Biker-Friendly Places to Stay in Austria

Alpenhotel Wurzer is in Filzmoos, a village in the Salzburger Land under the Bischofsmuetze and the south face of the Dachstein. Radstadt is about 7 km away in a straight line, and from there the Radstaedter Tauern road climbs over Obertauern, about 21 km away. The Dachstein road at Ramsau and the Soelk pass in Styria make good day rides. Parking for the bikes is not listed, so check with the hotel before arriving.

Hotel Sonnegg is on the Iglsbergweg in Saalbach, in the Glemm valley of the Salzburger Land, about 10 km in a straight line from Zell am See. Sonnegg has a garage, and its owner, a rider, guides tours and hands out route notes. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road starts beyond Zell am See at Fusch, and the Gerlos Pass, the Felbertauern and the Hochkoenig road are all within a day. Ask about guided ride dates when you book.

Waldgasthof Panorama is a forest inn in Hohentauern, at the top of the Triebener Tauern pass in Styria, between the Palten valley and Judenburg. The pass road itself is a good ride, and from here the Soelk Pass, the Murtal and the roads through the Niedere Tauern are within reach. Run by a rider, the inn offers guided rides and help with routes. No garage is on record, so ask about parking for the bikes when you book. Hohentauern is high and quiet, with forest all around.

Hotel Zum Dorfwirt is in Liebenau, in the Muehlviertel of Upper Austria, close to the Czech border. Freistadt is about 22 km away in a straight line and Linz about 46 km. This is granite upland with forest, rolling hills and quiet, winding roads, a long way from the Alpine crowds. The Dorfwirt's owner rides and runs guided tours, there are route notes for solo days, and a garage for the bikes. Southern Bohemia and the Danube valley are each within a day's ride.

Landhaus Eva-Marie is in Lofer, in the Saalach valley in the Salzburg Pinzgau, close to the Bavarian border. Lofer is a handy junction: the Steinpass leads into Bavaria and the German Alpine Road, the road south runs through the Saalach gorges to Saalfelden and Zell am See, and the Grossglockner High Alpine Road is a day ride. Guided rides are offered and route tips are on hand. No garage is on record, so ask about bike parking when you book. Lofer is a compact village with places to eat nearby.

Schlosshotel Seewirt is on the Turracher Hoehe, a pass on the border of Carinthia and Styria with a small lake at the top. The road up is known for steep gradients on both sides. The Nockalmstrasse, with its long run of hairpins through the Nock mountains, is about 13 km away in a straight line, and Villach about 35 km. The owner rides and leads guided rides. Ask about bike parking when you book.

Hotel Glocknerhof is in Heiligenblut, the village on the Carinthian side of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, under the Grossglockner itself. The Hochtor is about 5 km away in a straight line, and the climb up from the village is right outside the door. The Iselsberg to Lienz and the Felbertauern are within a short ride. There is a garage, and route descriptions are available. The Glockner road is a toll road and closes in winter; check its opening dates.

Gasthof St. Egydenerhof is an inn in Sankt Egyden, near Velden at the western end of the Woerthersee in Carinthia. The lake roads, the Rosental along the Drau and the passes south into Slovenia, such as the Loibl and the Wurzen, are all within reach, and Italy is about an hour away. As a rider, the owner can recommend routes; ask about bike parking, since no garage is on record. Carinthia is one of the sunnier parts of Austria, which makes this a good base early and late in the season.

Hotel Kaiservilla is in Heiligenblut, at the southern end of the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, about 5 km in a straight line from the Hochtor. Bikes go in a garage. Heiligenblut is a good place to ride the Glockner road early, before the coaches, and to come back down for the evening. The Moell valley, the Iselsberg and Lienz are close, and the Felbertauern road is within a short ride. The Glockner road charges a toll and closes in winter.

Hotel Simonhof is in Hinterthal, part of Maria Alm, below the Hochkoenig in the Salzburg Alps. The Hochkoenig road runs from here over the Filzensattel to Dienten and Muehlbach, a short but twisty pass, and Saalfelden and Zell am See are close. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road, covered in our guide, starts at Fusch, under an hour away. You can join a guided ride with the owner, who rides, or ask for route tips and go alone. A garage is not listed, so confirm where the bikes will stand.

Abenteuerpension Gailtalerhof is a guesthouse in Koetschach-Mauthen, in the Gail valley in Carinthia, close to the Italian border. The Ploecken Pass runs south from here into Friuli, the Gailberg saddle leads north to the Drau valley and Lienz, and the Nassfeld and the Lesach valley road are close. Adventure is in the name: the owner rides, leads guided rides and shares route tips, and bikes stay in a garage. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road, covered in our guide, is a day ride via Lienz and Heiligenblut.

