Touring and Gravel Biking in the Graz Surroundings
27.06.25 12:58 5772025-06-27T12:58:00+02:00Text: NoMan (translated by AI)Photos: Erwin HaidenUphill and downhill through the wonderful intersection of Schilcherland and Lipizzaner homeland. Riding the Ligist tour and visiting Piber makes it clear: Where "Experience Region" is written, variety is inside.27.06.25 12:58 6702025-06-27T12:58:00+02:00Touring and Gravel Biking in the Graz Surroundings
27.06.25 12:58 6702025-06-27T12:58:00+02:00 NoMan (translated by AI) Erwin HaidenUphill and downhill through the wonderful intersection of Schilcherland and Lipizzaner homeland. Riding the Ligist tour and visiting Piber makes it clear: Where "Experience Region" is written, variety is inside.27.06.25 12:58 6702025-06-27T12:58:00+02:00
Not even three kilometers ridden, but already more than 250 meters of elevation gain conquered. And relentlessly, the road continues skyward, with gradients of 13, 16, 19, yes, even over 20%. "If this keeps up, my battery will be empty before halftime," NoPain remarks dryly and switches back from Tour mode to Eco mode.
A puzzled glance at the master of Di2, AXS, and general electronics management. Did he not...?
No, he didn’t. Neither did we, by the way. A casual bike tour in Western Styria, just under 40 kilometers, and maybe later a little loop around Piber... that’s easily manageable with a Bosch CX that’s only slightly drained and an SX that, even after using all its extra power, still has 400 Wh of internal battery capacity.
The only problem is that NoPain’s bike doesn’t have a range extender, never did. And those 250 Wh already consumed the day before on the Murradweg are now missing from his main battery.
Ligister Tour 748
Had we read the fine print for today's undertaking a little more carefully. Or simply just the tour data, which certainly doesn't hide the fact that the route includes a total of 1,100 meters of elevation gain.
From the official tour description of the Graz region about the Ligister E-Bike Tour from the Mountain to the Wine:
We particularly recommend this tour for e-bikers, because with a fully charged battery, you can enjoy alpine-like landscapes, shady forests, and rushing streams to charming vineyards and orchards in a short amount of time.
Well, we can report after successfully completing the loop at the beginning of the Schilcher Wine Route: It works with a not fully charged battery too. Just not in quite as short a time.
Which is why we only managed a fraction of the Lipizzaner Homeland Tour, which was also originally on the plan. But that's okay. It's truly beautiful here in the Graz Adventure Region, which, starting from the Styrian capital, offers worthwhile bike tours in all directions for bikers of every discipline – true to the motto: from city to countryside in 10 minutes. We'll simply come back another time and make up for what we missed!
Ligister Tour 748 also. What initially sounded a bit plain and uneventful due to the unadorned title quickly reveals itself in practice as an absolutely enriching circuit over the hills surrounding the Ligist basin.
Where there is a basin and hills, there is a view. And where there is a view, there is insight: Why wander far and wide when the good is so close by!
The official starting point of the route is, as the name already suggests, where the Schilcher Wine Road begins: in the market town of Ligist with its 3,000 inhabitants, located 25 kilometers southwest of Graz (and only two kilometers from the Krottendorf-Ligist train station on the Köflacherbahn line). What special type of treat awaits as a reward at the end of the tour is clear from the very beginning (and particularly safe for all train travelers).
Before that, however, it’s necessary to tackle a rather demanding 38 kilometers and 1,100 meters of elevation gain up to the foot of the Reinischkogel and back again – all while enjoying the sensational panoramic views of the nearby Lipizzaner homeland, the Pack and Stubalm, the Gleinalm, and Graz's local mountain, Schöckl.
From city to countryside in 10 minutes
The motto of the Graz adventure region, to which Ligist belongs in terms of tourism
Across the Milky Way to the Celtic House
Kilometer 4. As the third of five bars on NoPain's battery level indicator disappears, the first climb begins. Only a third of the elevation gain has been completed, and yet an impressive journey through time and space already lies behind us.
At the Ligist castle ruins, we transported ourselves into the past: Probably built towards the end of the 12th century to protect wine shipments on the trade route over the Hebalm to Carinthia, the hilltop castle with its prominent keep also brought early prosperity to the town at its base.
Continuing along the ridge of the Ligistberg, we practically reveled in the here and now of the local livelihood – from the initially omnipresent vineyards to small-scale fields and meadows, gradually giving way to increasingly dominant forests.
