Radatlas Österreich

INN

Inn Cycle Path

Tyrol

Distance
546km
Ascent
4,441m
Descent
5,958m
ModeratePaved · Compacted · Fine gravel · GravelTouring / gravelINN

01 - Overview

The Inn Cycle Path follows the Inn from its high-valley origin in the Swiss Engadin for some 520 kilometres across Tyrol and Bavaria to Passau, where the green Inn flows into the Danube - a largely downhill crossing of the Alps without a single pass, from the glacier light of the Upper Engadin to the baroque city of three rivers.

From the Maloja high valley at around 1,800 metres, close to Europe’s only triple watershed at the Lunghin Pass, the route rolls through the sgraffito villages of the Engadin down to Scuol and across the medieval border fort of Altfinstermünz into the Tyrolean Oberland. Past the baroque abbey of Stams it reaches Innsbruck with its Golden Roof, then follows the broad Inn valley via Hall, Schwaz and tiny Rattenberg to the fortress town of Kufstein. In Bavaria the path turns flat and family-easy - through Rosenheim, Wasserburg on its Inn peninsula and Marktl, birthplace of Pope Benedict XVI. Via the baroque towns of Braunau and Schärding the tour ends at the Three Rivers Corner in Passau, where the Inn, Danube and Ilz meet and the Danube Cycle Path takes over. Largely downhill and mostly paved, the Inn Cycle Path is a relaxed leisure classic; only the high-alpine Engadin opening is more demanding and rideable only after the snowmelt.

Regions
Tyrol
Start
Maloja
Finish
Passau
Surface
Paved · Compacted · Fine gravel · Gravel
Network
International
Best season
May - October
Signposting
fully signposted
Families
well suited
Road-bike friendly
Partly · Mixed surfacewell documented
Surface (measured) · based on 97 % surveyed surface

90 % comfortably ridable, but a 6 km gravel stretch - nicer on a gravel or touring bike.

  • Paved66 % · 362 km
  • Paving stones0 % · 0.6 km
  • Fine gravel21 % · 117 km
  • Gravel9 % · 51 km
  • Unknown3 % · 16 km

02 - Stages

8 stages · 546 km

01Maloja - ScuolSils · St. Moritz · Zernez87 km

A high-alpine opening: from the Maloja Pass at around 1,800 metres - near Europe’s only triple watershed - the path rolls past the lakes of the Upper Engadin and St. Moritz, then down through the Lower Engadin with its sgraffito villages to Scuol. A long, scenic descent, partly on gravel.

Ascent
657 m
Descent
1,542 m
Duration
4.5-5.5 h
Surface
Paved · gravel

Surface (measured): paved 57 % · gravel 26 % · fine gravel 17 %

02Scuol - LandeckMartina · Pfunds · Prutz66 km

Through the narrow Finstermünz gorge with the medieval customs fort of Altfinstermünz the path crosses into Austria and follows the young Inn through the Tyrolean Oberland via Pfunds and Prutz to the town of Landeck with its castle. Still steadily downhill.

Ascent
526 m
Descent
1,141 m
Duration
3.5-4.5 h
Surface
Paved · gravel

Surface (measured): paved 84 % · gravel 16 %

03Landeck - InnsbruckImst · Stams · Telfs80 km

The Inn valley widens: through the Imst gorge, past the baroque Cistercian abbey of Stams and through Telfs the route rolls into the Inn basin to the Olympic city of Innsbruck, with the Golden Roof and the Nordkette range as a backdrop. Mostly paved and easy.

Ascent
788 m
Descent
1,002 m
Duration
4.5-5.5 h
Surface
Paved

Surface (measured): paved

04Innsbruck - KufsteinHall · Schwaz · Rattenberg · Wörgl83 km

Flat through the broad Lower Inn valley: past the mint town of Hall, the silver town of Schwaz and medieval Rattenberg - Austria’s smallest town - to the fortress town of Kufstein on the Bavarian border. An easy, mile-eating day.

Ascent
657 m
Descent
603 m
Duration
4.5-5 h
Surface
Paved

Surface (measured): paved

05Kufstein - Wasserburg am InnKiefersfelden · Rosenheim66 km

Across the border into Bavaria: through Kiefersfelden and the Inn valley to Rosenheim, then following the meandering river to medieval Wasserburg, set on a peninsula almost entirely encircled by the Inn. Flat and relaxed.

Ascent
578 m
Descent
551 m
Duration
3.5-4.5 h
Surface
Paved · gravel

Surface (measured): paved 61 % · fine gravel 31 % · gravel 8 %

06Wasserburg am Inn - Mühldorf am InnGars am Inn49 km

A short, quiet stretch through the Bavarian Inn hill country, past the monastery town of Gars am Inn to the district town of Mühldorf with its long arcaded Inn-Salzach old town. Ideal as an easy day.

