For motorcyclists
For motorcyclists
Nawu Land is perfect for motorcyclists. At the foot of the Nassfeld Pass, a remarkable area opens up towards Italy. Friuli-Venezia Giulia is a worthwhile destination with its many passes of all categories and good asphalt. To the south-east you reach Slovenia via the Passo di Predil, or Wurzenpass. A day trip through the Soca Valley to the sea is an attractive option. Carinthia with its excursion roads, passes and lakes is great anyway. Heimo, the expert of nawu´s motorcycling tours knows every street, every pass, every “lost place” in a wide area, between the Adriatic and the Dolomites.
You tell him how and what route you want to drive. He has the answer. It’s also good to be able to spread out in all directions and cruise towards the sun.
After the trip, immersing yourself in the wellness area in nawu and relaxing your muscles again is a heavenly pleasure. In addition to the driving highlights, there is also so much else to discover in the region. With the included Summer Card you have unlimited options and access to the mountains and lakes.
As a premium member of “Motorrad Land Kärnten”, all the amenities in the house are available for a relaxed biker’s time. nawu apartments – a heart for bikers.
Heimo recommends: From the Pustertal to the Lesachtal – the Staller Sattel.
South Tyrol and East Tyrol in one go. Beautiful valleys, quiet alpine pastures, jagged peaks and, without exception, beautiful biker paths. You have to see it…!
We start in the district capital Hermagor and drive west through valley Gailtal to Kötschach. The Gailbergsattel pass is waiting for us here, it takes us into the valley Drautal to Oberdrauburg, where we turn left at the end of the Drau bridge and head for Lienz on the B 100. Again we go through the well-known Tiroler Tor, the “Tyrolean Gate”, drive to Lienz and at the westernmost roundabout take the exit towards Felbertauern. In Lienz we take the road towards Felbertauern and continue to Huben. You should refuel in Huben, especially on weekends. As already mentioned elsewhere, fuel in Italy is much more expensive. In addition, only designated gas stations remain open on weekends. From Huben we turn into the valley Defreggental. We drive past the picturesque mountain villages of St. Veit, St. Jakob and Erlsbach and come to the Staller Sattel pass. This mountain road is only passable and open from mid-June to mid-October. We “climb” up to over 2,000m. The view of the surrounding, majestic, and snow-covered three-thousanders is simply spectacular and impressive. This route leads through picture-perfect landscapes. Here you can experience pure nature in the truest sense of the word. Maybe the drive up to the Staller Sattel pass isn’t adventurous enough for some people. It will definitely be the descent because it is a single-lane road. A “high mountain traffic light” regulates one-way traffic in 15-minute green light phases (1st – 15th minute of every hour)
and 45-minute red light phases (as we all know that going downhill is faster than going uphill). Given the impressive mountain backdrop, you will happily accept a possible waiting time – after all, there must be time for great photos. Nevertheless, be careful: oncoming traffic must always be expected (at least with pedal riders). On this way we come across two beautiful lakes, lake Obersee (at the top of the Staller Sattel pass) and lake Untersee (also lake Antholzer See). At lake Untersee we find a nice lakeside restaurant that has a game reserve attached to it. We then drive on a very well-developed but relatively low-traffic road through valley Antholz into the valley Pustertal. At this point the traffic has us completely under control again, opportunities to overtake are rare. Via Toblach and Innichen (San Candida) we finally come back across the state border to Sillian. There’s no going back to Lienz now. Because in Tassenbach we turn right towards Kartitsch and into the Tyrolean and then Carinthian valley Lesachtal. It is one of the most beautiful valleys in the Alps and for sure one with the most natural scene in all of Europe. The valley even received awards for its beauty in 1988. Back in the days you had to pass a whopping 72 ditches to reach Kötschach. Today there are fewer villages, but the winding road leads through picturesque villages. In the Marian pilgrimage site Maria Luggau you should take a break and visit the basilica. A little refreshment doesn’t hurt any biker. After the basilica there is a hearty inn – the “Paternwirt”. Authentic Austrian food is served here. Be careful: In the valley Lesachtal you can sometimes hear a traditional costume band coming your way. Almost every place here has its own brass band. After the Strajacher hairpin bends – an El Dorado for bikers – we reach the end of the valley in Wetzmann. In front of us lies Kötschach-Mauthen again, the path through the Upper valley Gailtal to Hermagor is just a stone’s throw away.