And now, the Milky Way awaits. That’s the name of the panoramic path across the plateau of the roughly 800-meter-high Wartenstein. Why? The cows grazing here are as numerous as the stars in the sky...
In the following descent, the next surprise: Just as unmistakably sporty as our supposed "pensioner tour" began, it now continues just as challenging downhill.
We are quite astonished by some tight curves, outward-sloping roads, crumbling asphalt surfaces, and poor visibility as we now move through dense, dark forest.
But look how idyllically the Siedlerbach babbles to our left! And did you see the old mill over there?
Where hills and basins, there is a view
The unique selling point (USP) of the Tour 748: the regular views over the Ligist Basin and the Schöckl, into the Lipizzaner homeland as well as of the Glein, Pack, and Stubalm.
Stante pede follows ascent number 2, and once again our route pulls an ace out of its sleeve: it switches to gravel, the finest Gucci gravel - for now.
Apart from the climbs that always demand explicitly mountain-capable gear ratios, it becomes clear at the latest now why we were advised against road bikes beforehand.
Classic e-bikes in the sense of step-through frames and other comfort cruisers have no place on the Ligister Tour, by the way. It definitely requires riding stability and reliable straight-line performance, but also the necessary touch of agility to, for example, navigate the occasionally steep natural road pothole slalom down to Oberwald.
And if it’s not the road conditions, unpredictable opponents like the speeding milkman, moving agricultural machinery, or suddenly appearing stop signs make it worth reaching for the responsive, well-braked type of two-wheeler.
Useful links and information
City of contrasts, land of variety. The Graz adventure region, to which the two cycling tours presented here belong, is a multifaceted conglomerate of sports and culture, enjoyment and lifestyle, economy and nature.
Accessible by car within just a few minutes to a maximum of one hour, and mostly well-connected to public transport, there are attractive excursion destinations and rewarding cycling tours around Styria’s capital and Austria’s second-largest city, even beyond the MTB hotspot Schöckl, which everyone on Bikeboard knows anyway due to the Youth EM and the Junior World Festival (coming soon!), the summit storm, the trail area, the downhill, and the Austrian Championships (ÖMs) in all disciplines.
The western region, highlighted here, offers a particularly colorful mix thanks to lakes and thermal baths, Lipizzaner horses and Schilcher wine, Arnold Schwarzenegger (Arnie), and a summer toboggan run. And the specially marked cycling tours with surprisingly challenging routes and stunning views.
www.regiongraz.at
Ligister Tour 748 38 km/1,100 meters of elevation gain
Hügeltour Lipizzanerheimat 32 km/670 meters of elevation gain
Lipizzaner Stud Farm Piber, open daily from April to November, 09:30 AM to 4:00 PM, on public holidays & during summer holidays until 5:00 PM
Speaking of unpredictable: If there is something that appears unexpectedly on the Ligist Tour, it's the southern motorway. You cross it twice, once over it and once under it. But the first time, the gray, multi-lane ribbon cuts through the previously dominant green spaces so suddenly that, along with the abruptly perceived droning of traffic, you mistake it for an illusion.
Not just twice, but seemingly two hundred times, you also come across meadows of fodder and flowers along the way. And every single time, you want to stop, look, marvel, and take in the scent, as these gently swaying havens of happiness in the wind are so colorful, diverse, and full of buzzing, humming joy of life.
"Now I'm red." Three hills to go, and the painless one triggers the alarm level. But together we are strong, and the remaining 350 meters of elevation gain seem, with the exception of the final climb to the Buschenschank, not so steep anymore.
The man with the giant battery pack can offer himself a bit as the draft horse, while the woman with the still half-full battery refrains from pushing the pace. The Bosch motor, with its quietly purring, low-friction, and spontaneously fine-tuned for extra efficiency mechanism, has been giving its best from the very beginning. And after doping ourselves with truffle chocolate cake at Herlwirt in Steinberg, our bio-input also reaches levels that almost make us fly over the last hill.
Once again, the Ligist basin lies before us, along with all the gently hilly, undulating green splendor of a region where white horses feel just as at home as blue grapevines.
Here, the agricultural enterprises – charming farms, manageable fields, and occasional grazing livestock. Over there, the vineyards, neatly planted and already budding vigorously, flank Ligist in picturesque ridge or steep hillside locations.
