While Meran and Mals are vastly different places, since they were part of one section of the trip I’m grouping them together here.

I really liked Meran. It’s a ritzy spa town so it had plenty of good food options. The Passiertal was a fairly nice ride, though I would have preferred MTB tires with some tread. It’s also more fun riding back downhill. The hostel in Meran wasn’t anything fancy, but it was a good price, clean, and suitably well-maintained. They also were good about managing covid and I was spared the stench of smoking. I didn’t explore Meran much, but the Sissiweg was very nice and what I saw of the Altstadt had character.

I have very little to say about Mals. I had a quick ride downhill through the Altstadt, but it was on my way back from the fateful trip to the Reschensee and I wasn’t in a particularly exploratory mood, unless that exploration involved a hot tub or hot shower. The hotel I stayed in was really nice and had a solid breakfast. The area is certainly scenic and the ride between the two towns was the best scenery so far. However, everyone seems to know about what a great ride it is and the Radweg was very busy, especially with race bike riders who whiz by you without any warning. Not exactly a hidden gem.

There were some sections of rough gravel through forest to be aware of. While rideable with my touring tires, it wasn’t always pleasant riding.

If you don’t mind sharing the path with a lot of riders, the scenery is great. If you prefer solitude, this is not the area to travel to.