Upper Austria: Road bike tours around Wels
More than 20 carefully prepared tours of between 30 and 150 kilometres lead through the region and are available to download as GPX tracks. Many of the routes are based on the training routes of the local racing bike scene - true to the motto: Go where the locals go. Guests can easily network with local racing cyclists and go on a tour together.
A special plus point: the road bike holiday starts and ends in the city. Specialised business hotels offer bike-friendly service, while cafés, restaurants, shopping and culture beckon after the ride. Historic squares, lively shopping streets and events ensure that there is never a dull moment away from the saddle - even in bad weather.
The new Wels cycling cloverleaf continues to expand the offer: a new, signposted route network for gravel, e-bikes and trekking bikes adds natural routes on gravel and nature trails to the region. The first loop, the 90-kilometre Kremstal loop, connects several towns in the region and shows just how varied cycling holidays around Wels can be. The other three laps will be completed in time for the State Garden Show in Wels in spring 2027.
Info: Racing bike region Wels
Travelling from Germany is easy by car and train. The city is very well connected to the European railway network, especially via the Westbahn railway line. From Germany, you can drive to Wels via the A 8 motorway via Rosenheim and Salzburg, via the A 94 motorway via Altötting and via the A 3 motorway via Passau. The distance from Munich is around 230 kilometres. Further information can be found at: www.wels.at/tourismusregion
Railway
By Eurocity to Salzburg, then by Railjet to Wels; from Frankfurt/Main in seven hours.
Food & Drink
Lonely country roads and an urban lifestyle in Wels city centre - be sure to plan time for shopping, culture and culinary delights!
Our tips
Olivi
www.oliviwels.at
Traditional homemade pasta, delicious wood-fired pizza, crispy salads and dolci - accompanied by Italian and local wines and a smile.
Gösserbräu
www.goesserbraeu.at
Especially known for its selected beers and for the loving preparation of the beers, in fine weather also in the large guest garden.
The entire catering offer can be found here.
Accommodation with something extra for racing cyclists
Racing Bike and Triathlon Boutique Hotel Hauser****
www.hotelhauser.com
Bayrischer Hof***& Hotel Alexandra****
www.bayrischerhof.at
Hotel**** & Gasthof*** Maxlhaid
www.maxlhaid.at
Hotel Ploberger****
www.hotel-ploberger.at
Info
Tourism Association Wels Region
Town square 44
4600 Wels
www.wels.at/rennrad
The tours at a glance
FOR ORIENTATION
Upper Austria borders Bavaria and the province of Salzburg to the east. It is the fourth largest federal state in Austria in terms of area and the third largest with 1.5 million inhabitants; the state capital is Linz. The highest point in the country is the Hohe Dachstein (2,995 metres) on the border with Styria. Our base in Wels is located pretty much in the centre of Upper Austria; around 61,000 inhabitants make the city the second largest in the state and it is an important trade fair and industrial location. From there, our tours lead south into the Upper Austrian Alpine foothills, a partly flat, partly hilly, intensively farmed forest and meadow landscape, and north into the Mühlviertel, where a steep climb awaits north of the Danube in the Rodltal valley. There is also a tour to the south-west of the country, to the marvellous lakes of the Salzkammergut.
TOUR CHARACTER
The altitude profiles of our tours could be taken from a low mountain range: Starting just over 300 metres above sea level, the highest passages reach 700 to just over 800 metres. This is also reflected in the fact that the 90 to 120 kilometre-long laps cover between 1,000 and almost 1,800 metres in altitude. Climbs several kilometres long, such as those from Attersee towards Mondsee and from Attersee to the Krahbergtaferl saddle (around 300 and 420 metres in altitude respectively, Tour 1) or the one from Nußbach to Weiß'n am Sattel (310 metres in altitude, Tour 3), are the exception rather than the rule. Visually, however, the character of the tours is completely different, as you almost always have the Alps in front of your eyes without having to climb too much. The climbs are more the salt in the soup. And on most roads (with a few exceptions), neither heavy traffic nor poor surfaces spoil the flavour.
- Duration approx. 8 hours
- Length 149.8 kilometres
- Altitude metres (uphill) 1,353 m
- Altitude metres (downhill) 1,353 m
Wonderful day tour from Wels into the Salzkammergut and around the Attersee. A long but relatively easy route with a long climb to the Hochlecken summit. Once at the lake, you cycle clockwise around the Attersee, mostly on roads close to the shore through several villages along the lake. The route then leads back towards the foothills of the Alps and on a loop to Wels.
- Duration approx. 7.5 hours
- Length 133.9 kilometres
- Altitude metres (upwards) 2.038 m
- Altitude metres (downhill) 2.039 m
A challenging highlight tour to the Schlögener Donauschlinge garnished with crisp climbs and more than 2,000 metres in altitude. Enjoy the view from the Schartner ridge and past the Hinzenbach ski jump to the Schlögener Donauschlinge. The Schlögener Schlinge, a special natural feature, is a river loop in the Upper Danube Valley near Haibach ob der Donau.
- Duration approx. 2 hours
- Length 42.7 kilometres
- Altitude metres (upwards) 380 m
- Altitude metres (downhill) 375 m
On the trail of the spring classic: every year, Austria's racing bike elite meet for the first test of strength at the Cherry Blossom Race in Wels. However, the race route is also perfect for amateur athletes and offers marvellous views from Buchkirchen from the Roithnerkogelstraße to the Mistelbacher Berg to the north over the Danube valley into the Mühlviertel and from west to east to the Alpine foothills and the Alpine chain. The tour is particularly attractive when the trees are in bloom from April to May.
- Duration approx. 6 hours
- Length 88.8 kilometres
- Altitude metres (upwards) 580 m
- Altitude metres (downhill) 584 m
This tour is ideal for e-bikers, gravel bikers and mountain bikers - all bikes with a profile that love the challenge of rolling hills. The 580 metre ascent reveals the diversity of the Upper Austrian landscape in all its glory. An experience that not only makes the sporty heart beat faster, but also inspires the mind and lets the soul dangle. The tour starts from the urban charm of Wels' town square and takes you through the picturesque Steinhauser Au, past Sattledt, to the impressive baroque abbey in Kremsmünster, home to the world-famous Tassilo chalice. The R501 is the first of four tours of the Wels cycle cloverleaf for bikes with a profile, which will be completed by spring 2027.
