Alpe Adria Cycle Path: Salzburg-Villach

Individual arrival in the festival, Mozart and the cultural city of Salzburg. Winding alleys and squares invite you to stroll and dreamy cafes to real Austrian coffee specialities. You breathe culture and history at every turn.

You cycle at your leisure out of Salzburg through the shady Salzachauen, the Salzach is your guideline. It goes to Hallein, a Celtic city that used to be rich through salt production. The main attraction is undoubtedly the world-famous Celtic Museum. Past the Gollinger waterfall, your eponymous overnight stay is quickly reached. Golling is known for its beautiful marketplace and 13th-century castle.

TIP! Visit the natural spectacle Gollinger Wasserfall in the Torren (Roaring Stream) district. (Admission for adults approximately €7,- / children €5,- to be paid locally) The beautiful and impressive waterfall falls in two stages over 75m, a sometimes quite steep forest path leads you up, and halfway you cross the waterfall via bridges, along the force of water all the way to the top of the waterfall.

From Golling, you cycle up to Pass Lueg-Höhe and enjoy the view of the beautiful and striking Tennen Mountains. The mountains are getting closer to the Salzach and the rumbling of the water is getting louder. You pass the so-called "Salzachöfen", an imposing gorge created by the Salzach. St. Johann is soon reached after Werfen with its towering castle.

Shortly after Schwarzach, you say goodbye to the Salzach, from today the Gasteiner Ache accompanies you through the wild and romantic Gasteintal. You cycle via Dorfgastein and Bad Hofgastein to the famous spa and winter sports resort of Bad Gastein at the foot of the Hohe Tauern, which offers a variety of natural history and architectural attractions. Its landmark is the Gastein waterfall in the centre of the village, which has been the subject of many painters and poets. Now it's just a stone's throw to Böckstein, where a Tauernschleuse train takes you to Mallnitz on the other side of the Alps in 10 minutes. Back in the saddle, you can enjoy the frantic descent to your hotel in the Mölltal.

Today you will first cycle along the river Möll through impressive high mountain landscapes. The Drautal begins in the village of Möllbrücke and with it the sunny south of Austria. Calmly roll the last kilometres to Spittal an der Drau. The city was already an important transport hub for pilgrims in the Middle Ages and partly owed its prosperity to them.

Today you will cycle slowly down along the Drau almost all by yourself. Halfway through, take a break in the small market town of Paternion with its exciting churches and castles. A few more steps and you are already in Villach, with the charming old town with its southern flair and the cosy "Beisln" and restaurants.

After breakfast, your journey comes to an end. Or will you continue to enjoy the sun in Villach for a few more days?