Among the Alpine Pearls, there you have the Top 10 e-bike Destinations for your sustainable holidays. On your e-bike you will discover amazing landscapes, surrounded by an unspoilt nature, silence and freedom.

In the last few years, thanks to the increase of the environmental awareness, the interest in ecological vehicles has boosted, even when on holiday. Someone has said that the e-bike will be the engine that will replace cars in the next future; it has been claimed that using e-bike is a practice that is becoming more efficient and used by a wide range of people. In 2017, 148k e-bikes were sold in Italy, with an increase of the 19% compared to the previous year. This last-generation bikes have an electrical engine that assists bikers during tough paths, but the system is activated when they start pedalling. Among the reasons why this new vehicle is so famous, there is the fact that the bike is aesthetic and with an innovative technology, with light batteries in the frame. Thus, these features make the e-bike perfect for the mountains, letting people decide how much help they need to be assisted.

The Alps are the perfect place to try out these e-bikes. We have decided to recollect the top 10 destinations for organizing your sustainable holidays on your e-bike. From Austria to Italy, from France to Slovenia: the top 10 destinations belong to the famous list of the “Alpine Pearls”, engaged in promoting sustainable mobility.

1. Mallnitz, Austria

Velo taxi in Mallnitz, Austria
Velo taxi in Mallnitz, pic by Christ-Rupitsch, via Alpine Pearls

This small Austrian village is the perfect place to spend your holidays based on relax and in touch with nature, moving slowly, on foot or by e-bike. The territory is also famous for the presence of two beautiful rivers, the Tauerbach and the Seebach, which drain into the centre of the town.

Where you can sleep green: Eggerhof, located in the centre of Mellnitz where the silence predominates the whole territory. You will have the chance to taste local products, offered by the hotel’s restaurant where delicious breakfasts and dinners are served. The vegetarian menu is also included.

E-bike service: Summer is the right moment to enjoy stunning landscapes by bike. From the centre of Mallnitz you can catch the bus and go to the National Park; there you can rent your e-bike and have the chance to discover amazing hidden jewels of the Alps. Here you can choose among two itineraries, the Dranva path, the Via Carinzia or the Ciclovia Alpe-Adria, which will lead you to the Adriatic Sea.

2. Berchtesgaden, Germany

a small shelter among the mountains
Pic via Flickr

We are now in the Bavarian land, at an altitude of 572 meters above the sea level. Berchtesgaden is a green paradise, where nature is the queen and offers amazing views.

Where you can sleep green: Fereinparadien Alpenglühn, perfect for yout family holidays or along with your parter or all alone.

E-bike service: stunning paths will wait for you to go there and discover them, among Germany and Austria. Berchesgaden will allow you to choose among different cycle paths, such as the Thumsee Lake and the Saalachsee Lake tour.

3. Chamois, Italy

Chamois - La Magdeleine by bike
Chamois – La Magdeleine by bike pic via Alpine Pearls

At an altitude of 1850 meters, Chamois is the highest village in the Aosta Valley and one of the highest in Italy. You can reach Chamois with a cableway from Buisson, and thanks to the absence of cars, Chamois is an “Alpine Pearl”, from 2006.

Where you can sleep green: Maison de Suis, an eco-friendly B&B only 40 km away from Aosta

E-bike service: the hotel will give you the opportunity to rent mountain bikes and start discovering amazing routes. You will take routes surrounded by nature, woods, chestnuts forests and mountain villages. Do not miss the chance to try out the itinerary that connects Chamois to La Magdalaine.

4. Neukirchen am Großvenediger, Austria

Alpine Pearl of Neukirchen, Austria
Alpine Pearl of Neukirchen, Austria

At an altitude of 850 meters, the Alpine Pearl of Neukirchen am Großvenediger is located in the heart of the National Park of the Hohe Tauern, which offers unique experiences for mountain and Alpine sports lovers, all the year round.

Where you can sleep green: Wanderhotel Grassner, a hotel surrounded by woods, mountains and amazing attractions for adults and children. This hotel will be the perfect place for dedicating your own time to wellness after a long day spent in touch with the nature. The hotel also serves delicious breakfasts made with local products.

E-bike service: the entire territory is full of e-bike services with a lot of places where you can rent your e-bike. So, do not worry! You will not need to take your own bike with you, as the local services will respond to your needs and they will also help you discover the best places in the National Park of the Hohe Tauren, located among Alpine landscapes and peace oasis for nature lovers.

5. Val Cenis Termignon, France

Val Cenis Termignon, Francia
Val Cenis Termignon, France, pic by Alpine Pearls

Val Cenis Termignon is a wonderful village located at an altitude of 1300 meters, in the heart of the National Park of the Vanoise and a few kilometres away from the Mont-Cenis pas, the border between Italy France. This locality is an Alpine Pearl.

Where you can sleep green: Chalet du Lys, just two minutes away from Termignon, immersed in the colourful scenario of this territory. The hotel will be the perfect place to relax after your excursions. The hotel also serves delicious breakfast made with local products.

