable “Unreserved Stone Steps in Sectors D or E (Gradinata D or E).” If available, you can buy these last-minute at the ticket office, but it is best to purchase them in advance online at arena.it/arena/en. The Roman Arena is a very short walk from your hotel.

Post-Trip Extension guests: If you have chosen the independent Post-Trip Extension to Verona, you remain at this hotel for three nights.

Please note: Italian museums are closed on Mondays.

Included Meals: Breakfast

After an included breakfast this morning, transportation to the Verona airport will be provided (an approximately 15 to 20 minute drive, depending on traffic) for your departing flight.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Meet your fellow travelers and VBT representative at 10:00 a.m. at the Venice airport. The meeting point is the bar called Café CULTO at the WATER TRANSPORT terminal of Venice Marco Polo Airport.

Tonight, enjoy a welcome cocktail reception in the hotel’s elegant bar, followed by a special welcome dinner in a local restaurant. Some local Ampezzan specialties will immerse you in culinary traditions influenced by both Austrian Tyrol and Italian Veneto kitchens.

Today’s Ride Choices

Afternoon Cortina d’Ampezzo Warm-up — 6 km (4 miles)

What to Expect:

Today’s warm up-ride unfolds on a well-paved and well-marked bike path that by-passes the city of Cortina d’Ampezzo but is totally free from any car traffic. You will cycle it back and forth.

Cumulative Distance Range: 6 km (4 miles)

Included Meals: Dinner

After breakfast, set out on a downhill spin along the Boite River Valley on the Dolomites Bike Path. This invigorating descent begins at 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) and ends at 3,000 feet (850 meters), in Valle di Cadore. This scenic path was once a railway that connected the little villages of the Cadore mountain community. Le Tofane mountain range marks your progress. Soon you’ll admire the towering pyramidal peak of Antelao to your left and the saddle-like summit of Mount Pelmo to your right. The latter is a nature reserve that protects many prehistoric fossils and dinosaur footprints.

You are now in the Ampezzan Valley, one of the four historic Ladin valleys. The Ladins—a population evolved from Celtic tribes and Roman soldiers—call this lovely pocket of Italy home. Long remote and secluded from the rest of Italy, they remain a proud people whose rare language, Ladin, is closely related to Swiss Romansh, Surselvan, and Friulian. It is also still spoken in nearby Austro-Italian border regions.

The two Italian provinces of Trento and Bolzano are administratively independent from the rest of Italy, affording them a degree of autonomy. In particular, Cortina retains its own legislative system, one that is unique in the Dolomites: a council known as Regole d’Ampezzo. Under the regole and the ancient Celtic structure of property ownership, the 800 original families administer the community’s common land, which cannot be split or sold to outsiders or other families.

Enjoy a lunch of mountain specialties during a picnic in a panoramic setting along your route. Early this afternoon, you may shuttle or cycle back to Cortina, where you have time to explore on your own. Take an easy walk around Cortina following the VBT route directions, or visit the Ethnography Museum to view its collection of antique tools and cultural artifacts. In the summertime, ride a gondola to the slopes of Le Tofane or Faloria to enjoy breathtaking alpine vistas. Or take a taxi and a walk to the open-air Museum of the Great War, set on the peaks of Rifugio 5-Torri, one of the most fascinating and moving excursions in the Dolomites. Another option is to relax at the hotel and enjoy its amenities before venturing out on your own to dine at one of the town’s many fine restaurants.

After dinner, we recommend a stroll in Cortina. In the summer, your visit might coincide with a cultural event, folk festival, or classical music concert.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Cortina to Cadore — 27.2 km (17 miles)

Afternoon Cadore to Cortina — 27.1 km (17 miles)

What to Expect:

Descend via an old rail trail that links Dobbiaco to Calalzo. Our morning ride follows the downhill stretch of this trail. You start in Cortina and end in Valle di Cadore, losing 1,000 feet (305 meters) elevation. For a longer and easy/moderate option, you may return the same way.