Ascent
368 m
Descent
321 m
Duration
2.5-3.5 h
Surface
Paved

Surface (measured): paved 69 % · fine gravel 22 % · gravel 9 %

07Mühldorf am Inn - Braunau am InnMarktl · Simbach54 km

Further downstream through Marktl, the birthplace of Pope Benedict XVI, until Austrian Braunau am Inn - with its long market square and tall St. Stephen’s tower - marks home soil again. Flat and easy.

Ascent
394 m
Descent
347 m
Duration
3-4 h
Surface
Paved

Surface (measured): fine gravel 57 % · paved 43 %

08Braunau am Inn - PassauSchärding · Reichersberg61 km

The finale on the lower Inn: through the river meadows past the baroque town of Schärding with its colourful Silberzeile and Reichersberg Abbey to the Three Rivers Corner in Passau, where the Inn, Danube and Ilz converge. Here the Inn Cycle Path ends and the Danube Cycle Path begins.

Ascent
473 m
Descent
451 m
Duration
3.5-4.5 h
Surface
Paved · gravel

Surface (measured): fine gravel 59 % · paved 27 % · gravel 14 %

03 - Elevation

Elevation across the full distance - move the cursor to read altitude and kilometre.

Elevation profile over 546 km. Ascent 4441 m, descent 5958 m. Lowest point 298 m, highest point 1819 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.

Stay hydrated - a shoutout to r/HydroHomies

04 - POIs & Services

  • Lägh dal Lunghin & Source of the InnNature · Maloja
  • Engadin Sgraffito VillagesCulture · Guarda
  • Altfinstermünz Border FortCulture · Pfunds
  • Stams Cistercian AbbeyCulture · Stams
  • Golden Roof & Old TownCulture · Innsbruck
  • Hall Mint (Hasegg Castle)Culture · Hall in Tirol
  • Rattenberg - Austria’s smallest townCulture · Rattenberg
  • Kufstein FortressCulture · Kufstein
  • Old Town on the Inn BendCulture · Wasserburg am Inn
  • Baroque Town & SilberzeileCulture · Schärding
  • Three Rivers CornerNature · Passau

Services along the route

  • Bett+BikeCyclist-friendly hosts in Tyrol and Bavaria; Veloland hosts in the Engadin
  • Luggage transferHotel-to-hotel transfer from many operators (usually up to ~20 kg)
  • E-bikeRental and charging points along the Inn valley, battery swap e.g. in Jenbach
  • Bike serviceWorkshops in Landeck, Innsbruck, Rosenheim and Passau
  • Refreshment stopsDrinking fountains and inns along the Inn valley

Service points along the route

  • Drinking water770
  • Repair station44
  • Bike shop103
  • Bike rental84
  • Charging station385

Service points from OpenStreetMap. Coverage may be incomplete, some fountains are seasonal - verify before you rely on them.

05 - Impressions

06 - Public transit

  • Rhaetian Railway (CH)Scuol-Tarasp - Pontresina/St. Moritz, bikes with a bike ticket; seasonal bike car
  • Arlberg/Lower Inn Railway (ÖBB)Landeck - Innsbruck - Kufstein, bikes on regional/S-Bahn trains without reservation
  • ÖBB RailjetPassau - Innsbruck for the return; bike reservation compulsory on long-distance trains
  • Südostbayernbahn (DE)Rosenheim - Mühldorf - Passau, free bike carriage on many lines
  • Engadin shuttleShuttles Innsbruck/Landeck - St. Moritz/Maloja to reach the high-alpine start

Most riders go west to east downhill and return by train. In the Upper Inn valley between the Swiss border and Landeck there is no railway - PostAuto buses and shuttles bridge the gap. No reservation is needed on regional trains (RhB, ÖBB S-Bahn, Südostbayernbahn), whereas it is compulsory on ÖBB and DB long-distance trains. Germany currently runs spot checks on entry from Austria - carry ID. The high-alpine Engadin start is rideable only after the snowmelt (roughly from May).

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.

GPXTCX
Download GPXTCX course8 stages · 546 km
Download stages individually (8)
  1. Stage 1Maloja → Scuol87 km
  2. Stage 2Scuol → Landeck66 km
  3. Stage 3Landeck → Innsbruck80 km
  4. Stage 4Innsbruck → Kufstein83 km
  5. Stage 5Kufstein → Wasserburg am Inn66 km
  6. Stage 6Wasserburg am Inn → Mühldorf am Inn49 km
  7. Stage 7Mühldorf am Inn → Braunau am Inn54 km
  8. Stage 8Braunau am Inn → Passau61 km

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.

08 - Related routes