Bormio is a small Italian town in an alpine valley in Lombardy. In winter, it’s a popular ski resort, while in summer, it’s a hub for hiking and cycling.

Jozef and Daniil planned several routes through the nearby mountain passes. This time, we decided to use Bormio as our base and ride into the mountains light. Since we only had a few vacation days left, we planned a 4-day trip, including the weekend.

Unfortunately, there were no viable public transport options from Berlin. Renting a car and traveling together seemed the most convenient choice. We booked a 9-seater vehicle, planning space for 5 people and 5 bikes.

On Thursday morning, Daniil and I went to the airport to pick up the car (picking it up at the airport was noticeably cheaper than in the city). We encountered an unpleasant surprise: while finalizing the paperwork, I casually mentioned that we were heading to Italy. The rental employee immediately informed us that taking this car to Italy was prohibited, and we should have notified them a week in advance if we were crossing borders.

As it turned out, the rental company had safety policies prohibiting certain car brands (Audi, BMW, Mercedes, VW, Land Rover, Jaguar) from being driven to specific countries (Italy, Poland, Hungary, etc.). They were about to give us a Mercedes, but there were no other available cars of the needed size. We thought the trip was doomed, but the rental manager offered a 5-seater Citroën with a relatively spacious trunk. It was better than nothing, so we agreed and drove to the office to try packing into the car.

Initially, there were five of us: Jozef, Daniil, Evgeny, Andrey, and me. In very cramped conditions, we had to disassemble the bikes (remove the wheels, turn the handlebars), but even then, we could only fit four bikes. Andrey’s frame was slightly too large for the trunk’s opening, and with heavy hearts, we had to leave him behind.

Alternatively, we considered renting a bike on-site, but even then, it was doubtful we’d all fit in the car.

In the end, around 3 p.m., we set off from the office and headed toward Munich. Daniil and I were listed as drivers, taking turns behind the wheel.

Without further incidents, we reached Bormio around 2 a.m. The key to our apartment was waiting in a lockbox. In the middle of the night, we carried the disassembled bikes into the house and went to sleep.

Cycling Around Bormio

Panoramas