Beetle Bean Tour to the Cities of Culture
The cycle tour takes us to the small towns of Gleisdorf and Weiz on the Raabtal cycle path, as well as along apple orchards and vineyards with wonderful views.
Around the Raabtal cycle path, which leads from Almenland to Thermenland in the south-east of Styria, numerous circular tours have been established, starting from St. Ruprecht an der Raab, which are an ideal addition to a relaxing active vacation in Eastern Styria. The two towns of Gleisdorf and Weiz invite you to make a leisurely stopover. Probably the most beautiful sections of the circular tour are those around Prebuch with panoramic views of the Kulm, the most striking mountain in Apfelland, and the ride through the shady forests of the Bärental valley. The circular tour is a combination of several cycle paths. Orientation is good and clear - simply follow the route numbers given in the following route description.
The beetle bean fields are marked with their own signs!
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The market town of St.Ruprecht is located in Eastern Styria and is very easy to reach via the A2 motorway from Vienna (approx. 2 hours) and Graz (approx. 30 minutes).
- Arrival from Vienna and from Graz: On the A2 from Vienna and from Graz, take motorway exit 161 / Gleisdorf West in the direction of B54/B64. Follow the B65 / Gleisdorf federal road until you reach the B54 / Wechselbundesstraße. At the roundabout take the second exit to the B64 / Rechberg-Bundesstraße. After about 6 km turn left to St. Ruprecht an der Raab.
Open map here
- We start at the Peace Grotto on the main square, the central starting point of all cycle paths in St. Ruprecht an der Raab. First we roll along the R11 Raabtalradweg towards Gleisdorf. We pass the two villages of Wollsdorf and Albersdorf and soon arrive in the shopping town of Gleisdorf, which is characterised by exciting projects, especially in the energy sector.
- At the town parish church on the main square, we keep to the left and take the WZ4 cycle path slightly uphill along Kernstockgasse in a north-easterly direction. After a few hundred metres, the WZ4 branches off onto the Sandriegelweg, which soon joins the Hohenbergweg.
- After a few short serpentines, we reach a junction where we turn left onto the WZ10 Energieradweg. Following this path, we cycle in sections along the East Styrian Roman Wine Road and the Styrian Apple Road. Wine and apples are also our scenic companions on this tour along the ridge we are now on.
- In the village of Prebuch with the Apfelschlössl café, which tempts you to stop for a bite to eat, we keep to the left and continue on the WZ10. Other cycle paths such as the Ilztalradweg R10 and the WZ1 have now joined us.
- A few metres after the settlement of Wolga, we keep to the right and immediately left again and continue to cycle along the ridge of hills that soon takes us past apple orchards and through beautiful mixed forests to Krottendorf, a suburb of the city of Weiz.
- In Krottendorf we continue along the WZ10 and soon arrive at the Hotel Allmer and the roundabout immediately after. Here we turn left into Birkfelder Straße (if you feel like it, you can take the climb to the beautifully situated Weizbergkirche) and cycle along it until we reach the large crossing with traffic lights, where we keep to the well-marked cycle path strip and turn right into Dr. Karl-Widmann-Straße.
- At this point, however, we should also do something for body and soul and consider which café to stop at. There are many possibilities and each café is worth a visit.
- After about 50 metres we turn left into Europaallee, which takes us right into the old town. Following Dr. Karl Renner Gasse, we reach the main square with the Tabor Church, which should definitely be visited. The small inner courtyard is not only worth seeing, but also an island of peace in the middle of the beautiful small town of Weiz.
- From now on, it's a bit of an uphill climb to the Göttelsberg for a short while: we ride across the main square, turn left at the end of the square and from now on keep to the WZ8 energy eight, which takes us up the aforementioned hill. The prize for diligence: a beautiful view over the city and of the Weizberg church towering above it.
- In a sharp right-hand bend we branch off to the left and get back onto the R11 Raabtalradweg via Götzenbichl. Rolling out of the city, we now ride through the middle of the Bärental, a beautiful recreation area with forests and the Raabklamm, a wild and romantic nature reserve that delights families, sports enthusiasts and the young at heart with hiking, cycling and running trails.
- Following the R11 Raabtalradweg (Raab Valley Cycle Path), we continue via Mitterdorf an der Raab and past Stadl Castle, which hosts a festival worth seeing every summer, back to St. Ruprecht an der Raab, our starting point.
If you want to learn more about the beetle bean, visit the Kernothek of the
Steirerkraft company in Wollsdorf/St. Ruprecht an der Raab. More than 50 producers from the region present themselves here and guided tours and tastings are also offered.
There are several parking spaces available on the
main square in St. Ruprecht. Alternatively, about 150 m away, past the Hotel Locker & Legere and the Marktheurigen Strobl, there are numerous parking spaces at the large park in the middle of St. Ruprecht an der Raab.
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art house, Weiz, Eastern Styria | © Oststeiermark Tourismus | Simon Sackl
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Pumpkin fields as companions, Eastern Styria | © Steiermark Tourismus/Gerhard Eisenschink | Simon Sackl
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main square Gleisdorf, Eastern Styria | © Oststeiermark Tourismus | Simon Sackl
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Beetle bean blossom, Eastern Styria | © Oststeiermark Tourismus | Ewald Neffe
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Steirerkraft Kernothek, St. Ruprecht an der Raab, Eastern Styria | © Oststeiermark Tourismus | xSimon Sackl
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Weizberg Church, Eastern Styria | © Oststeiermark Tourismus
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Styrian beetle bean, Eastern Styria | © Oststeiermark Tourismus | Oststeiermark Tourismus
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Beetle bean fields in and around St. Ruprecht an der Raab, Eastern Styria | © Oststeiermark Tourismus | Steininger
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Tourism region St. Ruprecht an der Raab, Eastern Styria | © Oststeiermark Tourismus
What the weather will be like
Gleisdorf (362m)
Dry and bright with plenty of sunshine, becoming partly cloudy towards evening.
Snow showers dying away in the morning, then slowly becoming sunny during the day.
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