From the Dolomites to the Adria

Dream scenes for Cyclists

The summer in the Dolomites is varied and promising: just like your bike tour! In Hochpustertal begins your adventure. Initially you follow the Drauradweg, which was awarded by the ADFC with 4 stars, then you cycle comfortably on very good cycle paths through the Gail Valley in Austria. Discover the beauties of Slovenia, be inspired by pristine natural landscapes and take a bath in one of the many crystal clear lakes. Each day will be accompanied by spectacular alpine panorama. Let yourself be charmed by the sunset on Lake Bled, by the splendid cycling routes through the wine-growing region Collio Gorizia, the White rocks of Karst mountains, the deep blue of the Mediterranean and the colorful Habsburg port city of Trieste.

1. day Niederdorf/Toblach arrival

Look forward to Toblach, the gateway to the Dolomites. Arrive early so you have enough time to enjoy Toblach harbors with the Dobbiaco Lake, a very special natural jewel. Free parking near the hotel.

2. day Niederdorf/Toblach - Oberdrauburg/Kötschbach Mauthen ca. 70 - 75 km

Enjoy today a wonderful bike route. Your bike trip starts at the level of the watershed of the rivers Drava and Rienz. Always slightly downhill, you roll on the good asphalt of the Drava cycle path from South Tyrol to East Tyrol. The impressive mountain scenery of the Dolomites is your fantastic companion today. Look forward to the Austrian town of Lienz. Visit Schloss Bruck and marvel at the beautiful frescoes. You cycle to Oberdrauburg on flat paths.

3. day Oberdrauburg/Kötschach Mauthen - Feistritz an der Gail, ca. 65 km

You start the day comfortably with a short transfer (7 km) in the minibus to the Gailbergpass. Look forward to a great descent to Kötschach-Mauthen. Now you cycle away from the traffic on the bike path along the Gailtal parallel to the Italian border. The imposing mountain ranges of the Carnic and Gailtal Alps are close enough to touch. Featured destinations such as the Garnitzenklamm or the Pressegger Lake, one of the warmest lakes in Austria invite you to take a break, before completing the day in Feistritz an der Gail.

4. day Feistritz an der Gail - Bled ca. 55 - 65 km

The signposted cycle path leads you through small villages, past old farms and inns. Try the local specialties. Homemade products such as the "Gailtaler bacon" and "Gailtaler Alm cheese" makes the cycling even easier. Look forward to Slovenia and to a unique cycle path which leads through a beautiful idyllic and far more unspoilt countryside. Past the famous ski resort of Kranjska Gora you cycle to Bled. Let yourself be enchanted by this romantic place, from the turquoise lake, the picturesque island with a church and the surrounding mountains, which are reflected in the lake in the evening.

5. day Bled - Cividale del Friuli ca. 50 km

In the morning you have a transfer by train which saves you before the long climb up to the pass. You reach comfortable the beautiful Soca Valley. The river Soca with its emerald hues and its whitewater is considered one of the most pristine rivers in the Alps and will certainly draw you into its spell. Not only cyclists but also whitewater canoeists and paragliders get inspired by the fantastic nature. Lovers of good food and wine get their money' worth today, not only on the road but also in the historical town of Cividale. Look forward to a worthwhile tour, marvel at the Devil's Bridge and enjoy Italian flair on the splendid Piazza del Duomo.

6. day Cividale del Friuli - Gradisca d´Isonzo ca. 35 - 65 km

Look forward to another landscape change. You cycle on small roads and byways through the small but beautiful wine-growing region Collio Gorizia. Enjoy a break with wonderful views of wide wine hills in the background the Alps and numerous wine cellars. Look forward to the small town of Gradisca, surrounded by the remains of an ancient city wall. Marvel at the Palazzo dei Provveditori (15th c.) And visit the old town in the Enoteca, which invites you to taste of fine local wines. Those who want can cycle the longer tour (70 km) via the beautiful Udine.

