Tauern cycle path with charm

Individual arrival in the festival, Mozart and cultural city of Salzburg. You should arrive early, because Salzburg has a lot to offer: Discover the delightful alleyways and squares, charming, cozy cafés with Austrian coffee specialties and the many sights. Breathe in historical culture and history at every turn. Explore Salzburg, stroll through the Getreidegasse, discover Mozart's birthplace, Mirabel Castle or Hohensalzburg Fortress. Salzburg also offers many opportunities for shopping fans. Even outside of the festival season, a wide range of concerts, theater performances and exhibitions await you.

If you can tear yourself away from Salzburg and its sights, hop on a bike and set off on a relaxed ride through the shady Salzach floodplains to Hallein, a Celtic town that was once rich in salt mining. Here you should take some time to explore the romantic old town with its narrow alleyways and magnificent house facades. The world-famous Celtic Museum and the Hallein Salt Worlds are also well worth a visit. You then cycle past the Gollinger waterfall and through delightful meadows. If you would like to cycle a few more kilometers, we recommend a loop (approx. 8 km) through the romantic Bluntau valley that is well worth seeing. Your destination for today is the picturesque town of Golling with its pretty market square. In the evening you still have time to discover the town and end the day relaxing in one of the many restaurants.

After a relaxed breakfast, you get on your bikes and ride over the Pass Lueg-Höhe to the "Salzachöfen", a very impressive gorge created by the Salzach. From there you pass the Hochkönig and reach the atmospheric village of Werfen, where Hohenwerfen Castle towers high above the Salzach. The famous Eisriesenwelt is also worth a visit. There you have the opportunity to take a tour of the world's largest ice cave and immerse yourself in a fairytale world of glittering ice (duration approx. 4 hours). The tour continues through the picturesque Salzach Valley and into the district town of Bischofshofen. There, the ski jump, where the final of the Four Hills Tournament takes place every year, invites you to take another break. With a magnificent view of the Tennengebirge mountains, you continue along the Salzach dam and soon the towers of the Pongau Cathedral appear in your field of vision and greet you. In St. Johann you will find the well-known Liechtensteinklamm gorge, a huge natural spectacle with a 50 m high waterfall at the end of the gorge.

First you cycle through the Gastein Valley and then reach the spectacular Kitzlochklamm gorge near Taxenbach, an impressive natural spectacle. You will soon spot Austria's highest mountain, the Grossglockner, in the distance and pass it and the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. If you would like to extend your tour a little further, we recommend cycling around Lake Zell (approx. 18 km). It's not far now and from Bruck you can reach the former mountain guide village of Kaprun in just a few kilometers. From here you have excellent bus connections to the high mountain reservoirs.

Your day today starts with a ride on the loalen Pinzgaubahn (currently under reconstruction after a storm, there may be rail replacement services in the 2024 season) to Krimml (included in the tour price). In Krimmel, you must not miss a visit to the famous Krimml Waterfalls, which plunge a thunderous 400 meters into the depths. Your route runs through the beautiful Hohe Tauern National Park with its magnificent high mountain nature and colorful mountain farmland with meadows, forests and alpine pastures. It always goes down the valley and past many beautiful sights and small villages and hamlets of the Oberpinzgau (the Kammerlandstall in Neukirchen, the emerald sites in the Habachtal, the local history museum in Mittersill, Kaprun with its glacier ski area, ...) and then back to Kaprun.

You cycle quickly from Kaprun to Zell am See and should take the cable car from there to the Schmittenhöhe and enjoy the fantastic view of the magnificent mountain world and Lake Zell. Back in Zell am See, you cycle through lush green meadows and alpine pastures and Maria Alm with its famous pilgrimage church to Saalfelden. You should plan your lunch break there and visit Ritzen Castle and the Ritzensee lake. Not far from your destination today, Lofer, the Lamprechtshöhle, the deepest water-bearing cave in Austria, awaits you. Lofer welcomes you in an atmospheric setting surrounded by the imposing mountain ranges of the Loferer and Reither Steinberge. You should pay a visit to the beautiful center of Lofer with its Gothic parish church from the 15th century before relaxing in the evening.

You leave Lofer with its magnificent town center behind you and cycle on disused paths through the beautiful meadow landscape of the Pinzgauer Saalachtal valley to Unken. Unken lies between the Knie Pass and Stein Pass in the middle of beautiful mountain forests. The route continues to the Bavarian spa town of Bad Reichenhall, with a short detour to Germany and from there through the mighty mountain scenery of the Berchtesgaden and Chiemgau Alps, always following the Saalach back to Salzburg. Once again you have time to enjoy the many sights and indulge in culinary delights. Review the wonderful impressions and experiences of your cycle tour and find a relaxing end to your cycling vacation.

Unfortunately, you have already reached the end of your cycle tour through the Tauern. But one thing is certain: full of new impressions and experiences, you start your journey home today. If you would like to spend more time in Salzburg, this is no problem, we will be happy to book extra nights for you.

Your trip includes the journey on the Pinzgaubahn from Kaprun to Krimml incl. bike.

The Pinzgaubahn was severely damaged by a storm in 2021. The repair work is still ongoing and will probably continue into the 2025 season. If the Pinzgaubahn is not running, a rail replacement service or a bus shuttle will run as a replacement.