Tauern Bike Tour Stage 8: Salzburg - Braunau

Braunau

Starting from the city centre of Salzburg the Tauern Bike Tour remains on the right (= Eastern) shore of the Salzach. Good opportunities to switch from the left (old town) to the right bank, are the Makart - and Müllner Stegs. Now downstream under the railway and Lehener bridge - after the Pioniersteg there is a a good cycling connection to the Salzburg's main train station (Sylverster-Oberberger-Straße) - further downstream branches off to the right, at a small wooden bridge shortly before the motorway underpass, the Salzkammergut- and Mozart- Bike tours along the Alterbaches in the direction of Eugendorf. For those who want to make the nearly 2 km long detour to the Wallfahrtskirche Maria Plain, please branches off here as well. The Tauern Bike Tour continues past the banks of the river Salzach - past at the local railway station - 2 km further you reach the junction of Muntigl (railway station). From here there is a "Tauern Bike Tour" Variant (signposted) that leads continuously paved over meadows and fields to both Anthering and Acharting and in meets the original tour back in Weitwörth again (the variant is 1.5 km longer).   This original route of the Tauern Bike Tour remains for 6.8 km on the gravel road on the River Salzach (halfway, there again is a possibility to branches off to Anthering), before the tour leads to the right into Salzachauen - after the Lokalbahn crossing turn left into the asphalt road (here the Anthering variants joins up) and shortly afterwards left again and turn back onto a new (gravel) bike path along the Lokalbahn - at the Oichtensiedlung pass under the Lokalbahn and continue on the bike path, along the country road, into the city centre of Oberndorf (attention: at the end of this route 120 yards are missing, before the route turn left from the main road).

At the Stadtbrücke of Oberndorf, a visit to the historic old town of Laufen is possible situated on the opposite (=bavarian) river bank - the highlight on this side of the Salzach is 700 meters further downstream: the world famous Stille-Nacht-Kapelle, which was built instead of the old Nikolai Church, in which 1818 for the first time the famous Christmas song was "performed". Now continue along the salzach - after the branches-off to Untereching and St. Georgen are passed the state limits to Upper Austria are reached - nothing however changes along the bike route, only the bike signs has changed to the number "R 3A", which stands for the Tauern Bike Tour in Upper Austria - at the bridge by the river Moosach one passes again road branching off to Trimmilkam - soon after the Kalorischen Kraftwerk Riedersbach, the branch-off to Ostermiething and a further 5km and the next Salzachbrücke is reached - to the left there are just a few metres to the Bavarian Tittmoning with its picturesque town square. The Tauern Bike Tour however turns right onto the country road (warning! do not continue straight along the Salzach - dead end!) - After 500 metres on the road turn left onto a side street - on this side street continue to Ettenau and follow the zig zag up to St. Radegund (approx. 100 metres difference in altitude) - now enjoy the 6 km downhill through the  „Oberen Weilhartforst“ - soon after the end of the forest turn left and continue on side roads down to Wanghausen and again to the river Salzach - along the river bike towards the impressive castle (Burghausen) - shortly before the before in between the Austrian Ach and the Bavarian Budghausen the route changes to become a small paved main road. At the bridge an excursion into the bavarian city is recommended, with its beautiful main square in the old town (just on the other side of the bridge) and its enthroned castle above, which has the longest castle complex in Europe with over 1 km total length.

The Tauern Bike Tour however stays on the Austrian side, branches off at the first corner of the main road and climbs very steeply but silently up to Duttendorf. After a short stretch on the main road turn left again and continue past Duttedorf village to Weng - turn left through the village and follow slightly downhill through the Woods towards überackern - at the end of the village in a bend continue up to the main road and follow this to the left - here a 5 km long route ensues through the „Unteren Weilhartforst“  - interrupted by the "Inn-Salzach-Blick", as below the route the river Salzach and Inn join. The view focuses on several larger water areas that belong to the „Europareservat Unterer Inn“. Shortly before the end of the forest turn left down directly to the shores of the river Inn and continue along gravel banks for another 8 km to Braunau. To get to the central square of the city, it is best to follow the city wall to the Innbrücke, after the bridge turn right through the underpass straight to the Linzer Straße and on this continue right to the town square.