Alpe Adria Cycle Path: Salzburg to Villach
This cycling holiday along the Alpe Adria Cycle Path is wonderfully varied from start to finish. Begin in Mozart’s town of Salzburg, where you will then follow the Salzach Valley, the wild Gasteiner Valley and the peaceful Drau Valley to Villach, where you find yourself on the sunny side of Austria. For the whole route, you are accompanied by epic towering mountains and diverse terrain.
Not only are the landscapes fantastic, but there are also some amazing types of food and drink to be tried! Waterfalls, traditional villages, old fortresses, and castles are all on the menu.
2027 launch offer: £50 per person off all 2027 departure dates!
Itinerary
After making your way to Salzburg, get acquainted with this romantic Austrian city, AKA the city of Mozart. Not only can you discover the composer’s birthplace, but there are also many delicacies to be enjoyed here, as well as numerous shops to browse in.
It’s time to start your cycling from Salzburg to head through the wooded Salzach lowlands next to the river. Your first notable stop for the day will be Hallein, which was once a wealthy Celtic city due to its salt mines.
This isn’t the only thing special about this town; to see are also narrow alleyways, old-fashioned gates, stunning buildings, and an interesting Celtic Museum. Continuing along the river, you will get to Golling, home to a waterfall, market square and 13th-century fortress. There is also an option to extend your trip through the beautiful Bluntautal Valley.
As you leave Golling and head for Pass Leug, you will be accompanied by views of a gorgeous mountain range, making the slight climb seem effortless. As you push on, you will edge closer to the mountains and the sound of water. A fascinating piece of landscape you will pass is the ‘Salzach-Öfen’, a dramatic canyon built through the river.
Your first stop of the day is Werfen, found at the bottom of Hochkönig Mountain and the location of the biggest ice cave in the world! It’s possible to loop the entire ice cave, which takes around 4 hours. Your journey to your destination of St. Johann entails a view of the Hohenwerfen fortress and then to Bischofshofen, which is just a short few kilometres away. In St. Johann, pay an exciting visit to the dome with its towers and the Liechtensteinklamm gorge.
After a lovely night’s stay in St Johann, take one last look at the Schloss Schernberg towering above the village, before heading on. After passing Schwarzach, you leave the Salzach and will head through the Gastein Valley, with the Gasteiner Ache escorting you. Next, a bigger climb comes your way with the “Ausgleichsbecken”, which has a distance of 2.5km and an elevation of 130 metres.
Afterwards, head through the Klamm Tunnel and its 1.5km cycle path. If this doesn’t appeal to you, there is an option to take a 10-km train or shuttle service from Schwarzach. Head through Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgastein, famous spa and winter sports resorts. Not far from here, head through Böckstein, from where you will take a train from one side of the Alps to the other in 10 minutes. As you get back on your bike, pedal downhill to your hotel in the Mölltal.
The first part of today’s journey will entail amazing mountain landscapes as you head along the river Möll. Once you get to Möllbrücke, you enter the Drautal and the sunny side of Austria.
Your journey to Spittal an der Drau is pleasant; this city was important in the Middle Ages as a junction for pilgrims. Highlights include the 16th-century Renaissance Porcia Palace.
The route to your final destination includes a pleasant, slight downhill section on the river Drau; on the way, we recommend a stop in Paternion, which has many beautiful churches and palaces.
It isn’t far to Villach, where you can enjoy an evening at night in this beautiful city with cosy pubs and restaurants.
Enjoy a last breakfast in Villach and then either head home or stay for longer in the city or the surrounding region.
Arrival: Salzburg
Departure: Villach
Nearest Arrival airport: Salzburg, Munich or Vienna
Nearest Departure airport: Salzburg, Vienna or Ljubljana
We also recommend travelling by train to all cycling holiday starting and departure points. We can help you plan your journey to Salzburg by rail. Car parking is available on all tours at the first hotel or a nearby public parking location. Full details are available on request. Please do not book travel until an official invoice confirms the cycling holiday.
