Stage routesAustria / Italy
Alpe-Adria cycle route: Salzburg to the Adriatic
From the Alps to the sea in a week, mostly on paved cycle paths and downhill.
What the Alpe Adria is like
It leaves Salzburg, crosses the Tauern on the shuttle train from Böckstein to Mallnitz and runs down through Villach, Tarvisio and old railway lines to Udine and the Grado lagoon. It is almost always traffic-free and mostly downhill.
That is why almost anyone can ride it on a touring bike, even a hired one. There is fine gravel between Tarvisio and Venzone, and the mosaics at Aquileia, near the sea, are worth the stop.
Key facts
| Type | Cycling |
|---|---|
| Distance | 415 km |
| Total climbing | 2,500 m |
| Start and finish | Salzburgo → Grado |
| By bike | 7 days, 59 km a day on average |
| When to go | May to October. July and August are hot on the Friuli plain, so start early. |
From where to where?
The whole route is 4 stages. Pick where you start and finish: always in a stage town.
Usual: 7 days.
Altitude of each stage town; each stage's climbing is in its details.
7 days, 415.1 km and 2,502 m of climbing: about 59.3 km a day and 6 nights on the way.
- Salzburgo → Bischofshofen≈ 45 km
- Bischofshofen → Obervellach≈ 77 km
- Obervellach → Villach≈ 63 km
- Villach → Venzone95 km · 600 m D+
- Venzone → Udine≈ 45 km
- Udine → Palmanova≈ 45 km
- Palmanova → Grado≈ 45 km
Create your account and build Salzburgo to Grado in 7 days.
It is free and takes a minute.
- Save the plan and pick up where you left off
- Carry it on your phone, map and times included
- Send it to your group with one link
- Download the itinerary and the calendar
How to plan it
It is about 415 km; the usual split is seven days of 60 km, though with the descent you can do it in four or five. At an easy pace, nine days with time for the Bad Gastein spa.
Ride it from May to October; in July and August start early because of the heat on the Friulian plain. Bike spaces on the shuttle and the trains home are booked separately, and from Grado you return via Trieste.
Stages
- Salzburgo → Bad Gastein90 km · +900 m · 2 days (days 1 to 2)
- Bad Gastein → Villach95 km · +500 m · 2 days (days 3 to 4)
- Villach → Venzone95 km · +600 m
- Venzone → Grado135 km · +500 m · 2 days (days 6 to 7)
Multi-day sections as guidebooks give them. Approximate distance and climbing: every GPX varies a little.
Frequently asked questions
In Keago this route becomes a plan: one card per stage with time and duration, the daily track, each night's accommodation with link and location, the meals, and both travel tickets where the whole group can see them. Everyone confirms and you know who is missing.
Create your account and keep building your Alpe-Adria cycle route: Salzburg to the Adriatic plan.
It is free and takes a minute.
- Save the plan and pick up where you left off
- Carry it on your phone, map and times included
- Send it to your group with one link
- Download the itinerary and the calendar