Biking in the Dolomites: An Easy, Scenic Ride from Italy to Austria
Written by Madeline Jhawar
You’d never guess from looking at the photo below that any biking path in the Dolomite mountains in northern Italy could be easy. But the paved cycling route from San Candido, in the Sud Tyrol region of Italy, to Lienz, Austria, is 42km / 26mi of gentle downhill. It’s ideal for kids, rollerbladers, or anyone who wants to focus on the scenery and breathe fresh air – and maybe not get much exercise.
“Dolomites” by Navin Rajagopalan via Flickr, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
San Candido, Italy – Lienz, Austria
You’ll need about half a day for the whole trip, after you get to San Candido. If you need to, rent a bike in San Candido, then just follow the well-marked, well-maintained path. Take a break at one of the many playgrounds or small towns en route, or continue to the very pretty town of Lienz. Allow some time to explore the town before loading your bike on the train back to San Candido.
Useful To Know…
- The path is busiest on Sundays.
- Not recommended to ride in reverse because most of the bike traffic is heading the other direction. You’d be dodging a lot of people, some pedaling as fast as possible and assuming nobody’s coming in the opposite direction.
- Here’s a map of the route.
“Sillian” by János Korom Dr. via Flickr, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
- San Candido is 2 hours by train from Bolzano, 3 hours from Trento, or 5 hours from Venice.
- Trains back to San Candido run about once an hour.
- If you are traveling in a group of 4 people or more, it’s less expensive to buy a group pass (person + bike) on the train from Lienz to San Candido.
Photo by Alessio Milan via Flickr, licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Written by Madeline Jhawar
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