Drau bike trail: From Lienz to Lake Klopeiner See

Austria's sunny south

Experience Austria from its sunniest side. You start your journey in Lienz at the confluence of the Isel and Drau. During your cycle tour along the Drau you will experience this wonderful region on flat paths, surrounded by high mountains where castles and palaces await your visit. Dreamy villages and pretty towns are on your way and at the end of the journey Lake Klopeiner See awaits you - Europe's warmest bathing lake with excellent water quality. The regional cuisine, with Italian influences, Carinthian and Tyrolean specialties also offers you a culinary adventure. This makes the week a pure pleasure.

1. day Arrival Lienz

Your starting point Lienz is located at the confluence of the Isel and Drau in the middle of a beautiful mountain panorama and in the sunniest region of Austria. On the first evening, enjoy the last rays of sunshine with a view of the breathtaking panorama.

2. day Lienz - Toblach - Lienz 50 km + train ride

In the morning you can reach Toblach just behind the Italian border by train in no time at all. The young Drau ripples through the narrow Pustertal-valley and fortresses, castles and palaces rise above the valley. This region once aroused the desires of the rich and powerful. Romanesque chapels, Gothic and Baroque churches and wayside shrines line the path and invite you to take a break. You cycle through the rugged mountains of the Lienz Dolomites all day long and offer you an unforgettable panorama. Spend the evening again in Lienz.

3. day Lienz - Berg 35 km

Today you continue cycling down the river. The Drau, which now appears gray, got its milky color from the finest stone particles of the huge rocks. You follow old Roman trade routes and pass ruins, castles and small churches. The picturesque Oberdrautal-valley welcomes you with picturesque places, including the first market town on the Carinthian side and a charming landscape.

4. day Berg - Spittal 45 km

Start the day early, because the beautiful Carinthian farmland awaits you with forests, old farms and small villages. Take a break in one of the cozy taverns and enjoy the landscape and the well-developed cycle path directly on the Drau. In the afternoon you reach Spittal with its main square and the beautiful castle, which is one of the most impressive Renaissance buildings in Central Europe.

5. day Spittal - Villach 40 km

Today is again characterized by ancient cultural landscapes, meadows and forests as well as idyllic floodplain areas. Visit Kellerberg Castle before arriving in Villach. Enjoy a stroll through the picturesque old town with its Italian flair or along the Drau, which meanders through the Drau metropolis, and end the day in one of the cozy restaurants.

6. day Villach - St. Jakob im Rosental 30-45 km

Today you cycle through the enchanting Rosental-valley. Accompanied by the impressive panorama of the Karawanken and the Drau, you always cycle along the river. The Hollenburg Fortress, the landmark of the Rosental, is worth a visit. If you want to extend the rather short stage, you can make a detour to Velden.

7. day St. Jakob im Rosental - Klopeiner See 55 km

In the morning you cycle through meadows and fields in the direction of the Völkermarkt reservoir. You leave the Drau behind and continue to Lake Klopeiner See. This beautifully situated lake is the warmest bathing lake in Europe. End the trip with a swim in this lake and enjoy the warm water, the mountain panorama and the excellent food in one of the restaurants.

8. day Departure Lake Klopeiner See

Today your sunny cycle tour along the Drau ends after breakfast in the hotel. We would be happy to book an extension for you.

Worth knowing about your bike trip

Below please find more information about your bike trip. If you have any further questions please feel free to contact us by phone: 0049 - (0)6421-886890.

Getting there

By car:

Take the Brenner autobahn (A22) to the Bressanone-Val Pusteria / Brixen-Pustertal exit and continue through the Pustertal or via the Felbertauernstraße to Lienz in East Tyrol.

By train:

Drive via Innsbruck and the Brenner Railway to Fortezza (Franzens Festung) and change there to the regional trains to Pustertal. You can also travel from Salzburg via the Tauernbahn to Spittal an der Drau, change trains there and continue up the Drautal to Lienz.

Parking facilities in Lienz

There is a public car park near our partner hotels in Lienz, where you can park your car for around €35.00 per week. You will receive detailed information about the parking facilities at the hotel booked for you with the detailed travel documents two weeks before the start of the trip

Condition of the bike paths

The Drau Cycle Path, awarded 4-star quality cycle tours by the ADFC, leads along the river of the same name through East Tyrol and Carinthia. The cycle path is signposted throughout (R1 in Carinthia), runs mostly directly on the banks of the Drau and is very well developed (asphalt, sand or fine gravel surface). The bike path is perfectly passable with normal touring bikes.

Available rental bikes

You can choose between 7-speed unisex bikes with hub gears and coaster brake or 21-speed women's or men's bikes with derailleur gears and freewheel, as well as electric bikes (unisex).

Extra costs which are not included in the tour price

Any city tax that may be incurred is not part of the tour price and is therefore payable locally at the hotel.

