Bike Tour Reviews Innsbruck To Lake Garda Across The Southern Slopes Of The Alps
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Innsbruck to Lake Garda Across the Southern Slopes of the Alps
COUNTRY: Austria, Italy
Wednesdays and Saturdays: Apr 26 – Sep 5, 2025
Season 1: Wednesdays, Saturdays Apr 26–May 9 and Sep 27–Oct 4
Season 2: Wednesdays, Saturdays May 10–23 and Sep 6–26
Season 3: Wednesdays, Saturdays May 24–Sep 5
Description:
Explore the southern slopes of the Alps on a bike tour from Innsbruck in Tyrol to the northern shores of Lake Garda. The route follows historic trade paths through alpine valleys, vineyards, and lakes, connecting Central Europe with the Mediterranean.
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★★★★★ AmyandBruce July 21, 2019Pretty amazing
We especially enjoyed the changing scenery, climate, culture and architecture as we traveled from Innsbruck to Lake Garda. This tour is extremely beautiful. The accommodations were consistently clean and comfortable, a very good value for the price of the tour. The breakfast buffets are nothing like what you get at motels in the United States. They are way, way nicer.
Most of the tour involved low stress biking along well maintained and predominately paved bike paths. Some was along quiet roads or narrow city streets. Twice we had to deal with heavy volume and no shoulder. Once was biking around 3 km uphill to our hotel in Imst, Austria (such a pleasure when we finally arrived), and once on approach to Auer in Italy. Also be aware that the bike paths are more heavily used in Austria and Italy. This is generally not a problem, but there are a number of "sport cyclists" who come up on you quickly and silently, so no automobile traffic does not mean that you don't have to pay attention. Also be aware that while much of the route is flat (or more accurately a gentle uphill or downhill as it follows a river), there are sections that are rolling or even hilly.
In addition, we encountered head winds around 80% of the time. Of course, in other weather conditions, it might have been a tail wind! But the wind does blow through these steep sided, canyon like valleys. Also be aware that it does rain quite a bit in the Austrian Alps, and can get hot as you proceed southward. For the most part, though, we had very nice weather.
The material provided by the local tour company was useful and included sightseeing information. We branched out a bit and did our own research. We found an amazing waterfall in Parcines (near Moreno) that was a bit off the beaten path and a few miles from the bike route.
The bicycles we rented were different from what I'm used to even though they are hybrids and I ride a hybrid for transportation. Much more upright, and I was unable to adjust the handlebar height or change the height of the seat without impacting the position of my legs, which was perfect. So it took a couple of days for my arms to get used to the (what was for me) unusual position. The seat was more comfortable than I feared it would be. I had no problem with that. The partner, EuroBikes, provides a high quality water proof panier and handlebar bag. Also lights (the rear ones had run out of batteries and didn't work well for me or at all for my husband, but the front lights were fine) and an odometer. You also get tools, a pump, and a spare tube. Your riding will be during the day, but I like to use lights when it rains.
The tour company was very prompt and accurate with transporting our luggage, so that was never a problem.
Our only real problem was with directions, and that was mainly due to a communication snafu. Most of the cyclists on this route are German speakers, so the lady that gave the orientation needed to speak to the different groups in different languages, which made it a bit awkward. My husband speaks a little German, but I didn't speak any before this tour. English was not her first language. We are used to more detailed cue sheets or route markings on pavement. The cue sheets are not at all detailed. However, the tour company affixes small stickers to poles at intersections, and this takes care of the problem. All the tour companies do this so you just have to look for your company's sticker. Although we were given an orientation and the material does show the symbol for the company, no one explained that they were tiny stickers on poles. I'm guessing the cyclists in Europe know this, but we didn't. We eventually met another group of cyclists from England and Scotland who explained this to us. After that, it was obvious. So if you take this tour, please be aware of these stickers. It will make life ever so much easier for you and you will not make the wrong turns and add the extra miles that we did. SHOW MORE
All in all, this was not a difficult tour. Most people with at least some cycling experience should be fine with it. But because there are some hills and head winds, do yourself a favor and do a little bit of training if you do not bicycle regularly.
But absolutely take this tour. All things considered (especially if you keep those stickers in mind), it was an incredible experience. I would not hesitate to recommend it to others.
SHOW LESS- What was the date of your tour?
- July 6 to July 13, 2019
- How many tours have you completed?
- around 15
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, First-time bike tourists, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ JRC 1 month ago
Great route
A great route - varied and spectacular scenery. We were very lucky with weather but September is a great month for this trip because of apple and grape harvesting. Hotels were all good with one exception. Breakfasts good also. Bike equipment very good.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 8
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Megan P 2 months ago
Amazing trip
We had never been to Austria or northern Italy before and this was the perfect way to experience this region. The biking was almost all on bike paths and not difficult. The scenery was incredible. The accommodations were comfortable and well paced along the route. I would do this same trip 100 more times and find something new to explore each trip. The scenery was stunning. We loved every minute of it (even the day in the rain) and would book with this again 100%.
