Motorcycling In Carinthia

Endless biking fun in Carintia

Carinthia, Austria’s sunny south is blessed with good weather and is therefore an ideal destination for motorcyclists. Riding between lakes and mountains, from Grossglockner, Austria’s highest peak, to Austria’s warmest recreational lakes. The many mountain ranges are as easily accessible, as they are attractive. Crystal-clear water makes for a refreshing sight time and again – and ideal for stopping for a rest.  

The Province of Carinthia is at the interface between Germanic, Slavonic and Romance cultures giving you three countries within a few kilometres, Mediterranean flair, culinary treats and cross-border tours. Breakfast in Italy, lunch in Slovenia, dinner in Austria – all in one day. Discover the diversity of what is now a borderless area.

Carinthia, El Dorado for motorcyclists. Long day tours, travelling up scenic serpentines, on romantic, panoramic routes, and along lovely lakeside roads. The exceptionally good road conditions, excellent signs and rapid response in an emergency add to the attraction by giving you a feeling of safety when cruising on Carinthia’s little used back roads.

The motorcycle experience in southern Austria

Nestling between the great massifs of the Hohe Tauern in the north west, the Carnic Alps in the south west and the Karawanken in the south east, a real treasure trove of varied landscapes opens up before you. Charming waterfront routes and fascinating mountain passes make Carinthia a first-class destination for motorcyclists.

The province’s capital of Klagenfurt and Villach are the urban centres with Mediterranean flair. Close to both of the towns lie pristine and unusually warm lakes for a country in the Alps. Lake Faak has become well known among the motorcycling fraternity for the annual Harley-Davidson meeting. But many of the other lakes, including Wörthersee, Weissensee, Ossiachersee and Millstättersee, are also must-sees. However, it is primarily the mountains that draw motorcyclists to the area. When travelling to Carinthia, you can start as you mean to go on, by taking the route over the Grossglockner. In and around the province motorcyclists have an attractive choice of various different alpine roads. Major mountain passes, breathtaking panoramic routes and remote minor roads will make your heart leap here.

Suggested Tours:

Route: Grossglockner High Alpine Road

Austria’s answer to Route 66
330 km – more than just an alpine pass...

To get there, take the B 100, which is the main Drau Valley road to Lienz. In Dölsach turn off to the right for Iselsberg. Here you can enjoy brilliant views of the Lienz Dolomites. Carry on through the Möll Valley, passing roaring waterfalls and Heiligenblut on your way to the Grossglockner High Alpine Road. In Heiligenblut you will find the striking Gothic pilgrimage church with adjacent climbers’ cemetery. Then it’s up the Grossglockner High Alpine Road built in 1924 – 48 km of pure fun. The first stop is at Kaiser Franz Josefs Höhe (2369 m). Here you have sensational views of Austria’s highest mountain, Grossglockner (3798 m), and the longest glacier in the Eastern Alps, the Pasterze. Dozens of marmots play around right beside visitors and with anything like luck you might also see ibex, the mountain goats with impressive horns.
The tour then goes to Hochtor (2503 m) and Fuscher Törl – Edelweisspitze (highest point on the Grossglockner High Alpine Road at 2571 m). Here you have a dramatic panoramic vista of more than 30 peaks over 3,000 metres. The route downhill is via Bruck, Schwarzach and Wagrein to Radstadt. There the next challenge awaits you in the form of the Radstädter Tauern (1739 m): a mountain road almost 40 km in length from Radstadt via Obertauern to Mauterndorf. It is a very good road tempting many a motorcyclist to take it at speed, but that is missing the point – cruising is the name of the game. In St. Michael you arrive at the foot of Katschberg. Now it’s up Katschberg (1641 m), through the Lieser Valley, past Gmünd and Spittal/Drau, before returning to your starting point.

Upper Drau Valley – Watschig  – Dölsach – Iselsberg – Heiligenblut – Grossglockner High Alpine Road – Bruck – Schwarzach – Wagrain – Altenmarkt – Radstadt – Obertauern – Mauterndorf – St. Michael – Katschberg – Gmünd – Spittal – Greifenburg - Watschig.

Intermediate tour, approx. 330 km, taking approx. 4-6 h.

Route: Sauris Tour

Spaghetti bends for experts
Ciao, bella – not only Italian women have nice curves...

265 km with never-ending twists and bends – cappuccino is not the only thing on this tour to make your heart beat faster...

