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Italy: Veneto

Bolzano, Verona & Venice Ride

Trip code: C07VE

Average customer rating 4.7 / 5(21 verified reviews)

Self-Guided Cycling
7 nights hotel-to-hotel
Moderate
COโ‚‚ rating 1/5
Agent supplied app

Trip highlights

Vibrant orchards, Renaissance architecture and Venetian villas

Admire Lake Garda and stay in Verona, the birthplace of Shakespeareโ€™s Romeo and Juliet

Visit Venice: Dogeโ€™s Palace, the Rialto Bridge and Piazza San Marco

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Trip details

Few landscapes in Europe match the unique beauty of the jagged limestone Dolomites. The self-guided cycling route starts with incredible views of Trentinoโ€™s dramatic mountains, cycling on relatively easy roads and tracks along the Adige River. On reaching the northern shore of Lake Garda, enjoy the breath taking views of one of the most famous Italian Lakes. A four hour ferry cruise on the lake gives you the opportunity to take in these wonderful vistas before continuing the ride through the beautiful cities of Verona, Padova and finally exploring the canals and waterways of Venice.

What's included

Included

  • 7 nights accommodation
  • All breakfasts
  • Navigation app
  • Bike hire included
  • Luggage transfers between hotels
  • Ferry on Lake Garda

Not included

  • Flights
  • Local taxes/fees
  • Travel insurance

Your bike

Hand-picked for the route, hire included

Custom, Touring Bike or equivalent. Your bike hire is included in the price of your holiday and comes equipped with the relevant essentials, plus rear pannier.

Travel options

Our travel specialists can arrange flights, rail and transfers to this holiday from wherever you are. Call us to plan your journey. +44 1606 720099

Itinerary

Route map, with each night's stop marked
The full route, night by night. Select the map to view it full screen.

Day 1 ยท โ€”Arrive in Bolzano

Arrive in Bolzano

Make your way to Bolzano, the capital of the South Tyrol. Wander through its network of winding alleys or pay a visit to its famous Museum of Archeology.

You stay at Hotels

Deluxe room

Hotels

Italy

  • Tea & coffee

We use a variety of 2 and 3-star hotels and inns throughout with en suite facilities. They may be located either in the towns themselves or in the surrounding countryside. It is possible to upgrade to a higher standard of accommodation (3 to 4-star standard) from ยฃ122 per person. Please speak to your sales consultant at the time of booking. Please note that the accommodation (both standard and upgraded type) is usually located within walking distance to the centres of the towns (i.e. 15-20 mins walk).

All prices are based on 2 persons sharing, so if there is an odd number of people travelling in your party or you are travelling alone, there will be a compulsory supplement for a single room for the tour duration.
For a solo traveller there is an additional charge to cover transfer costs.

Day 2 ยท 65km/40.4mi or 70km/43.5miBolzano to Trento

Bolzano to Trento

Today you will ride mainly along the Adige River, through fragrant orchards and vineyards, passing through the villages of Ora, Egna and Salorno. Scenic pathways lead onward to Trento, set in a wide glacial valley guarded by the towering peaks of the Dolomites.

Elevation

Bolzano to Trento elevation profile

Day 3 ยท 50km/31.1miTrento to Lake Garda

Trento to Lake Garda

As you pedal along the Adige, you reach Rovereto and Mori, which is famous for its quality wines. From here, you cycle westwards to Lake Garda, the largest lake in Italy. Pass the picturesque towns of Torbole and Riva before taking the ferry across Lake Garda. Overnight stay in Peschiera.

Elevation

Trento to Lake Garda elevation profile

Day 4 ยท 35km/21.7miLake Garda to Verona

Lake Garda to Verona

From Lake Garda, we cycle on quiet roads towards the legendary city of Verona, arguably one of the most beautiful cities in the Veneto. Take time to discover the iconic arena, Basilica San Zeno and of course Julietโ€™s house with its honey coloured stone balcony.

Elevation

Lake Garda to Verona elevation profile

Day 5 ยท 35km/21.7mi or 70km/43.5miVerona to Vicenza

Verona to Vicenza

Itโ€™s undulating cycling to the charming town of Soave, with its perfectly preserved castle surrounded by vineyards. Then either take the challenging route into the Berici hills for stunning vistas or follow an easier route past the Villa Valmarana into Vicenza. The old city centre is a jewel of Renaissance architecture, with its Basilica standing as a testament to one of Italyโ€™s most revered architects, Andrea Palladio.

Elevation

Verona to Vicenza elevation profile

Day 6 ยท 50km/31.1miVicenza to the Euganean Hills

Vicenza to the Euganean Hills

Cycling out of Vicenza you come across the beautiful Palladian Villa Rotonda. Along the Bacchiglione river, the route continues towards the scenic landscape of the Euganean hills, the biggest European thermal resort, with an overnight in a wonderful hotel in verdant surroundings.

