Kaltern Bike Tour: Mitterberg Round

If you've ever been to Kaltern / Caldaro or at least passed by it, then you'll already be familiar with the Mitterberg, this long, heavily forested hump of reddish rock in the middle of the Etsch / Adige Valley between the Etsch / Adige River and Lake Caldaro. But not everyone knows that there are more than 600 km of trails and paths in the vicinity of the Mitterberg – an ideal playground for bikers of every stripe. The Mitterberg circuit tour leads entirely along bike trails. It is not restricted solely to the Mitterberg. Rather, it will take you around it – a tour that is extremely suitable for beginners and families – but also a great trail to get a little practice. From Kaltern, you'll first glide along the bike trail on your way down to Auer / Ora. You then continue along Lake Caldaro and finally round the southern tip of the Mitterberg until you come to the Etsch Bridge. Here – just before the village of Auer – you'll now enter the Etsch Valley Bicycle Trail which continues to the south towards Trento and to the north towards Bozen / Bolzano. The tour sticks to the Etsch River – usually far enough away from the autobahn so that you won't be bothered by traffic noise. The Mitterberg circuit tour can be taken in either direction since it consists wholly of asphalt bicycle paths. But the direction indicated here is recommended especially for afternoons when the south wind – the "Ora" – will provide a pleasant tailwind as you speed along the level Etsch Bicycle Trail towards Bozen. Just behind Bozen, the bike trail winds along the old railroad line slightly uphill towards Kaltern.

Variants: To the south of Lake Caldaro, you can continue straight on the bike trail to Auer / Ora and combine this route with, e.g., the "Neumarkt / Egna" tour.

Mustn't be missed: Lake Caldaro, the provincial capital of Bozen, Sigmundskron Castle with the Messner Mountain Museum.