7. day Gradisca d´Isonzo - Triest ca. 40 km

Today the Karst accompanies you on the way to the Adriatic Sea, a stretch of coastline of unique beauty. Where the elevated plateaus plunge into the deep blue waters and the white cliffs rise vertically from the sea to heaven, you follow the coastal road through small villages like Duino, Sistiana and Miramare. Take a break and visit the Castle Miramare, just outside Trieste, which is within easy reach of the beach promenade. Stroll through the Piazza dell'Unita, along the Grand Canal and visit the Serbian Orthodox Church and the historic San Spiridone cafe San Marco.

8. day Triest departure

Individual departure or extension of your stay.

Worth knowing about your bike trip from the Dolomites to Trieste

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

Arrival by car

On the Brenner motorway (A22) to Brixen/Bressanone – take the exit Franzensfeste Pustertal then through the Pustertal Valley (SS49) to Niederdorf or Toblach, depending on the location of your hotel Alternative: Drive along the Felbertauernstraße to Lienz in Eastern Tyrol (Austria) and then further into Italy through the Alta Pusteria to Toblach or Niederdorf, depending on the location of your hotel.

Arrival by train

Toblach and Niederdorf are accessible by train via Munich or Innsbruck over the “Brenner/Brennero” to Franzensfeste. Change trains for the Pusteria Valley/Lienz and get off either at Niederdorf or Toblach depending on the location of your hotel. We recommend to take a taxi from the station to get to you hotel. Current schedule information and price information can be found at www.bahn.de, www.oöb.at or www.trenitalia.it

Train schedule information Deutsche Bahn

Train schedule information OÖB

Train schedule information Trenitalia​​​​​​​

Arrival by plane

The nearest airports to Toblach and Niederdorf are in Treviso (178km), Venice Marco Polo (190km), Trieste Ronchi Legionari (185km) or Innsbruck (130km). Please note a public transport journey to Toblach or Niederdorf takes several hours from the airports.  

Austrian

Lufthansa

Parking facilities at the hotel

Near the start hotels is a free, unguarded public car park for the entire duration of the bike trip. Detailed information on parking at your hotel, you will receive together with the travel documents two weeks prior to departure.

Condition of cycle paths

The tour to Trieste is quite an easy tour; the last three stages are a bit hilly but without steep or long climbs. The tour goes along bike paths (Drau valley, Gail valley, Slovenia) or very quiet side roads (Soca valley, Collio), through small villages and picturesque landscape. The tour is suitable for children from the age of 14. Only when you approach bigger citys (Bled, Gradisca, Triest) you have to use roads with more or less traffic.

Available rental bikes

You can choose between women’s and men's bicycles with 27-speed gear shift and freewheel or electric bikes (Please reserve the bikes as early as possible to guarantee availability). You simply specify your wishes at time of booking. 

Transfer back to the starting point of the journey

On Saturdays and from 24.05. - 05.07.2023 additionally on Wednesdays there is the possibility to transfer back to Dobbiaco / Niederdorf with a small bus (with bike trailer). The driver comes to pick you up at your hotel and has enough space for you, your luggage and (when required) your own bicycle. The bus takes you back to your first hotel, thus ensuring a perfect return service without transfer and the hassle of hauling luggage.  Alternatively, you can use the SAF bus from Trieste. Start daily at about 06.40 am to San Candido at the price of approx. 23.00 € per person (no bicycle transport possible, duration approx. 5 hours). Timetable and details can be found at:

SAF Bus

Touring information and rental bike

The personal touring information with rental bike takes place on the day of arrival in the hotel. Any changes will be announced upon arrival at the reception.

Special dates

Special dates are possible on request from 5 persons.

Option: 2 nights in Bled instead of one night in Cividale

Day 5: Bled Enjoy a rest day at Lake Bled!

