Cycling Route Alpe-Adria - Stage 7

Udine - Grado (just under 60 km) - The last section of the Alpe-Adria route can be described relatively quickly. However, before we do that, we would like to mention our accommodation in Udine, the Hotel Residenzia al Teatro. A small hotel located on a side street, just under 600m from the city center. Beautifully renovated rooms and super friendly owners who make every effort to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. Bicycles can of course be parked in the garage and there are also charging stations for eBikes. The breakfast is amazing. From freshly squeezed orange juice to sandwiches with prosciutto or tuna and homemade cake, everything is available. It could easily pass as an Apéro Riche! When we said goodbye, we even received a bottle of Prosecco and were asked to take a picture while enjoying it and send it to the hotel for their gallery. Overall, very likeable and we would definitely stay there again!

On the cycle path, you quickly leave the city and move along the cycle path, deserted side streets or field paths, past river banks and vineyards through small villages. Despite the excellent signage, we managed to miss the route at one point, but there is a whole network of cycle paths in the plain, so we ended up reaching Palmanova, the historic hexagonal fortress city that is part of UNESCO World Heritage, from a different direction. On the main square, there are several cafes and bars that invite you to refresh and it's great that you can park your bike right in front of them.

Now there were only the last 28km left, of which about 5km go over the sea on the dam to Grado. And those should still be a bit challenging. The first 8km to Cervignano are pleasantly rural and the town itself with its canals is very pretty. But then you have 20km in a straight line to Grado. The cycle path now follows the main road and especially the bike traffic, with many excursions from Grado. And suddenly there are the infamous groups of 15 eBikes, which add even more chaos... Some foresight is helpful here. However, what really became laborious now was the strong wind that, not surprisingly, came from the front. Sometimes it was a real battle, combined with the rather monotonous scenery, once again a duty. Once the dam is reached and the goal is in sight, the last 5km are soon conquered. When you arrive in Grado, you have to navigate through the hustle and bustle of a seaside resort in the high season until you finally reach the destination, respectively the hotel. Done. We already know Grado from before and our enthusiasm for this upscale seaside resort on the upper Adriatic still remains limited. But we will only spend one night here before moving on to less glamorous realms.

The 420km route offered a remarkably diverse scenery. Starting in the cultural metropolis of Salzburg, then the lovely landscape along the Salzach River, narrow and spectacular valley sections, the unique Bad Gastein and the high alpine landscape in front of the Tauernschleuse, then the sections in Mölltal that already have a southern feel, the river and floodplain landscape along the Drau River, the bustling city of Villach, the alpine region around Tarvisio and then the absolute highlight on the old railway track down to Venzone and the Mediterranean garden landscape of the Friulian plain to the Adriatic Sea. Only two sections of about 5km each run on busy roads (after Pass Lueg in Austria and the last section before Venzone), everything else is pure cycling enjoyment! I wouldn't recommend the route to complete beginners without an eBike, as there are some challenging sections when carrying luggage. All in all, it's a really great route, with the opportunity - which we are taking advantage of now - to extend our stay on the Adriatic and relax on the endless sandy beaches. La Vita é bella.