E-bike service: the surrounding territory is the typical Alpine scenario, where you can practice sport and outdoor tourism: it will not be hard to find a bike rent service.

6. Cogne, Italy

E-bike in Cogne, in the Grand Paradiso National Park
E-bike in Cogne, in the Grand Paradiso National Park

Cogne is the perfect destinations for all those who want to forget about cars and pollutions. Cogne is an Alpine Pearl too, thanks to their engagement to social responsibility and sustainable development. Cogne is the typical Alpine village for which it is impossible not to fall in love with.

Where you can sleep green: Hotel Sant’Orso is a welcoming wellness hotel that offers an amazing view on the Gran Paradiso and the Sant’Orso meadow, that you can look at while relaxing in the hotel spa centre.

E-bike service: Cogne is famous for having unique villages around that can be easily reached by bike: if you are not expert do not panic because you can follow the Cretaz-Lillaz route, 11km long and full of natural wonders to appreciate during the excursion.

7. Interlaken, Switzerland

Interlaken by bike
INterlaken by bike, pic by Christof Sonderegger

Interlaken is located on an alluvial plain in the Bernese Oberland, and it is between the Thun Lake and the Brienz Lake. This locality is the departure point for lots of adventures, in Summer or in Winter.

Where you can sleep green: Alphotel Eiger, the hotel is in Beatenberg and its position will give you the chance to start amazing excursions from here. The hotel is welcoming and elegant, you will notice that form the beginning. The breakfast is included and made with local products.

E-bike service: you can organize amazing excursion just looking at this link. We suggest the path that will make you visit the Thun Lake and the Brienz Lake, pretty close to each other. It is worth it!

8. Weissensee, Austria

e-biking in Weissensee, Austria
E-biking in Weissensee, Austria

We propose another Alpine Pearl: Carinthia. It has recently gained the European Prize for the Tourism and the Environment, and once you will be in this magical place, it will not be hard to understand why. The main attraction is the famous Weissensee Lake, at an altitude of 930 meters and it is the highest swimming lake in the Alps. This natural pool has the record for having the clearest and cleanest waters in Austria, in which 22 species of fish live in.

Where you can sleep green: Biohotel Gralhof , just in front of the Weissensee Lake. The hotel’s amenities include a private beach, boats for exploring the lake and a wellness area.

E-bike service: during Winter, the lake become a huge sheet of ice, but in Sumer you can enjoy outdoor excursions by bike around the lake. The hotel gives their guests the chance to rent bikes.

9. Moena, Italy

Moena in ebike
Moena in e-bike, pic byRalf Brunel, via Alpine Pearls

Trentino has always focused on sustainable tourism and on the valorisation of the territory, proposing its guests amazing paths surrounded by a stimulating nature and far way from the city’s chaos. Fiemme Valley and Fassa Valley will be the perfect places where you experience this all.

Where you can sleep green: Hotel Alle Alpi Beauty&Relax is a four stars hotel located in Moena, in Fassa Valley, in a central position but yet so calm, where everything is thought to make tourists live relaxing holidays. The breakfast will be included in the price and local products will be used.

E-bike service: there is an amazing route, 48 km long that crosses the Fassa Valley and the Fiemme Valley. In particular, you will start it form Alba di Canazei and you will follow the torrent Avisio’s path until Molina di Fiemme, after a little piece of highway towards Pozza. This path is perfect for mountain bikes and e-bikes, but even on foot. Among the destinations, we suggest visit Moena, an Alpine Pearl famous for promoting sustainable tourism.

10. Bled, Slovenia

 ebike around the Bled Lake, Slovenia
E-bike around the Bled Lake, pic by Alpine Pearls

In the heart of the Julian Alps, few kilometres away the Italian border. Bled is the perfect destination for all those who want to spend their holidays in a sustainably way.

Where you can sleep green: Hotel RIBNO Bled, it is the first and the only zero-waste hotel in Slovenia, next to the Bled Lake. From here you can start your natural adventures on foot or by bike, such as fishing and other sportive experiences. The hotel has a spa centre with a Finnish sauna with alternative herbs, an infrared sauna, hydromassage, relax area and a massage area.

E-bike service: in order to appreciate every single detail of the landscape, we recommend cycling around the lake (you can rent it in the hotel) and enjoying the view of the six kilometres that surround the lake. You will also find restaurants for a break.

For the more experienced there is the chance to discover the Alpine Pearls by following a unique big bike itinerary, from Bad Reichenhall in Germany to Interlaken in Switzerland. It will take about twenty days to do it all, following the path made by Paolo Pinzuti from Bike Italia. You also have the gps route here.

So are you ready to live your e-bike experience?

Cover Image: via Flickr by Valter Manetta


Author: Alessandro Gallo

I am Alessandro Gallo, currently student of “Linguistic Intermediation for the Tourism and the Enterprises” at the University of Trento, in Italy. Tourism is such a relevant topic for me, not only from an academic point of view but also from a personal one. I do am interested in sustainable solutions and travels.
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