Day 1: Arrive Cortina d’Ampezzo
Arrive independently in Cortina d’Ampezzo (1,224m), the Queen of the Dolomites — Italy’s most famous mountain destination, host of the 1956 Winter Olympics and co-host with Milan in 2026. Check into your hotel and meet your BikesPlus representative for bike fitting: your e-bike (Cube or Kalkhoff with Bosch motor) is adjusted to your height, and you receive a handlebar-mounted GPS preloaded with routes. Evening welcome dinner — your host explains the week’s stages and the history of the Dolomites Railway. Overnight Cortina.
Day 2: Cortina to Dobbiaco — The Old Railway
The first stage follows the most spectacular section of the Dolomites Railway cycle path. From Cortina, climb gently through pine forests to Cimabanche Pass (1,530m). The old railway trackbed — abandoned since 1962 — offers perfect gradients with tunnels blasted through mountainsides and bridges spanning dramatic gorges. Views of Monte Cristallo (3,221m) and the Sorapiss massif dominate the route. Emerging from the final tunnel, the Val di Landro opens before you with the Tre Cime massif on the horizon. Cruise downhill into Dobbiaco (1,256m). Cycling: 35km, +400m, easy/e-moderate. Overnight Dobbiaco.
Day 3: Lago di Braies Detour & San Candido
Optional morning detour: 8km climb (300m) to Lago di Braies (1,494m) — the turquoise Pearl of the Dolomites. Walk the circuit path, take a rowboat, then descend back to the main route. Continue cycling east to San Candido (Innichen, 1,175m), past onion-domed churches and wooden farmsteads with flower-bedecked balconies. San Candido’s Collegiate Church (1280 AD) contains some of the oldest frescoes in the Eastern Alps. Cycling: 25km (+8km detour optional), -100m. Overnight San Candido.
Day 4: San Candido to Brunico — Val Pusteria
Today’s stage descends through the broad Val Pusteria. The cycle path follows the Rienza River, passing medieval castles: Castel Monguelfo (Welsberg, 12th century), Castel di Braies, and the massive Castel Brunico (1251) looming above the town. The route winds through meadow villages, past hay barns and wayside shrines, with the Vedrette di Ries-Aurina peaks to the north. Arrive in Brunico (Bruneck, 838m), a lively town with a beautifully preserved old center, arcaded streets, and a castle-turned-museum (MMM Ripa, the Messner Mountain Museum dedicated to mountain peoples). Cycling: 35km, -400m descent, easy. Overnight Brunico.
Day 5: Brunico to Bressanone — Brixen’s Baroque
Continue descending from Brunico to Bressanone (Brixen, 559m), the oldest city in Tyrol (founded 901 AD). The cycle path leaves Val Pusteria and enters the Eisack Valley. Stop at the Neustift Monastery (Novacella, 1142), an Augustinian abbey with a stunning baroque library, frescoed church, and vineyards producing Eisacktaler white wines. Arrive in Bressanone for lunch. Afternoon: explore the baroque cathedral, the cloister with 14th-century frescoes, and the medieval old town. The Goldenes Rossl hotel, your stop for two nights, has welcomed travelers since 1594. Cycling: 40km, -280m. Overnight Bressanone.
Day 6: Bressanone to Chiusa — Wine & Castles
Short but spectacular stage through the Valle Isarco DOC wine region. Vineyards cling to impossibly steep terraces producing outstanding Sylvaner, Kerner, and Gewurztraminer. First stop: Chiusa (Klausen, 523m), a medieval jewel whose narrow lanes wind between houses built against the rock face. Above: Saben Monastery (729m) — the Acropolis of Tyrol, a religious site since the 4th century. Continue past Castel Forte (Trostburg), a 12th-century castle with a Renaissance courtyard. Cycling: 25km, -260m. Afternoon wine tasting at a local cantina. Overnight Bressanone.
Day 7: Bressanone to Bolzano — The Finale
The final stage follows the Eisack Valley cycle path south into the Bassa Atesina. The valley broadens, palms and cypresses appear, and the roofs of Bolzano (Bozen, 262m) come into view. Arrive at Piazza Walther, the city’s central square. Afternoon: visit the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology to see Otzi the Iceman — the 5,300-year-old Copper Age mummy discovered in the Otztal Alps in 1991, one of archaeology’s most important discoveries. Farewell dinner celebrating at a Bolzano restaurant. Cycling: 40km, -300m. Overnight Bolzano.
Day 8: Departure
Breakfast in Bolzano. Independent departure — Bolzano has a train station with direct connections to Verona (1.5 hours), Innsbruck (2 hours), and Munich (3.5 hours).
