Itinerary summary:

 

Highlights

 

Innsbruck

Kitzbuhel

Grossglockner Alpine Pass

Lienzer Dolomites

Krimmler Waterfall

Berchtesgaden

Brixen

Hohe Touern National Park

Osttirol

 

Typical daily rides 70-110km

 

 

Day 1 — Arrival Munich or Innsbruck; overnight Innsbruck

 

Day 2 — Innsbruck to Zell am Ziller

 

Day 3 — Zell am Ziller to St Johann im Tirol

 

Day 4 — St Johann to Berchtesgaden

 

Day 5 — Berchtesgaden loops or rest

 

Day 6 — Berchtesgaden to Kaprun

 

Day 7 — Kaprun to Lienz

 

Day 8 — Lienz loops or rest

 

Day 9 — Lienz to Brunick

 

Day 10 — Brunick to Brixen

 

Day 11 — Brixen loops

 

Day 12 — Brixen to Sterzing

 

Day 13 — Sterzing to Solden

 

Day 14 — Solden to Innsbruck

 

Day 15 — departure

 

· Friendly innkeepers

· Hearty dinners

· Cycling friendly signage and routes

· Colorful flowerboxes

· Quiet farm roads

· Stunningly beautiful vistas

· Great historical venues

 “The Tyrol!  This very name evokes to the eye a magnificent vision of consummate earthly beauty: emerald valleys through which wild mountain torrents rush untamed, ancient towns and tranquil villages resting on meadowy slopes; above the villages, dark forests, white, grey and red rock faces towering up from their shade; above these rocky pinnacles, a shimmering, sparkling awning of ice and eternal snow…” this is our destination and our journey.   Known from mediaeval times as the “land in the mountains” the Tyrol is today comprised of three distinct regions; Tirol, Sud-Tirol, and Osttirol. 

 

The mountains beckon us to explore the high peaks and glaciers of the Grossglockner-Tauern, Lienzer Dolomiten, Kitzbuheler Alps and Zillertaler Alps and the Hohe Touern National Park.  The Hohe Tauern is comprised of primeval landscape and Alpine farming culture; it is by far the largest nature protection area in Central Europe.  The Hohe Tauern National Park extends over vast expanses of pristine Alpine landscapes – glaciers, rock faces, plant communes, glacial and mountain streams – and summer pastures that have been carefully tended for hundreds of years.  Three Austrian provinces – Carinthia, Salzburg and Tyrol – share the park; the inter-province nature protection area represents a mission for the present and responsibility for the future.   

 

The Romans were among the first to recognize the significance of the location of present-day Innsbruck.  The historical importance of the bridge over the Inn, Innsbruck, as a crossroads of European north-south traffic was responsible for the name of the settlement on the banks of the Inn,  “Innsprucke” in 1187.   Located on the busy trade route over the Brenner Pass between Bavaria and Vienna, Innsbruck grew steadily.  To protect growing commerce and trade from raids and plunder, the Counts of Andechs erected a defensive wall with four towers and wide gates.   Now, almost one-thousand years later the walls of the ‘old town’ form a fitting backdrop for our Tirolean tour departure. 

 

The colors, flavors and sounds of Innsbruck are just the beginning of our journey back in time through the Tirol.  The Habsburgs acquired Tirol in 1363 and Duke Friedrich IV transferred his residence from Merano in present day Italy to Innsbruck, making it his capital in 1429.  After Maximilian I became Emperor he united all the Habsburg possessions under his rule and determined to make Tirol the heart of the empire.  Today the rich heritage of the golden era of Innsbruck is visible along the Maria-Theresienstrasse and in the Tirolean Folk Art Museum.  

 

As we traverse the Inns and Drau river valleys we are treated to sights that remind us of the past and point us to the future.   We invite you to join us for this very special exploration of the culture, heritage, flavors and sights of the Austrian Alps – Tirol and OstTirol. 

 

 

 tiny roads, huge hospitality, delicate pastries