Elevation

Vicenza to the Euganean Hills elevation profile

Day 7 ยท 55km/34.2miEuganean Hills to Mestre/Venice

Euganean Hills to Mestre/Venice

Itโ€™s easy pedalling along the Battaglia Canal to Padua and the largest square in Italy. Continue past ancient villas to Mestre, Veniceโ€™s mainland. The โ€˜Floating Cityโ€™ is easily accessible; take time exploring its labyrinth of narrow streets, iconic bridges and famous sights. Overnight in Mestre.

Elevation

Euganean Hills to Mestre/Venice elevation profile

Day 8 ยท โ€”Leave Mestre

Leave Mestre

After breakfast you leave the hotel.

What our travellers say

The cycle paths on this trip were excellent. Only traffic was going to our hotels.
Route was very easy to follow.

Ms Mcalpin

Organisation excellent. GPS App and map booklets were excellent. Good route with plenty of cycle lanes. One tougher day mainly on roads. Route was a good one with plenty to see in the Italian towns we visited.

Mr CARTRIDGE

A varied cycle tour with lovely locations at the end of each day. There are some challenging sections along the valleys when windy, but otherwise enjoyable. Although there are some pretty towns and villages along the way, it is best to travel to the end points to spend time in those areas.

Mrs Emmett

The Bolzano to Venice cycle had beautiful scenery, especially in the Dolomites and Lake Garda. The cycle paths were excellent but some days cafes and restaurants en route were scarce and no guidance on this was given by the Girolibero agent. Usually the Headwater agent is very helpful about this. The only guidance we were given was about the electric bikes which were excellent and made the longer days, 75km, very manageable, although never staying in the same hotel for two nights made the cycle a bit intense. Hotels were not up to the usual Headwater standard except for the Sporting Hotel near Padua which was excellent. Some rooms especially in Mestre were very small. No advice was given about roadworks detours which caused problems.

Mrs O'SULLIVAN

A fantastic cycling holiday, that took us through through beautiful landscapes and cities.

Ms Goulston

The route details was excellent but only provided the evening of arrival at the first hotel. More information should have been provided about the GPS website. Using this system requires a modern smartphone with extra backup power. We had rainey days which are not ideal for phone navigation so the enjoyment level was reduced. The holiday is recommended and was a great experience but we could have been better prepared by prior knowledge.

CLARKE

A very enjoyable and scenic tour of this area of Northern Italy. We travelled in early June and wherever we were, the wonderful aroma of Jasmine and the flowers of the Linden (Lime) trees filled the air. The bikes were solid, well maintained and comfortable and the cycling routes were excellent, mostly off-road and flat and the quality of the roads for most of the trip was very good (no pot-hole dodging required)! There was so much to see at the end of each cycling day in the historic towns and the hotel accommodation was, on the whole, very good. Most hotels were spotlessly clean, with comfortable super-king size beds. The breakfast at all the hotels was plentiful and good. We took the upgrade option and some of the hotels were much plusher than we had envisioned which was a nice surprise. On the whole, a thoroughly enjoyable trip with some lovely cycling routes, great scenery and sights and lots of cafes (and delicious Gelato) en-route. Iโ€™d recommend this trip without hesitation.

WOODWARD

The Bolzano to Venice cycle route was outstanding and made the most of the excellent cycling infrastructure in this part of Italy. Much of the ride was on hard, smooth surfaces on the banks of rivers or canals โ€“ safe, serene and scenic cycling. Where roads were needed (the incredibly beautiful descent from the Dolomites to Lake Garda), we were given plenty of warning of the high risk points. The recommended โ€˜Ride with GPS" APP was outstanding โ€“ good mapping and very helpful voice messaging. Our ebikes were really good โ€“ comfortable, stable, excellent battery range & easy to charge (another pannier please!).

The historical cities on this beautiful route are truly wonderful and viewing them from bike and/or foot was a privilege.

We regretted opting against hotel upgrades as some of ours were distinctly average (small rooms, far from town centre) and not sure we got VFM.

Headwater staff helping us to organise our holiday were excellent โ€“ supportive, prompt and highly effective.

HARRISON

The cycle route from Bolzano to riva del garda was outstanding.

DUNN

Overall, an absolutely superb experience, my non cycling wife thoroughly enjoyed it due to the E bikes assistance. Great service moving the bags daily, good hotel selection probably the most memorable holiday I will ever have. We are looking to do a similar thing with friends who had done the same trip in 2018 and recommended it to us. Hopefully next year we will book another amazing holiday with Headwater.

Gordon Smith
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Positive impact

Carbon score for this trip

16.0

Kg COโ‚‚e

per person, per night

Relative to other Headwater trips

We measure emissions from the parts of the holiday we organise โ€” including accommodation, in-trip transport, meals and activities โ€” and express them as COโ‚‚e per person, per night. Our label doesnโ€™t include your travel to and from the start of the trip. As a Certified B Corp, Headwater is committed to reducing this figure and to positively impacting local communities, the local environment and our staff. Learn more

Fromยฃ1,109per person