01 - Overview
The Seckau Alps Cycle Route (R24) runs a good 37 kilometres from the alpine Gaal valley at the foot of the Seckau Alps down to Kraubath an der Mur. From Gaal the fully paved route rolls past the famous Seckau Abbey - the "cathedral in the mountains" - and through the northern hills of the Mur valley to the river Mur, where the R24 meets the Mur Cycle Path (R2) and the S-Bahn. A culture-rich, sporty valley descent with two short counter-climbs - not a flat family outing.
The Seckau Alps Cycle Route is the spine of the Gaal valley and links the Seckau Alps with the Mur valley. It opens in the high Gaal valley (up to around 1082 m) at the foot of the Seckau Tauern - in Ingering II it passes the VW Beetle Museum, the first of its kind in Austria. From Gaal the route rolls downstream to the cultural heart of the ride, Seckau Abbey: founded in 1140 by Adalram von Waldeck as an Augustinian canonry and Benedictine since 1883, its Romanesque basilica (1143-1164, a basilica minor since 1930) is known as the "cathedral in the mountains." Highlights are the Angel Chapel with Herbert Boeckl’s fresco cycle "Seckau Apocalypse" (1952-1960) and - as a separate room - the Mausoleum of Archduke Karl II (1587-1612). The route continues through the northern hills of the Mur valley via Sankt Marein bei Knittelfeld (the town of Knittelfeld itself lies off the line) and past Schloss Prankh down to the Mur. At Kraubath an der Mur rises the Gulsen, Austria’s largest serpentinite massif (once magnesite mining, today a Natura 2000 site with the endemic Pittoni houseleek) - here the R24 reaches the Mur valley, the Mur Cycle Path (R2) and the S-Bahn. The route is fully paved, but runs mostly on quiet minor and forestry roads rather than a dedicated cycle path, and it does not roll evenly: two short counter-climbs make it a sporty tour, not a family outing. We describe it downhill; the R24 is signed and marketed in the opposite direction, uphill into the Seckau Alps.
- Regions
- Styria
- Start
- Gaal
- Finish
- Kraubath an der Mur
- Surface
- Paved
- Network
- Regional
- Best season
- April - October
- Signposting
- fully signposted
- Road-bike friendly
- Yes · Fully pavedwell documented
100 % paved, effectively paved throughout.
02 - Stages
3 stages · 37 km
01Gaal - SeckauGaal · Ingering II · Bischoffeld · Seckau17 km
Setting off in the high Gaal valley at the foot of the Seckau Alps; in Ingering II the VW Beetle Museum is worth a stop. Gently rolling, the route runs downstream - a short counter-climb breaks the descent - before reaching Seckau Abbey, the Romanesque "cathedral in the mountains." Signposting is thin in places on the upper section; a side trip up to the Ingering lake (an alpine tarn at around 1200 m) is only for extra climbing.
- Ascent
- 199 m
- Descent
- 435 m
- Duration
- approx. 1.25-1.5 h
- Surface
- Paved
Surface (measured): paved
02Seckau - Sankt Marein bei KnittelfeldSeckau · Fentsch · Sankt Marein bei Knittelfeld9 km
From Seckau Abbey the route leaves the monastery basin and drops through the northern hills of the Mur valley. Via Fentsch it reaches Sankt Marein bei Knittelfeld - the town of Knittelfeld itself stays off the line to the south.
- Ascent
- 102 m
- Descent
- 260 m
- Duration
- approx. 0.5-0.75 h
- Surface
- Paved
Surface (measured): paved
03Sankt Marein bei Knittelfeld - Kraubath an der MurSankt Marein bei Knittelfeld · Prankh · Kraubath an der Mur11 km
The final section rolls past Schloss Prankh and over the last hills down into the Mur valley. At Kraubath an der Mur rises the Gulsen, Austria’s largest serpentinite massif; here the R24 reaches the Mur, joins the Mur Cycle Path (R2) and ends at the Kraubath S-Bahn stop.
