Why you should add a cycling trip to Austria to your travel plans

Austria might not be the first place that comes to mind for an Aussie road trip on two wheels, but it probably should be. Tucked into the heart of Europe, it offers a mix of high mountain passes, quiet valley roads and a cycling culture that makes it easy to settle into a rhythm from day one.

The landscape offers huge variety. Riders can take on demanding alpine climbs, roll through vineyard country or follow easy river paths through historic towns and villages. Many of the country’s most popular cycling regions feature dedicated bike infrastructure, allowing riders to spend long stretches away from traffic altogether.

At the same time, cycling here is as much about the journey as the riding itself, with plenty of opportunities to stop along the way. Alpine huts, traditional inns, Heurige wine taverns and bike and spa hotels all add to the experience.

Whether the goal is big mountain days or a more relaxed touring style, Austria makes it easy to shape the trip around your own pace and preference.

Choose your adventure

Within a relatively small area, you can move from flat, steady kilometres to proper alpine climbing. Routes are often grouped into a few clear styles: long-distance rides that link regions, lake loops that favour a steadier pace, and mountain roads that demand a bit more from the legs. That flexibility makes it easy to plan a trip that isn’t just about chasing elevation.

But for riders who do love the mountains, Austria offers plenty. The high alpine passes such as those in Tyrol and in the north of Steiermark are the obvious drawcards, with climbs that stretch on for kilometres and gradients that can push into double digits. Summer is when they fully open up, and it’s the time most riders head for the mountains.

In Tyrol, our pick would be the Sölden – Ötztal Glacier Road up to Rettenbach Glacier which takes you to the alps at 2,830 metres where the air starts to get thin, but this might also be because it has an average gradient of 10.5%!

In Styria, the region known for its green, rolling terrain with vineyards and forest climbs, gravel and mixed riding are great options here. Our pick though would be the Vulkanland Tour, a tight circular tour of 128km through the south-east of Styria.

Nearby, regions like SalzburgerLand balance lakes and mountains in a way that makes longer days manageable, with terrain that shifts between easy and more demanding without ever feeling overwhelming.

Here, one of the highlights is the Salzburger Sportwelt, a “sports world” that links seven resorts and makes an ideal base for long and varied road bike tours of all kinds.

Routes wind around the Tennengebirge, through the Enns Valley to the south, and up into some of the most scenic panorama roads and mountain passes in the Eastern Alps, with more than 30 marked routes on offer.

Down south, Carinthia leans further toward flowing routes around lakes and valleys, including the Nockberge Mountains, where you can build distance without constantly heading uphill.

Our pick here would be the Three-Country Route, which, despite being achievable in a day at just 80-odd km, lets riders enjoy a relaxed alpine-to-Adriatic experience. Rolling out of beautiful Lake Faak, you can stop for a morning cappuccino in Italy, take an afternoon snack in Slovenia, and finish the day with dinner back in Carinthia – how’s that for a day ride!

But if it’s climbing you’re after, the region is also home to the legendary Großglockner High Alpine Road, a long, steady ascent with 36 hairpin bends that has featured in the Giro d’Italia.

If you can time it right, the best time to tackle it is during the Glocknerkönig, typically held in June.

This unique closed-road hill climbing event is open to all riders and starts directly in the town centre of Bruck an der Großglocknerstraße. From here, an unforgettable adventure begins through one of Europe’s most spectacular mountain landscapes, to the well-deserved finish at Fuscher Törl (2,428 m).

Finally, with most trips to Austria likely starting and finishing in the capital Vienna, the flat river and vineyard country nearby is ideal for relaxed touring and easy road or leisure rides.

There’s plenty of options here, but you shouldn’t miss the relatively flat Danube Cycle Path, which acts as a connection between Lower Austria and Upper Austria and also passes through Vienna.

Slightly further out, our pick would be the Burgenland Tour de Vine, located about 150km south of Vienna. It’s an 82km ride through the wine country of Burgenland, where quiet roads, gentle gradients and vineyard views set the tone for a laid-back day on the bike.

Rides for everyone

Regardless of your fitness, there’s something for you in Austria. Beginners can stick to flatter routes along rivers and lakes, intermediate riders can mix distance with moderate climbing, and more ambitious cyclists can head straight for the alpine passes.

Your choice of when to visit will likely shape your experience as much as the location. Spring is better suited to lower regions while the high passes are still closed, summer opens up the full alpine network, and autumn tends to bring quieter roads and clearer views, especially around the lake districts.

What stays with you after a few days isn’t any one climb or route, but how straightforward it all feels. Austria offers enough variety to keep things interesting, but it presents it in a way that’s easy to navigate.

For riders looking to try somewhere a little different, that balance makes it a stunning place to ride.

Find out more here.

Choose your adventure

Region	Known for
Tyrol	High alpine passes, elevation and mountain challenges
SalzburgerLand	Alpine scenery, rolling terrain and lakeside routes
Carinthia	Flowing rides, lakes and sunny valleys
Vorarlberg	Quiet alpine roads, short steep climbs and cross-border routes
Styria	Green rolling hills, vineyards and forest climbs
Burgenland	Flat cycling, vineyards and Lake Neusiedl routes
Upper Austria	Mixed terrain with lakes, rivers and foothills
Lower Austria	Rolling hills, vineyard routes and the Danube Cycle Path