Nationalpark Thayatal Radweg - Variante Nord

The “Thayatal National Park Bike Trail” takes you through the impressive Thayatal National Park. Due to the terrain (which includes some steep sections), this trail requires a good level of fitness, and you should also carry a valid travel document.

The starting point for this tour is the National Park Center near Hardegg. From here, you’ll cycle toward Hardegg, Austria’s smallest town, with its imposing castle complex. Don’t underestimate the switchbacks along the way. Passing the clock tower and the border bridge, you’ll continue cycling through the Czech part of the national park to the village of Čížov. Incidentally, a remnant of the Iron Curtain stands here as a memorial. You can visit a small exhibition at the “Podyji Information Center.”

In Čížov, you have two options for continuing your tour. You can either head north toward Lesná or continue toward Horní Břečkov (see the Southern Route).

If you choose the first option, the tour takes you via Lesná to Vránov nad Dyji (Frain an der Thaya). The impressive Baroque Vranov Castle towers above the town.

You’ll then cycle back to the Austrian side and reach Felling. Here, at Austria’s only mother-of-pearl workshop, you can witness how mother-of-pearl buttons and jewelry are crafted from mussel and snail shells. The varied route takes you through meadows, forests, and cultivated landscapes back to the starting point at the National Park Center near Hardegg.

Hardegg is located in the Thayatal National Park, right on the Czech border.

There is a bus route from Retz to Hardegg.

Visit the wildcats at the National Park Center.

This route is suitable for:

• Mountain bikes