Vienna's Kahlenberg Climb

Kahlenberg is one of the tallest points in Vienna and is clearly visible from many locations within the city (the second peak in the image above with the large antennae at the top). It's not a large mountain, but its tall enough to host a very good view of the city from its summit. Once at the top there is a church, restaurant and university building to accompany the view. You can get to the top by bus, which I've done once with the family, but I recommend riding up one of the beautiful single lane winery roads.

Disclaimer: the climb to the top of Kahlenberg is not an easy one, at least not my preferred route.

The climb starts as soon as you take a left turn off of Greinergasse onto Hackhofergasse in Vienna's 19th district. There are two major sections to the climb, separated roughly in half with a short descent. The lower section is steep, especially in the beginning where it ramps up to gradients between 15-20%.  Hackhofergasse bends left and turns into Eichelhofstrasse. Passing under a tall stone arch the road kicks up dramatically, here is the most extreme gradients of the climb and it is extremely easy to go too hard here and run out of gas quickly. As the gradient mellows (to the around 8%) The route to the top forks to the left onto Eichelhofweg. It feels much more human on this section and is a good place to catch your breath while riding tempo. The view opens up here to expansive vineyards with Vienna on the left and Klosterneurberg in the distance on the right. Around the halfway point the climb tapers off before a short descent into the heuriger zone (a heuriger, by the way, is a fantastic place for a good meal and fresh wine) where the road merges and turns into Kahlenbergerstrasse. From there, the road ramps up again for the second half of the climb. The trees fill in again as the road narrows. There are with steep sections again around the 3/4 mark and at the very end.

Overall Kahlenberg is a fantastic climb. It has sections that are so steep you have to crawl up them. Depending on your pace it will put a noticeable tingle in your arms and taste of blood in your mouth, especially on the lower sections. However, the view from the top is worth it, as well as the satisfaction of knowing you just climbed one of the steepest and most challenging paved roads in Vienna (though there are harder, particularly Eisernenhandgasse to Kahlenbergerstrasse, though I have yet to meet someone who has finished that climb on a road bike).

Here is the Strava section for reference:

The Greifenstein - Hadersfeld Climb

I didn't know it was possible, but two weeks ago I discovered a new favorite climb near Vienna. I had passed the start of the climb a hundred times before riding along the Donau bike path without ever noticing the road leading up into the woods. The valley leading up the mountain is pretty deep and heavily wooded which makes the road almost impossible to spot. I had seen the Burg Greifenstein, the old abandoned castle poking out from the trees many times and always wondered how to get there, but never ventured to find out. It wasn't until a few weeks ago when I finally got a gps device and started using Strava that I found this climb, and wow, what a climb. It's not very long, only 2.4 km, but it averages a healthy and consistent 9.3% with ramps over 11-12%. It's pretty hard to find a climb with that gradient longer than a kilometer without heading 60-70km west into the real foothills of the alps.

The climb itself starts in the small town of Greifenstein on the Donau river, a stones throw from the bikepath. To get there from the bikepath you have to cross through a small passage under the LH118 road and continue to a stop light at the base of the climb. From the light it kicks up straight away with some of the steepest sections of the climb. Compared to the lower sections of the climb up to Kahlenberg these gradients are pretty tame and its relatively easy to keep a steady tempo without going into the red. Shortly after the steeper sections you pass the road leading to the Burg Greifenstein, at this point the houses stop, you join up with a creek on your right side and the trees thicken overhead. Thanks to the thick tree coverage this climb is very sheltered from the wind. This shelter creates an incredibly peaceful ambiance as you climb along a relatively steep gradient, rounding swithbacks as you follow the canyon up the mountain, listening to the leaves ruffling in the wind above and watching the road snake ahead and out of sight. This is a relatively remote road on the fringes of the Wienerwald which means there isn't much traffic, and yet it has still been recently resurfaced with fresh tarmac (at least until about 500 meters from the top, which happens to be a good place to start lifting the pace to drop any of your buddies who have managed to hold your wheel up to this point in the climb). Of the two times I have ridden this climb, I've passed only a handful of cars.

The climb tops out in the small village of Hadersfeld, right next to their fire station. Unlike other climbs in the area, the road does not 'taper' flat, rather there is a distinct feeling the climb is over when you reach the top as it flattens off and starts downhill quickly. The road rolls along the ridge of the mountain for a few kilometers providing some spectacular views of the Wienerwald before descending an 18% road into Klosterneuburg. At some point I will have to reverse this route and tackle the 18% climb, but as I said earlier, at that gradient it can't last for more than a kilometer before it flattens out. I'm not usually a fan of those violent gradients, but some days I feel like testing my lungs.

For those of you in the area who would like to take a ride from Greifenstein to Hadersfeld in Niederösterreich (Lower Austria), here is the Strava section:

Post 1: Wienerwald with Thomas

I Thought I would share my last ride with you all. You will come to find I'm a big fan of the Wienerwald and the hills it contains.


This is a pretty classic route taking in a few very nice climbs. They are small compared to the Alps, but they are some of my favorites just outside of Vienna.