The 410-kilometre Alpe-Adria Cycle Path is an unforgettable experience. Starting from Salzburg, the city of Mozart, you can follow it on a week-long ride through the centre of Hohe Tauern National Park in the sunny south to Carinthia and over the Austrian border into Italy.
The route within Carinthia is especially attractive because, starting from the Tauernschleuse in Mallnitz, as the terrain is mostly going downwards until it reaches the sea in Italy. The interplay of the landscape is also unique: mighty mountains, sunny lake valleys - and the further south you travel, the more gentle and lovely the scenery becomes, until you can finally stretch your legs in the Upper Adriatic Sea. Before reaching this point, the route leads from Tarvisio to what many cyclists consider to be most beautiful cycle route in Europe – following the abandoned line of the old Imperial Royal Austrian State Railways. Back towards the north it travels comfortably alongside the train tracks, which accompany nearly the entire Alpe-Adria Cycle Path; the train departs in Udine twice daily.
The Alpe-Adria Cycle Path is not just a good example of great cooperation between the three states of Salzburg, Carinthia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. It is also a practical example of how you can become acquainted with the cultures and cuisines of three countries from Carinthia in just a few days. Enjoy Carinthian Alpe-Adria cuisine in Villach today, taste Italian delicacies in the trattorias in Tarvisio or Udine the next day and sit down to a table set with Slovenian delicacies in Bled, Kranjska Gora or Nova Gorica in the evening. The beloved hospitality and the opportunity to discover regional mentalities, preferences and characteristics are always included along the way.
You also don’t need to worry about return transport from Grado back to Carinthia or Salzburg. Nearly the full length of the Alpe-Adria Cycle Path runs along the railway line, so various sections can be covered at any time by rail, if necessary. The so-called ‘MICOTRA’ train offers a special service for cyclists; it connects the cities of Udine and Villach with two trips per day and has a separate carriage for bicycle transport.
Good maps of the Alpe-Adria Cycle Path with various tourism info blurbs, and further information and packages, can be found at www.alpe-adria-radweg.com and on our Alpe-Adria Cycle Path app.