Cycling trip through the Po Valley and Venice

Hello there, pedal-powered Young Boys! Claudio (still from Faverges) dreaming about a cycling getaway in Italy from Faverges (train all the way to Turin) from Turin down to Venice along the Po River and back via the Padana (Alta Italia da attraversare – Northern Italy to cross) The tricky part is getting from Chioggia to Venice. I read it’s possible by hopping on a boat from island to island, but it sounds a bit stressful. Has anyone already tackled this route?

Thanks, and cheers to all! http://cbandiera.free.fr/parcours/Padania/

Claudio

Hello,

The boats accept bikes—see https://www.invenicetoday.com/servizi/come-arrivare/Chioggia-Venezia.htm#:~:text=Vieni%20a%20Venezia%3F-,%20Prenota%20in%20anticipo%20e%20salta%20la%20coda!,40;%207%20giorni%20€%2060.

The problem is that cycling in Venice is banned, even if you’re just pushing your bike...

Thanks! No worries, I won’t be going into Venice itself. I’ll just skirt around it and continue along the railway line. I think it’ll work out. I’m planning to go this year. But I still need to find a train from Albertville to Turin— not easy!

You can follow our route from Venice to Bologna on this page:

https://randovelo.touteslatitudes.fr/baviere-tyrol-italie-2025/

Especially for the Mestre - Chioggia section.

Be sure to read the travel journal.

Thank you so much! This is exactly what I was hoping for, and the Via Claudia Augusta is also planned for later.

As for the language, no worries for Claudio—except for German (I only know about 10 words), but I can get by in English.

I read your travel journal—great job, it’s really well done! Claudio

Hi Clovis,

"The tricky part is the trip from Chioggia to Venice."

Let me suggest something absolutely unforgettable.

When you're in Chioggia, take vaporetto number 11 to the Lido. Specifically, get off at the first stop, Caroman. It’s not a long ride, and from there, head toward the Lido. There are over 20 km between the Adriatic on your right and the Venetian lagoon on your left. You’ll have a bike path almost the entire way, and there’s hardly any traffic anyway.

At the start, you’ll cross the Murazzi. Be careful not to fall in the water—it’s very narrow but spectacular.

You’ll need to take a ferry across the Malamocco inlet. It’s included in the price of the vaporetto.

Ride all the way to the Lido, and from there, take the ferry to Tronchetto. Line 17.

Trust me, it’s breathtaking. Especially the sunset from Pelestrina—it’s fantastic.

Another perk on the ferry: you’ll pass through the St. Mark’s Basin right in front of Venice, which you can admire, and then head up the Giudecca Canal to Tronchetto. This is the route those awful cruise ships (we call them *grandi Navi* here) used to take, which did so much damage to our city. Now they’re no longer allowed to pass through.

Once you’re at Tronchetto, you’ll be back on the road to Treviso.

Seriously, you won’t regret it—especially in good weather.

Thanks a million! The main issue I still have is how to get from Savoie to Turin. Taking the train isn’t an option. There used to be an SNCF train from Chambéry to Turin. Nowadays, it’s impossible to take your bike on these modern trains.

And I really don’t feel like tackling the Mont Cenis pass (plus, it’s not open in April anyway).

The only option left is FlixBus, but I can’t make heads or tails of their website.

Claudio

Hey there! Monte Ceniso opens on May 8th—have you done it already? http://cbandiera.free.fr/recits/2023-ceniso/e5.php -- Thanks! --- See you soon!

Looks like the route has changed

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

to be continued