Alpe Adria Classic: Salzburg to Grado

Day 1: Arrival in Salzburg
You will arrive in the Mozart city of Salzburg, where your travel documents and rental bike (if booked) await at the hotel. A private parking space is included for the duration of the tour, additional nights included. Settle in and explore the town at your leisure.

Day 2: Salzburg – Bischofshofen / St. Johann im Pongau (55–63 km; +350 m)
Heading south, you will cycle along the car-free Salzach River past Hallein and Kuchl, then continue on well-developed cycle paths via the fortress town of Werfen to St. Johann im Pongau. A shorter 29 km option (+61 m) is available by hopping on the hourly train that runs parallel to the route (bike ticket approx. €3.50 on site).

Day 3: St. Johann – Spittal / Seeboden on Lake Millstatt (59 km cycling + 53 km train)
You will take the train to Mallnitz (passenger ticket included, bike ticket approx. €3.50 on site), then follow the route into the Drau valley and along the shores of Lake Millstatt to your overnight stop. For arrivals from 7 May to 4 July the Tauern rail tunnel is closed: you cycle on a car-free path to Schwarzach-St. Veit station and take the included ÖBB bus with your bike to Mallnitz (approx. 75–120 minutes). A scenic ride into the Seebachtal to the Stappitz lakes (14 km, +80 m) shows you the Hohe Tauern National Park before you continue into the Drau valley.

Day 4: Spittal – Tarvisio (68 km; +253 m)
A flat, car-free ride alongside the Drava river brings you to Villach with its charming historic centre. From here, the route climbs gently along the Gail river via Arnoldstein to Tarvisio, your first stop across the Italian border.

Day 5: Tarvisio – Carnia / Venzone / Gemona (52–64 km)
Today is the centrepiece of the Alpe Adria trail. You will cycle through the narrow valley of the Fella River on the old railway line to Pontebba, then, after a short stretch of road, continue southward to your overnight stop.

Day 6: Gemona – Udine (44–56 km)
Partly car-free and close to the Tagliamento river, the route leads through the fertile Friuli countryside past Buia to Udine, a splendid trading town. Piazza della Libertà, the Duomo, and the atmospheric old town are all within easy reach.

Day 7: Udine – Grado (55 km)
You will pedal to Palmanova with its Venetian fortress. Continuing via Aquileia, you will ride through the lagoon landscape to the charming coastal town of Grado on the Adriatic Sea.

Day 8: Departure from Grado
Your cycling adventure ends in Grado after breakfast. A return transfer to Salzburg can be booked at extra cost: by bus on Fridays and Sundays (15 May–23 October, departure approx. 9:00, arrival approx. 15:00), and from 10 July also on Saturdays by bus to Mallnitz and reserved train to Salzburg. On other days, own return journey.