Cumulative Distance Range: 27 – 54 km (17 – 34 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning a brief shuttle takes you on the scenic Cimabanche Pass and Lake Landro, where you start biking an easy downhill and flat ride on bike paths to Dobbiaco and San Candido. The views on the way are spectacular: You’ll pedal past Pomagagnon Mountain, Tre Cime di Lavaredo (the famous “Three Peaks”), and picturesque Toblacher Lake. En route, you might stop to pay tribute to the fallen of World War I at an intimate cemetery at the foothills of Monte Piana.

As you arrive in Dobbiaco, the landscape changes: rugged mountains skirted with green and roadside alpine lakes give way to open meadows and emerald pastures dotted with large, isolated farmhouses, or masi. Snow-capped peaks rise in the distance. This is the Pusteria Valley, a paradise for cyclists with its network of bike paths, bike hotels, and bike shops aimed at promoting an environmentally friendly lifestyle and healthy discovery of the valleys.

Soon, you’ll arrive in San Candido in South Tyrol, close to the Austrian border. After lunch here, there’ll be time for a stroll in this millennium-old little city. Visit the ancient, Romanesque Duomo della Collegiata—the oldest monastery in the Dolomites—and drink at one of the many stone fountains in the cobblestone pedestrian area. The Pusteria Valley is rich in history and legend, as it was on the ancient trade route to Aguntum (now in Austria) from Rome.

Later, cycle along the Upper Pusteria Valley to Brunico through lush meadows, sylvan forests, and charming villages, always following the course of the Rienza River. As you ride through the heart of South Tyrol, you’ll experience a strong Austrian influence in the language (all signs are first in German and then Italian), the architectural features, and the local traditions. The terrain here is paved except for some short stretches in the woods. VBT offers both an easy and an easy-to-moderate ride.

Later, you arrive at your hotel in Riscone, beautifully situated at the foothills of the Plan de Corones mountain ridge. You’re sure to feel comfortable and even spoiled here: The hotel features a large garden, an indoor swimming pool fed by pristine mountain springs, in-room waterbeds, and sauna options. Dinner is served at the elegant hotel restaurant and includes a large salad buffet of fresh, locally sourced produce and local wines.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Lake Landro to San Candido — 17 km (10 miles)

Afternoon San Candido to Riscone with Shuttle — 17 km – (10 miles | San Candido to Riscone — 37 km (23 miles)

What to Expect:

Start with a shuttle up the Cimabanche Pass and Lake Landro. The flatlegs of today’s ride are from Lake Landro and San Candido (your lunch stop) and between San Candido and Monguelfo. Some short stretches are on well-beaten gravel bike path, but most of your ride is on well-paved bike paths. From Monguelfo, take the VBT shuttle to the hotel or continue cycling a slightly rolling stretch with some unpaved sections in the woods to Riscone.

Cumulative Distance Range: 17 – 54 km (10 – 33 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, begin cycling to Brunico where an easy bike path takes you in the surroundings of the city and along the roaring Rienza River. Later, discover the beauty of the valleys of Aurina and Tures. About 90% of today’s route follows easy paths and country roads along the Aurino River, by high mountains dotted with slope-hugging castles and cattle farms. Brunico was built in a strategic position at the crossroads of four valleys; the castles you see once watched and defended the territory. Ride past tidy hamlets of wooden houses, high steeples, well-manicured gardens, and cattle pens.

Lunch is included today in a spectacularly scenic spot, a special barbecue meal of tasty meats and crispy vegetables prepared by our host, Mani. After lunch, it is worthwhile to take a short easy walk or 5 minute bike ride to the first of the three roaring Riva waterfalls. There perhaps choose to explore these lovely surroundings further and hike to the higher waterfall and try the fly-line to quickly descend back. Bike back to your hotel, or hop a shuttle and pamper yourself at the hotel spa.

If you’re cycling back to your hotel, pause on your way to discover the city of Brunico and its pedestrian area, full of cafés, gelato shops, and boutiques. Or visit Ripa Castle, once the summer residence of prince-bishops. Today, it is one of the five museum-castles that world-famous mountain climber Reinhold Messner has transformed into a cultural center dedicated to mountain people from four continents.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Riscone to Wasserfallbar — 27 km (16 miles)

Afternoon Wasserfallbar to Riscone — 19 km (11 miles)

What to Expect:

At the base of the Vedrette di Ries Mountains (3,436 meters/11,273 feet), ride the Val di Tures, stretching between the Valle Aurina and the Vetta d’Italia Mountain. The ride is mostly on a well-paved bike path. Throughout your ride, admire Dolomite mountains that soar as high as 3,510 meters (11,516 feet). The last 2 km (1.2 miles) back to your hotel are uphill; you can choose to take our shuttle with your trip leaders.