Day 6: Bled - Gorizia - Gradisca (about 40 km) After transferring with the "Wocheiner Bahn", which will save you the climb to the Bohinjsko pass, you will reach the Socatal, which is popular with canoeists and adventure sportsmen. Along the river you reach the divided city of Gorizia and through the vineyards of the Collio you reach Gradisca, where you end the day.

Costs which are not included in the price

A possibly resulting tourist tax is not part of the travel price and therefore it has to be paid locally in the hotel. The costs are 3,00 - 4,00 € per person and night. 

7 day 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.

Lake Dobbiaco

Lake Dobbiaco is a small alpine lake in Val Pusteria. Lake Dobbiaco is situated in-between two nature parks: the Sesto Dolomites nature park as well as the Fanes-Sennes-Braies nature park. This lake originated from several rockfalls in antiquity and its inlet and outlet is the Rienza river. Round the lake five bunkers were built, as Mussolini wanted to protect the access roads to Italy in 1939. Since 2000 there has also been a nature trail, which offers about two hours of pleasant walking. This trail offers eleven panels providing useful information about flora and fauna and even issues several challenges.

Lake Dobbiaco

Bruck Castle, Lienz

Legacy is best explored at Bruck Castle, the landmark of Lienz and a beautiful building filled with local history. The famous medieval fortress has a museum chronicling the region's rich heritage, arts and nature and regularly holds changing exhibitions on specific themes. The collections specialize in four main areas. One of them is the art collection that covers five centuries of paintings and sculptures by local, contemporary artists. In 2007, the museum was awarded the Tirol Museum Prize and the Austrian Museum Seal.

Bruck Castle, Lienz

Bruck Castle, Lienz

Train path Tarvisio - Mojstrana

The bike path on the former "Kronprinz-Rudolf-Bahn" from Tarvisio to Mojstrana is one of the scenic highlights of your cycling trip. The bike path is mostly away from any car traffic through a great high mountain landscape and and passes the famous winter sport resort Krajnska Gora. The first section of the former railway line from Tarvisio via Jesenice to Ljubljana was closed down in 1967-1969. About 11 kilometers of the route (from Tarvisio Città station) are in Italy, the remaining 20 kilometers belong to Slovenia.

Train path Tarvisio - Mojstrana

Bled

Bled

Cividale

Defended on the bank of the Natisone River, Cividale del Friuli has developed and maintained in the centuries a noble and stern print as one vital capital of strategic importance, marked and enriched by the passage of foreign people: Longobardi and Franchi. The past is reflected in the many sights. Particularly impressive is the Devils Bridge over the river Natisone and the old town with the Palazzo Pretorio and the Cathedral Santa Maria Assunta.

Cividale

Miramare Castle

Miramare Castle is surrounded by a flourishing park full of precious botanic species, and has a charming panoramic view, given its location on a cliff high above the sea. It stands on the peak of the rocky promontory of Grignano in the Gulf of Trieste, and is about 10 km from the city itself. Commissioned in the second half of the 19th century by the Archduke Ferdinand Maximilian of Habsburg as a residence for himself and his wife, Charlotte of Belgium, the castle offers today's visitors an example of a luxurious aristocratic residence which has preserved its original furnishings.

Miramare Castle

Trieste

Trieste was from 1382 to 1919, with short interruptions, under Habsburg-Austrian rule and these 500 years have left their mark in the cityscape. During a walk through the center one could sometimes forget that one is in Italy, if one would not remind the people and the southern flair (and also the typical Italian traffic chaos ...). The architecture of the palaces in the center is often more similar to that of Vienna, Prague or Budapest than that of Venice, Rome or Florence. The splendor of Trieste was the 18th and 19th centuries when the city with its large port was Austria's only access to the Mediterranean. Today, the attraction of the city lies not only in the testimony of the Habsburg and the multicultural past, but above all in the mixture that this past has had with the Italian present.

Trieste

Trieste