Cycling in Austria - Pedalling through enchanting valleys! Bikers galore!

Contrary to some expectations Austria is a great country for cycling. well defined linking routes, fantastic scenery,with a superb interconnected cycle network, which is being extended year on year. With mile upon mile of routes off  the main roads, with stunning views, with the opportunity to stop sand take a lift up a cable car, or have a swim in a lake, or visit a spa / sauna to work on any aches and pains. Complemented by  fantastic food and a beer or two to help you on your way. It is also a nation  of civilized car drivers with quiet roads.

It is also easy to get around, with some excellent maps and good signposting en-route. It is also possible to put your bike on a train. The Austrian railway network ORB even indicate by means of a cycle symbol which trains can take cycles, and which ones to avoid. So for those that don't like the mountain climbs on their bikes, it is certainly possible to use the train to get to the head of the valley and cycle back down the easy way.

Brian Wasson's excellent website gives a fantastic overview on getting around Austria, Germany and the Czech Republic by train with a bike. Bents Tours  is worth looking at if you want to go on a cycling holiday in Germany, Austria, Czech Republic and Switzerland they also organize walking holidays in addition.

Cycling around the Lake At Zell am See part of the Tauern 310 Km. cycle path route

Other cycle friendly accommodation in Austria can be found on the Cycle People website, which a a great site to carry out pre-holiday research.

The Zell am See and the Kaprun tourist board provide a useful website on cycling in the area , the following useful information has been extracted from that site.

Cycle hire shops in Kaprun and Zell am See 

Kaprun

Name	Address	Phone
Bike-in		+43 (0) 699-12359756
EuropSport	Nikolaus Gassner Str. 682	+43 (0) 6547-20314
Intersport Bründl	Sigmund Thun Straße 570	+43 (0) 6547-8388-32
Intersport Rent Moreau	Schloßstraße 2	+43 (0) 6547-8715-16
Oberhauser Bikes	Landesstraße 24	+43 (0) 6547-8360

For 2010 a new bike shop has opened in the middle of Kaprun opposite the tourist information shop, it has an extensive collection of bikes and equipment for sale and for rent, and is part of the Intersport group

Zell am See

Name	Address	Phone
Adventure Service	Steinergasse 9	+43 (0) 6542-73525
Bike Shop Sitzenfrei	Brucker Bundesstraße 18	+43 (0) 6542-53151
Bike-in		+43 (0) 699-12359756
EuropSport	Schillerstraße 4	+43 (0) 6542-47267
Intersport Scholz	Bahnhofstraße 13	+43 (0) 6542-72606
Seecamp	Thumersbacher Str. 34	+43 (0) 6542-72115
Sport Achleitner	Postplatz 2	+43 (0) 6542-73581
Sport Gschwandtner	Brucker Bundesstraße 37	+43 (0) 6542-57307
Sport Olympia	Anton Wallnerstraße 1	+43 (0) 6542-73471

Cycling in Austria on top of the world!!


Over  recent years, Austria has made a massive investment in bicycle paths opening up new routes and challenges. Now there are around 10,000 km (6,212 miles) of marked bicycle trails throughout the country.

By using the Austrian Federal Railways makes it easy to ride from place to place, getting back to your base with out double backing. In the Austria many hotels and guest houses are more than happy to accommodate bikers these offer a variety of services such as special meals geared to cyclists needs. Most bike hotels can arrange for customers to be picked up or dropped off  and perhaps  the luggage being moved onto another establishment.


There are many routes in Austria but a recognized long distance route, which runs through the Salzburg state, is the Tauern Bike path which starts at the famous Krimml falls well worth a visit in Hohe Tauern national park, which is the largest nature reserve in the European Alps. From their it follows the valley down past Kaprun and Zell am See following the course of the Salzach river, down onto Salzburg abnd then onto Passau, it is a superb route and has the added benefit of being predominately downhill, starting at a altitude of around 1200 metres dropping down to around 200 metres over a 310 KM (around 175 miles), with scope to extend the route, approximately two thirds of the route is on paved surfaces, and it is more suited to mountain bikes. For further information please see the http://www.tauernradweg.com/ website or another article covering cycling the Tauern Cycle route can be found by clicking on the link.


A wonderful tool to record your cycling journeys to share with others is www.bikemap.net click on the map, and there are loads of suggestions for routes to take with a commentary. There are plenty of other cycle routes in and around for you to discover for yourself, with plenty of places to hire your bikes also.

The cycle festival "Bike Infection"  takes place annually in August, this year it is taking place again in Kaprun  to find out about the altitude attack, and to follow the route  click on the link to find out about the rate of climb, or visit the  Bike infection website, videohttp://www.mountainbike-kaprun.com/ showing the cycle route up to the the Kitzsteinhorn glacier ski lift, quite a climb.