- Ascent
- 120 m
- Descent
- 213 m
- Duration
- approx. 0.5-0.75 h
- Surface
- Paved
Surface (measured): paved
03 - Elevation
Elevation across the full distance - move the cursor to read altitude and kilometre.
Elevation profile over 37 km. Ascent 421 m, descent 908 m. Lowest point 595 m, highest point 1082 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
- Seckau Abbey ("cathedral in the mountains", basilica, Angel Chapel, mausoleum)
- Seckau Alps & Gaal valley (alpine valley head)
- VW Beetle Museum Gaal (Austria’s first Beetle museum)
- Ingering lake (alpine tarn ~1200 m, uphill side trip)
- Schloss Wasserberg (medieval bishops’ castle, private)
- Schloss Prankh (seat of the Pranckh family, once abbey property)
- The Gulsen (Austria’s largest serpentinite massif, Natura 2000)
- River Mur & Mur Cycle Path R2 (valley foot, S-Bahn connection)
Services along the route
- Bike serviceBike shops and workshops around Knittelfeld and Leoben at the lower end of the route; only basic supplies in the upper Gaal valley - carry a spare tube and tools.
- E-bikeCharging and rental stations in the Mur valley (Knittelfeld/Kraubath); an e-bike here helps less for climbing than for an easy roll-down.
- Drinking waterFountains in the villages along the way; in the sparsely settled upper Gaal valley the gaps are larger - top up in good time there.
- Food & drinkInns in Gaal and Seckau (around the abbey) and in the Mur valley at Sankt Marein and Kraubath; the choice is thinner on the middle section through the hills.
Service points along the route
- Drinking water1
- Repair station1
- Charging station2
Service points from OpenStreetMap. Coverage may be incomplete, some fountains are seasonal - verify before you rely on them.
05 - Impressions
Seckau Abbey, the "cathedral in the mountains," in the basin of the Seckau Alps - the cultural heart of the Seckau Alps Cycle Route.Photo: Stift Seckau von Nordwesten · Uoaei1 · CC BY-SA 4.0 The outer courtyard and Romanesque basilica towers of Seckau Abbey, Benedictine since 1883.Photo: Klosterhof und Basilikatürme von Stift Seckau · Dnalor 01 · CC BY-SA 3.0 AT The village of Gaal in the uppermost section of the valley, set among the Seckau Alps - the start of the descent.Photo: Das Dorf Gaal im Alpental · Cerana (David Bauer) · CC BY-SA 3.0 The parish church of St. Maria im Paradeis in Sankt Marein bei Knittelfeld, where the hills give way to the lower Mur valley.Photo: Pfarrkirche St. Maria im Paradeis, Sankt Marein bei Knittelfeld · Uoaei1 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Kraubath an der Mur at the lower end of the route, where the R24 reaches the Mur valley and the Mur Cycle Path (R2).Photo: Kraubath an der Mur · TheRunnerUp (Robert Kropf) · CC BY-SA 3.0
06 - Public transit
- Rail: S8 (S-Bahn Steiermark)The only station on the route is Kraubath an der Mur at the foot of the valley, on the S8 (Unzmarkt - Knittelfeld - Kraubath - St. Michael - Leoben - Bruck/Kapfenberg). Long-distance connections are available via Leoben and Bruck an der Mur. Check bike carriage on the regional trains in advance.
- Bus uphill: RegioBus 843 & 844To reach the high start, RegioBus lines 843 (Knittelfeld - Kobenz - Seckau) and 844 (Knittelfeld - Gaal) help. A proven pattern: take the S8 to Knittelfeld, the 843/844 bus up to Seckau or Gaal, roll the R24 downhill and return from Kraubath on the S8 (confirm bike carriage and times in advance).
The only rail stop is at the foot of the valley in Kraubath an der Mur (S8 of the S-Bahn Steiermark, hub Leoben/Bruck). There is no railway in the Gaal valley itself; the RegioBus lines 843 (to Seckau) and 844 (to Gaal) run up to the start from Knittelfeld. It is easiest to ride the route downhill from Gaal to Kraubath and connect there to the Mur Cycle Path (R2) - though the R24 is signed uphill into the Seckau Alps.
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 (3)
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.