Cumulative Distance Range: 19 – 46 km (11 – 27 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, join the picturesque Pusteria Valley bike path along the Rienza River and enjoy a beautiful ride though forests, tiny villages, and covered bridges. Your ride will end in Fortezza, where you will be in sight of the mighty fortress built under the Austrian Emperor Franz I, and the Sachsenklemme, a place that had a significant role to play in the Tyrolean freedom fights of 1809.

Before lunch, shuttle into the medieval city of Bressanone. Located at the confluence of the Rienza and Isarco rivers, it was an important religious center, evidenced by its cathedral, with its beautiful frescoed and sculptured cloister; the Hofburg Bishopric Palace; and the stone city gates. The narrow, porticoed streets and multicolored houses will capture your heart as you follow your local guide Gerdi on a walking tour. After the tour enjoy lunch on your own.

Early this afternoon, shuttle to Merano. Your hotel is centrally located on the pedestrian Kurpromenade on the River Adige, opposite the historic Kurhouse. There’ll be time before dinner to relax, perhaps enjoy the wellness center and pool, or indulge in the famous thermal pools for which Merano is known.

Like Cortina, Merano is a vibrant cultural city, offering concerts and entertainment on summer evenings. You will enjoy strolling the porticoed streets and admiring its historical houses. The city features great gourmet restaurants and fine wine bars.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Casteldarne to Fortezza — 34 km (21 miles)

What to Expect:

Exit the Val Pusteria and cycle through the Eisack/Isarco River valley to Fortezza on bike paths and in the woods. In Fortezza, the bike path ends, and you board a 20-minute shuttle to Bressanone so that you may spend some time on your own in this historic and pedestrian town. You will not cycle in the afternoon. After a short walking tour of Bressanone with a local guide, travel to Merano.

Cumulative Distance Range: 34 km (21 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast

Today, prepare for a particularly picturesque ride during your final day road cycling Dolomites, as you gradually descend and follow the course of the river. You’ll start riding in the Renaissance village of Glorenza, surrounded by mountain peaks, and you’ll cycle through dozens of sprawling apple orchards, for which Venosta Valley is famous. You’ll also pass vineyards and castles adorning the slopes. In late August, you roll by many tractors and farmers tending to their fields. It’s sure to be one of your more memorable rides. For lunch on your own, we recommend pausing at one of the restaurants that you find along the river.

If you feel energetic, you can ride all the way back to Merano. Otherwise, we have planned to shuttle you by local train (a 20-30 minute ride), a very popular and convenient option for bikers and locals in this area.

Later tonight in Merano, raise a glass of Blauburgunder wine and toast the week over a farewell dinner in a typical local restaurant and Biergarden.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning Glorenza to Castelbello — 36 km (22 miles)

Afternoon Castelbello to Merano — 25 km (15 miles)

What to Expect:

Today’s ride follows the Val Venosta Bike Path, starting from an altitude of 2,975 feet (907 meters) and gradually descending. Most of the path is on well-paved terrain. The short option ends at Castelbello train station after 22 miles (35 km) and a descent of 1,050 feet (320 meters). If you choose this option, you will embark a train to Merano. Your trip leader will handle your ticket and show you where to leave your bike. Today’s longer cycling option leads to your hotel in Merano, after a total descent of 1,900 feet (580 meters).

Cumulative Distance Range: 25 – 61 km (15 – 37 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Your tour ends at our Merano hotel today. The morning is free. You can take a taxi on your own to the Merano train station (approximately €10-15; the ride is about 5 minutes). Most trains connect in Bolzano. If you prefer, you are welcome to board our coach to Verona at 1:00 p.m., arrive at our Verona hotel around 3:30 p.m., and make your connections there on your own.

Included Meals: Breakfast

Meet your fellow travelers and VBT representative at 10:00 a.m. at the Venice airport. The meeting point is the bar called Café CULTO at the WATER TRANSPORT terminal of Venice Marco Polo Airport.