Hotel Solaria is on the Dr. Kresse Strasse in Obertauern, on top of the Radstaedter Tauern pass in the Salzburger Land. You wake up on the pass itself, with the hairpins down to Radstadt and Mauterndorf on either side. The Nockalmstrasse is about 43 km away in a straight line, and the Turracher Hoehe and the Soelk pass are within a day. Solaria's owner is a rider who organises guided tours and has route sheets, and bikes are garaged.

Chalet Kammleitn is at Watschig, near Hermagor, in the Gail valley of Carinthia. The Nassfeld pass into Italy is about 7 km away in a straight line, and the Windische Hoehe and the road to the Weissensee are close. Over the border, Friuli and the Carnia mountains are reachable for a day. Route descriptions are available from the hosts. The Gail valley is quieter than the big Alpine passes to the north. Ask about bike parking when you book.

Gasthof Pension Laudersbach is at Sinnhub near Altenmarkt im Pongau, about 4 km in a straight line from Radstadt. The owner rides, offers guided rides and gives route descriptions. From here, the Radstaedter Tauern road climbs to Obertauern, about 19 km away, the Dachstein road at Ramsau and Filzmoos are close, and the Grossglockner is within a day's ride. As a Gasthof, it serves food. Ask about covered parking for the bikes.

Haus Brandeck is on the Kinostrasse in Uttendorf, in the Pinzgau of the Salzburger Land, between Mittersill and Zell am See. The Felbertauern road to East Tyrol is about 17 km away in a straight line, Zell am See about 18 km, and the Grossglockner and Gerlos passes are within a day. The owner rides, provides route descriptions, and bikes are kept in a garage. Mittersill, a little further west, is the start of the Pass Thurn road to Kitzbuehel.

Landhaus Jausern is in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, in the Glemm valley in the Salzburg Alps. The valley is a dead end, so the riding starts with the run down to Maishofen and Zell am See, from where the Grossglockner High Alpine Road, the Gerlos Pass and the Hochkoenig road are all within an hour or so. The owner rides too and offers guided tours and route advice. No garage is on record, so ask about parking. Saalbach is a ski resort, so it is quiet in the summer evenings.

Gasthof Bergler Stub'n is an inn in Wenigzell, in the Joglland hills of eastern Styria, south of the Wechsel. This is a corner of Austria away from the big Alpine passes: rolling hills, forest, small villages and quiet, twisty roads with little traffic, about an hour and a half from Vienna or Graz. The owner rides too and is happy to suggest routes, and the bikes get a garage. A good weekend base for riders who want easy, relaxed riding without the summer crowds of the high Alps.

Gasthof Bartlwirt is an inn in Treffling, above Seeboden at the western end of the Millstaetter See in Carinthia. From here the Nockalm Road, a toll road through the Nock mountains, the Malta High Alpine Road, and the Katschberg Pass are all close, and the Grossglockner is a day ride to the west. There is a garage for the bikes, which is welcome after a day on the high roads. As a Gasthof, it has its own kitchen, so you can eat in. The lake is a few minutes away for an evening stroll.

Blue Mountain Hotel Verditz is high above Afritz in Carinthia, on the slopes of the Gerlitzen, about 11 km in a straight line from Villach. Verditz has a garage, a host who rides, and route notes for the Nock mountains. The Nockalmstrasse is about 20 km away, the Turracher Hoehe about 24 km, and the lakes of Ossiach and Afritz are just below. The Nassfeld and Friuli are within a day's ride.

Voetters Sportkristall is a hotel on the Schlossstrasse in Kaprun, about 6 km in a straight line from Zell am See in the Salzburger Land. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road starts at Fusch, the next valley east, and the Hochtor is about 22 km away. The Felbertauern and the Gerlos Pass are within a day's ride. The owner rides, leads guided rides and provides route descriptions, and bikes are garaged.

Gasthof Pension Drei Hacken is an inn in the Yspertal, in the southern Waldviertel of Lower Austria, a short ride north of the Danube. The Ysper valley and its gorge, the wooded hills of the Waldviertel and the Danube roads through the Strudengau towards the Wachau are all close. Garage parking, guided rides and route advice are all on offer. The area is far from the Alpine crowds, with quiet roads and small villages, and works well for a weekend from Vienna or Linz.

Gasthof Hochalmspitze is an inn in Malta, in the Malta valley in Carinthia, at the start of the Malta High Alpine Road. The toll road climbs past waterfalls and through tunnels to the Koelnbrein dam, one of the most impressive dead-end roads in Austria. The Nockalm Road, the Katschberg and the Millstaetter See are close too. The owner is a rider and happy to suggest routes. Garage space is not on record, so check parking first. The Malta High Alpine Road is open only in summer, so check before you go.