Munich to Venice by bike: what transport options for the return to France?

Hi there, we’re planning a Munich to Venice bike trip at the end of June 2026. Getting back from Venice to Toulouse by train with 4 bikes isn’t straightforward. What return options have others who’ve done this trip chosen? Any tips or great deals would be much appreciated. Thanks a bunch! !

Haha, now there’s a great travel idea! And yeah, the trickiest part will definitely be the train!

For our trip, here’s what we did on the way there: - Tarbes - Paris: TGV with 2 reserved bikes and 2 disassembled ones – smooth sailing - Paris - Mannheim: TGV/ICE First issue: even though we arrived early, the conductors didn’t want to let us board or even go to the platform. They finally gave the green light 15 minutes before departure. You can imagine the panic to disassemble the bikes in a hurry! Inside, we saw it was really only sized for carry-on luggage. Turns out, they were waiting to see if the reserved spots for wheelchairs were free, and that’s where we put the bikes. - Mannheim - Munich: no problem at all, just take trains with bike spaces

For the return, we had planned: - Venice - Zurich: the equivalent of our TGV – total fail! Both in Austria and Italy, every time we asked about this train, we were told we couldn’t board with bikes and that it was more of a carry-on luggage setup. Major bummer :'(

So we changed plans to: Day 1 - Mestre - Treviglio on the equivalent of our TER (a bit crowded leaving Venice, but it worked out) Day 2 - Treviglio - Lake Garlate: 50 km of bike path along the Adda River, amazing! Camping Rivabella by the lake: a small, top-notch campsite! Day 3 --> Sounds complicated, but it turned out to be one of our best days of the trip!!! - Train Lecco-Varenna - Boat Varenna - Menaggio - Bike path Menaggio - Porlezza - Boat Porlezza - Lugano: we had to charm the pilots a bit. Double-check if it’s possible—these aren’t big boats. Otherwise, there’s still 10-15 km of road, but it’s busy with traffic and tunnels Day 4 Once in Lugano, easy to find a train with bike reservations to Zurich Paddle boating on Lake Zurich. The kids just couldn’t get enough of pedaling! :O Day 5 TGV Zurich-Paris: Bikes in covers—the conductor complained, but we were within the rules. Still, it’s true we take up space… Paris-Tarbes: TGV with 2 reserved bikes and 2 disassembled ones – smooth sailing

Conclusion: We could change plans because we had some flexibility in our schedule and were using an Interrail pass, so we only lost about 40 € in the process, I think. What we learned: crossing borders by bike is way simpler. Domestically, you can always find trains, but international TGVs are just not designed for bulky luggage! If we did it again, we’d go via Strasbourg—Paris-Strasbourg by TGV (2 bike spots, I think) and Strasbourg-Offenheim by bike to cross the border on the other side :)

Otherwise, Munich-Venice is an amazing route—we loved it! A few tips that come to mind:

The Swarovski Museum is pretty cool Check out the ski jump in Innsbruck—people train there even in summer, it’s impressive! We saved time because we’d planned to spend a week in Cortina. When we arrived, it was way too expensive, so we only stayed 3 days (still really nice, though) The bike park at Mestre station lets you leave your bike to spend 2-3 days in Venice for a very reasonable price (2 € per day at the time) The best ice cream of the trip: Non solo Gelato, Via Fossa Castello, 33, 23883 Brivio LC, Italy Etc Etc :)

Bravo! Nice bike trip! Claudio is planning from Munich to Venice but looping back from his hometown Favergie.

He’s been dreaming of this trip for 5 years—will he do it in 2026 or not?

Now Claudio’s trying to plan a route to avoid return-trip hassles! But it takes time.

For you, it’s not easy either. Maybe renting a vehicle with 4 people could be the solution? Otherwise: Venice → Milan → Milan → Turin → Chambéry...

Good luck!

http://cbandiera.free.fr/recits/2026-via-augusta/

Hi, I’m also looking into this route, but it seems like it’s strongly discouraged for road bikes, especially if they’re heavy. I’ll be following this conversation closely.

hi Marty The route isn’t flat, but if you take your time, the elevation gain isn’t overwhelming—especially if you’re smart enough not to overpack. As for road/trail conditions, a road bike handles it just fine with 35mm tires or even less.

Hi Pat, thanks for your reply—it confirms that my road bike will probably do the trick. On the climbs, I take my time and push if I need to, but I’m still worried about the condition of the trails (gravel) for the descents. Maybe those sections aren’t representative of most of the trip, though.

Most of the route is on trails in excellent condition, sometimes unpaved but very smooth. A few rare sections are a bit rougher, and there are also some very quiet secondary roads, especially in Italy. It’s truly a beautiful route that’s worth breaking a sweat for! 😏

Thanks for these details on most of the routes. Trip sold! And it’s good to keep a little bit of adventure 😊.

Thanks, what an adventure! Is it easy to travel by train with a non-dismantled bike in Italy?

Yes Marie, it’s just like back home when taking regional trains. Still, be careful because the rules aren’t exactly the same from one region to another. For more details, a quick look at the trainitalia website