Gravel Austria – The gravel bike route through Austria

The gravel bike route along the Burgenland-Styrian border leads through beautiful stretches of road, with stunning views of vineyards, and to Slovenia and Hungary. It continues on a flat stretch to the historic town of Bad Radkersburg and the hot springs of the Parktherme Bad Radkersburg - a great place to stay! The Mur cycle path R2 takes bikers through the Natura 2000 protected area and the UNESCO biosphere park Murauen, then along the South Styrian Wine Road. Crossing over to Slovenia via the "Radlpass", the route proceeds on a great downhill ride with magnificent views of the Drau Valley. Along the Drava River, the tour then continues to Lavamünd and into Carinthia.

Tip: Make sure to stop at one of the wineries and wine taverns.

• Length: 165 km (103 mi)
• Altitude: uphill 2.515 altitude metres (8.215 ft) , downhill 2.426 altitude metres (7.960 ft)
• Characteristics: 40 km (25 mi) gravel/bare surface, 125 km (78 mi) tarmac

The Gravel Austria route is divided into two sections in Tirol: It can be cycled both from west to east and from east to west, and offers challenging and scenic sections.

• Length: 600 km (372 mi) or 300 km (186 mi) each way depending on the route.
• Condition: More than 50 % gravel or loose ground, 10 % single trail, rest tarmac.
• Route east to west: Medium to difficult, covering 3,830 altitude metres (12,560 ft), the part in the Inn Valley is mostly on tarmac.
• Route west to east: Difficult, covering 5,470 altitude metres (17,946 ft) on gravel and loose ground, partly challenging descents on single trails.

The Vorarlberg section takes three days on average to complete but very sporty cyclists can do it in two, while it might take more leisurely bikers up to four. The trails, some of them very steep, demand a lot technique- and fitness-wise - but the view of the alpine mountains is well worth it! The Vorarlberg route starts in Montafon, passes the Alpine town of Bludenz, and continues to Lake Constance. After a challenging climb it heads towards Pfänder and into the Bregenzerwald. It continues to Mellau and across the beautiful high plateau at the foot of the Kanisfluh to Au. After Schoppernaum, the longest climb of the tour starts in the direction of Warth.

• 250 km (155 mi) at 6.200 altitude metres (20,341 ft)
• Approx. 30 % gravel
• Kops and the Ganifer valley are very high and not cleared. The stage is recommended only from mid-May/June.
• The first section at the Kops reservoir is short but considered challenging as it is very steep downhill - you can also push the bike.

The Upper Austria Route starts at Lake Mondsee and leads to the imperial town of Bad Ischl, before taking a loop through the Inner Salzkammergut and Lake Traunsee region. Past Vöcklabruck, the route continues north through the Innviertel region and towards the Danube River. From here, hard pedalling is essential as the trails to the Mühlviertel region are pretty steep. Along the Austrian-Czech border bikers make their way to Bad Leonfelden, then further east to Freistadt, on to Liebenau and the Koblpass, the highest pass road of Upper Austria, before entering Lower Austria.

The route includes highlights such as the World Heritage region of Hallstatt and the Krippenstein with the Five-Fingers viewing platform. The Innviertel region has a particularly high density of breweries.