Cycling from spa to spa

Thermenradweg r12

Cycling heaven, from one spa to the next. A pleasure tour from spa to spa in the Thermen- & Vulkanland Steiermark – surely there’s no better way to cycle.

The Thermenradweg R12 (Thermal Spa Cycle Trail) is perhaps one of Styria’s most impressive cycling routes: Just under 150 km in length, it runs along the EuroVelo 9 trail from Hochwechsel on the border between Lower Austria and Styria, via a few ridges and hills, past the Styrian spas in the Thermen- & Vulkanland before reaching the River Mur at Bad Radkersburg.

Pleasure cycling: time to live

The Thermenradweg is also a journey into culinary paradise: Styrian specialities and Buschenschänken (wine taverns), the famous pumpkin seed oil, special pumpkin delicacies, “Sturm” (semi-fermented grape juice), chestnuts in autumn and so much more are all just waiting to be sampled. Castles and palaces alternate with floodplain landscapes, peaceful vineyards, idyllic wooded groves and meadows, forming a remarkable ensemble picture.

Your cycling tour can be tackled in several different sections. Cycling tour for pleasure cyclists as well as ambitious athletes. The cycle trail is well signposted the whole way.

Thermenradweg R12 at a glance

Starting in Mönichkirchen, pedal through East Styria into the Thermen- & Vulkanland. Pass spas, vineyards, historical towns and golf courses on the way.

Tour details

Tour route

Start off in the idyllic town of Mönichkirchen on the state border, cycling through the heart of “wholesome rural life”: rich green forests, fresh air, wonderful views and friendly people greet you on your way from the Hochwechsel mountain range towards Pinggau, past Friedberg and Dechantskirchen, to the district capital of Hartberg. It’s well worth taking a detour to the “Rome of East Styria”, before continuing into the Pöllau Valley Nature Park.

The Thermenradweg continues via St. Johann/Haide; following the ridge you will approach the Thermen- & Vulkanland. In the distance, you will glimpse the first two spas – the new H₂O-Hotel-Therme-Resort, the “newest” spa in the Thermen- & Vulkanland, and the Heiltherme Bad Waltersdorf.

The R12 then continues past Burgau Castle to the place dubbed the largest inhabitable work of art, the Rogner Bad Blumau spa hotel. Past the 1,000-year-old oak tree in the spa town of Bad Blumau, you will cross the Lafnitz, the river that forms the border, and continue via Deutsch-Kaltenbrunn and Speltenbach to reach Fürstenfeld, labelled the “spa capital”. Here you will be greeted by Pfeilburg Castle, Europe’s largest outdoor pool, plus an excellent gastronomy scene and great shopping facilities in the town centre. Beyond the Loipersdorf golf complex, you can look forward to the next spa – the “liveliest” of them all – the Therme Loipersdorf.

From Loipersdorf, follow a ridge down into the Raabtal valley, where the Thermenradweg meets the popular well-known family cycling trail, the R11 Raabtalradweg, in the Raab floodplains.

However, you will keep going further south, past shady forests, sweeping fields and graceful vine-clad slopes along the Burgenland/Styria border to St. Anna am Aigen, where Styria’s finest wines await you at the Gesamtsteirische Vinothek wine shop. The view here of the entire region over to Slovenia and the Hungarian lowlands is simply stunning.

From St. Anna am Aigen, proceed down to the Kutschenica, the tranquil little stream that marks the border between Styria and Slovenia. The Thermenradweg then takes you back along the ridge at Deutsch-Haseldorf in the wine region of Klöch, before heading downhill towards the Mediterranean-style town of Bad Radkersburg: the destination of the R12. Here, the historical old town, the hot springs of the Parktherme, the Murau wetlands and your proximity to Slovenia all come together to form an ideal place to linger and enjoy some “borderless cycling”.