01 - Overview
Lower Austria’s finest rail-trail: from the Danube at Ybbs through the Mostviertel cider country to Waidhofen an der Ybbs, then up the valley on the former Ybbstalbahn railway to Lunzer See - flat, car-free and almost always by the river, through the historic Iron Road.
The Ybbstalradweg branches off the Danube Cycle Path at Ybbs an der Donau and runs gently through the perry-pear country of the lower Ybbs valley to the medieval iron town of Waidhofen an der Ybbs. From there the 55 km core section follows the bed of the narrow-gauge Ybbstalbahn (built 1894-1898, a cycle path since 2017) up the narrowing valley - over masonry arch bridges, through tunnels and the wildly romantic Ofenloch gorge, past the historic hammer works of the Eisenwurzen iron region. It ends at the deep-blue Lunzer See below the Limestone Alps, at the gateway to the UNESCO World Heritage primeval forest of the Dürrenstein. A heritage railway still runs on from Lunz towards Kienberg-Gaming.
- Regions
- Lower Austria
- Start
- Ybbs an der Donau
- Finish
- Lunz am See
- Surface
- Paved
- Network
- Regional
- Best season
- May - October
- Signposting
- fully signposted
- Families
- well suited
- Road-bike friendly
- Yes · Mostly pavedwell documented
95 % paved, longest unpaved stretch 959 m.
02 - Stages
6 stages · 109 km
01Ybbs an der Donau - Kematen an der YbbsYbbs an der Donau · Kematen an der Ybbs43 km
A gentle start: from the Danube junction at Ybbs through the rolling perry-pear country of the lower Ybbs valley. The baroque pilgrimage basilica of Sonntagberg crowns the hills above.
- Ascent
- 256 m
- Descent
- 161 m
- Duration
- approx. 3-4 h
- Surface
- asphalt, quiet valley lanes
Surface (measured): paved
02Kematen an der Ybbs - Waidhofen an der YbbsKematen an der Ybbs · Waidhofen an der Ybbs11 km
Into the medieval iron town of Waidhofen an der Ybbs - the highlight is the ride straight through the courtyard of Schloss Rothschild.
- Ascent
- 115 m
- Descent
- 111 m
- Duration
- approx. 1 h
- Surface
- asphalt
Surface (measured): paved
03Waidhofen an der Ybbs - OpponitzWaidhofen an der Ybbs · Zell · Opponitz13 km
Now the core section begins on the old Ybbstalbahn line: level, car-free, always by the river, over masonry arch bridges to the imposing Ofenloch gorge.
- Ascent
- 129 m
- Descent
- 113 m
- Duration
- approx. 1-1.5 h
- Surface
- asphalt (rail-trail)
Surface (measured): paved
04Opponitz - Hollenstein an der YbbsOpponitz · Hollenstein an der Ybbs12 km
Through tunnels and over viaducts deep into the wooded valley - the historic hammer works of the Iron Road recall the region’s former iron wealth.
- Ascent
- 69 m
- Descent
- 0 m
- Duration
- approx. 1 h
- Surface
- asphalt (rail-trail)
Surface (measured): paved
05Hollenstein an der Ybbs - Göstling an der YbbsHollenstein an der Ybbs · Göstling an der Ybbs18 km
The upper Ybbs valley turns alpine: the peaks of the Eisenwurzen draw closer, and Göstling is the gateway to the Hochkar ski mountain.
- Ascent
- 122 m
- Descent
- 23 m
- Duration
- approx. 1.5-2 h
- Surface
- asphalt (rail-trail)
Surface (measured): paved
06Göstling an der Ybbs - Lunz am SeeGöstling an der Ybbs · Lunz am See12 km
Past the cast-iron Töpperbrücke with its holy statues and gently up to the deep-blue Lunzer See below the Dürrenstein primeval forest.
- Ascent
- 132 m
- Descent
- 27 m
- Duration
- approx. 1-1.5 h
- Surface
- asphalt (rail-trail)
Surface (measured): paved
03 - Elevation
Elevation across the full distance - move the cursor to read altitude and kilometre.
Elevation profile over 109 km. Ascent 823 m, descent 435 m. Lowest point 219 m, highest point 608 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
- Schloss Rothschild
- Ofenloch gorge
- Historic hammer works (Iron Road)
- Töpperbrücke
- Lunzer See
- Dürrenstein-Lassingtal Wilderness (UNESCO World Heritage)
- Ybbstal heritage railway
- Sonntagberg Basilica
- FeRRUM smithing centre
Services along the route
- Bett+Bike hostscyclist-friendly lodgings along the valley
- Bike & e-bike rentalWaidhofen, Göstling, Lunz am See
- Service pointsrepair stations + e-bike charging in the valley towns
Service points along the route
- Drinking water37
- Repair station4
- Bike shop4
- Bike rental2
- Charging station89
Service points from OpenStreetMap. Coverage may be incomplete, some fountains are seasonal - verify before you rely on them.
05 - Impressions
Road bridge and old Ybbstalbahn railway bridge over the river Ybbs at Gstadt, along the Ybbstal Cycle PathPhoto: Road and railway bridges over the Ybbs at Gstadt · Herbert Ortner (Herby, Vienna) · CC BY 3.0 Historic Töpperbrücke over the river Ybbs at Kasten near Lunz am See in the Ybbs valleyPhoto: Töpperbrücke and Ybbstalbahn near Kasten · Herbert Ortner · CC BY 4.0 The Ybbstal Cycle Path through the broad valley meadows of the upper Ybbs valleyPhoto: Ybbstal Cycle Path through valley meadows in the upper Ybbs valley · Matthias Leihs · © Matthias Leihs
06 - Public transit
- ÖBB WestbahnAmstetten / Ybbs an der Donau - connection to the start
- Citybahn Waidhofenlocal railway to Waidhofen an der Ybbs
- Ybbstal heritage railwayLunz am See ↔ Kienberg-Gaming, seasonal
- Postbus upper Ybbs valleyGöstling · Lunz · valley connections
Bikes carried on regional services; the Ybbstalbahn heritage mountain line runs seasonally. Easiest arrival via the Danube Cycle Path / ÖBB to Ybbs an der Donau.
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 (6)
- Stage 1Ybbs an der Donau → Kematen an der Ybbs43 km
- Stage 2Kematen an der Ybbs → Waidhofen an der Ybbs11 km
- Stage 3Waidhofen an der Ybbs → Opponitz13 km
- Stage 4Opponitz → Hollenstein an der Ybbs12 km
- Stage 5Hollenstein an der Ybbs → Göstling an der Ybbs18 km
- Stage 6Göstling an der Ybbs → Lunz am See12 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.