Once the group is gathered, you will depart for Cortina d’Ampezzo by private coach. If you need to contact our representative, her name is Marenza, and her mobile phone number is +39 320 40 67 790.

You’ll arrive in Cortina in time for lunch on your own. The hotel is located in the heart of the city, a few steps from the main shopping and pedestrian area full of life, elegant shops, restaurants, and trendy cafés. After lunch, enjoy time to settle into your hotel. Later, join your VBT trip leaders for a safety and bike-fitting session, followed   by a warm-up ride on Cortina bike paths.

Tonight, enjoy a welcome cocktail reception in the hotel’s elegant bar, followed by a special welcome dinner in a local restaurant. Some local Ampezzan specialties will immerse you in culinary traditions influenced by both Austrian Tyrol and Italian Veneto kitchens.

Today’s Ride Choices

Afternoon: Cortina d’Ampezzo Warm-up — 6 km (4 miles)

What to Expect:

Today’s warm up-ride unfolds on a well-paved and well-marked bike path that by-passes the city of Cortina d’Ampezzo but is totally free from any car traffic. You will cycle it back and forth.

Cumulative Distance Range: 6 km (4 miles)

Included Meals: Dinner

After breakfast, set out on a downhill spin along the Boite River Valley on the Dolomites Bike Path. This invigorating descent begins at 4,000 feet (1,220 meters) and ends at 3,000 feet (850 meters), in Valle di Cadore. This scenic path was once a railway that connected the little villages of the Cadore mountain community. Le Tofane mountain range marks your progress. Soon you’ll admire the towering pyramidal peak of Antelao to your left and the saddle-like summit of Mount Pelmo to your right. The latter is a nature reserve that protects many prehistoric fossils and dinosaur footprints.

You are now in the Ampezzan Valley, one of the four historic Ladin valleys. The Ladins—a population evolved from Celtic tribes and Roman soldiers—call this lovely pocket of Italy home. Long remote and secluded from the rest of Italy, they remain a proud people whose rare language, Ladin, is closely related to Swiss Romansh, Surselvan, and Friulian. It is also still spoken in nearby Austro-Italian border regions.

The two Italian provinces of Trento and Bolzano are administratively independent from the rest of Italy, affording them a degree of autonomy. In particular, Cortina retains its own legislative system, one that is unique in the Dolomites: a council known as Regole d’Ampezzo. Under the regole and the ancient Celtic structure of property ownership, the 800 original families administer the community’s common land, which cannot be split or sold to outsiders or other families.

Enjoy a lunch of mountain specialties during a picnic in a panoramic setting along your route. Early this afternoon, you may shuttle or cycle back to Cortina, where you have time to explore on your own. Take an easy walk around Cortina following the VBT route directions, or visit the Ethnography Museum to view its collection of antique tools and cultural artifacts. In the summertime, ride a gondola to the slopes of Le Tofane or Faloria to enjoy breathtaking alpine vistas. Or take a taxi and a walk to the open-air Museum of the Great War, set on the peaks of Rifugio 5-Torri, one of the most fascinating and moving excursions in the Dolomites. Another option is to relax at the hotel with a plunge in the indoor swimming pool or indulge in a treatment at the spa before venturing out on your own to dine at one of the town’s many fine restaurants.

After dinner, we recommend a stroll in Cortina. In the summer, your visit might coincide with a cultural event, folk festival, or classical music concert.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning: Cortina to Cadore — 27.2 km (17 miles)

Afternoon: Cadore to Cortina — 27.1 km (17 miles)

What to Expect:

Descend via an old rail trail that links Dobbiaco to Calalzo. Our morning ride follows the downhill stretch of this trail. You start in Cortina and end in Valle di Cadore, losing 1,000 feet (305 meters) elevation. For a longer and easy/moderate option, you may return the same way.

Cumulative Distance Range: 27 – 54 km (17 – 34 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

This morning a brief shuttle takes you on the scenic Cimabanche Pass and Lake Landro, where you start biking an easy downhill and flat ride on bike paths to Dobbiaco and San Candido. The views on the way are spectacular: You’ll pedal past Pomagagnon Mountain, Tre Cime di Lavaredo (the famous “Three Peaks”), and picturesque Toblacher Lake. En route, you might stop to pay tribute to the fallen of World War I at an intimate cemetery at the foothills of Monte Piana.

