Bike Riding Feistritztalradweg R8 - Touren-Impression #1 | © Oststeiermark Tourismus Bike Riding Feistritztalradweg R8 - Touren-Impression #1 | © Oststeiermark Tourismus

Feistritztalradweg R8

Partially opened
Please note that the section between Birkfeld and Koglhof can only be driven on a busy road.   Wildly romantic and nostalgic could describe the bike tour through eastern Styria, which is also called the garden of Austria. The path impresses us with dense green forest richness in the forest home of the Styrian poet Peter Rosegger, leads us through the untouched, imposing Feistritztalklamm and the colorful ApfelLand-Stubenbergsee to the thermal and volcanic land of Styria.
Please note that the section between Birkfeld and Koglhof can only be driven on a busy road.

There is one thing we can look forward to on the Feistritztalradweg even before we start pedaling: the outward or return journey to and from Birkfeld. The ride on the Feistritztalbahn from Weiz is a very special experience. We get an impression of how wildly romantic the landscape ahead is and that it is still an achievement to conquer it. Both back then during the bold construction of the railroad and today, as we cycle through forests on the steadily gently sloping cycle path.

Since the gorge is a flood zone and is under nature protection, the bike path could only be built under strict conditions with as little interference with nature as possible. The fords (crossings just above the water) do not have railings (would lead to blockages in case of high water) and are reinforced by massive stone fillings:

  • Travel at your own risk
  • In case of high water, the fords must not be entered and cycled on.
  • The fords are to be passed by bike at walking pace or pushing the bike.
  • No liability is assumed

Characteristics

Skill
Fitness

Best season

January
February
March
November
December

The tour in numbers

medium
Level of difficulty
85,9 km
Route
6:30 h
Time
123 hm
Uphill
614 hm
Downhill
741 m
Highest point

Map & downloads

More information

From Vienna via the Südautobahn A2 and the Semmering Schnellstrasse S6 to the Krieglach exit. Now via the Alpl to St. Kathrein am Hauenstein.

From Graz via Weiz and Birkfeld to St. Kathrein am Hauenstein.

St. Kathrein am Hauenstein

Ratten

Koglhof

Stubenberg am See

Birkfeld

The following stage division is only a recommendation, because along the Feistritztalradweg there are so many possibilities for stops and visits that you could spend many days along the tour.

1st day stage

Ratten - Gschaid near Birkfeld - Koglhof - Anger - Lake Stubenberg

We start in the village of Ratten. In some cases the starting point of the Feistritztalradweg is given in Krieglach in the Mürztal. In this case, however, a stage over the Alpl with several hundred meters of ascent would already await us after the start. However, since we are in the Genussland Steiermark, we take it a little easier and also recommend dividing the tour into two days, because there is so much to discover that it would be a shame not to take the appropriate time. For the first few kilometers, the cycle path leads downhill along the route of the former Feistritztal railroad through shady forests to Birkfeld. The path is gravelled and so the bike tour becomes a true nature experience. In Birkfeld you can take a look at the Felber chocolate factory. From here, the Feistritztalbahn also runs to Weiz, a popular means of transportation that takes us back to our childhood.

Further south, the landscape is dominated by apple and elder trees. The historic town center of Anger with its beautiful church and romantic marketplace invites us to take a break. After a refreshment stop, we continue cycling past apple trees and elder blossoms in the direction of the Stubenbergklamm gorge. The following section is without exaggeration one of the most beautiful bike paths in the Alps. Thundering water, enormous rock walls and bold fords accompany us through the gorge. Fire salamanders and tree frogs scurry along the bike path and in the treetops wagtails, chaffinches and green woodpeckers give a concert. At the exit of the gorge, Lake Stubenberg awaits us, one of the most popular bathing lakes in eastern Austria. A cooling down after the first stage will do our calves good.

Length: 43,8 km

Meters in altitude ascending/descending: 661 m / 1.062 m

Please note that the section between Birkfeld and Koglhof can only be driven on a busy road.

2nd stage of the day

Stubenbergsee - Herberstein Animal World - Kaibing - Großwilfersdorf - Fürstenfeld - Loipersdorf Thermal Spa

On the second day we go to the Herberstein Animal World, where a visit is almost a must. After we have met lions, zebras and monkeys, we continue via the small village of Kaibing to Großsteinbach, where a bathing lake awaits us again and invites us to relax. The next kilometers lead us through corn and pumpkin fields, always accompanying our already dear Feistritz, to Fürstenfeld. The town also calls itself the thermal capital because of its proximity to the Loipersdorf thermal spa. Southern flair in the beautiful center of the old town tempts us not only to a well-deserved stop, but also to stroll.

The small town of Rudersdorf, east of Fürstenfeld, represents the end of the signposted Feitritztalradweg R8. However, at the end of the town of Fürstenfeld at the Mühlbreiten power plant, we branch off onto the R12 thermal cycle path in a southerly direction in order to reach the Loipersdorf spa after a few kilometers. This section of the R12 thermal cycle path takes us past the villages of Dietersdorf and Loipersdorf directly to the spa. On the last meters past the golf course it is once again uphill, but the thermal spa rewards our efforts. Another tip: Especially in spring you can experience the numerous facets of the Styrian landscape on the Feistritztalradweg. While in the north at the beginning of the tour in the narrow valley on the shady side there are still remnants of snow along the path, in the south a few kilometers away the fruit trees are already in bloom. The tour ends in the vineyards around Loipersdorf.

Length: 52,9 km

Vertical meters ascending/descending: 365 m / 415 m

Sections for families: Downriver from Ratten to Birkfeld and Koglhof to Fürstenfeld.
Timetables and travel information can be found at Österreichische Bundesbahnen (ÖBB) or at Verkehrsauskunft Verbundlinie. For local transportation we recommend the SAM-Sammeltaxi Oststeiermark.
Parking directly in the village at the starting point.
You can find out information about the region, places to stop and stay overnight, excursion destinations, etc.:

Eastern Styria Tourism Association
ApfelLand-Stubenbergsee office
8223 Stubenberg am See 5

Tel.: +43 3176 8882
www.apfelland.info
www.oststeiermark.com

current weather

Mobility Eastern Styria with shared taxi SAM

Cycling map Styria - Northeast Slovenia Styria Tourism Tel. +43 (0)316 / 4003-0 www.steiermark.com
 

Gallery

What the weather will be like

Fischbach (992m)

Morning
weather.icon.04
5°C
15%
5 km/h
Noon
weather.icon.04
9°C
5%
5 km/h
Night
sunny
6°C
0%
5 km/h
Rather cloudy in the morning, then sunny spells will develop gradually.
Morning
slightly cloudy
7°C
0%
5 km/h
Noon
sunny
15°C
0%
10 km/h
Night
very sunny
11°C
0%
10 km/h
Early clouds will clear to leave the region with a dry and sunny day.
08.10.2024
slightly cloudy
8°C 17°C
09.10.2024
slightly cloudy
10°C 17°C
10.10.2024
sunny
10°C 18°C
Südosten Region Österreich | © Thermen- & Vulkanland Steiermark

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