Cycling & Biking in Austria
Austria offers countless cycle and mountain bike paths for all ages and interests. We’ve selected the top regions in Austria for you to discover on two wheels.
Salzkammergut Lake District Tour
The “Salzkammergut” lake region in Upper Austria offers a great number of lakes in a beautiful Alpine environment. In recent years it has become one of the most popular vacation spots in Austria.
This bike trip will introduce you to the great Salzkammergut region, taking you to no less than 13 lakes while offering you a chance to break up your cycling with swimming, fishing, sailing, and hiking. This tour is a loop which allows you to start your adventure anywhere along the route.
From the official starting point is Salzburg, the route continues southeast to St. Gilgen on Wolfgangsee lake, and then along to St. Wolfgang and Bad Ischl, our former emperor’s Franz Joseph’s favourite stay (we suggest visiting his former hunting lodge).
Further south, the trail will lead you into the picturesque town of Hallstatt. For a picture perfect view of the town, take the ferry and enjoy one of the country’s best photo ops. Stop at the ice caves near Obertraun. The loop continues via the Traunsee, Attersee, and Mondsee – all of which offer some great water activities.
Vorarlberg Trail and Bodensee Lake Loop
Experience the diversity of Vorarlberg’s scenery on the bike trail between Bludenz and Bregenz.
This popular cycleway travels along the Austrian, German, and Swiss shores of Bodensee lake and is lined with numerous attractions – don’t forget to bring your passport! Surrounded by a majestic mountain backdrop and and nestled between five valleys, the Medieval Alpine town of Bludenz is the perfect starting point for this Alpine adventure. Bludenz can easily be reached via train (closest airport gateway is Zurich) and besides cycling offers great hiking, fishing, and shopping. For chocolate lovers, don’t miss a tour of the Suchard chocolate factory where the famous “Milka” (the purple chocolate you find in every Austrian store) is produced.
The bike trail follows the Ill river to Feldkirch with its Medieval town centre and the majestic Schattenburg castle. Following the Rhine River north, you will eventually reach Bregenz, known for its summer music festival performances on a floating stage on Bodensee Lake. From Bregenz you will connect to the international Bodensee Lake loop, allowing you to visit Germany and Switzerland as well. If your legs are feeling worn out, you can take a short-cut on the ferry to Konstanz. The loop will bring you back to Bregenz on the south shore of the lake. For added variety, parts of the loop may be accomplished by boat.
The Tauernradweg along the Salzach and Saalach River
Scenic beauty, Europe’s highest waterfalls, a visit to Salzburg, and countless attractions along the way.
This may very well be one of the most exciting cycling tours in Europe. Scenic beauty, Krimml: Europe’s highest waterfalls, a visit to Salzburg, and countless attractions lie along the way. Highlights include Liechtenstein gorge and Hohenwerfen castle. The starting point of this bike trip is the small village of Krimml, amidst the Hohe-Tauern National Park region. With its impressive waterfalls and exciting hiking excursions, it might take you an extra day to leave Krimml and get started on your journey.
The bike trail will follow the Salzach River through charming villages to Zell am See, a picturesque summer and winter resort. Here you will have two options for your way to Salzburg: first, you can continue along the Salzach River with a chance to visit the world’s largest ice caves in Werfen, or the salt mines in Hallein.
Or you can take the (even more) scenic route along the Saalach River, visiting charming places like Maria Alm and Lofer and taking a short cut through Bavaria into Salzburg. From Salzburg the bike trail will lead north through Oberndorf (with the Silent Night chapel) to the German border town of Passau where you may connect and continue to the Danube bike trail towards Vienna.
The Danube Bike Trail
The most prominent of all bike routes in Austria, this tour will take you to some of Austria’s most impressive cultural sites.
Starting at the historic German border town of Passau, the trail follows the Danube River (Europe’s second largest) through the beautiful landscape of the Upper-Danube Valley into Vienna. Your journey through time takes you on past towns from Roman times, Baroque monasteries, and churches to the wild romance of the Strudengau and to Grein. Along the way, you’ll see the city of Linz, the Baroque abbey of St. Florian, many nearby castles, and of course the famous “Wachau” region with its charming villages, vineyards, and romantic fruit orchards. Don’t miss a visit to the Baroque abbey of Melk overlooking the Danube.
Other must-see stops on the tour include Dürnstein, with its ruins where King Richard the Lionhearted was captured on his way back from the Crusades, and the 1,000 year-old town of Krems. For those wishing to cycle further along past Vienna, the Hainburg area close to the border with Slovakia is the end of the marked bike trail.
