Österreichischer Grenzlandweg Trail 07 through Steiermark

Accessible by public transport

Public bus (within 15 minutes walking distance from starting point)

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

The tour in numbers

Level of difficulty medium

Route 125,7 km

Time 41:00 h

Uphill 2013 hm

Downhill 2450 hm

Highest point 1224 m

The section of the East-Austrian Border Trail through Styria leads us from Vorau at the foot of the Wechsel through Eastern Styria and the Thermen- & Vulkanland to Bad Radkersburg, the romantic border town in the border triangle of Austria - Hungary - Slovenia. Those interested in culture will get their money's worth at Vorau Abbey in Joglland or Riegersburg Castle, among others, and culinary delights along the entire route - this is the way to do it in Steiermark.

The long-distance trail with the number 07 has a total length of about 710 km and starts on the Nebelstein in the Waldviertel, even leads through the federal capital Vienna and meets the Southern Alpine Trail 03 in Bad Radkersburg.

Our starting point for crossing the whole of Eastern Styria from the foot of the Wechsel to Bad Radkersburg is in the small municipality of Vorau with the impressive Vorau Abbey and on to the historic town of Hartberg with its beautiful old town centre, also a stage stop on the hiking route "From the Glacier to the Wine". The rest of the way takes us into the Spa and Volcano Region of Styria with its numerous culinary stops and - nomen est omen - relaxing thermal water landscapes, all the way to Bad Radkersburg.

Best season

January

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More information

Detailed information on how to get there can be found here.

From Vorau, the route first takes us to the Hartberger Ringkogel with its viewing platform to the historic town of Hartberg. Immediately after Hartberg, the tour leads through the Natura 2000 Europe protected area Hartberger Gmoos and on through shady forests, across meadows and along fertile fields right into the heart of the Thermen- & Vulkanland to Bad Waltersdorf. Next stop: Bad Blumau with the famous Rogner Therme, designed by Friedensreich Hundertwasser. What we definitely don't want to be missing is the 1,000-year-old oak tree on the Bierbaumer Höhe near Bad Blumau. This natural monument is said to be the oldest oak in Europe and is truly imposing. On forest paths, we now head towards Fürstenfeld, a small town that is just as beautiful as Hartberg, with a walkable historic town wall and impressive architecture. Last but not least, the route takes us to Söchau, the herb village in Styria.

Through forests, across meadows and past orchards, we then head to Riegersburg Castle, which towers imposingly on a volcanic cone. In all the centuries of its existence, Riegersburg Castle could never be conquered and was therefore rightly considered the strongest fortress of the Occident. We then reach the small town of Fehring in the Raab valley, where vineyards and the first clapboards accompany us more and more often.

The next section takes us into the heart of the Thermen- & Vulkanland, where the path leads through beautiful deciduous forests, past vineyards and also to Kapfenstein Castle. One of our next stops is the old "Maria Theresien Stone" at the small border triangle between Styria, Slovenia and Burgenland. Afterwards, we soon reach the idyllic village of St. Anna am Aigen, situated on a hilltop, which is especially known for the Vinothek Steiermark on the main square and will delight every wine lover. The last section takes us through the beautiful vineyard landscape via the wine village of Klöch to Bad Radkersburg with its beautiful historic old town and the Parktherme spa, which invites us to relax.

Im Thermen- & Vulkanland, der Oststeiermark, der Südsteiermark und der Erlebnisregion Graz öffnet die GenussCard bei Übernachtung in einem der Genusscard-Partnerbetriebe Tür und Tor zu über 280 Ausflugszielen. Unzählige dieser Genusscard-Ausflugsziele, deren Palette von kulinarischen Manufakturen über Badeseen bis zu Museen reicht, liegen direkt am Ostösterreichischen Grenzlandweg 07!

Accessible by train and bus: detailed information about arriving by ÖBB (Austrian Federal Railways) can be found at www.oebb.at or on the Verbundlinie Steiermark website www.busbahnbim.at

With Verbundlinie’s BusBahnBim route planner app, planning your journey has never been easier: simply enter towns and/or addresses, stop names or points of interest to check all bus, train and tram connections in Austria. The app is available free of charge for smartphones – on Google Play and in the App Store

Numerous parking facilities are available in Friedberg.

Steiermark Tourismus, Tel. +43 316 4003
www.steiermark.com