A cycling journey from Innsbruck to Munich via Bad Tolz takes you through two similarly impressive alpine region countryside, the Tyrol and Bavaria.  The scenery is straight out of ‘The Sound of Music’ with blue and white mountain ranges in the background and bright green pastures in the foreground and plenty of lone monasteries and castles which range in style from the fairytale to the almost Gothic, looming over the valleys.  There are several possible cycling paths in this region, mostly on purpose built paths or lesser used country roads so the going is quite easy.  If you’re after a scenic, pleasant trip then you’ll probably want to stick to the low country and the valleys, passing through Zillertal where there are some of the clearest mountain lakes you can imagine and through the valleys of Inn and Isar, where you’ll have good views to the Mayrhofen glacier.  Detour away from the river valleys will take you past some of the regions famous architecture, the Bavarian castles and the most famous (in my own experience), Neuschwanstein can be seen from a distance or up close if you have enough time, it’s located near Tegelberg Mountain which is a bit off the route but there are plenty of cycle paths to choose from.  Bad Tolz itself is worth staying in for at least one night.  It was the meeting point of two trade routes and used to be a busy and wealthy town, despite it’s mountainous surrounds.  The wealth that used to pass through here regularly is still obvious in the decorative architectural details of the houses and the setting, with a backdrop of white mountains, bright blue water and pine forests really sets this place apart.  It’s also a lot of what American’s expect Europe to look like.  If you like that sort of thing you can factor in a visit to the Swarovski Kristallwelten.

Written by  Jake Marsden.

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