As you arrive in Dobbiaco, the landscape changes: rugged mountains skirted with green and roadside alpine lakes give way to open meadows and emerald pastures dotted with large, isolated farmhouses, or masi. Snow-capped peaks rise in the distance. This is the Pusteria Valley, a paradise for cyclists with its network of bike paths, bike hotels, and bike shops aimed at promoting an environmentally friendly lifestyle and healthy discovery of the valleys.

Soon, you’ll arrive in San Candido in South Tyrol, close to the Austrian border. After lunch here, there’ll be time for a stroll in this millennium-old little city. Visit the ancient, Romanesque Duomo della Collegiata—the oldest monastery in the Dolomites—and drink at one of the many stone fountains in the cobblestone pedestrian area. The Pusteria Valley is rich in history and legend, as it was on the ancient trade route to Aguntum (now in Austria) from Rome.

Later, cycle along the Upper Pusteria Valley to Brunico through lush meadows, sylvan forests, and charming villages, always following the course of the Rienza River. As you ride through the heart of South Tyrol, you’ll experience a strong Austrian influence in the language (all signs are first in German and then Italian), the architectural features, and the local traditions. The terrain here is paved except for some short stretches in the woods. VBT offers both an easy and an easy-to-moderate ride.

Later, you arrive at your hotel in Riscone, beautifully situated at the foothills of the Plan de Corones mountain ridge. You’re sure to feel comfortable and even spoiled here: The hotel features a large garden, an indoor swimming pool fed by pristine mountain springs, in-room waterbeds, and sauna options. Dinner is served at the elegant hotel restaurant and includes a large salad buffet of fresh, locally sourced produce and local wines.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning: Lake Landro to San Candido — 17 km (10 miles)

Afternoon: San Candido to Riscone with Shuttle — 17 km – (10 miles | San Candido to Riscone — 37 km (23 miles)

What to Expect:

Start with a shuttle up the Cimabanche Pass and Lake Landro. The flatlegs of today’s ride are from Lake Landro and San Candido (your lunch stop) and between San Candido and Monguelfo. Some short stretches are on well-beaten gravel bike path, but most of your ride is on well-paved bike paths. From Monguelfo, take the VBT shuttle to the hotel or continue cycling a slightly rolling stretch with some unpaved sections in the woods to Riscone.

Cumulative Distance Range: 17 – 54 km (10 – 33 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

After breakfast, begin cycling to Brunico where an easy bike path takes you in the surroundings of the city and along the roaring Rienza River. Later, discover the beauty of the valleys of Aurina and Tures. About 90% of today’s route follows easy paths and country roads along the Aurino River, by high mountains dotted with slope-hugging castles and cattle farms. Brunico was built in a strategic position at the crossroads of four valleys; the castles you see once watched and defended the territory. Ride past tidy hamlets of wooden houses, high steeples, well-manicured gardens, and cattle pens.

Lunch is included today in a spectacularly scenic spot, a special barbecue meal of tasty meats and crispy vegetables prepared by our host, Michael. After lunch, it is worthwhile to take a short easy walk or 5 minute bike ride to the first of the three roaring Riva waterfalls. There perhaps choose to explore these lovely surroundings further and hike to the higher waterfall and try the fly-line to quickly descend back. Bike back to your hotel, or hop a shuttle and pamper yourself at the hotel spa.

If you’re cycling back to your hotel, pause on your way to discover the city of Brunico and its pedestrian area, full of cafés, gelato shops, and boutiques. Or visit Ripa Castle, once the summer residence of prince-bishops. Today, it is one of the five museum-castles that world-famous mountain climber Reinhold Messner has transformed into a cultural center dedicated to mountain people from four continents.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning: Riscone to Wasserfallbar — 27 km (16 miles)

Afternoon: Wasserfallbar to Riscone — 19 km (11 miles)

What to Expect:

At the base of the Vedrette di Ries Mountains (3,436 meters/11,273 feet), ride the Val di Tures, stretching between the Valle Aurina and the Vetta d’Italia Mountain. The ride is mostly on a well-paved bike path. Throughout your ride, admire Dolomite mountains that soar as high as 3,510 meters (11,516 feet). The last 2 km (1.2 miles) back to your hotel are uphill; you can choose to take our shuttle with your trip leaders.

