Crossing the Allgäu Alps to Tyrol – Naturbiken MTB route

Fantastic views, wonderful trails and hearty snacks at mountain huts await on this quintessential mountain bike Tour through the Allgäu. The Naturebiken Hauptroute (Nature Biking Main Route) takes you on a hilly ride with plenty of ups and downs. Its undulating terrain makes it a physically demanding route, despite its well-built paths. This adventure is ideal for sporty nature lovers and offers plenty of rewards – the feeling of arriving at the top after many uphill pedal strokes is incomparable! Endorphins flow through your body after a strenuous climb and make the magnificent view that little bit more beautiful.

In the Allgäu and northern Tyrol in Austria, the mountain bike routes run on forest and alpine trails where nature is the focal point. There are plenty of trails that are ideal for mountain biking and don’t require any special technical skills but still give you a full dose of mountain idyll. Ranging from easy to moderately difficult, the trails connect to one another, making it simple to plan your perfect Tour.

The main route gives you a nice introduction to the world of nature biking. Over 200 kilometres (124 miles), you cross the Allgäu from Wangen to Tyrol in four stages. From the western Allgäu in Baden-Württemberg in Germany to Austria, the route is truly varied. It takes you through the rolling foothills of the Alps, revealing the first high mountains and heading into the alpine Tyrolean valleys.

Don’t be fooled by the words ‘valleys’ or ‘pre-alps’ – the Naturebiken Hauptrout demands a lot of metres of elevation gain every day. It’s a lot of fun too, of course, and there are plenty of places to stop and enjoy the view. From time to time, you can also dip your tired legs into a lake or river. Every stage ends somewhere with several accommodation options and places to eat. You’ll always be well catered for after a demanding day.

On the third stage, the route is divided into a northern and a southern variant. To the north, you discover the lakes of East Allgäu and cycle to Reutte in Tyrol via the town of Füssen in southern Germany. The southern variant follows the Tannheim Valley into the Lech Valley. From the beginning of November to the end of March, some of the Tyrolean sections of the route might be closed due to animal conservation regulations. The Naturbiken routes are committed to sustainability too, allowing you to experience nature whilst giving it enough space. There should be room for everyone in the Allgäu mountains: cyclists, hikers, animals and plants.

Your journey to the route can also be environmentally friendly as you can travel to the starting point in the city of Wangen im Allgäu comfortably by train. The northern variant ends at a train station in Reutte. If you choose the southern route, you arrive in Elmen, a settlement in the Lech Valley. Here, you can catch a bus with a bike rack or trailer that will take you to the train station in Reutte.

And if you want more Allgäu after four days on the main route, there are still plenty of Naturebiken day tours waiting for you in this collection: komoot.de/collection/1529682.

The INTERREG project is funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).