7 days hotline service

In case of chain breakdown, flooding or other bad surprises that makes a continuation of your tour impossible: no problem, we also work during weekends and you can reach us 7 days a week in case of emergency.

Passport and visa requirements, health regulations

For EU citizens, there are no special passport or visa requirements and no health formalities to be considered for this trip.

Corona travel information:
Before booking your trip, please inform yourself about the measures in place to contain the Corona pandemic.

An up-to-date overview of applicable measures and travel and safety advice regarding Covid-19 for all countries in the EU and Switzerland can be found here:
https://reopen.europa.eu/en/

You can also find more information on our website at:
Corona virus and holiday planning

Travel insurance

The tour price already includes the statutory insolvency insurance. In addition, we recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance upon receipt of your travel confirmation in order to protect yourself against financial disadvantages in the event of travel cancellation, interruption of travel, illness or accident.

Lienz

A charming small town, flanked by wooded mountain ridges and the bizarre peak formations of the Lienz Dolomites. A place with a high quality of life, where "the south begins". An urban and yet natural paradise, where the sun really likes to shine. Specifically, just a little town called Lienz and home to around 12,000 inhabitants. Lienz is valued and loved by East Tyroleans and holidaymakers alike. The beautiful small town scores particularly well in summer with its Mediterranean flair. Here you can still enjoy life to the fullest.

Lienz

Castle Bruck, Museum of the town Lienz

"... worthy of a prince" - this is how the Tyrolean topographer Beda Weber characterized Bruck Castle, the former residence of the Counts of Gorizia in his work "The Land of Tyrol. A Handbook for Travelers" (1838). The monumental castle, owned by the city of Lienz since 1942, is one of the main sights in East Tyrol and today houses the Lienz City Museum with the most extensive collection of works by the East Tyrolean painter Albin Egger-Lienz.

Schloss Bruck, Museum der Stadt Lienz

Toblach

Dobbiaco is just over the Italian border. There are several sights to discover in Dobbiaco: These include the legendary Herbstenburg and the 5 Passion Chapels along the Maximilianstraße, which belong to the oldest Way of the Cross in Tyrol. In Toblach, however, nature, which is so richly blessed here, comes to the fore. By the way: In Dobbiaco there is an important watershed in the Alps. The rivers Rienz, whose water flows to the Adriatic Sea, and the Drau, which flows into the Danube and thus to the Black Sea, have their source here.

Toblach

Spittal

The municipality likes to call itself the urban center of Upper Carinthia. The locals call it walking distance, comfortably clear. They are proud of the local products and specialties, of the many cultural events and artistic communities that they make possible every year with their enthusiasm and personal commitment.
Spittal is the intersection. People meet each other in Spittal. For culture, trade, transport, for history and business.

Spittal

Spittal, Schloss Porcia

Porcia Castle is one of the most beautiful Renaissance buildings north of the Alps. A unique work of art of the Renaissance was created here by Italian masters on behalf of Gabriel of Salamanca and his descendants. For a long time the castle was also the residence of the princes of Porcia (1662 - 1912). The beauty of the three-storey arcaded courtyard forms a worthy setting for numerous cultural events.

Spittal, Schloss Porcia

Villach

Villach not only provides a wonderful portion of "dolce vita", but also guarantees a city trip, mountain fun and lake holiday all in one. The second largest city in Carinthia with over 60,000 inhabitants enchants its guests with its cozy, southern Mediterranean way of life. Experience wonderful moments: Stroll through the old town, watch the hustle and bustle on the spacious squares, lose yourself in the deep green of the Drau, stroll through the narrow streets, browse exciting shops, enjoy culinary delights and admire sophisticated buildings. The grandiose combination of history and modern city life will fascinate you!

Villach

St. Jakob

Nestled between the impressive Karawanken mountain range and the Drau reservoir lies the market town of St. Jakob im Rosental. In the middle of the Carinthian lake region between Faaker See and Wörthersee - and yet away from the hustle and bustle. Significant ecclesiastical art treasures and lovely gems can be found here: the pilgrimage church of Maria Elend with the late Gothic winged altar, the rectory of St. Jakob, the parish church of St. Jakob with the modern wall frescoes by Valentin Oman or the chapel hill, to name but a few to name.

St. Jakob

Klopeiner See

2,000 hours of sunshine per year: This "dry" statement is responsible for the fact that the summer in the holiday region of Klopeiner See - Südkärnten is longer every year. At seven of the warmest bathing lakes in Europe you can bathe in drinking water well into autumn and enjoy the southern sun. The Klopeiner See is the rest of a formerly much larger, post-glacial lake and often reaches 28 ° C in summer. The autumn months are considered to be particularly "safe for swimming" due to the mild climate and the basin location, which is protected from the north.

Klopeiner See