Cumulative Distance Range: 19 – 46 km (11 – 27 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

This morning, join the picturesque Pusteria Valley bike path along the Rienza River and enjoy a beautiful ride though forests, tiny villages, and covered bridges. Your ride will end in Fortezza, where you will be in sight of the mighty fortress built under the Austrian Emperor Franz I, and the Sachsenklemme, a place that had a significant role to play in the Tyrolean freedom fights of 1809.

Before lunch, shuttle into the medieval city of Bressanone. Located at the confluence of the Rienza and Isarco rivers, it was an important religious center, evidenced by its cathedral, with its beautiful frescoed and sculptured cloister; the Hofburg Bishopric Palace; and the stone city gates. The narrow, porticoed streets and multicolored houses will capture your heart as you follow your local guide Gerdi on a walking tour. After the tour enjoy lunch on your own.

Early this afternoon, shuttle to Merano. Your hotel is centrally located on the pedestrian Kurpromenade on the River Adige, opposite the historic Kurhouse. There’ll be time before dinner to relax, perhaps enjoy the wellness center and pool, or indulge in the famous thermal pools for which Merano is known.

Like Cortina, Merano is a vibrant cultural city, offering concerts and entertainment on summer evenings. You will enjoy strolling the porticoed streets and admiring its historical houses. The city features great gourmet restaurants and fine wine bars.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning: Casteldarne to Fortezza — 34 km (21 miles)

What to Expect:

Exit the Val Pusteria and cycle through the Eisack/Isarco River valley to Fortezza on bike paths and in the woods. In Fortezza, the bike path ends, and you board a 20-minute shuttle to Bressanone so that you may spend some time on your own in this historic and pedestrian town. You will not cycle in the afternoon. After a short walking tour of Bressanone with a local guide, travel to Merano.

Cumulative Distance Range: 34 km (21 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast

Today, prepare for a particularly picturesque ride during your final day road cycling Dolomites, as you gradually descend and follow the course of the river. You’ll start riding in the Renaissance village of Glorenza, surrounded by mountain peaks, and you’ll cycle through dozens of sprawling apple orchards, for which Venosta Valley is famous. You’ll also pass vineyards and castles adorning the slopes. In late August, you roll by many tractors and farmers tending to their fields. It’s sure to be one of your more memorable rides. For lunch on your own, we recommend pausing at one of the restaurants that you find along the river.

If you feel energetic, you can ride all the way back to Merano. Otherwise, we have planned to shuttle you by local train (a 20-30 minute ride), a very popular and convenient option for bikers and locals in this area.

Later tonight in Merano, raise a glass of Blauburgunder wine and toast the week over a farewell dinner in a typical local restaurant and Biergarden.

Today’s Ride Choices

Morning: Glorenza to Castelbello — 36 km (22 miles)

Afternoon: Castelbello to Merano — 25 km (15 miles)

What to Expect:

Today’s ride follows the Val Venosta Bike Path, starting from an altitude of 2,975 feet (907 meters) and gradually descending. Most of the path is on well-paved terrain. The short option ends at Castelbello train station after 22 miles (35 km) and a descent of 1,050 feet (320 meters). If you choose this option, you will embark a train to Merano. Your trip leader will handle your ticket and show you where to leave your bike. Today’s longer cycling option leads to your hotel in Merano, after a total descent of 1,900 feet (580 meters).

Cumulative Distance Range: 25 – 61 km (15 – 37 miles)

Included Meals: Breakfast, Dinner

Your tour ends at our Merano hotel today. The morning is free. You can take a taxi on your own to the Merano train station (approximately 10-15€; the ride is about 5 minutes). Most trains connect in Bolzano. If you prefer, you are welcome to board our coach to Verona at 1:00 p.m., arrive at our Verona hotel around 3:30 p.m., and make your connections there on your own.

Included Meals: Breakfast