Katschberg and Obertauern Route from Spittal an der Drau

Scenic road chapters

Waypoint introductions and full write-ups

1. 1. Spittal an der Drau

   Spittal an der Drau lies in the broad valley of the Drau in Upper Carinthia, at the foot of the Goldeck mountain, and it is the main town of the region, a busy crossroads of roads and railways between Salzburg, Villach and the Italian border. Its centrepiece is Schloss Porcia, a Renaissance palace of the sixteenth century, built for a wealthy nobleman, Gabriel von Salamanca, and later passed to the Porcia family, whose name it carries. The courtyard, with its three storeys of graceful arcades in pale stone, is regarded as one of the finest Renaissance courtyards north of the Alps, and in summer it is used for open-air theatre and concerts.

   Read the complete Spittal an der Drau write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Spittal an der Drau is where the day begins. Next is Katschberg Pass.

2. 2. Katschberg Pass

   The Katschberg is a modest pass in height, at 1,641 metres, but a serious one in character, since the old road over it has some of the steepest gradients on a main route in Austria. It links Carinthia with the Salzburg region of Lungau, crossing the ridge between the Lieser valley and the upper Mur, and for centuries it was an important crossing for traders and pilgrims. Today, most traffic uses the long tunnel beneath it, part of the Tauern motorway, which leaves the old road quiet and a good deal more rewarding.

   Read the complete Katschberg Pass write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Katschberg Pass comes up about 36 km into the recorded legs. Next is Mauterndorf, mostly downhill.

3. 3. Mauterndorf

   Mauterndorf sits in the Lungau, the high, bowl-shaped basin in the far south-east corner of Salzburg province, where the Taurach river collects itself before heading north. You arrive here with the Niedere Tauern behind you and the Katschberg ahead, and the basin floor is already over a thousand metres up, which is why winters here are properly cold and why the light on a clear September morning feels so thin and bright.

   Read the complete Mauterndorf write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   about 52 km into the recorded legs you reach Mauterndorf. Next is Obertauern.

4. 4. Obertauern

   Obertauern is not so much a village as a ski resort that happens to be built exactly on the summit of a pass. At 1,738 metres on the Radstädter Tauern, the buildings crowd along the road in a long ribbon, hotels and chalets pressed tight to the tarmac because there is simply nowhere else to put them. In summer it is quiet, a bit hollow, with shutters half closed and the cable cars still. In winter it is one of the snowiest places in Austria, and the road itself stays open through the whole season, usually with chains required for cars and, for you, a firm decision to stay at home.

   Read the complete Obertauern write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Obertauern, late in the day at 1738 m. Nothing on this route is higher. Next is Radstadt, mostly downhill.

5. 5. Radstadt

   Radstadt is a little walled town in the Enns valley, on the border of Salzburg and Styria, and it is one of the few places in Austria where the medieval town walls are still standing in good order. Towers, a moat and long stretches of wall from the thirteenth century enclose a rectangle of narrow streets with painted houses, a parish church and a market square, and the gates are still the way in. The town held out against a siege of rebellious peasants during the uprising of 1525 and 1526, when the countryside around the Salzburg lands rose against its prince-archbishop, which is the proudest story of the place.

   Read the complete Radstadt write-up.

   Recorded stop-planning note

   May refer to an earlier itinerary; verify against your selected route before riding.

   Planning note

   Finish at Radstadt. That is the ride.