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★★★★★ Don c 2 months ago
Retirement at its best
This was our second trip with biketours.com and did they deliver. We had a great trip. The Bikes were excellent and Hotels were very nice. Great job. The only issues we had was finding the starting points in town. It was very challenging go say the least. A suggestion if I can: A pin on Google maps of starting point would have helped immensely. That aside it was the trip of a life time. Great work bike tours.com. Our appreciation for all those involved with setting this tour up.
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★★★★★ Dennis A 2 months ago
Innsbruck to Lake Garda
Beautiful is the only way to describe scenery. Only thing difficult about this trip were the directions! Had problems almost every day getting out of cities. Particularly difficult in Merano. Circled city in dangerous conditions trying to get to trail.
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat harder
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- Solo travelers
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Richard H 2 months ago
Superb cycling through the beautiful Tyrolean mountains and valleys of Austria and northern Italy
Two days up (Austria) and four days down apart from the uphill bits (Italy) with the Reschen Pass in between - pretty much sums up the highly scenic cycling tour from Innsbruck to Lake Garda.
The supplied navigation app downloaded onto your mobile phone works very well - and although the largely paved route is generally very well marked - knowing exactly where you are at all times is both comforting and essential. But your mobile phone battery needs to be in a good state - and it's highly recommended to carry a back-up battery pack.
Overall, the hotels are good (3* & 4*) as are the breakfasts, with the best (Mirage at Lago del Garda) saved for last! But the navigation app does not lead you to your hotel. Upon reaching the day's destination (usually the town or village centre) it's necessary to do a bit of research (eg Google maps) to learn where you need to be that night. Which can be anything from a couple of hundred metres to several kilometres away. Also, deviating off the route (planned or otherwise!) can be a challenge, particularly in the larger villages or towns. This applies in particular to Rovereto as the cycle route skirts the town, but detouring to the historic centre is neither obvious nor easy.
The baggage shuttle service works well, and only once did I reach my destination first - but only had to wait ~20 minutes.
The supplied e-bike ran well and has an excellent battery capacity. The (non-derailleur) gear change system took a bit of getting used to as you need to stop pedalling when changing up or down. Not at all intuitive when used to a derailleur! But an e-bike is not essential for this tour - especially if opting for the shuttle from Landeck to Nauders.
Overall, an excellent and well planned self-guided tour: highly recommended!- What was the date of your tour?
- mid-August 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 1st in Europe, lots in New Zealand
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Patti 3 months ago
Bike trip
Self guided bike trip. Beautiful scenery, smooth biking surface. Great weather and nice e-bikes!
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★★★★★ David Geelong Australia 4 months ago
Perfect 7 Days Easy Alpine Cycling
A fantastic way to ride through the Austrian and Italian Alps without the hill climbs. Perfect length of 7 nights, awesome accommodation in beautiful villages and larger cities, nestled right in amongst the activities of the town centres.
Two brothers in retirement rode normal touring bicycles without any training and covered the tracks with relative ease.
The scenery along the route was breathtaking.
The food delicious and easy to search out local cuisine as accommodation was right in amongst it all.
Accomodation was first class (twin share), with large rooms, breakfasts were full buffet and catered for everyone’s tastes.
The touring bikes were in the excellent condition, comfortable seats, pannier and handle bar removable basket.
Routes were 99% cycle only roads fully sealed with a few hundred meters of gravel.
Eurobike staff were also excellent and assisted us as first priority after an incident.
Thank you we would not hesitate to this TO again.
Thank you- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Llewellyn F. 5 months ago
Fabulous Views and Vistas
It was a great trip! Just amazing views of the mountains through Austria and then Italy. Was generally flat or downhill so not difficult. Allowed us to enjoy the cycling and then enjoy the towns we stayed in.
Mainly separate bike paths that were perfectly maintained. Best I've seen. Signage for our route was very good. Easy to find coffee/strudel/beer stops along the way. Only issue was that instead of a GPS we were given an app. While the app explained the route, it just had a picture map with a purple line that sort of followed the route. We had to use Google Maps to figure out exactly where we were related to the map. Not very easy to do. I've been on tours with a GPS and it was perfect. Note that when approaching Lake Garda on the last day, the map showed us going off the bike route to a road that looked dangerous along the mountain. We stayed on the bike path that led us to amazing views down to Lake Garda and the route that all other cyclists were going.
There was a little issue with the timing of the shuttle on the way back to Innsbruck. Very thankful for Stephano (the local tour operator) who stepped in and personally picked up another client, so that we could leave earlier and reach Innsbruck by noon to catch a bus to the Munich airport. Next time will try not to have immediate plans after the tour. Can't say enough about Stephano and his team. One thing to consider, is for the local tour operators to be accessible via WhatsApp. Not all of us had voice access on our phones, only data.
