Bike tours: The Drau cycle path connects the four countries Italy, Austria, Slovenia and Croatia "without borders", which means brez meja, senza confini and bez granica in the respective national languages. It meanders around 510 kilometers – 222 of them in Carinthia – from Toblacher Feld in South Tyrol to the Croatian-Slovenian border near Varaždin or Legrad. Uniformly signposted, well developed (asphalt, fine gravel surface), mostly along Carinthia's main river Drau and in the middle of a varied landscape with mountains and warm bathing lakes that invite you to jump in and splash around. The Carinthian rental system www.kaernten-rent-ebike.at helps out if there is no bike available in your holiday luggage. Motto: Borrow anywhere, return anywhere. The Drau Cycle Path (section Toblach to Lavamünd) has been listed as a 2016-star quality cycle tour by the General German Bicycle Club (ADFC) since 5.
The tour through Austria's southernmost province can easily be completed in four days, but then there would be no time for the many special features along the way. There are not only countless opportunities to get to know the country and its people here, there are also more than 50 certified ones Drau cycle path hosts, who spoil you with specialties from the Carinthian Alps-Adriatic cuisine. They also offer accommodation (also for one night) and battery charging stations for e-bikes, secure bike parking and drying facilities for wet clothes.
If you don't want to cycle the entire Drau Cycle Path, you can use the train, boat or the Drau Cycle Path bus. Luggage transport can also be organized on request. Specialists for organized cycle tours in Carinthia can be found at www.kaernten-radreisen.at and Alps2Adria.
Highlights along the route
The actual start of the Drau Cycle Path is at Toblacher Feld in Italy.
Thanks to its width and its gradient, this section of the route is very suitable for families with small children. "Welcome to Carinthia" is the motto in Oberdrauburg. Hardly pedaling a few times, you can make a detour to the herb village of Irschen at the foot of the Kreuzeck Group: a hidden natural gem that you should see, hear, smell and taste.
Accompanied by the wooded slopes of the Gailtal Alps with their striking rocky peaks, we continue towards Spittal an der Drau. The imposing Renaissance castle of Porcia in the center of the district town is one of the most important historical buildings in the Millstätter See region.
Diverse excursion destinations: thermal baths, monkey mountain and paddle path
After 40 "easy" kilometers along the Drau, Villach is reached. The city is close to the Slovenian and Italian borders and offers countless excursion options for every taste and age. In the KärntenTherme in Warmbad Villach, tired calves can be relaxed in the warm thermal water. The Landskron castle ruins above Lake Ossiach, with the eagle flight show and the Affenberg, are an attractive excursion tip, especially for families. If you want to enjoy a wonderful view of Carinthia, you can easily reach the summit of the 2000 meter high Gerlitzen Alpe with the Kanzelbahn. A boat trip on Lake Ossiacher See or a Paddle tour on the Drau.
The route between Villach and Völkermarkt is one of the most varied of the entire Drau Cycle Path. Excursions to the nearby, warm bathing lakes - Wörthersee, Faaker See or Klopeiner See - are particularly worthwhile and are just the right thing for a dip in the refreshing water. To immerse yourself in Carinthian history, we recommend Frög near Rosegg, a site worth seeing where graves from the Hallstatt period were found. As you continue through the Rosental, the path mostly leads on easily passable causeways. Another highlight along the way: Ferlach, a world-renowned gunsmith town.
Carinthia's warmest bathing lake and spectacular Flow Country Trail
The Drau meadows with diverse fauna, breathtaking views of the Karawanken, Völkermarkt with its town museum or the highest railway bridge in Europe. These are just a few impressions that can be gathered on the Drau Cycle Path in southern Carinthia. The region around Austria's warmest lake, the Klopeiner See, has been focusing on cycling for many years and so leisure cyclists and bikers can find the best conditions for a varied and relaxing active holiday in nature. The particularly well-developed network of cycle paths can be explored individually or with a cycle guide.
Want to experience something new? Driving from the river to the mountain? The Flow Country Trail on the Petzen, with its ten kilometers in length and 1000 meters in altitude, is one of the most spectacular bike trails in Europe. If you need additional equipment, you can rent it directly at the Petzen Bahn valley station.
From the Austrian border in Lavamünd you can reach Maribor in about one or two daily stages, with the last stage being in Varaždin in Croatia. Both Slovenia and Croatia are working intensively on the qualitative expansion of the cycle path. In 2023, the Drau cycle path should be passable continuously from Dravograd in Slovenia to the confluence of the Mura and the Drau near Legrad.
Carinthian bike rental: "Carinthia rent-e-bike"
Nowhere else is there such a large and cross-regional bike rental system as in Austria's southernmost province. Motto: Borrow anywhere, return anywhere! Together with the Papin company and the Carinthian tourist regions, around 60 rental stations for all types of bikes (MTB, city bikes, children's bikes, e-bikes, etc.) have been installed across the board. All bikes can be booked online, and groups can also easily reserve their bikes via this portal. The Papin company takes care of the return transport of the bike. Bookings: www.kaernten-rent-ebike.at
Useful for tour planning
On www.touren.kaernten.at a personal Carinthia tour planner is available. The tours are shown on interactive maps, aerial photos or in 3D and provide an excellent, individual planning aid for holiday and leisure activities in Carinthia. If desired, the desired tours can also be selected and printed out as a tour sheet. There is also a Drau Cycle Path app. Further information: www.drauradweg.com and www.radland.kaernten.at
The Kärnten Card is a popular door opener for more than 110 sights in the immediate vicinity of the cycle path. It is valid from April 2nd to November 1st and costs from 45 (adults) or 23 (children) euros per week. Info: www.kaerntencard.at
Contact and information material:
Carinthia Advertising Ltd
Völkermarkter Ring 21 – 23
A-9020 Klagenfurt am Woerthersee
Email: info@kaernten.at
Telephone: 0043(0)463-3000
Text and images by Kärnten Werbung GmbH.