 Above the clouds on a mountain bike

Kaprun has been host to the host to the  World Cup  biking downhill event, since then there has been development of routes in and around the area.  Bike parks such as in  Leogang & Wagrain   have become very popular popular.  Kaprun location at the junction of  5 valleys and on the Tauern cycle route, makes it very well  placed to optimizes route choice depending on your groups ability.


In Kaprun and Zell am See there are a number of shops that hire bike and will service them also,  mountain bikes from Graviti hire is one of those shops, with knowledgeable staff and experienced technicians.


Looking for somewhere to stay? then please consider staying at www.austria-holiday-apartment.com

it sleeps from 3-9, and is in Kaprun on the Tauern Cycle route, with cycle hire shops. The apartment is very close to the start of the extensive Tauern valley cycle routes, so there many routes to choose from close by, with the added benefit of secure overnight storage for bikes in the basement.

Descent plan showing the extent of the downhill route from Krimml to Passau on the Tauern Cycle route

Ten Ski holiday myths

 Picked up on this original article from the following link, the attached has been amended, tweaked a little bit.

Kitzsteinhorn Glacier ski area above Kaprun, Austria

If you are new to skiing, the whole idea of going on a ski holiday can be quite daunting. On a number of occasions I have seen people who have never skied before worry about things which just aren’t true. So here I expose the top 10 ski myths:-

1. A skiing holiday has to be expensive?

Things have changed in the world of skiing – no longer is it an elite sport for the rich. It is quite possible to take a family of beginners skiing and for it not to break the bank. How?
- Go self catered. Self catered ski accommodation is often excellent and doesn’t cost very much per head. You can also choose to squeeze more people in on sofa beds to bring the price down even more. Don’t book via large tour operators – go directly to local estate agents or independent property suppliers.
- Drive. With four people in a car, and if travelling to areas in the Northern Alps, driving is a very cost effective way of getting to a ski resort. – Try and avoid the main school holidays (Christmas, New Year, Half Term) if at all possible.
- Keep an eye on when budget airlines release their flights and book early!
- You don’t need to go to the world’s biggest ski area if you are beginners. Go to a smaller resort where you will find everything in resort (lift pass, ski hire etc) to be a lot cheaper.

2. Skiing is dangerous

Although skiing does involve travelling downhill on planks of wood without any breaks, the vast majority of skiers who learn to ski with instructors and ski within their limits will have a happy lifetime of incident free skiing. Yes accidents do sometimes happen, but more often than not ski related accidents are less to do with the actual skiing and more to do with amounts of alcohol consumed and not taking care on icy surfaces etc. If you learn to ski properly, you will also learn to ski safely.

3. The weather is cold and horrible when skiing?

Well, yes, the weather is usually cold. And sometimes it can be snowing. That is a fact about holidaying in the mountains in winter. However, when the sun comes out in the mountains there is nothing like it. Alpine sunshine, clear blue skies and temperatures of -5 degrees can certainly feel a lot warmer than a UK winter day when the temperature might be 10 degrees. That is why people come back from ski holidays with sun tans!

4. I won’t understand what the ski instructor tells me?

Gone are the days when your only choice of ski instructor would be a moustachioed instructor who’s only English was “Bend ze Knees”. Now there are many progressive English speaking ski schools and independent instructors, indeed there are many excellent British instructors working out in the Alps.

5. If I don’t enjoy the skiing, my holiday will be rubbish?

If for any reason you don’t get on with the skiing side of a skiing holiday, wintering in the Alps is still an excellent experience. Most resorts have plenty of non skiing activities on offer such as dog sledding, snow shoeing, thermal springs, ice diving, para gliding. Plus many alpine resorts are very picturesque and so sightseeing and shopping aren’t out of the question.

6. Because of global warming, there won’t be much snow

It is true that global warming was blamed for the bad winter of 06/07 in the European Alps. However, this was down mostly to lazy journalists not researching their facts properly. The bad winter that year was down to the weather, and not the climate. Plus, the skiing wasn’t actually bad – it just wasn’t as good as it could have been. The last few years have seen some of the best winters for skiing on record. Global warming MAY start to affect European skiing over the next 50 years, but at the moment there is no real evidence that it has started.

7. It is a lot of hassle on a ski holiday?

It doesn’t have to be any hassle. You can opt for a catered chalet holiday where all you need to do is get yourself to the airport. The rest is taken care of by the chalet hosts. You are picked up at the airport and taken to your chalet, they arrange your lift passes and ski hire, they cook for you, they clean for you and they take you to the slopes every day. Where is the hassle in that?

8. My kids will have problems in French / German speaking in the  crèche / ski schools?

Like the point about ski instruction, things have changed a lot in the world of Alpine childcare. Crèches and kids’ ski school usually have English speaking staff, and it is not unusual to find a number of British kids in classes during the school holidays. Teaching your kids to ski at a young age is one of the greatest gifts you can give them!

