The grapes for this sparkling rosé wine grow mainly in the south-west of Styria in Schilcherland with the well-known towns of Stainz, Eibiswald and Deutschlandsberg. A scenically lovely, lush green region, somewhat removed from mass tourism.
The north-south route of the Schilcher Wine Route offers a good cross-section of nature and culture, although it is more recommended for car travellers. Cyclists are better off taking the Schilcherland tour "Styrian Tuscany", the two-river tour along the Saggau and the Schwarze Sulm or the Austria-Slovenija tour with a detour across the border into Slovenian Styria.
Character:
You cycle mainly on field and forest paths as well as side roads with little traffic. Due to the hilly topography, the metres in altitude add up depending on the tour, i.e. you need a solid basic level of fitness to fully enjoy the tour.
Tour tip:
Day tour Schilcherland - Styrian Tuscany 65 km, 1030 metres in altitude, medium (89% asphalt, 11% gravel/forest path)
Route:
Eibiswald - Unterhaag - Kitzelsdorf - Sternat-Lenz - Leutschach - Gross-Klein - Burgstall - St. Ulrich - Wies - Eibiswald
Best time to travel:
May until the beginning of October
Journey:
Take the EC or Euro night train via Salzburg to Graz. From there take the S-Bahn to Wies-Eibiswald. (Bike transport with international bike card 10 euros). http://www.bahn.de/Fahrrad (Radfahrer-Hotline 01805/996633).
Bike service:
Addresses for bike hire (including e-bikes) and repair facilities can be found at http://www.suedweststeiermark.at
Cycling hotels:
e.g. Hasewend's Kirchenwirt in Eibiswald, http://www.hasewend.at
Hotel Iwein in Eibiswald, http://www.iwein.at
Martinhof in St. Martin im Sulmtal, http://www.martinhof.at
Addresses for cycle-friendly hosts can also be found at http://www.steiermark.com
Organiser:
Cycling holiday offers e.g. at Steiermark Touristik, http://www.steiermark-touristik.at
Maps/literature:
"Wege zum Genuss - Radwege in der Steiermark", the map on a scale of 1:210,000 is available free of charge from Steiermark Tourismus. You can request a free "Genussradeln" folder with numerous route descriptions and map extracts from the South & West Styria tourism region, http://www.sws.st
Information (general):
Styria Tourism, St.-Peter-Hauptstraße, A-8042 Graz, Tel. 0043-316/4003-0, http://www.steiermark.com, http://www.schilcherland.at
