Day 1: Maribor – Laško
Unfortunately, the start was pretty wet: it had already started raining heavily in Maribor in the evening, and it continued into the morning. The first stage was tough, covering almost 90 kilometers and nearly 800 meters of elevation gain. After about an hour, the weather improved, the rain stopped, and the riding conditions were really good. The route was hilly but beautiful—in clear weather, you would have had a great view of the Alps. The Hotel Therme Laško was the first accommodation of my trip. A really great hotel – modern, cozy, with a large wellness area.
Day 2: Laško – Ljubljana
Once again, around 90 kilometers and about 900 meters of elevation gain were on the agenda – so really challenging. But what’s really practical here is that the railway line runs mostly alongside the bike route. (Mostly paved farm roads away from the main road) So you can hop on the train almost anywhere – except for a 30-kilometer stretch in the middle. I rode the entire route by bike – on one section, I even rode along a beautiful forest path on the mountain. There was no traffic, just lots of nature, which was really beautiful, even though I was constantly battling the rain. The last 10 kilometers to Ljubljana were expected to have increased traffic. The city itself is very appealing and the hotel is also centrally located. Before it started raining again, I visited the old town (a very lively and beautiful city center).
Day 3: Ljubljana – Trieste
I had actually planned to combine two stages on this day – a total of around 130 kilometers (the original tour is planned with an overnight stay in Postojna). But with continuous rain forecast, a weather warning and a temperature of only 10 degrees, I decided to take the train to Divača (just before Lipica, almost at the Italian border), which was the right decision as I stayed almost completely dry. Incidentally, most of the entire route can also be covered comfortably by train (however, it is not possible to shorten the route along the way). From Divača, I cycled again – about 40 kilometers to Trieste. The section was really beautiful: great scenery, especially around Lipica and Škocjan. I found this area – the Slovenian Karst landscape – very interesting. And then finally I arrived in Trieste. Sun, sea, Italian flair – simply wonderful after the gray weather before. I find the city particularly appealing because of its contrasts (monarchical style in the old town, really industrial all around) and it is definitely worth a visit.
Day 4: Trieste – Vienna
We returned to Vienna on a direct train (journey time: around 9 hours).
My conclusion: The part in Austria to Maribor is leisurely, especially with an e-bike. From Maribor onwards, it gets much more strenuous – without an e-bike, you need to be in good shape and it’s more suited to experienced cyclists. The bike tour app is very easy to use and gets you to your destination. Overall, it was a tour full of contrasts – from the mountains in Slovenia to the Mediterranean Sea in Italy. Not always easy, but definitely worth it!
Has this story whetted your appetite and would you like to experience the entire journey from Vienna to Trieste? Then you can find all the details here: Stunning bike tour from Vienna to Trieste