Hotels were very nice except one in Mals...more like a two-star. Elevator had no light. Shower had little water pressure. Breakfast very limited. The one in Lake Garda was perfectly located with amazing views. All were easy to get to from the main bike path.
Some sights worth doing: just past the Italy border at Lago di Resia Reschensee stay on the right side of the lake on a beautiful bike path with picnic tables to stop and take in the view (brings snacks and drinks), Mendel Cable Car/Funicular (cool on top, there's a little town there), Wiengut Waldthaler wine tasting in Ora (Clemens was amazing and joined us for pizza where we ordered his wine), most towns have nice parks and areas to walk before/after dinner.
I've done several bike tours and this one was one of the best in terms of route, paths and scenery.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2025
- How many tours have you completed?
- 6
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Somewhat easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Margaret Ann MacGregor September 23, 2024
All great—although the weather did not cooperate, but we had rain gear!
Navigation worked well. Some hotels had great saunas! Breakfasts were all good!
- What was the date of your tour?
- September 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- Much easier
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Matthew Waterbury August 2, 2024
Perfect way to experience the Alps and the Tyrol Region!
Fantastic experience. Great scenery with great back paths throughout the trip. Every day was unique enough that you felt it was a new experience. All our hotels were fine. A little noisy in IMST from road traffic. A great view from our Hotel room in St. Valentin. Great location in Riva del Garda. Each breakfast provided by the hotels were outstanding (sliced meat, cheese, eggs, etc.). Assistance from Stefano when required was readily available. We had not issues with bikes (better than mine).
- What was the date of your tour?
- July 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 0
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Olafur Olafsson June 16, 2024
Six days of pleasure
Wonderful way of experiencing the beauty of Tirol. The trip was coordinated in a perfect way with a very nice cycle paths and the hotels was fine. We will definately go again. Highly recommended
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2024
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Om Apte May 29, 2024
Perfect way to enjoy Italian Alps
The tour experience was great. All the stays were perfect. The mobile app was very helpful to navigate from point A to B. All instructions in the docket were easy to understand and follow. This was my 2 tour with bike tours and I found the quality of services was as good as it was on our last tour.
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★★★★★ Shelley Vercoe October 20, 2023
Great trip
We enjoyed this trip very much. The small medieval town centers were beautiful. Nice hotels and the tour company adjusted the schedule so we could visit Otzi. The scenery is gorgeous especially when the route veers away from the main roads.
- What was the date of your tour?
- October 2024
- How many tours have you completed?
- 2
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Solo travelers, Families with teens, Families with young kids
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Anthony Ladson September 4, 2023
Wonderful bike tour
I had a great time. Everything went well. The scenery was great. The biking was just at the right level of challenge. Hotels were comfortable. I loved it all and highly recommend this tour to others.
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★★★★★ Anthony Ladson August 14, 2023
Wonderful trip
I greatly enjoyed this ride and highly recommend it. The recommended routes were scenic and you could explore more if you wanted. The hotels were excellent and my gear was picked and moved every day without issue. I also loved the bike that was provided.
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★★★★★ Mike Brinkley June 7, 2023
Spectacular
Spectacular scenery with an excellent local bike company who was very organized and helpful. Maps were good and the bike paths well marked in almost every place. The hotels were good and mostly in locations easy to find. Excellent trip.
- What was the date of your tour?
- May 2023
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Lisa Schmitz November 9, 2022
Beautiful scenery every minute
Great trip, but an e-bike would have been a better choice. Beginning days were very challenging, especially with heavy touring bikes. The downhills, though, were exhilarating. We relied on Google maps because the route maps were not up to date and less efficient.
- What was the date of your tour?
- June 2022
- How many tours have you completed?
- 4
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Fodones June 8, 2016
- What was the date of your tour?
- 26/may/2016 --04/june/2016
- How many tours have you completed?
- 14
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
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★★★★★ Nancy71 July 1, 2018
Far exceeded our hopes!
The bike ride was a dream through beautiful orchards and vineyards! The bike paths were excellent and we had a trip to remember! We rented e-bikes, and we were very glad we did. The extra "boost" from time to time made the trip more enjoyable and didn't leave us exhausted at the end of the day - yet we got plenty of excercise. We did have 2 bikes run out of battery on the first day which was
disappointing. This particular bike tour is WONDERFUL!- What was the date of your tour?
- 6/16 - 6/23, 2018
- How many tours have you completed?
- one
- Difficulty (actual vs. expected)?
- As expected
- Who is this tour suitable for?
- First-time bike tourists, Families with young kids, Families with teens
- Do you recommend this tour?
- Yes