No wonder the Celts once settled here! At the Celtic house near the Schilcherhof inn, one could learn details about the living and housing conditions of the people who inhabited this area 2,000 years ago. But more than the small reconstructed open-air museum on the Dietenberg, we are interested in what the ancient signal fire station stands for today: Schilcher wine!
Bright red lures the Schilcher wine
Usually, when it comes to satisfying this curiosity, one is spoiled for choice: Naturally, all the local inns as well as the café directly on the market square serve the region-typical rosé wine made from the Blue Wildbacher grape. Logically, however, we want to go to the sources of this shimmering specialty, which ranges in color from light red to dark pink and whose production was once promoted by Archduke Johann in his search for a new economic foundation for Western Styria.
In the wine taverns Dokter, Zach, and Kremser-Greitbauer, the Schilcher, which has been region-protected since 1976, is not only served but, of course, also pressed. But today is Monday, and all establishments except the last-mentioned are closed. So the decision is easy.
With truly the last remnants of battery power, we trundle up the two hairpin bends and the final steep ramp to the traditional winery with its sensational panoramic terrace offering views all the way to Graz. As we roll into the courtyard of the modernly renovated yet over a hundred-year-old family business, NoPain's battery finally gives up - a perfect landing!
And the best part: Not only have our loyal KTMs more than earned the replenishment of their energy reserves. We, too, can indulge after completing the Ligist Tour 748 in our highly energy-efficient manner. We can feast on Brettljause and Lendbratl, sour sausage and fish platter, bean salad and Strauben. And, of course, on Schilcher Klassik DAC - Cheers!
A wine with character and aromas like blackcurrants, wild strawberries, raspberries, nettles, and bell peppers. Dry, lively, fresh, fruity, delicately acidic, and harmonious
We couldn't have described the taste of the Schilcher better than the TVB did...
Hill Tour Lippizzaner Homeland Bonus Track
And suddenly it became late. Too late to add another ride. Because, in case anyone doesn't know yet: Cycling in the Graz Adventure Region is no walk in the park. It’s by no means just flat terrain, and a fully charged e-bike battery can definitely be necessary.
All the more so when a route suggestion goes by the name "Hügel Tour" (Hill Tour). Hügel Tour Lipizzanerheimat, to be exact.
This loop covers 32 kilometers with 670 meters of elevation gain, starting and ending in Köflach, and it takes you through terrain that, strictly speaking, is not the Lipizzaner homeland (that’s in Lipica, Slovenia), but rather the breeding ground of the world-famous white horses of the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.
A quick visit to Piber was a must, though. It was unacceptable that former rider NoMan could not pay due respect to the birthplace of the dancing stallions! Completing the full loop, as mentioned at the beginning, is something we hope to do another time. After all, the official tour description sounds very promising:
This varied e-bike tour leads through well-maintained landscapes and the bustling centers of the Lipizzaner region – Köflach and Bärnbach – past many cultural and tourist attractions, all the way up to Hochtregist with magnificent panoramic views over the hilly landscape of western Styria.
The hilly tour is well-connected by the S-Bahn from Köflach or, for cyclists from Graz, from the train station in Krems, Styria. Officially, the route starts at the popular NOVA Köflach thermal spa, heading clockwise to the east.
The first stop is the Lipizzaner stud farm in Piber. Be sure to plan some extra time here, as a visit with a guided tour is definitely worth it. Just a short distance further lies the welcoming town of Bärnbach, home to the parish church redesigned by Friedensreich Hundertwasser with its garden, as well as the impressive Stölzle Glass Museum.
Afterward, the route climbs in switchbacks up to Hochtregist. Along the way, you can enjoy beautiful views time and again, with the panorama being especially stunning from the Pilgrim's Cross. From here, the route leads through forests and along ridges back to the south.
A break should be taken at the popular inn Schneiderwirt, and the Kern-Buam Museum in the over 300-year-old, renovated wooden farmhouse should also be visited before heading down into the Kainach Valley.
From Krems, the route leads back uphill over beautiful, well-maintained hills and panoramic paths to Rosental an der Kainach and then past the Karl-Schacht Mining Museum back to the bustling Lipizzaner city of Köflach.
A house of worship full of colors, imagination, and symbolism
The St. Barbara Church in Bärnbach, redesigned in the 1980s by Friedensreich Hundertwasser
| Ligister Tour 748 |
| Across the Milky Way to the Celtic House |
| Useful links and information |
| Bright red lures the Schilcher wine |
| Hill Tour Lippizzaner Homeland Bonus Track |
| Links |
