Alpe - Adriatic Sea

You ride a bike regularly, enjoy letting the landscape pass you by on river bike paths, or have little experience touring in the mountains. Even if the sporting requirements for the individual daily stages are moderate, good preparation for this trip is highly recommended in order to spend five consecutive days in the saddle. The route runs mainly on paved and unpaved bike paths as well as secondary roads. Safety and confidence in handling the e-bike are required. With the exception of a few gravel paths on the ascent and descent, such as the Via Claudia Augusta cycle route at the Fernpass, no technically challenging sections are to be expected. Stage lengths of up to 100 kilometers and the sum of the climbs up to 1,200 meters in altitude require a good basic condition despite the support of the e-drive. Your e-bike should be in a technically perfect condition. A bike check in a workshop of your confidence before the tour is recommended. Due to the easy nature of the route, e-bikes with luggage racks are also suitable, but we advise you to use studded tires suitable for off-road use.

For landscape fans: Berchtesgaden Alps National Park, Lake Zell, Ankogel Group, Drau Valley, Carinthian Lakes, Gailtal Alps, Carnic and Julian Alps, Slovenia and at the end the endless expanse of the Adriatic Sea. For gourmets this will be a special journey: A culinary journey from Upper Bavarian specialties to Salzburg delicacies, then the Carinthian cuisine, which is already Mediterranean in character and has a unique dessert quality. In Slovenia then a mixture of Italian cuisine, Austrian cuisine and Eastern European hearty food and at the seaside the Mediterranean food. For those interested in culture: The Soleradweg, Zell am See, ruins of the First World War, the Soca.

Our tour leads along the well-known Alpe-Adria cycle route on well-developed cycle paths from Bad Reichenhall to the Mediterranean Sea. On six stage days we cycle along the Soleradweg, to Maria Alm am Steinernen Meer, via Zell am See, to Bad Gastein at the Weissensee to Kobarid in Slovenia. We follow the turquoise glittering Soca to Gorizia and finally reach Trieste via an old railroad line.

6 pm Meeting in Bad Reichenhall to get to know each other, bike check and dinner. Discussion of the overall route based on maps.

From the spa town of Bad Reichenhall, we cycle along the Saalach River and find ourselves behind the Steinpass in Salzburger Land. We follow the Tauern Cycle Path to reach the Lamprechtshöhlen caves near Weißbach/Lofer, which are well worth a visit. With its 65 kilometers, the cave is the longest passage cave in the world. The Saalach cycle path leads us through Saalfelden to our first stage destination, Maria Alm am Steinernen Meer.

On the first 15 kilometers to Zell am See we warm up quite comfortably. In Zell am See we enjoy the view of the lake. Here it is worthwhile to make a short stop and visit the historic town center. From Bruck an der Großglocknerstraße we stay on the valley route and follow the Salzach river to Lend. Through the Klamm Tunnel we reach the longest of the Tauern valleys, the Gastein Valley. Our bike route leads through Dorfgastein and Bad Hofgastein to Bad Gastein. The last 150 meters in altitude up to the center of the historic spa town have it all over again. The morbid charm of old hotels and villas and the Gastein waterfall in the middle make today's arrival at our stage destination special.

First we have to drive a good 4 kilometers to the rail loading station in Böckstein. Here we board the train that takes us through the Tauern lock. After only 12 minutes we arrive in Mallnitz on the south side of the Hohe Tauern. We descend on a disused railroad line, then continue following the cycle route through the Möll and Oberdrau valleys. Over the Kreuzberg we ride into the Gitschtal and on to Hermagor. Along the Gail we reach our stage destination Tröpolach at the foot of the Sonnenalpe Nassfeld.

Along the river Gail we cycle to Feistritz. At the Italian border we meet the Alpe Adria cycle path and follow it to Tarvisio. Here begins our long climb to the Passo del Predil. Passing the beautiful Lago del Predil we reach the top of the pass (1156m). On the Slovenian side of the mountain the downhill fun begins. We pass the Koritnica gorge and through the beautiful Soca valley to our stage destination in Kobarid.

After breakfast transfer back to Bad Reichenhall.