Cycling tour of Austria – 10N/11Days

Arrive at your hotel in Mondsee. There’s time to explore then enjoy a soak in the spa before dinner.

Pedal past yachts and wooden boathouses this morning on Mondsee’s north shore. It’s then onwards through rolling pastures dotted with country churches before the triangular white sails scoring the blue surface of Attersee move into view and you descend to the lakeshore. Then head inland passing a deer farm and roadside stalls piled high with bright local produce, before arriving at the hotel in time for dinner. Overnight.

Enjoy lunch like a local, with freshly smoked fish on sale along the lakeshore, or take advantage of the fabulous swimming pool complex. Then perhaps take a boat ride to the pretty village of Weyregg beneath craggy mountains on the eastern shore. Return and Overnight at the hotel.

You’ll enjoy views of the 1000m high peaks on the east shore of Attersee as you freewheel down to Schorfling, whose castle was painted by Gustav Klimt with its reflection mirrored on the lake surface. Fields of wheat fringed with poppies and cornflowers pass by before you coast into Gmunden with its cobbled marketplace and painted buildings. Dinner on the terrace of the hotel is delightful, with Gmunden’s lights shimmering above the surface of Traunsee. Overnight.

Take a trip on the Gisela, the last coal-fired paddle steamer, also used by Archduke Franz Ferdinand. The cable car to the top of Grunberg (984m) offers wonderful views at the summit, where you look down on Gmunden’s esplanade and the romantic Seeschloss Ort, a ‘floating’ castle on the lake dating long back. Overnight.

Today you take the Traunsee boat from the pontoon below the hotel to Ebensee on the south shore. It’s worth taking the cable car up to the Feuerkogel Peak for spectacular views. Then you cycle back along a beautiful riverside route, crisscrossing the sparkling River Traun, and on through scented pinewoods to Bad Ischl. Perhaps relax in the opera house gardens before returning to the hotel for a swim. Overnight.

There is simply so much to see and do in and around Bad Ischl: the imperial spa, ice caves, thermal salt baths, cable cars, people-watching on the riverside esplanade, or a day trip to Salzburg. If you’ve time, we suggest you extend your holiday to spend four nights here.

Explore Emperor Franz Josef’s former holiday home, the Kaiservilla, before setting off along the banks of the River Ischl. Sunlight sparkles on the water as you pass tiny shrines hidden in the pines below Leonsberg and Bleckwand peaks. Lakeside Strobl has a popular beachfront for a cooling swim, or join a boat cruise on the lake. Return and Overnight.

It’s easy to spend the day in Strobl with its summer toboggan run, cable cars, watersports, and animal park. Alternatively, visit the fairytale city of Salzburg, a Baroque jewel with a UNESCO recognized historic center which is just an 80-minute bus ride away. Overnight.

Keeping close to Wolfgangsee’s southern lakeshore, a level cycling track through a tiny nature reserve brings you into lovely St Gilgen. Visit the Mozart museum, or take the cable car up Zwolferhorn for stunning 360 views. In the afternoon, coast downhill to Lake Mondsee, before returning to the hotel in time for a pre-dinner drink. Overnight.

Please note that cycling helmets are compulsory in Austria for all customers under 12 yrs. As we are unable to provide these, we strongly recommend that you bring your own.  Time to move further or return to your hometown/country.