Drava bicycle route from Alps to Pannonic fields

ACCOMMODATION IN DRAVOGRAD Individual or organized arrival (transfers) to the town of Dravograd, situated in the valley of the river Drava near the Austrian border. Check-in at the hotel, meeting with the Slovenia Cycling tour guide and welcome drink. Individual dinner. Overnight stay.

Breakfast. Meeting with the guide and start of the first stage near Dravograd. The old town center and the view of the ruins of the old castle above the market square make Dravograd simply charming. Our route first takes us through Bukovje, past the mighty and beautiful castle, where we can stop and learn about its history. Through the forest above the Drava, which we can watch from above, the path takes us past some beautiful houses with a view of the Drava valley, via Trbonje to Vuzenica, which lies at the confluence of the Drava and Cerkvenica below the northern slope of the forested Pohorje mountains. We cross a bridge over the river and arrive in Radlje ob Dravi. Accommodation and free time. Individual dinner. Overnight stay.

ROUTE DATA: 30 KM, 626 meters in total vertical ascent

Breakfast. Today we have a slightly more difficult tour and stage. We cross the Drava River and begin the ascent through a gorge to the mouth of the Velka stream. Here the trail turns right, where a challenging climb of about 6 km awaits us towards Janževski Vrh, Lehen and Lovrenc na Pohorju, in the heart of the spruce forests of the Pohorje Mountains. From there we continue eastwards, leaving Ruše and Limbuš behind and arriving in Maribor. Accommodation in a hotel. Free time to enjoy the lively capital of Slovenian Styria. Visit to the oldest vineyard in the world (Stara Trta), located in the area of the old harbor on the Drava River, called Lent. Wine tasting and stroll through the pedestrian zone. Individual dinner, overnight stay.

DATA OF THE ROUTE: 50 km, 640 meters in total vertical ascent

Breakfast at the hotel and some free time before departure for the third stage. From Maribor we cycle in some short ascents and descents via Malečnik and Trčova to Duplek, which is situated on the north-western edge of Slovenske gorice, where the hilly landscape changes into the flat part along the Drava river. We cycle first through Vurberk and Krčevina and soon reach Ptuj, the oldest town in Slovenia. After arrival at the hotel, we will go for a bike ride, visit the magnificent Ptuj Castle, taste wine and have fun. Individual dinner. Overnight stay.

DATA OF THE ROUTE: 35 km, 228 meters in total vertical ascent

From Ptuj we continue our journey via Lake Ptuj, the largest artificial lake in Slovenia on the Drava River with an area of 346 hectares. It was created by damming the Drava below Ptuj. Partially following the course of the river, we cross some fields on a large plain and arrive at Ormož. From Ormož, the trail leads through fields and villages to Središče ob Dravi, a town between the Drava and the vineyards, whose history dates back to the Neolithic period. The first documented mention dates back to 1255, when the Ptuj nobles made the town their Hungarian fiefdom. At the Trnovec border crossing, the road leads into Croatia. After a few kilometres, the trail turns onto an unpaved road that leads through fields to the beautiful dunes along the Drava River. After 6 kilometres along the wild banks of the river, you reach the village of Pušćine, and five kilometres further on you can see. Varaždin, a town with a perfectly preserved historical centre. Accommodation in Varaždin. Individual dinner and overnight stay.

ROUTE DATA: 60 km, 185 metres of elevation gain.

Breakfast at the hotel. Today we set out on the last stage of the journey. From Varaždin, the route leads partly along Lake Varaždin and then through picturesque villages to Lake Dubrava. In Prelog there are two notable sights: the Baroque Church of St. Jacob and the Museum Hortus Croatiae with its rich collection of Croatian naive art. Just outside the town there is a small marina on the largest artificial lake in Croatia. We head towards the confluence of the rivers, where we reach our final destination, and arrange transfer to Maribor. Accommodation in a hotel, free dinner, overnight stay.

DATA OF THE ROUTE: 52 km, 40 metres difference in altitude.

By minibus to Dravograd, after breakfast. End of services.