9. I don’t like mountain food?

Nowadays, eating out in ski resorts isn’t all about cheese and ham (although there is plenty of that on offer for those who look forward to their annual fondue or raclette). Most resorts now sport a wide variety of restaurants – some with real cosmopolitan ambiance and menus. And if you don’t want to eat out every night, a trip to the local supermarket will reveal that the gap between German / French and British food shopping has narrowed considerably over the last few years.

10. I can’t take a baby skiing?

Nearly all ski resorts have excellent crèche / nanny facilities. And for those people who worry about the cold/altitude etc, don’t forget that babies are born in the mountains every year and they do OK!
Hopefully the above will help to dispel the main worries of a nervous first time skier. And if you never try it, you might never know what you are missing!

I liked the article and thought is was well written,  I recall Stephen Fry of BBC fame who recently was advocating the joys of a ski holiday even though he did not ski, enjoying the scenery, food, drink and banter!

If you are looking for somewhere to stay then please consider Austrian Holiday Apartment in Kaprun ideal for 3- 9 guests.

Austria Holiday Apartment in the village of Kaprunhttp://www.austria-holiday-apartment.com/

Snow History in Kaprun and Cross Country skiing in the Austrian Tyrol

 Kitzsteinhorn Lift station and restaurant complex above Kaprun

Snow History in Kaprun

Naturally if you are going on a ski holiday, you want to have an idea of what snow conditions you can expect. The igluski  gives a detailed breakdown of the snow conditions from November 2006, through the winter months into spring,  upto to the present day. So if you are looking for a Skiing holiday in Easter or November the site gives you a bit of guidance to go on.

Don't forget that with Kaprun there is the Kitzsteinhorn glacier rising to 3000+ metres it gives you even an even longer extended ski season into the summer. With the possibility of skiing into the summer or in the Autumn season. Don't just take our word for it, the attached you tube video of Skiing on the Kitzsteinhorn  gives you of what skiing is like in the middle of April  (2006), it  puts some pictures to the statistics.

Certainly the possibility of glacier skiing gives an extra assurance for a late or early ski holiday.

Cross Country Skiing not for the faint hearted

Interesting link, on the sport of cross country skiing or  nordic skiing, some may think this is a soft option as opposed to charging down a mountain to pieces of plastic resembling planks. But the article
puts the case that it is not an easy option but physically demanding, with its on unique technique and style.

Cross Country Skiing in the Tyrol

 In the Kaprun-Zellamsee area of of the Salzburgerland  there are cross country ski courses following the valley bottoms. They actually follow the cycle routes which are used in the summer. In addition there is an area set aside on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier for nordic skiing

 Nordic skiing on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier above Kaprun

Looking for somewhere to stay for 3-9 people then please consider staying at www.austria-holiday-apartment.com

Who visits Zell am See and Kaprun?

Kitzsteinhorn glacier ( note the snow!)  where it is possible to ski  throughout the year.

 Kaprun and Zell am See are popular tourist destinations within Austria.  With the opening of Tauern Spa Kaprun, the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, a 36 hole championship golf course,  winter sports,  cycling and the lake at Zell am Zee the area is seen very much as an all season all destination what ever the time of the year you visit.
Around 2 million visitors  holiday in the area in each,  with slightly more than half of these visiting in the November through to April ski season.

A great place to visit

 Winter Visitors

For this six month period taking advantage of the winter sports and the extended ski season with the glacier on the Kitzsteinhorn, around a quarter of visitors are from Germany, followed closely at arpound 15% of the total being Dutch guests, after that around 10% are Austrian and another 10% visitors from the United Kingdom, closely and in more recent years an increasing number of Polish and Rumanian visitors, followed by Scandinavian visitors.  English is widely spoken across Austria, and Austrians are famous for their hospitality.

Visitors come for the winter sports, Christmas markets, wellness breaks, culinary experiences and just to relax unwind and to soak up the scenery


Summer Visitors

In the months from  May through to October around 900,000 take advantage of the area in and around Kaprun and Zell am See booking accommodation.  Again unsurprisingly German visitors are most popular about a third of the overall total. Next most popular at about 1/8th  of visitors is the home market for Austria, with the British taking up around 10%  with the Dutch taking in excess of 7% of the accommodation.

Krimml waterfalls awe inspiring

Over the last few years there has been an increase in the number of visitors to the area. With the new spa complex opening in Kaprun in November 2010, at a cost in excess of 85 million, and the extended ski season allowed by the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, it  it is expected as a driver to confirm Zell am See and Kaprun as an all year resort.

The area has been marketed as the Europa Sports Region, and the name sums up the abundance of sporting activities which includes :-wild water rafting, canyoning, golf, cycling, walking  and numerous water sports on the lake at Zell am See, and summer skiing also a possibility on the glacier

If you are looking for somewhere to stay in the area  for 3-9 people? With the benefit of three bedrooms and three bath / shower rooms. Please consider staying at  www.austria-holiday-apartment.com ?