Bike tour in Austria
A cycling holiday that couldn't be more beautiful
Of course, Austria is a modern country with important industry and large service companies and yet to this day people often think of a different Austria: a cosy one, one where Sissy was empress, one with high Alpine panoramas as well as mountain meadows and small villages, with landscapes in which rivers and lakes set accents, with coffee house culture in Vienna and the Salzkammergut as a tourist region, which the old Emperor Joseph I already used for recreation. Austria is living proof that a country can be both modern and full of tradition and cosiness.
Cycling Holiday - Nature Experience
Nature in Austria is magnificent. Forests, lakes and rivers alternate with mountains, creating an impressive landscape. Perhaps you will cycle through Styria in Austria, which is also called the Green Mark because over 60% of this Austrian province is forested. Parts of the Niedere Tauern lie here, a part of the Central Alps that connects to the Hohe Tauern. Perhaps Zell am See is a destination for your cycling holiday in the Alpine country? Mountains, waterfalls, forests and meadows form the backdrop here for wonderful tours through natural landscapes. In addition to the mountains, rivers such as the Inn and the Drau and Etsch characterise Alpine Land, flowing through valleys and shaping landscapes in a very appealing way: nature is a master builder!
Salzburg
Salzburg is a beautiful city to start a stage cycling tour. Dangerous, however, for the schedule! Because it's hard to tear yourself away from the lively hustle and bustle in the alleys beneath the defiant fortress. Enjoy the beautiful pedestrian zone or spend a lovely late summer day by the Salzach with a melange. That's what they call a mocha with foamed milk in Austria.
There is much to discover here; Mozart's birthplace, Hohensalzburg Fortress, Getreidegasse or Hellbrunn are among the most popular places in Salzburg.
Good times at the river Danube
It all started with the Danube Cycle Path. The route from Passau to Vienna is probably one of the most famous in all of Europe and also the first long-distance cycle route in Austria. This laid the foundation stone. As is so often the case with cycle paths, the large rivers set the direction of the route - whether on the Inn, the Salzach, the Mur, the Drau or the Enns. But smaller rivers now also set the tone and follow with well-developed and attractive cycle paths.
The river Danube is with a length of about 2.850 kilometres the second largest river of Europe - only the Volga is longer. That means that cycle tours alongside the Danube can take you through many European countries like Hungary, Slovakia, Austria and Germany. To get to know the wonderful landscapes and towns at the Danube in the four mentioned countries, we recommend a trip on the Danube cycleway or combined boat and bike tours.
With Danube bike tours from Germany to Hungary you will reach three interesting country capitals: the Austrian capital Vienna, Bratislava in Slovakia and the Hungarian capital Budapest. Vienna shines as a former imperial city with caps, cafés, the St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Hundertwasser House and palaces like the Schönbrunn Palace. Bratislava is located at the Danube too and for many people in Western Europe a rather unknown capital. That should change because Bratislava is absolutely worth seeing. Two landmarks are the Preßburg (castle) and the huge SNP bridge across the Danube. Attractive too: the late baroque buildings, which shape the historical district of the town.
If Danube bike tours lead you further to Budapest, you will meet another fascinating capital. Sights are here among others the Gellért Hill with the Citadel, the Castle Hill and the Castle District. This district and the Danube panorama of Budapest are part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 1987.
The culinary side of the Danube
The wines of the Wachau are the proof, that Danube bike tours are a culinary pleasure too. Important grape varieties of the region are Green Veltliner and Riesling. The Wachau is well known for good white wines, some of which have world-class. But certainly Vienna gives you a lot of opportunities to taste local specialities too. Desserts like strudel and pancakes are as well as the famous Viennese Schnitzel typical Viennese food. If you follow the river Danube to Bratislava, you can taste more good food, for example local specialities like spaetzle with poppy-seeds. And if you decide to go on Danube bike tours to Budapest, you maybe taste variations of the famous Hungarian Goulash or venison dishes as well as crumbed meat or fish.
