01 - Overview
The Enns Cycle Path accompanies Austria’s longest domestic river for some 265 kilometres from the Radstädter Tauern through Styria to the Danube - from the alpine Enns valley below the Dachstein, through the wild Gesäuse gorge, to the iron town of Steyr and the Roman town of Enns. A varied, largely downhill route through two national parks.
From Flachauwinkl in the Radstädter Tauern the route rolls along the young Enns past Radstadt down to Schladming below the Dachstein and on, almost level, through the broad Enns valley to Admont with the largest monastic library hall in the world. In the Gesäuse National Park the Enns breaks spectacularly through the Limestone Alps - but here the route shares the federal road. Through the hilly Eisenwurzen beside the Kalkalpen National Park the path reaches the Gothic iron town of Steyr and finishes flat in the Roman town of Enns on the Danube. Scenically magnificent and largely downhill, the Enns Cycle Path is of medium difficulty: the upper valley is family-easy, while the gorge stretch through the Gesäuse and Eisenwurzen, with its on-road sections, is more demanding and not advisable for children.
- Regions
- Salzburg · Styria · Upper Austria
- Start
- Flachauwinkl
- Finish
- Enns
- Surface
- Paved · Gravel
- Network
- Regional
- Best season
- May - October
- Signposting
- fully signposted
- Road-bike friendly
- Partly · Mixed surfacewell documented
94 % comfortably ridable, but a 5.2 km gravel stretch - nicer on a gravel or touring bike.
02 - Stages
5 stages · 264 km
01Flachauwinkl - SchladmingRadstadt · Mandling38 km
An alpine start in the upper Enns valley: from Flachauwinkl the path rolls along the young Enns past the medieval town of Radstadt down to the sports town of Schladming at the foot of the Dachstein, twice host of the Alpine Ski World Championships. Mostly downhill and easy.
- Ascent
- 385 m
- Descent
- 712 m
- Duration
- 2.5-3.5 h
- Surface
- Paved
Surface (measured): paved 76 % · gravel 24 %
02Schladming - AdmontGröbming · Stainach-Irdning · Liezen81 km
The longest stage runs almost level through the broad, sunny Enns valley - past Gröbming, the district town of Liezen and below the peaks of the Niedere Tauern and the Totes Gebirge - to Admont, whose Benedictine abbey holds the largest monastic library hall in the world. Family-friendly and flat.
- Ascent
- 571 m
- Descent
- 666 m
- Duration
- 5-6 h
- Surface
- Paved
Surface (measured): paved
03Admont - Altenmarkt bei St. GallenGesäuse · Hieflau46 km
Through the wild, romantic Gesäuse, where the Enns breaks through the limestone walls of the Ennstal Alps - a scenic highlight. In the national park, however, there is no dedicated cycle path: the route shares the busy federal road (not advisable for children; bike shuttles run). On through the beginning of the Eisenwurzen to Altenmarkt bei St. Gallen.
- Ascent
- 499 m
- Descent
- 646 m
- Duration
- 3-4 h
- Surface
- Federal road (Gesäuse National Park)
Surface (measured): paved
04Altenmarkt bei St. Gallen - SteyrWeyer · Großraming · Losenstein71 km
Through the hilly Eisenwurzen on the edge of the Kalkalpen National Park - via the little market town of Weyer, the power-station village of Großraming and beneath the castle ruin of Losenstein - with the most climbing of the tour. The goal is the iron town of Steyr with its Gothic old town at the confluence of the Enns and Steyr rivers.
- Ascent
- 856 m
- Descent
- 978 m
- Duration
- 4.5-5.5 h
- Surface
- Paved · federal road (sections)
Surface (measured): paved
05Steyr - EnnsGarsten · St. Valentin28 km
A flat, easy finale through the Alpine foreland to the Roman town of Enns - Austria’s town with the oldest surviving town charter - with its free-standing town tower. At the nearby confluence with the Danube near Mauthausen the Danube Cycle Path takes over.
- Ascent
- 128 m
- Descent
- 204 m
- Duration
- 1.5-2 h
- Surface
- Paved
Surface (measured): paved
03 - Elevation
Elevation across the full distance - move the cursor to read altitude and kilometre.
Elevation profile over 264 km. Ascent 2439 m, descent 3206 m. Lowest point 245 m, highest point 1015 m.
Elevation from OSM geometry + Digital Terrain Model (DGM) Austria (10 m).
Hover the profile to see the point on the map - and vice versa.
04 - POIs & Services
- Schladming & Dachstein
- Admont Abbey (Library Hall)
- Gesäuse National Park
- Styrian Erzberg
- Großreifling Log-Catcher
- Kalkalpen National Park
- Losenstein Castle Ruin
- Old Town & Bummerlhaus
- Town Tower & Roman Lauriacum
- Mauthausen Memorial
Services along the route
- Bett+BikeCyclist-friendly hosts - Styria has Austria’s densest Bett+Bike network
- Luggage & bike shuttleLuggage transfer plus bike taxis for the on-road Gesäuse sections
- E-bikeRental and charging points in the Enns valley
- Bike serviceWorkshops in Schladming, Liezen and Steyr
- Refreshment stopsDrinking fountains and inns along the Enns
Service points along the route
- Drinking water67
- Repair station9
- Bike shop10
- Bike rental4
- Charging station110
Service points from OpenStreetMap. Coverage may be incomplete, some fountains are seasonal - verify before you rely on them.
05 - Impressions
The Enns in the Gesäuse valley with the Admonter Reichenstein, the cycle path runs along the valleyPhoto: Enns river in the Gesäuse seen from the Rauchboden · Herzi Pinki · CC BY-SA 4.0 The wooden Johnsbachsteg bridge over the Enns near Johnsbach in the Gesäuse National ParkPhoto: Wooden Johnsbachsteg over the Enns · Haeferl · CC BY-SA 3.0 AT The Enns seen from the Leierweg viewpoint, the old road now reserved for cyclists and pedestriansPhoto: Enns river from the Leierweg viewpoint · Daniel Kraft · CC BY-SA 3.0
06 - Public transit
- Ennstal Railway (ÖBB)Radstadt - Schladming - Liezen - Selzthal, bikes on regional trains without reservation
- Gesäuse/Rudolf RailwaySelzthal - Admont - Hieflau seasonal/weekends only; bike shuttles for the gorge
- Rudolf Railway (lower)Kleinreifling - Steyr - St. Valentin, bikes subject to space
- S-Bahn Upper Austria S1Steyr - Enns - Linz; connects to the Westbahn for the return
- Enns-Mauthausen bike ferryDanube crossing at the finish, linking to the Danube Cycle Path
Most riders go downhill from source to mouth and return by train; the Ennstal Railway shadows the upper route, the Rudolf Railway the lower one. Important: in the Gesäuse National Park and the Eisenwurzen there is no continuous cycle path - here the route runs on the federal road (two tunnels with a cycling ban). To avoid it, use the bike shuttles or the seasonal Gesäuse train. At the finish the Enns-Mauthausen bike ferry crosses to the Danube.
07 - GPX & TCX download
Download for GPS devices & apps
Clean track with elevation - imports as a single tour, compatible with Komoot, Garmin, Wahoo, Strava, RideWithGPS, OsmAnd.
Download stages individually (5)
Route derived from OpenStreetMap geometry - may differ slightly from on-the-ground signage. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0) · Elevation © DGM Austria (CC BY 3.0 AT). Redistribute with attribution.