Salzburger Sonnenterrasse

Trip report 2023 My husband (76) and I (68) completed the Villach-Grado section in May over 5 days, travelling independently. We found the trail easy to follow and generally very well signposted - and the couple of times we were unsure or confused, other cyclists passed us or a local person pointed the way. We are not daily or long-distance cyclists, though we often do a short local trip at home at weekends. I provide this trip report as I patched together our trip using snippets of information, but didn’t find much for the independent person. Many people seem to do this as a package, which we thought – including afterwards – was completely unnecessary. I estimate we saved about $1000 compared with booking a package tour for us both. Day 1. Arrived in Villach by train and checked into the City Hotel. This is ideally located opposite the train station, one street away from the outfit we rented our bikes from (FunActive TOURS- Discover the Alpe Adria Trail with our Bike Tours) and almost on the route itself. Very comfortable hotel and excellent breakfast. We collected our bikes in the late afternoon, and although we are not German speakers, bought the only detailed bike route description book we could find: Alpe Adria Radweg Salzburg - Adria (2018) Spiral-bound (15e), mainly because of the very detailed maps following the route. Although we rarely consulted it, occasionally it saved us a considerable le detour. We had rented e-bikes from this outfitter with a handlebar bag and a pannier, and had also arranged with them to transport the rest of our luggage from Villach to Grado directly. They offer many other services and options as well as a day-to-day complete packages, but were equally happy to help us out (and were very helpful and easily contactable for questions etc). The bikes were very comfortable, high-quality bikes with easily enough power for the route – indeed we rarely used more than 10% of what was available. Day 2. The initial stage reaching the bike route in Villach on the correct side of the river for the route is not easy and both we and a larger group of cyclists ended up on the wrong side initially. Consulting the map book, we easily corrected this and enjoyed the day, largely on tarmac surfaces, riding alongside the river. We had brought snacks and lunch with us as picnics and there were plenty of opportunities for this. Then it’s an almost unnoticeable climb to the first overnight stop, and of course, a bit of a thrill cycling across the border. We were easily in Tarvisio by early afternoon – in fact, too early to check into our hotel (Hotel Haberl). Parking for the bikes was at the back, actually inside the hotel itself! On the recommendation of a women leaving a very busy restaurant (Alpino) we had an excellent lunch. The town was decorated very thoroughly in a pink cycling theme as the Giro D’Italia final time trial stage was due there the following week. Day 3. Began with a pleasant route through the valley, following the old rail trail, and became a very easy downhill run for some 50kms towards our next stop in Venzone. We took one or two side trips to small side villages and stopped for lunch at an old rail station, now café. At the café we noticed there were sheet maps for the route, which would have been an alternative, but the book was a practical size and fitted snugly into the map reader on the handlebar bag. This day was beside steep cliffs and included some interesting sights and an old bridge to cross. In Venzone, we stayed in the Agriturismo Casali scjs, which used to include a restaurant, but now only does bed and breakfast. It is a short ride from the interesting walled town of Venzone, but there is a reasonable restaurant at the end of the agriturismo’s entry road, which was as far we wanted to walk that evening! Although the agriturismo was fine, with a spacious room and helpful hosts, there are plenty of alternatives in Venzone itself. Day 4. Quite a change of scenery and route = now undulating and passing through, rather than past, several small towns. We diverted from the route for lunch under a canopy of vines, and arrived into Udine late in the afternoon (there’s a good gelato shop just across the first major roundabout). We stayed at the Hotel Suite Inn, which is one the outskirts of the town and about a 10–15-minute walk into the centre. Udine itself has a lovely, historical centre, well worth exploring. Day 5. We had elected to reduce the last section by splitting it into two and staying at Palmanova overnight. We found we therefore had two easy days and plenty pf time to explore the Basilica in particular, which was excellent and deserved an unhurried visit. These two days were also exceptionally hot and we were glad therefore not to be cycling after lunch. Younger (or fitter) riders could however easily complete the last section in a day. In Palmanova, we stayed n the main square at the Ai Dogi and had a good lunch at the café Municipio on the opposite side of the “square”. Day 6. A very easy ride to Aquileia, which we thought was one of the highlights of our whole holiday. There is a very good café in the grounds and the entry fee (10e pp for the full site) was well worth it. We spent several hours here, then finished the trip with the long run across the causeway into Grado, where we found our luggage waiting for us at the Hotel Hannover as arranged. The outfitters collected the bikes from the hotel the following day. With a bit of organisation, this was very easy to arrange independently. We could have saved more by bikepacking or staying in different accommodation. Even in May, there were plenty of other cyclists, including guided tours, on the route. You do need to be very careful about security and we never left our bikes unattended during the day or outside the locked hotel grounds at night. The risks were brought home to us later in our trip when one of us had their (rental) bike stolen during a torrential downpour on an official city bike tour with a guide and doing exactly as the guide directed. At the time, she said that was the second bike that had been stolen on the same city tour this year.