Easiest crossing of the Alps on two wheels
From the birth city of Mozart to a shimmering alpine lake amid the majesty of the south-eastern Alps, there is something for everyone on this unforgettable alpine ride. Beginning at the baroque city of Salzburg, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, you will cycle from ornate baroque architecture to a splendid alpine landscape laden with meandering rivers, picturesque valleys, waterfalls, and towering mountain peaks. The route goes through quaint villages where you can sample great local food. A network of cycle paths and quiet country roads will take you through the magnificent Salzach, Gastein, and Molltal valleys. South of Villach, you'll pass through Italy briefly before turning into Slovenia and continuing on through the heart of the Julian Alps and onwards to the magical, fairytale setting of Lake Bled, with its unique island church and hilltop castle to top it all off.
Itinerary
Day 1: ARRIVAL IN SALZBURG
We highly recommend arriving in Salzburg a day of two prior to the tour to get over jetlag and enjoy the city, in particular the picturesque Altstadt (old town), a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Day 2: SALZBURG - BISCHOFFSHOFEN / ST. JOHANN IN PONGAU (↔ 55 km, 460 m, ↓ 350 m)
For the first day, you will cycle through the lovely Salzach Valley to one of Europe’s oldest and most well-preserved castles; the 900-year old Hohenwerfen Castle, standing proudly on a rock 113 m above the market village of Werfen. The Tennengebirge, Hagengebirge and Hochkönig mountain ranges form a stunning backdrop. Time permitting, take a side trip high above the valley to the glacial caves of Eisriesenwelt. You’ll spend the night at the popular alpine sports town of Bischoffshofen.
Day 3: BISCHOFFSHOFEN / ST JOHANN IN PONGAU - MALLNITZ (↔ 57 km, ↑ 900 m, ↓ 260 m)
Today's cycling route takes you through the gorgeous Gastien Valley and Liechtensteinklamm (Liechtenstein Gorge) to the beautiful spa town of Bad Gastien, where a waterfall adorns the centre of town. From here you'll head through Tauerntunel, which emerges at the sunny southern side of the Alps. You’ll spend the night amid the vivid colors of the Hohe Tauern National Park.
Day 4: MALLNITZ - MÜHLDORF / SACHSENBURG (↔ 30 km, ↑ 140 m, ↓ 770 m)
Today you'll head into the ancient province of Carinthia, where you’ll cruise gently down into the Molltal Valley with majestic 3,000 m mountain peaks dominating the backdrop. A cogwheel train will take you high above the Drau Valley and provide outstanding panoramic views.
Day 5: MÜHLDORF / SACHSENBURG - VILLACH (↔ 54 km, ↑ 150 m, ↓ 310 m)
A relatively easy descent today along the Drau River as it flows through the lakeside town of Spitall an der Drau and its impressive ancient Roman city of Teurnia. Then on to Villach, the meeting point of the valleys where alpine climate meets Mediterranean climate! Here you can visit the vintage car museum or take a riverboat cruise.
Day 6: VILLACH - KRANJSKA GORA (↔ 53 km, ↑ 610 m, ↓ 290 m)
Nip across the border for an Italian pizza and cappuccino in Tarvisio before continuing along a scenic cycling path along the old railway line crossing the Italian-Slovenian border, and onward through the lush verdant scenery of the Sava Valley. As you head on to the village of Kranjska Gora for the night, your view will be dominated by the magnificent Dobratsch Mountain.
Day 7: KRANJSKA GORA - BLED (↔ 34 km, ↑ 210 m, ↓ 630 m)
The town of Kranjska Gora, a popular alpine ski resort and host to many world cup skiing events, will be your first stop. The route then weaves through the beautiful forests of the Krma Valley, past a historic farming museum and onward to Slovenia's foremost destination: Lake Bled. The beautiful island church in the middle of the lake, watched over by a medieval hilltop castle, is the perfect place to cool off those hard-worked muscles. Relax here with a boat ride to the island, or a coffee and Bled’s famous cream cake (Kremšnita).
Day 8: DEPARTURE
The tour ends after breakfast. However, it's possible to extend the trip. The most popular onward trip is our Best Of Slovenia tour. Alternatively you can extend your stay in Bled and do the cycling day trips of our Cycling Lake Bled tour.
Price
Price per person based on two people sharing:
Low season: April 30 to May 20 and September 17 to September 30, 2023: 990 EUR
High season: May 21 to September 16, 2023: 1.140 EUR
(Currency converter)
Consider another departure day? Trip can also be started at any other desired day / date if there are minimum four participants in a group!
No departures between July 30 to August 6 and September 5 to September 10, 2023 due to local events
Price includes:
• accommodation in hotels and guesthouses 3* or 4* in a two-bed room with WC and shower, on a bed & breakfast basis
• luggage transfer – one piece, max 20 kg / 45 lb.
• information pack including road notes and corresponding maps in electronic form
• train ticket for Bad Gastein to Mallnitz trip incl. bicycle
• GPS data
• backup service (hotline) during the trip
• local tourist and other taxes in Slovenia. They are not included on Austrian side of the tour.
