The Alpe Adria Cycle Path - GPX, map and practical description

The Alpe Adria Cycle Path starts in Salzburg, Austria, and goes to Grado, Italy. The Route has about 412 kilometers. The Austrian leg has about 234 km, so the Italian has ca. 178 km. It is one of the most popular cycle routes in Europe, because of the magnificent views there. There are many lakes, rivers, valleys, mountains, waterfalls, small alpine towns, different types of bridges, and tunnels. You can admire the beautiful landscapes of the Alps.

The Alpe Adria Cycle Route leads where once the old narrow-gauge trains were going. Most of the ways are separated for bicycles. The route is wide, sometimes even with lane-markings signaling two-way traffic. Rarely there are also short sections when cyclists have to go also on public roads with small traffic. Usually, they don’t have roadsides. The Alpe Adria Cycle Path is mostly asphalt, so every type of bike will be good to travel.

Even though we travel in mountainous terrain, the route leads through the valleys. There are only a few steep hills upwards and downwards on the way. Don’t bother about huge mountains at the elevation gain visualization. You don’t have to climb here! After passing Altböckstein cyclists have to go on a train that carries through the tunnel under Grasleitenkopf mountain to the small town Stappitz (on 112-122 km). The whole railway trip is 10 km. The railway stations are adapted for cyclists and carriages have special space for bicycles. Then you have a long way downwards from about 1200 m ASL to 600 m ASL. The way is full of curves and hills which make it impossible to see what is around the corner, so when you travel with children you have to stay focused there. Some hills are also located in the region where you cross the Italian border. Then you just go down to the Adriatic Sea with a final on Canale di Belvedere with the beautiful view of the water on both sides.

The navigation on the route is perfect. You can find the signboard near the route with a map, a short description in Austrian, Italian, and English, photos, and the distance of the recommended sections. These sections are:

• stage 1 - 56,02 km: Salzburg - Bischofshofen
• stage 2 - 51,60 km: Bischofshofen - Bad Gastein
• stage 3 - 58,85 km: Bad Gastein/Mallnitz - Spittal/Drau
• stage 4 - 39,09 km: Spittal/Drau - Villach
• stage 5 - 37,19 km: Villach - Tarvisio
• stage 6 - 63,58 km: Tarvisio - Venzone
• stage 7 - 52,10 km: Venzone - Udine
• stage 8 - 52,96 km: Udine - Grado

If you like traveling with navigation, you can download the GPX file of the Alpe Adria Cycle Path at the top of this page.

The most significant information about The Alpe Adria Cycle Path

• Start - Salzburg, Austria
• Finish - Grado, Italy
• Elevation - The route is mostly flat, excluding some hilly fragments where you have to use your derailleur gears.
• Surface - asphalt
• Recommended bike - every type of bike
• Safety - Most part of the route is separated from the public roads used by cars, so it is safe to ride with children. There are also sections where the route leads on the car roads, there is a bendy fragment between Malnitz and Lassach (on 125-127 km).

How to get to the start of the Alpe Adria Cycle Path?

Salzburg, which is the place where the Alpe Adria Cycle Path starts, is the big city in Austria, so you don’t have problems going there by plane or finding parking for your car. It’s also possible to go there by train or by bus depending on from what country or city you want to come.

How to get off Grado without a car?

The best way to leave Grado is to book a flight to Venice. You can get to Venice by bus, rented car or train. You can find all the information here: https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Grado-Italy/Venice You can also go there by bike (it is about 130 km).