Alpe-Adria cycle path challenge

Name: Alpe-Adria cycle path challenge
Brand: Pedalo
Price: 839.00 EUR

The itinerary
at a glance

For your 6-day tour from Salzburg to Grado

Individual arrival in the festival-, Mozart- and cultural city of Salzburg. Winding alleyways and squares invite you to take a stroll and languorous cafés entice you to sample genuine Austrian café-specialities. You live and breath culture and history literally with every step you take.

Get out of Salzburg and head south. Past the rushing waterfall, you will pass Golling and continue on the well-maintained bike path to St. Johann. Shortly after Schwarzach, you say goodbye to the Salzach, from now on the Gasteiner Ache accompanies you through the wild and romantic Gastein valley. Via Dorfgastein and Bad Hofgastein, you cycle to the well-known spa and winter sports resort Bad Gastein at the foot of the Hohe Tauern. The landmark is the Gastein Waterfall in the middle of town, which has been the inspiration for many painters and poets.

In the morning, it is only a stone's throw to Böckstein, from where a train of the Tauernschleuse takes you to the other side of the Alps, to Mallnitz, in only 10 minutes. First, you cycle along the river Möll until you reach the Drau valley. Here, the sunny south of Austria begins. You cycle leisurely on to Spittal an der Drau, an important traffic junction for pilgrims in the Middle Ages. Now, pedal a few more times and you've reached Villach, whose heart is the charming old town with its southern flair and the cozy pubs and restaurants.

At first, it's still along a stretch of the Drau. But soon, the bike path leads you along the Gail River in the direction of Italy. "Servus Austria - Ciao Italia" is the motto at the border in Tarvisio. Also, in Italy, the cycle path is well developed and so you cycle comfortably downhill. Through the Val Canale-valley you can admire the beauties of the Friulian Alpine region. The place to stay is one of the pretty villages on the foothills of the Julian Alps.

On the way to Udine, the first vines appear along the bike route. Once in the city, feel the "dolce vita" with a coffee in the "piazza". You will ride through wide landscapes of reeds and along small water canals in the direction of the Gulf of Venice. In the Roman city of Aquileia, the so-called "Second Rome," you should plan a stop in any case, before you reach your destination for the trip. The historic fishing town of Grado, known to inspire not only by the extensive sandy beach.

Level

Athletic cyclist

Daily stage lengths of more than 80 kilometres don’t worry you, and hilly stretches with some tough climbs are a must. You spend a lot of time on the bike so you’re fit and have plenty of stamina. You have a need for speed, so it’s got to be a sports bike, gravel bike or road bike for you.

Topography

An overall gently undulating topography with few longer climbs.

Road conditions

You will mostly ride on cycle paths and low-traffic side roads.

Route-finding & navigation

You will navigate by yourself using maps and/or GPS data.

Fancy some extra power?

On this sporty cycling tour, an e-bike can give you an extra tempo boost!

Services & Info
Trip details

Services included

5 x national 3*/4* level overnight stay
5 x hearty breakfast buffet
Luggage transport from hotel to hotel
Train ride or transfer Böckstein - Mallnitz incl. bike (day 3)
Carefully designed routes

PEDALO app and/or GPS data
Detailed info package in digital form
Personal welcome and briefing in English
7-day service hotline in English

Bookable Extras

2025

Transfer Grado - Salzburg, € 175,- per person
Transfer Grado - Salzburg including personal bike € 214,- per person

2026

Transfer Grado - Salzburg, € 185,- per person
Transfer Grado - Salzburg including personal bike € 230,- per person
Printed version of the route book, per package: € 20,-

Travel notes

Local/resort tax: according to tariff

If applicable, these are to be paid directly to the hotel and are not included in the holiday price.

Prices & Dates
at a glance

2025

Arrival: Daily from 26.04. to 05.10.2025

2026 - get an early bird discount of 3%

For travel dates 2026 you will receive - until 31 January 2026 - an early bird discount of 3% on the basic travel price

Arrival: Daily from 25.04. to 04.10.2026

Prices per person in EUR

Frequently asked
questions

Can I go on a sporty bike tour with an e-bike?

Sporty tour + e-bike = more momentum and energy

You think adventure, calf workouts and e-bikes are mutually exclusive? Far from it, we say! Cycling with electric power can open up whole new worlds of cycling.

Concept

For cycling holiday connoisseurs who already appreciate the advantages of e-bikes and who would like to cover longer distances at a brisk pace, the combination of an e-bike & a sporty cycling tour offers a new adventure in the form of longer distances and more challenging terrain.

Even those who are not (yet) fit enough but are still craving a sporty PEDALO bike tour should go for it - and treat themselves to an e-bike for support. With a gentle push, it gets you right into the thick of it all!

Or are you travelling as a couple and your partner is always ahead of you? With an e-bike, you will be able to keep up easily.

What info material will I receive for my bike tour?

Your travel documents usually include general travel information, a hotel list, a road book and/or detailed maps as well as a textual description of the route; you will also get luggage tags and possibly also vouchers and/or information material on the various sightseeing attractions. The exact contents of the information package depend on the booked trip and its included services.

The documents will be sent to you approx. two to three weeks before the start of your tour. Depending on the trip, you may receive them partly in digital form and partly by post – or you will receive the hotel list and general travel information in advance by e-mail, and the remaining documents along with the maps on site at your starting hotel.

Please note that the travel documents are issued exclusively for PEDALO guests and are therefore not available without a booking.

How does the luggage transport work?

The transport of your luggage from hotel to hotel is included as part of the basic service package for all staged tours and round trips in the PEDALO programme. You simply leave your luggage out for our courier in the morning before you set off on your cycling stage. When you arrive at your next accommodation in the late afternoon or early evening, it will be there waiting for you.

Just in case, we recommend always packing a change of clothes in your saddle bag, especially for short stages which you may cover more quickly than the luggage driver.

Depending on how the logistics are organised on site, there may be restrictions on the maximum weight and/or number of pieces of luggage. You will receive more detailed information on this with the travel documents well before the start of your trip.

Should I take out travel insurance?

Travel insurance is not included in our prices. You can decide whether to get a quote elsewhere or simply book your travel insurance online at pedalo.com/en/service/travel-insurance. In any case, we recommend that you take out travel cancellation insurance!

Please note that for last-minute bookings (less than 30 days before the start of the trip), insurance cover can only be taken out within 3 days of booking.

Alpe-Adria cycle path challenge

The itinerary
at a glance

Arrival in Salzburg (organised by the traveller)

Salzburg - Bad Gastein

Bad Gastein - Villach

Villach - Venzone area

Venzone area - Grado

Departure from Grado (organised by the traveller)