Tauernradweg by bike

Tarmac cycle path beside the Salzach near Bramberg, with green hills behind

Photo: Eweht, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Distance
about 310 km (193 miles)
Country
Austria
Difficulty
Easy
Type of trip
Cycling route

The Tauernradweg starts at the Krimml Waterfalls in the Oberpinzgau and follows the Salzach down the north side of the Hohe Tauern to Salzburg. From there you have two choices. The classic route carries on down the Salzach along the Austrian–German border to where it meets the Inn near Braunau, then follows the Inn to Passau. The loop turns back up the Saalach through Bad Reichenhall, Lofer and Saalfelden to Zell am See, and the official site suggests riding it anticlockwise, because the two climbs in the Salzach valley are easier that way. Krimml sits at about 1,100 m, Salzburg at about 500 m and Passau just over 300 m, so it's mostly downhill. The official site lists over 50 hotels, inns and guesthouses set up for cyclists. In high season, such as the Salzburg Festival from mid-July to August, book ahead. There's nothing to book for the route itself.

The surface varies. Wikivoyage and German Wikipedia mention tarmac, concrete slabs, gravel tracks and forest paths, and both say a trekking bike is the better choice. It's signed with green signs in both directions. Wikivoyage says riding downhill it suits ordinary leisure riders and children, and both it and the official site point families to the Saalach loop. It isn't traffic-free all the way. Between Werfen and Golling the valley is too narrow for a separate path, so for about 15 km you share the main road, which can be busy. The official site and Wikivoyage both suggest the train for that stretch. Getting to the start isn't simple either. The Pinzgauer Lokalbahn between Mittersill and Krimml has been out of use since storms in 2021, and the replacement buses only take bikes on two afternoon services from Zell am See, from 1 May to 30 September 2026, booked the day before.

Highlights along the way

  1. Krimml Waterfalls: The start of the route. Wikivoyage calls them the highest waterfalls in Europe and says not to skip them.
  2. Werfen: Hohenwerfen castle has a falconry exhibition and bird of prey displays in summer, reached on foot or by funicular. Near Tenneck a cable car takes you up to the Eisriesenwelt, which Wikivoyage and the official site call the largest ice cave in the world.
  3. Pass Lueg: A low pass with an old fortification. Just off the route are the Salzachöfen, a gorge of the Salzach you can visit all year.
  4. Hallein: Wikivoyage says to allow at least a full day for its listed old town, the Celtic Museum and the Silent Night Museum, which has the grave of Franz Xaver Gruber, who composed the carol.
  5. Salzburg: You see the Hohensalzburg fortress from a long way off. On the right bank the route follows the Salzach straight into the old town, and this is where the Passau route and the loop split.

Distance

About 310 km (193 miles) from Krimml to Passau, or 270 km (168 miles) for the loop back to Zell am See, by the official count. The official site gives 750 m of height difference for the Passau route and 600 m for the loop.

Best time to go

Neither the official site nor Wikivoyage names a best season, but the bike services are seasonal. As well as the bike spaces on the Lokalbahn buses from May to September, Austria Radreisen runs a daily bus from Passau back to Krimml from 14 May to 4 October, if there's room. For the 2026 season the official site said the route and the B311 detour were closed to cyclists between Frohnwies and the Dießbach power station on the loop near Weißbach bei Lofer, because of rockfall. A free shuttle bus runs round it, as it did in summer 2025. Check salzburgerland.com before you go.

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