Optional extras:
• single traveler 310 EUR
• single room 190 EUR
• bike rental 110 EUR (classic trekking bikes are equipped with lock, pannier, and basic puncture repair kit)
• electric bike 210 EUR
Additional nights:
• 3* Hotel in Salzburg: low season 95 EUR in double room, single room 155 EUR; high season 115 EUR in double room, single room 175 EUR
• 4* Hotel in Bled 95 EUR per person per night in a standard double room, B&B. Single room 150 EUR
Not included: welcome briefing. Local & tourist taxes in Austria where applicable. Entrance fees, lunches, drinks with meals, saunas and massages in hotels
Transfers:
Ljubljana Airport to Bled
1–3 persons: 75 EUR
4–8 persons: 105 EUR
Other transfer routes prices on request
Route profile
Total Length: 310 km
Total vertical up: 2.470 m
Track: half of the trip goes over dedicated cyclingway, 35 % over country roads and remaining over single tracks. Terrain: 80% asphalt or paved, 20% unpaved.
A somewhat more demanding and varied hour, but the effort is rewarded with magnificent views, natural attractions, varied historical and the three cultures of Central Europe
Accommodation
Helia supports responsible travel. On our trips we therefore use small, authentic hotels and guesthouses with character operated by locals or their families. Here you can find the list of standard accommodation we primarily use on the trip. The actual hotels may differ from this list, depending on time of booking and rooms availability.
Day 1 3* Hotels Zur Post or Villa Cecconi / Salzburg
Day 2 3* Hotel Tirolerhof / Bischoffshofen or Hotel Brückenwirt / St. Johann in Pongau
Day 3 3* Hotel Malnitz or Hotel Alber / Malnitz
Day 4 3* Gasthof Goldenes Rössl / Sachsenburg or Gasthof Kasperle / Spitall an der Drau
Day 5 3* Hotel Krame or Hotel City / Villach
Day 6 3* Hotel Miklič / Kranjska Gora
Day 7 4* Hotel Triglav or Hotel Park / Bled
Travel options
The starting point of the trip is Salzburg in Austria.
Getting there...
By plane: closest airport is Salzburg (SZG). It is 3 km from the city center. Several major airlines serve it: Austrian, British Airways, German Wings, Lufthansa and Turkish Airlines. Low-cost Ryanair serves the city all year round. From the airport, you can travel to the city center by bus or book our transfer (please ask for a quote).
By train: main station is called Salzburg Hauptbahnhof, it is in the city center. It is on the mainline Vienna (two-hour trip) to Munich (one-hour trip).
By car: Salzburg is at the junction of several main roads. Motorways A1 and A10 meet here.
.... and away
By plane: closest airport is Ljubljana (LJU). Several airlines serve it. From Bled you can travel to the airport by bus (change once, takes about 2 hrs) or book our transfer - please ask us for a favorable quote!
By train: Bled has two railway stations: Lesce Bled on the Villach-Ljubljana mainline, four km away from the town center, you'll need to take a bus or call us, we'll give you a lift for free. The other station is Bled-Jezero on the Jesenice - Nova Gorica sideline, only a few trains a day. 2 km away from town centre. From Jesenice border station there is one direct train to Salzburg (and onward to Munich) and several more with one stopover in Villach.
By car: Bled is on the A1 motorway Ljubljana - Jesenice, Karavanke.
Standard bike
|
Frame |
Trekking Alloy 6061, Zero Stack |
|
Stem |
Suntour M3010AL-A, adjustable |
|
Brakes |
Black Comp, V-Brake |
|
Brake handle |
Shimano ST-EF40 |
|
Front Cassette |
Shimano TZ21 |
|
Gears |
Shimano Altus |
|
Gear shifter |
Shimano ST-EF40 |
|
Pedals |
Shimano FC-M131 |
|
Gear sets |
front: 48/38/28, rear: 11-28 |
|
Steering |
Ladytown |
|
Fork |
Alloy, adjustable |
|
Saddle |
Selle Royal Rio |
|
Saddle stem |
alloy, suspension |
|
Tires |
Continental Townride 42-622 |
|
Luggage rack |
2-legs, Alloy, with Spring Clamp |
Electric bike
Frame E-Bike Impulse, Aluminium
Fork Suntour CR-8V
Motor Impulse 36 V / 250 W
Battery Li-Ion 36 V Akku with 15 Ah / 540 Wh
Display Impulse LED
Gears Shimano Nexus 8-G
Brakes Shimano M422, V-Bremse
Stem Humpert Stuttgarter, Aluminium
Fork Black Comp Aluminium, einstellbar
Saddle Impulse Comfort Zone, Elastomere
Tires Continental Eco Contact, with reflective stripes
Autonomous radius 180 km
First hand experience
We were doing the self guided tour from Salzburg to Lake Bled. Jana from Helia travel was excellent. Everything was well organized and well priced. Selection of hotels was stunning. Maps were provided, booklet with history and clear description of what to expect each day. The attention to detail made this tour one of the best holidays we had. I highly recommend Helia tours.
We have just returned home so would like to tell you that we had the most wonderful experience from start to finish. It certainly did exceed our expectations. The bikes we received were very good, the accommodation along the way good, the cycle route quite spectacular, loved the small cycling paths along the rivers, the scenery breathtaking and overall we had a superb experience. We really enjoyed the organization behind the trip which makes for a very relaxed and enjoyable holiday. The food generally was good wherever we ate, and the last apple strudel stop on the last morning that was mentioned for us to stop at, was the best apple strudel we had on the whole trip.
- Bev from South Africa