Setting out from Watschig, you drive to Tröpolach and then up Nassfeld (Passo Pramollo, 1552 m), past Carinthia’s largest ski area to Pontebba in Italy. Carry on through the interesting Val d’Aupa to Moggio and Tolmezzo. If you manage to master the quite confusing roundabout in Tolmezzo, take the Ampezzo road and turn off to the right for Sauris. Now you go up a very narrow and twisting road where some of the tunnels are not lit, along the Lumiei Ravine to Sauris at 1400 m (highest altitude village in Friuli). Sauris is a linguistic enclave – here most people speak “de zahrar sproche”.
The original settlers came from neighbouring valleys between Tyrol and Carinthia in the middle of the 12th C. retaining the old Germanic language that still exists today. Sauris is also famous for its delicious ham. Raw ham is seasoned with alpine herbs and lightly smoked. Very nice restaurants. Carry on to the pass at Sella di Razzo (Razzo Saddle) turning right at the end of the pass road for Prato and Comeglians to Paluzza. The route then takes you on in the direction of Timau up the good road to the Plöcken Pass at 1360 m and on to Kötschach-Mauthen. There you head north over the Gailberg Pass to Oberdrauburg. Once you turn right here, the remaining route will take you through the Upper Drau Valley towards Greifenburg-Weissensee, over the Kreuzberg Pass (1077 m) and back to Watschig.

Gail Valley – Watschig – Nassfeld – Pontebba – Val d’Aupa – Dordolla – Moggio – Tolmezzo – Ampezzo – Sauris – Prato – Comeglians – Paluzza – Timau – Plöcken Pass – Kötschach-Mauthen – Gailberg Sattel – Oberdrauburg – Greifenburg – Kreuzberg Pass – Watschig.

Intermediate tour, approx. 265 km, taking approx. 4-5 h.

Route: Triglav National Park

Heights with history
215 km through three cultures – Austria, Italy and Slovenia...

Head southeast from Watschig through Hermagor, along the B111 to Arnoldstein. Carry on to Hart, turning off there for Kranjska Gora in Slovenia. It involves going over the Wurzen Pass (1073 m) – a demanding, but fun route with its narrow, twisting roads and gradients of up to 18%. Along the River Save begins the next exciting ascent to the Vrsič Pass. At an altitude of 1611 m above sea level, Vrsič is the highest mountain pass in Slovenia and links Kranjska Gora with the Trenta Valley. Some of the 48 hairpin bends on the northern part of the pass road still have cobblestones. From the Vrsič Pass there are magnificent panoramic views of the Triglav National Park.
The route carries on towards the Soča and Predil to Italy. Before the frontier, you have the option of taking a trip up the 12-km-long mountain road to the alpine chalet (1906 m) at the foot of the 2677 m high Mangart. You can even climb Mangart – it takes about 2 hours from the chalet, but beautiful views at the summit reward you for the effort. Back down in the valley, the route goes to Sella Nevea, Chiusaforte and Moggio. There you turn off into Val d’Aupa, which runs north towards Pontebba. Another climb is in store – up to the Nassfeld Pass (Passo di Pramollo) at 1552 m. The descent on the Austrian side has lovely twists and turns, which coupled with the good road surface are the motorcycle adventurer’s dream come true.

Watschig - Hermagor – Nötsch – Arnoldstein – towards Rattendorf – Wurzen Pass – Kranjska Gora – towards Vrsič – Soča – Passo di Predil – Sella Nevea – Chiusaforte – Moggio – Val d’Aupa – Dordolla – Pontebba – Passo Pramollo – Hermagor - Watschig.

Intermediate tour, approx. 215 km, taking approx. 4-5 h.

Route: Three-Country Tour

Hello – servus, srečno, ciao

Wernberg is the first larger centre giving you access to the Rosen Valley. Whether St. Niklas, Rosegg, St. Jakob or Feistritz – each area in the valley has its own special features. At Kirschentheuer you then turn off for the Loibl Pass (1367 m), the border between Carinthia and Slovenia in the eastern Karawanken Range. After Tržič it is advisable to take the Lesce road avoiding all the traffic heading for Bled. In Lake Bled, at the foot of the Julian Alps, there is a small island with St Mary’s Church and its famous wishing bell. Your tour continues to Bohinjska Bistrica, where a detour to Lake Bohinj is highly recommended. When you get back to Bohinjska Bistrica, carry on via Podbrdo to Tolmin, which you should not miss as it is well signposted.
If you like fish, you will particularly enjoy this tour and the extremely well run fish restaurants to be found in Kobarid. The way back takes you through Bovec on the River Soča. Thanks to its crystal-clear, emerald green waters and white rocks with many ravines and gorges, the Soča is famous for fishing and whitewater sports. Another mountain pass, the Predil, takes you into Italy and onto Tarvisio, where you can stop for some shopping. You can then navigate round the Villacher Alpe (Dobratsch Nature Park) via Hohenthurn, Nötsch (with the Nötsch Circle Gallery) and Bad Bleiberg (with its spa, thermal baths and Terra Mystica underground show mine). The ride up Dobratsch on the Villach Alpine Road is the grand finale of this tour.

Watschig - Villach – Wernberg – St. Niklas – Rosegg – St. Jakob – Feistritz/Rosental – Loibl Pass – Tržič – Lesce – Bled – Bohinjska Bistrica – Lake Bohinj – Bohinjska Bistrica – Podbrdo – Tolmin – Kobarid – Bovec – Cave del Predil – Tarvisio – Hohenthurn – Nötsch – Bleiberg – Watschig.

Intermediate tour, approx. 270 km, taking approx. 4-5 h.