Route overview
Starting point: Salzburg
End point: Villach
Total cycling distance: approx. 295 km
The route is mostly flat, although it is slightly hillier in parts. Two moderately longer climbs can be avoided by taking the train. Most roads are paved and there are also some nature paths. There is one 8km descent on a road with a little more traffic.
Bike hire options
This cycling holiday benefits from high-quality bike hire options carefully selected for the tour. Each well-maintained bike has modern V-brakes, aluminium wheels and puncture-proof tyres based around a KTM frame. Dynamo lights, small panniers, repair accessories, a handlebar bag and a comfortable saddle ensure that you have everything you need for an enjoyable cycle tour. Rental bike insurance is included in every booking.
Standard Unisex Bike 21/24-gears
Sizes: 56 / 51 / 46 / 43 cm (heights approx. 148 cm to 190 cm)
Standard Men’s Bike 21-gears with crossbar
Sizes: 63 / 60 / 56-51 cm (heights approx. 165 cm to 205 cm)
Rental Bike PLUS
Rental Bike PLUS is designed for a slightly sportier sitting position and finely tuned gears offer excellent riding flexibility. The KTM aluminium frame has a high-quality Suntour suspension fork and puncture-proof tyres.
Sizes: 63 / 60 / 55 / 51 / 50 / 46 cm (heights approx. 155 cm to 205 cm)
Unisex Electric Bike
The electric bikes available on this tour assist up to 25 km/h whilst pedalling. The pedalec motor is in the bottom bracket of the frame and the detachable batteries last for approximately 120 km. Each bike has an illuminated LCD and 8-speed internal hub gears. They weigh 23 kg and have a back-pedal brake. Only limited numbers are available.
Sizes: 56 / 51 / 46 / 46 ‘xs’ cm (heights approx. 148 cm to 195 cm)
What’s included
- 6 overnight stays in 3* and 4* hotels
- Daily breakfast from the buffet
- Luggage transfers
- 7-day service hotline
- Well elaborated route
- Personal welcome briefing upon arrival
- Travel documents with maps, route description, and GPS-Tracks (1 package per room)
- Train ticket from Böckstein to Mallnitz, including bike
- Rental bike insurance (if bikes are hired)
Not included
- Travel to/from the start and finish (Flights/Trains)
- Evening meals (unless stated)
- Local daily taxes (Payable at the hotel)
- Helmets (Please bring your own cycle helmet with you)
- Water bottles
- Travel insurance
- Bike hire (Rental bike insurance included)
- Bike insurance (unless stated)
- Welcome meetings (unless stated)
- Transfers (unless included)
- SINGLE ROOM SUPPLEMENT: £329 PER PERSON
- EXTRA NIGHT(S) – Salzburg: £125 PER PERSON PER NIGHT INC. BREAKFAST
- EXTRA NIGHT(S) – Villach: £99 PER PERSON PER NIGHT INC. BREAKFAST
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Bike Hire Options
- 21-gear men’s inc. rental bike insurance: £99
- 21/24/27-gear unisex/men’s inc. rental bike insurance: £99
- Rental bike PLUS inc. rental bike insurance: £179
- Gravel bike inc. rental bike insurance: £189
- Electric bike inc. rental bike insurance: £279
You can select your bike hire options in the ‘Book Now’ section.
Check Availability
2026/27 Self-Guided cycling holidays
All prices shown are per person, based on sharing a double or twin room, and exclude flights and bike hire.
Special Offer: £50 per person off all 2027 departure dates!
Contact us for more information, a special price, or call 017687 71700. Offer valid on new bookings only.
NEW FOR 2027
To make a booking, simply use the filter to select the day of the week on which the tour operates. You’ll then see all available tour dates and prices. No payment is taken at this stage.
For all bookings, we require a 20% deposit, with the final balance due 56 days before arrival. An invoice and online payment link will be generated once the tour has been confirmed.
To request a twin room, please add this into the ‘Special Requests’ box on the next step of the booking process.
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