Cycling | Stage by stage | Austria / 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.

415 kmTotal distance
2,500 mTotal climbing
7 daysStages by bike
59 kmAverage per day

The Alpe-Adria is the most rewarding cycle tour in Europe — it leaves Salzburg, crosses the Tauern on the car-shuttle train and rolls down old railway alignments to the Grado lagoon.

It is nearly always traffic-free and gently downhill, so anyone with a touring or rental bike can ride it. Regional trains shadow most of the route.

Stage simulator

How many km and how many days?

The full route is 415 km and about 7 days. Enter any km and days: if you are not doing it in one go, split it into several trips.

7 days, 415.1 km and 2502 m of climbing: about 59.3 km a day and 6 nights on the way.

  1. Salzburgo → Bad Gastein90 km · 900 m D+Sleep: Bad Gastein · Eat: Hallein
  2. Bad Gastein → Spittal an der Drau63.4 km · 334 m D+Sleep: Spittal an der Drau · Eat: Mallnitz
  3. Spittal an der Drau → Tarvisio79.2 km · 467 m D+Sleep: Tarvisio · Eat: Chiusaforte
  4. Tarvisio → Venzone47.5 km · 300 m D+Sleep: Venzone
  5. Venzone → Udine45 km · 167 m D+Sleep: Udine · Eat: Gemona
  6. Udine → Palmanova45 km · 167 m D+Sleep: Palmanova
  7. Palmanova → Grado45 km · 167 m D+Sleep: Grado

Create your account and keep going with these 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
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Stages and sections

Approximate distances and climbing. Every guidebook and GPX varies by a few kilometres.

SectionKmD+DaysSleepEat
Salzburgo - Bad Gastein90 km900 m2Bischofshofen, Bad GasteinHallein, Sankt Johann im Pongau
Bad Gastein - Villach95 km500 m2Obervellach, Spittal an der Drau, VillachMallnitz, Möllbrücke
Villach - Venzone95 km600 m1Tarvisio, VenzoneChiusaforte, Resiutta
Venzone - Grado135 km500 m2Udine, Palmanova, GradoGemona, Aquileia
Stops along the route5

Four facts per village — what is worth a stop, where to sleep, where to eat and the practical warning.

SalzburgoSee — Fortress, Getreidegasse and Mirabell
Sleep — Bischofshofen, Bad Gastein
Eat — Hallein, Sankt Johann im Pongau
Good to know — Airport 20 min from the centre
See on the map
Bad Gastein · km 90See — Waterfall downtown and thermal baths
Sleep — Obervellach, Spittal an der Drau, Villach
Eat — Mallnitz, Möllbrücke
Good to know — Trains carry bikes with a booking
See on the map
Villach · km 185See — Old town and Lake Faak
Sleep — Tarvisio, Venzone
Eat — Chiusaforte, Resiutta
Good to know — Rail hub to Italy and Slovenia
See on the map
Venzone · km 280See — Medieval town rebuilt stone by stone
Sleep — Udine, Palmanova, Grado
Eat — Gemona, Aquileia
Good to know — Alpe Adria cycle path runs through
See on the map
Grado · km 415See — Weekly market and grain stores
Sleep — Udine, Palmanova, Grado
Eat — Gemona, Aquileia
Good to know — Market on Sunday morning
See on the map

Daily distance by level

Easy9 days, 45 km a day and time for the Bad Gastein spa.
Normal7 days, 60 km a day, the official split.
Hard4-5 days with 100 km stages, comfortable given the descent.

Travel and paperwork

Getting thereFly or train to Salzburg; touring bikes can be rented in town.
Tauern tunnelThe Böckstein to Mallnitz shuttle train carries you and the bike.
Getting backBus from Grado to Trieste, then train or flight.
Bikes on trainsBike spaces are booked separately — do it with the ticket.

Season — May to October. July and August are hot on the Friuli plain, so start early.

Keep it in your calendar

Once you build this route as a plan, every stage is a card with time, duration and place. From the plan link anyone can download the calendar (.ics) or add it to Google Calendar and Outlook, with reminders before each day and before payment or confirmation deadlines.

What to lock before you leave

Frequently asked questions

How long is Alpe-Adria cycle route — Salzburg to the Adriatic?415 km in total, with around 2,500 m of climbing.
How many days does it take?7 days by bike (59 km average per stage).
Where do people usually sleep?The usual overnight points are Bischofshofen, Bad Gastein, Obervellach, Spittal an der Drau, Villach, Tarvisio, Venzone, Udine, Palmanova, Grado. The stage table lists them section by section.
How many kilometres a day should I plan?Easy: 9 days, 45 km a day and time for the Bad Gastein spa. Normal: 7 days, 60 km a day, the official split. Hard: 4-5 days with 100 km stages, comfortable given the descent.
When is the best time to go?May to October. July and August are hot on the Friuli plain, so start early.

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
Create my accountI already have an account