Parkweg, 1, 39020 Glurns/Glorenza BZ, Italy
The cycle route Via Claudia Augusta passing the campsite
Pear bread and other goodies
The Malser Gate in Glurns
I started my day in Martina, Switzerland, climbed the Norbertshöhe, and landed in Volders, Austria. Just some kilometers further I was in Italy. Crossing three countries in the morning is not happening too often. Then I landed on the beautiful bike path between the Reschensee and Meran on the Via Claudia Augusta. That stretch is like a dream! Beautiful landscape, and a cycle path that is so well built out and pleasant to ride. At least when you go down, I pitied everybody who went up, that must be totally exhausting. I planned to get some lunch in Glurns when I was passing this campground. It looked perfect, I was sure though, that it was fully booked. In Glurns was a little town festival and the city looked very charming, so I decided to give the campground a shot. I was lucky!
Parkweg, 1, 39020 Glurns/Glorenza BZ, Italy
The cycle route Via Claudia Augusta passing the campsite
Pear bread and other goodies
The Malser Gate in Glurns
To have a little bit of a framework to evaluate campsites for bike travelers, I wrote my criteria down in another post. The review is based on these criteria.
I arrived 15 minutes before the reception was opening. Frankly perfect timing, I was the second in line. That was really good, as it turned out. The receptionist is taking his job very seriously and it takes some time to check in. It's not the warmest of welcomes, but definitely not unfriendly. You'll need an ID or passport, just as a note. One note, the people in line were super friendly and they gave me a little pep talk that there would certainly be some space for me. It's usually a good sign to have friendly people around.
They do have a separate space for tents, it's on a little plateau very closeby to all the facilities, which is always great. I'd say the space was good for roughly 20 tents.
I did not ask for a chair, as there are picnic benches in the tent area. Additionally, there were fences where I could lock my bike on. There were as well quite some cyclists around, with a lot more expensive bikes than mine, so I felt quite safe. And honestly, the whole place seemed very safe.
There were accessible power plugs in the restrooms, but even better, they had sockets as well in a little common room, which brings me to my next point.
There was a common room, neighboring the tent area. Open all night, with tables and enough power sockets. Additionally, there was a vending machine for snacks in there. I got some in the night when I was all of a sudden super hungry. I don't remember all the details, but it was VERY complicated to use. But I managed after some time.
See above, a little vending machine. Which was great to have access to at night. The campsite is very close to Glurns though, and Glurns has a lot to offer to feed yourself. Having spent the last few weeks in Switzerland it was such a pleasure to see prices that were reasonable. I got some excellent Birnenbrot and sweet treats at Bäckerei Schuster, definitely worth a visit. I had as well an Aperol at Flurin. I was in Italy after all and didn't have an Aperol for ages. While it's a bit more upscale the prices were super reasonable and I got a lot of free popcorn with it. And it was in a nice cool backyard. Very welcome as it was really hot that day.
You can directly access the bike path from the campground, so a definite yes!
I had spent the last few weeks in Switzerland, and there was no shortage of absolutely stunning landscapes. But Südtirol is different. It's dramatic, but sort of soft. So many apple orchards and just absolutely gorgeous. And the campsite is right in the middle of it. Plus, Glurns is an absolutely beautiful town. It's so close, so it would definitely be a miss to not stroll around its streets.
Verdict: absolute recommendation! I would possibly try to book it a bit beforehand as it seemed to be very popular.
