Lienz via Loacker

The route from San Candido to Lienz (Austria) is one of the most famous and popular with lovers of two wheels (pedals); what's more, it is a really very easy route even for those who, like us, have children in tow. The route in the direction of Lienz is mostly downhill. The road is fully paved, with few crossings on roads open to traffic and a few level crossings (without barriers). The road signs are very good (you really don't get lost..!). In San Candido the initial stretch (starting from the station) runs through the town streets. On the initial stretch of the actual cycle path we came across a large agricultural vehicle (a tractor) that Matteo really liked but that forced us to pull over onto the edge of the road (it was not going slowly at all). The landscape along the route is really very suggestive and for several stretches completely immersed in the woods.

Another element that does not hurt when there are children are the many playgrounds scattered along the route. The path offers many support points for refreshments and bike maintenance. One of these (a refreshment stop) is unmissable and is about 13 km from San Candido. It is the tastiest and most fun stop of the whole route: the factory of the legendary Loacker biscuits (Loacker how good, Loacker how good..!). Of course we stop for a break at the outlet, where we fill our backpack with biscuits and various sweets (partly eaten during the ride). We rented two City Bikes (15€ each), one of them with a child seat (3€). An alternative to the child seat could be the child trailer, useful as a luggage carrier when stopping at the biscuit factory.

To cover the 40.83 km we took 4 hours (cruising speed between 10 and 15 km per hour) with numerous short stops to take photos and a longer one (of course) at Loacker. For the return you can comfortably take a train from Lienz that brings you to the San Candido station. We opted for this solution (train), leaving the bikes however at the collection point at the Lienz railway station (a service offered by the rental company at a cost of 4€; 5€ is the price of the train ticket for the bike alone). At the two stations we noticed that the loading/unloading of bicycles is very "crowded and chaotic", so we strongly recommend the "bike collection point" option. The town of Lienz is rather small and nice to visit (not unmissable) but above all useful for one last snack before returning to San Candido. At the San Candido railway station there is free parking.

At the start of the pedestrian street in the centre there is a paid car park. Some technical info on the route: Distance: 40.83 km Elevation gain: 506 m Type: cycle path Surface: asphalt Difficulty: easy Skateable? Yes Suitable for children? Yes

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