01 - Overview
The Six Towns Cycle Tour is a roughly 97-kilometre cross-border loop through the northern Weinviertel and the South Moravian Thaya valley. From Retz the circuit links six historic towns: Retz with its vast main square and its landmark windmill, tiny Pulkau with its Romanesque charnel house, Schrattenthal (Austria smallest wine town), Hardegg perched on a rock spur above the Thaya (Austria smallest town), and on the Czech side the baroque chateau of Vranov nad Dyjí and the wine city of Znojmo (Znaim). A demanding, rolling route with around 1,300 metres of climbing - vineyards, wine-cellar lanes and the wild river landscape of the cross-border Thayatal/Podyjí national park. Carry an ID for the border crossings.
The Six Towns Cycle Tour traces a loop through one of the quietest corners of Central Europe, where Austria and Czechia meet along the Thaya. It starts and finishes at Retz, whose spacious main square with its sgraffito house and town-hall tower ranks among the finest in the Weinviertel; a kilometres-long wine-cellar labyrinth runs beneath the town, and on the hill above the vineyards turns the last working windmill in Austria. Heading south, the route rolls through the Pulkau valley to little Pulkau with its enigmatic Romanesque charnel house and Holy-Blood church. Via Schrattenthal, the country smallest wine town, the path climbs north into the Thaya valley and reaches Hardegg - with barely a hundred inhabitants the smallest town in Austria, crowned by a four-towered castle high above the river. Here the tour crosses the Thaya, and the border, into the shared Thayatal/Podyjí national park, a wooded river gorge full of viewpoints. On the Moravian side follow the baroque chateau of Vranov nad Dyjí above the dammed river and finally Znojmo (Znaim), with its 80-metre town-hall tower, the Gothic Church of St Nicholas and the Znojmo underground. The return to Retz runs along the Iron Curtain Trail (EuroVelo 13) through the vineyards and back across the border. With around 1,300 metres of climbing over 97 kilometres and several ascents around the Thaya valley, the circuit is a sporty one - best split over two days, and an ID belongs in the pannier for the border crossings.
- Regions
- Lower Austria
- Start
- Retz
- Finish
- Retz
- Surface
- Paved
- Network
- Regional
- Best season
- April - October
- Signposting
- fully signposted
- Road-bike friendly
- Yes · Mostly pavedpartly estimated
96 % paved, longest unpaved stretch 528 m.
02 - Stages
4 stages · 97 km
01Retz - PulkauRetz · Pulkau valley · Pulkau13 km
From the Retz main square the route heads out south between the vineyards and wine-cellar lanes of the Retzer Land into the gently rolling Pulkau valley. A short, undulating opening through typical Weinviertel hill country to little Pulkau with its famous Romanesque charnel house.
- Ascent
- 126 m
- Descent
- 128 m
- Duration
- approx. 1 h
- Surface
- Paved and vineyard tracks
Surface (measured): paved
02Pulkau - HardeggPulkau · Schrattenthal · Niederfladnitz · Hardegg27 km
The most demanding stage: via Schrattenthal, Austria smallest wine town, and Niederfladnitz the path climbs north into the Thaya valley. With the biggest ascent of the loop it reaches Hardegg, at barely a hundred inhabitants the smallest town in the country, its four-towered castle perched high above the Thaya.
- Ascent
- 356 m
- Descent
- 256 m
- Duration
- approx. 2.5 h
- Surface
- Paved, farm and forest tracks
Surface (measured): paved
03Hardegg - ZnojmoHardegg · Thayatal/Podyjí National Park · Vranov nad Dyjí · Znojmo40 km
At Hardegg the tour crosses the Thaya, and the border, into Czechia and the shared Thayatal/Podyjí national park - a wooded river gorge with many viewpoints. Past the baroque chateau of Vranov nad Dyjí (Frain) high above the dammed river, the longest stage continues to Znojmo (Znaim) with its 80-metre town-hall tower and Moravian wine tradition. Do not forget your ID.
