We can warmly recommend the Inn Cycle Route to all those cyclists who value grandiose mountain panoramas, good food and not all-too demanding stages during their bike trip.
The 520-kilometer-long Inn is one of the longest Alpine rivers and the Danube's most water-rich tributary. It crosses three countries from its source near the Maloja Pass in Switzerland to where it flows into the Danube, in Passau.
On the varied tour on the Inn Cycle Route, you will initially cycle through gigantic mountain panoramas and can marvel at the many notable Alpine peaks that tower two to three thousand meters into the sky. But not only that! Worth seeing cities like St. Moritz, Innsbruck, Kufstein, and Bad Füssing make the trip just as entertaining as the breathtaking nature that you will find, for example, in the Nature Reserve Lower Inn. Get to know the magnificent old Engadine houses with their sgraffito decorations.
The Inn Cycle Route impresses with its cyclist-friendly infrastructure. Along the route you will find many typical restaurants. If you like, you can also taste Papsttorte (Pope's cake) and Papstbier (Pope's beer) in the birthplace of former Pope Benedict.
Learn more about the course of the Inn Cycle Route, its topography and signposting on this page. We also tell you the easiest and fastest way to get there and when the ideal time to travel is. Selected bike tours on the Inn included!
Church in Scuol
On the Inn Cycle Route
Cyclists in Burghausen
Kufstein Fortress in Tyrol
Innsbruck’s Old Town
Waldhaus am See in St Moritz
View of Oberaudorf
Lake Sils near Maloja
Our cycling tours along the Inn Cycle Route
The Inn Cycle Route from Maloja to Passau
A more successful start to a cycling trip could almost not exist. The Inn Cycle Route begins in the Engadine, one of the highest inhabited valleys in Europe. The clear lakes reflect the peaks of many two- to three-thousand-meter-high Alpine peaks. The Engadine is not only home to the tourist magnets of St. Moritz, Pontresina or Scuol. The picturesque village of Guarda with its many old Engadine houses adorned with sgraffito decorations is also located here. The route continues to Tyrol, which has historic towns and unique mountain scenery to offer with Kufstein and Innsbruck.
Then you cycle into the Alpine foothills with its lovely Bavarian picture-book towns such as Rosenheim and Wasserburg. The ride continues through the Innviertel in Upper Austria. In Passau three rivers flow into each other: from the west the Danube, from the south the Inn and from the north the Ilz. The city is a feast for the eyes! The baroque old town, created by Italian masters in the 17th century, is a beautiful conclusion to your varied journey along the Inn Cycle Route. Visit St. Stephen's Cathedral with the largest cathedral organ in the world and go on a treasure hunt in the small alleys of charming Passau.
Vacations along the Inn Cycle Route offer nature and mountain fans something new every day. Also fans of castles and monasteries will not be disappointed. For one thing, there is Kufstein Fortress, the Augustinian canon monastery of Reichersberg, the Salzach town of Burghausen with the longest castle in the world, or Landeck Castle, from which access to the Arlberg and Reschen Passes was once monitored.
The classic Bike tour from St. Moritz to Innsbruck is more leisurely: The start is the sophisticated spa town in Switzerland, the destination the beautiful Olympic city in Austria. There is enough time for Tyrolean delicacies and the incredibly impressive mountains of the Engadine.
Route of the Inn Cycle Route
Short & Sweet: The Inn Cycle Route
- Length
approx 520 km - Topography
Altitude profile: medium
In the Engadine, it is mostly downhill. Only in the Swiss section, you have to expect larger gradients. From Tyrol, the route to Passau is mostly flat and along the course of the river. - Signage
The signage is not uniform. Thus, between St. Moritz and Martina signs of the bike route 6, Graubünden Route, to follow. The Tyrolean part is marked throughout with green-yellow Inn Cycle Route signs. In Austria, you are guided by the green and white R3 signs, and in Bavaria by the signs of the ADFC with the Inn Cycle Route logo. - Quality
The bike path often runs near the river on paved paths. Some stretches are also on gravel paths and unpaved forest roads, on small side roads and little-used main roads on the way.
Signposting along the Inn Cycle Route
Travel season
The months of April to September are recommended for cycling trips along the Inn Cycle Route. Earlier you should not arrive in any case, because during the snowmelt significant flooding can be expected. Depending on the altitude, the climate is mild with pleasant temperatures. In the Upper Engadine, however, it can be cold even in high summer.
Naturally, the vacation season of August and September is the busiest on the bike paths and early booking of accommodation is recommended. At lower elevations, it can get hot at the height of summer. Here, however, a jump in the Inn, which accompanies you for the most part, helps.
Gentian in spring in Tyrol
Getting there
You should plan your journey to the starting point Maloja best from Passau or St. Moritz by train and bus. This way you can comfortably return home by train or car at the end of your cycling trip. Passau, like St. Moritz, is well connected to the international rail and route network.
Deutsche Bahn, for example, serves the Passau – Munich route at hourly intervals in regional traffic. When traveling by train with a bicycle, you should reserve your bicycle parking space in advance for both the outward and return journeys.
Passau Cathedral
Shortcut options
Should the weather not cooperate, an unforeseen breakdown occur or you do not want to cycle a stage, there are various options to shorten the stage or a section with the Postbus, the Postcar or the regional train. For example, the routes between Scuol and St. Moritz and Landeck to Passau are accompanied by the train.
In the high season, bicycles can be taken along for a fee, provided there is capacity.
The railway station in St. Moritz
For whom is the cycle route suitable?
The Inn Cycle Route with a total of only 1500 meters difference in altitude (over 500 km in length) on most sections is quite suitable for families. Especially from Tyrol, the Inn Cycle Route is easy to ride, since it goes mostly gently downhill. However, there are also some longer steep climbs to overcome. If you are traveling with smaller children, be well informed about any steep sections. Children from twelve years should be up to the challenges, however.
And do not forget: In Austria, helmets are compulsory for children under the age of 12!
Cyclists by the River Inn in Passau
Frequently asked questions about the Inn Cycle Route
