EuroVelo 9 - Amber Route

At Reintal, a border village near the Czech town of Břeclav, EuroVelo 9 enters Austria and runs into the Weinviertel - the broad, sunny hill country famous for its Kellergassen wine-cellar lanes and Grüner Veltliner. Via Bernhardsthal and Neusiedl an der Zaya the path rolls almost level through fields and vineyards to Mistelbach, the main town of the central Weinviertel. Here and in nearby Asparn an der Zaya the MAMUZ prehistory museum, with its open-air archaeological park, presents some 40,000 years of human history. A relaxed, flat opening stage through wine country.

Ascent

155 m

Descent

144 m

Duration

approx. 2.5-3 h

Surface

Asphalt & fine gravel

Heading further south the route undulates through the open Weinviertel - gentle climbs onto vine-covered ridges, with Kellergassen of close-packed press-houses in between. Across fields, orchards and small market towns the well-signed path reaches Wolkersdorf, whose moated castle now houses a cultural centre and town library. Mildly hilly but with no real climb - the typical airy roll of the Weinviertel.

Ascent

191 m

Descent

221 m

Duration

approx. 2.5-3 h

Surface

Asphalt

The last Weinviertel stage glides via Gerasdorf down into Vienna's outer belt and reaches the capital on the city's canal and Danube cycle network. In Vienna EuroVelo 9 follows marked cycle paths through the city - past the Ringstraße with its grand buildings, the historic boulevard of the Danube monarchy. Flat and urban; a good place to break the journey before turning south.

Ascent

55 m

Descent

46 m

Duration

approx. 2.5 h

Surface

Asphalt

Out of Vienna the route largely follows the historic Wiener Neustadt Canal, a shipping canal opened in 1803 and today a shady, almost level cycle path. In Laxenburg the sprawling palace park, with the Franzensburg on its lake island, is worth a stop. On through the spa-and-wine country at the foot of the Vienna Woods - Baden bei Wien with its baths and wine taverns, then Bad Vöslau - the path reaches Wiener Neustadt, the old Babenberg foundation and garrison town. Long, but flat and easy riding.

Ascent

247 m

Descent

105 m

Duration

approx. 4 h

Surface

Asphalt & fine gravel

The queen stage and the route's one big climb. From Wiener Neustadt the path enters the Pitten valley and the 'Bucklige Welt', a deeply folded hill country of meadows, woods and scattered farms. In Bad Erlach the Linsberg Asia thermal spa invites a break; past the castle villages of Pitten and Seebenstein the way climbs steadily. From Aspang-Markt it ascends to the Wechsel, reaching its high point of around 957 metres at Mönichkirchen, beneath the Hochwechsel summit (1,743 m), with the Mönichkirchner Schwaig alpine pasture reachable by chairlift. Around 900 metres of climbing - sporty, but throughout on cycle paths; shuttle transfers are offered for the final ascent.

Ascent

918 m

Descent

23 m

Duration

approx. 5 h

Surface

Asphalt

Over the Wechsel the route crosses into Styria and plunges into a long descent. In Pinggau the high-baroque pilgrimage church of Maria Hasel is worth a glance, in Friedberg the enclosed medieval main square of the border town founded by the Babenbergs in 1194. Dropping steadily, the path reaches Hartberg in eastern Styria, whose 13th-century Reckturm still recalls the old town fortifications; on the edge of town the Ökopark draws visitors with its large-format MAXOOM cinema. More than 1,000 metres of descent - the great run down into the spa country.

Ascent

180 m

Descent

1,049 m

Duration

approx. 2.5-3 h

Surface

Asphalt

Now the heart of the Styrian Thermenland begins. In Bad Waltersdorf the Heiltherme rises from over 1,200 metres' depth at 62 degrees. A little later the route reaches its quiet highlight: Rogner Bad Blumau, the thermal village designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser and opened in 1997 - a walkable landscape with no straight lines, grass-grown roofs, colourful facades and the golden dome of the Stammhaus. Over gentle hills the path continues to Fürstenfeld, whose Pfeilburg, built around the medieval Schwarzturm, houses the town museum - and which the Styrian band S.T.S. made famous with their 1984 song 'Fürstenfeld'. Rolling hill country, easy-going riding.

Ascent

254 m

Descent

368 m

Duration

approx. 3.5 h

Surface

Asphalt

The longest stage runs deep into the Styrian Vulkanland, a hill country shaped by extinct volcanoes. At Bad Loipersdorf lies one of Austria's largest thermal spas, its 62-degree water rising from around 1,000 metres' depth. Past Fehring with its medieval Tabor - a fortified enclosure around the church - the path rolls through vineyards and orchards; off the route, on a basalt crag, stands the never-conquered Riegersburg castle, the landmark of the Vulkanland. Finally the route reaches Bad Radkersburg on the Mur, in the far south-east of Austria. A long but scenically rich Vulkanland stage with many short rises.

Ascent

743 m

Descent

791 m

Duration

approx. 4.5-5 h

Surface

Asphalt & gravel

Bad Radkersburg, the south-easternmost town in Austria, has an exceptionally preserved old town - Italianate Renaissance houses on the main square, the Gothic town-hall tower; in 1978 it became the only Austrian city to receive the European gold medal for monument preservation. The Parktherme draws on roughly 80-degree water from deep below. From here EuroVelo 9 follows the Mur cycle path upstream through the Lower Mur Valley - a UNESCO Biosphere Park - via Mureck to Spielfeld, where the Mur forms the border with Slovenia. Here the route turns south toward Maribor; the Austrian section of the Amber Route ends at the border. Flat and relaxed along the river.

Ascent

89 m

Descent

0 m

Duration

approx. 3 h

Surface

Asphalt & gravel