Dolomitenlauf

Race locations

Dolomitenlauf is unusual in that there are two locations in which races may be held. They are held in Lienz and Obertilliach which are 45 km apart. On Saturday the 42 km and the 20 km Classic races are held in Obertilliach. On Sunday the main 60 km Dolomitenlauf freestyle and a short freestyle race of 25 km are normally held in Lienz. Because of frequent poor snow conditions in Lienz, Obertilliach is used as a back-up site for the Sunday races.

How to reach the area

To reach Lienz by private car from main cities with international airports the following itineraries could be considered useful:

* Dry road conditions. Distances and times from various databanks.

Obertilliach is about 44 km west of Lienz by car and is usually accessed via Lienz. If you are coming from Innsbruck then the turn-off to Obertilliach is 7 km from the Italian-Austrian border.

Travel by train or bus: see timetables at www.oebb.at. It gives also the details of the transfer from the Vienna Schwechat airport to various places in the city center. Probably the most convenient transfer is by bus. From the airport to the Südbahnhof railway station it takes 20 minutes and costs 6 Euros. The bus stop at Vienna Airport is situated right in front of the arrival. Bus departure from the airport: first bus at 6.00, then 20 min intervals until 20.00, then 30 min intervals, last bus at 23.59.

By train the approximate travel times are:

From Vienna Südbahnhof to Lienz 7 hours, trains every 2 hours with change in Villach, one direct train per day which takes 6 hours. From Munich airport to Lienz there are 7 trains per day, duration 6h15’ , from Zurich airport 3 trains per day, duration 8-9 h. For timetables see www.db.de and www.sbb.ch .

Accommodations

If you are not travelling by car you are probably better off staying in Lienz than in Obertilliach since the race organization normally provides bus transportation from Lienz for the Saturday race but may not provide bus transportation from Obertilliach on Sunday. If this is a concern to you check with the race organization before you book your acccomodation.

In Lienz and surroundings there is a vast variety of accommodations ranging from very cheap to expensive. For information on accommodation in the whole area see www.osttirol.com or www.hochpustertal.com where you find maps, descriptions of towns and villages, email addresses, phone and fax numbers etc.

It is not necessary to reserve a room in advance. On your arrival (during office hours), you can get a room in a private house immediately. However, it may be located a few km from the centre which is not an inconvenience if you travel by car. The local tourist office is just off Hauptplatz, at Europaplatz 1in Lienz. There is also a tourist office in Obertilliach near hotel-pension Weiler which you can see on your left as you arrive.

Where to eat

Lienz as well as surrounding villages have very good restaurants, pizzerias, Greek restaurants, Chinese restaurants, a McDonalds and inexpensive snacks. In Obertilliach several of the hotels have restaurants.

We suggest making an inquiry at the local Tourist Offices.

Things to see

Stadtpfarrkirche St Andrä (St Andrew’s Church) is north of the Isel River. The impressive Gothic building is noted for its murals (some dated from 14th century), organ loft (1616) with winged organ and two 16th century tombstones, sculpted in red Salzburg marble. There’s good view of the Dolomites from the church area – visit in the early evening when peaks catch the sun.

The Kutschenmuseum in Obertilliach is worth visiting.

Weather

The forecast is available at Accuweather for Lienz and Obertilliach.

Web site

The race web site is at www.dolomitensport-lienz.com.

This page was last revised on December 18, 2009