- Ascent
- 528 m
- Descent
- 612 m
- Duration
- approx. 3.5 h
- Surface
- Paved and gravel, rolling
Surface (measured): paved
04Znojmo - RetzZnojmo · Unterretzbach · Retz18 km
The return follows the Iron Curtain Trail (EuroVelo 13) south out of Znaim, back across the border and through the vineyards near Unterretzbach to Retz. A varied final section through former borderland, where the loop closes.
- Ascent
- 292 m
- Descent
- 306 m
- Duration
- approx. 1.5 h
- Surface
- Paved and vineyard tracks
Surface (measured): paved 90 % · gravel 10 %
03 - Elevation
Elevation across the full distance - move the cursor to read altitude and kilometre.
Elevation profile over 97 km. Ascent 1302 m, descent 1302 m. Lowest point 229 m, highest point 481 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
- Main square, town walls & Erlebniskeller (wine-cellar labyrinth)
- Retz windmill (last working windmill in Austria)
- Romanesque charnel house & Holy-Blood church
- Schrattenthal - Austria smallest wine town
- Burg Hardegg above the Thaya (Austria smallest town)
- Thayatal / Podyjí National Park (cross-border)
- Baroque chateau Vranov nad Dyjí (Frain)
- Town-hall tower, St Nicholas Church & Znojmo underground
Services along the route
- Bike service & e-bikeCycle shops and repair stations in Retz and Znojmo; charging and rental in the wine towns. Sparse along the route - top up before the remote Thaya-valley sections.
- Food, drink & wineHeuriger wine taverns, Buschenschänken and cellars in the Retzer Land and the Pulkau valley, Moravian wine cellars (vinné sklepy) around Znojmo. The region lives on its wine - the Retz and Znaim vineyards.
- Border crossingAustria and Czechia are both in the Schengen area, but carry an official photo ID all the same. In Czechia you pay in Czech crowns (CZK).
- Drinking waterFountains and inns in the towns; the wooded Thaya-valley sections are more spaced out.
Service points along the route
- Drinking water19
- Repair station5
- Bike shop4
- Charging station10
Service points from OpenStreetMap. Coverage may be incomplete, some fountains are seasonal - verify before you rely on them.
05 - Impressions
The Retz windmill, the last working windmill in Austria, above the vineyards on the edge of town.Photo: Retzer Windmühle · GuentherZ · CC BY 3.0 The Romanesque charnel house (left) and the parish church of Pulkau in the small Pulkau valley.Photo: Pfarrkirche und Karner in Pulkau · Viktoria2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Hardegg, the smallest town in Austria, with its castle above the Thaya at the edge of the Thayatal National Park.Photo: Hardegg und Burg Hardegg im Thayatal · C.Stadler/Bwag · CC BY-SA 4.0 The baroque chateau of Vranov nad Dyjí (Frain) on the Moravian side of the Thaya valley.Photo: Schloss Vranov nad Dyjí · Harold · CC BY-SA 3.0 The old town of Znojmo (Znaim) high above the river gorge of the Thaya (Dyje).Photo: Znojmo über der Thaya · Pudelek (Marcin Szala) · CC BY-SA 3.0
06 - Public transit
- Nordwestbahn / ÖBB (Vienna Praterstern - Hollabrunn - Retz - Znojmo)Retz is the rail gateway to the loop, with park-and-ride at the station. The line crosses the border to Znojmo, so you can split the circuit or shorten the return Znaim - Retz by train. Bike carriage by capacity - check ÖBB/ČD in advance.
- Regional bus (Wieselbus / Postbus)Schrattenthal, Pulkau, Hardegg and Vranov have no regular rail service - reach them by regional bus or by bike from Retz/Znojmo.
The natural way in and out is Retz station on the Nordwestbahn (Vienna - Hollabrunn - Retz - Znojmo). Because the line runs across the border to Znaim, the loop splits comfortably over two days or one direction can be shortened by train. For the crossings between Austria and Czechia an ID belongs in the pannier, and in Czechia you pay in CZK.
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 (4)
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.