Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
through forest, across meadows and partly alongside the road. Regions along and south
of the Alte Weinstrasse (Old Wine Road) are more remote, with lesser-used wine and
panorama roads but fewer vineyards.
CYCLING THE WINE ROADS
Velovital
( 0810 55 55 00;
www.velovital.com
; Hauptplatz 2, Leutschach; €19.50 per day) has an e-bike hire
point in Leutschach at the tourist office. Pick-up is from 9am to noon, and return between 5pm and 6pm daily.
Other local pick-up points include the Wine & Spa Resort Loisium Südsteiermark (
Click here
)
and Jugend-
und Familiengästehaus Deutschlandsberg (
Click here
). Reserve using the website or by telephone. For touring
bikes, you're better off hiring from Bicycle (
Click here
) in Graz, taking the train to Ehrenhausen and setting out
from there.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Deutschlandsberg
03462 / POP 8130
In the heart of the Schilcher wine region, Deutschlandsberg is a bustling little town dom-
inated by a well-restored castle, some 25 minutes' walk uphill from the town centre. In-
side the castle is a
museum
(
www.burgmuseum.at
;
Burgplatz 2; adult/child €9/4; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun Apr-
Oct)
with exhibits on ancient history, the Celts, historical weapons and antique jewellery.
The extensive collection, whose highlights include a delicate gold necklace from the 5th
century BC, takes about 1½ hours to see. As with any good castle, there's a torture cham-
ber in the underground vaults.
The
tourist office
( 75 20;
www.schilcherland-deutschlandsberg.at
;
Hauptplatz 34; 9am-1pm & 2-5pm
Mon-Fri, 9am-noon Sat Mar-Oct, 9am-1pm Mon-Fri Nov-Feb)
is a good source of information on the
town and environs.
For sleeping arrangements, look no further than the
Burg Hotel
( 56 56-0;
www.burghotel-
dl.at
;
Burgplatz 1; s €65-90, d €120-135, ste €160-250; )
, located in the castle. Its crowning glory
is the tower suite, which comes with complimentary champagne and a fruit basket; rooms
are large and quiet and have views of the woods.
If Burg is out of your budget, the
Jugend - und Familiengästehaus Deutschlandsberg
( 05
7083-260;
www.jufa.eu/jufa-deutschlandsberg-sport-resort
; Burgstrasse 5; s/d €53/85; )
is a good op-
tion. It's set in a vineyard at the foot of the castle. Wi-fi is in the foyer only.
