Styrian Apple Road

Eastern Styria grows something on the order of three quarters of Austria's apples, on the rolling hills between Weiz, Gleisdorf and Hartberg where the soil is volcanic and the climate has warm days and cool nights, and the Apfelstrasse is a signed route of about a hundred and eighty kilometres linking growers, cider makers, distillers and farm shops through that country. Two moments matter: late April, when the orchards blossom across whole hillsides, and September into October, when the fruit is picked and the farms sell direct. The products go well beyond fruit - juice, cider, apple vinegar, schnapps, dried rings and strudel. The landscape between is small-scale farming with Buschenschanken, the Styrian farm taverns, open by rota and serving cold plates with their own wine and cider.

What you actually see

• Orchard hillsides - the volcanic country that grows most of Austria's apples.
• Blossom in late April - the hills white for a short window.
• Direct-sale farms - juice, cider, vinegar and schnapps from the growers.
• Buschenschanken - the farm taverns open by rota with cold plates and cider.

When to go

Late April for blossom; September and October for harvest. A day.

Honest expectations

Blossom lasts about a fortnight and the date moves with the season. Farm shops and taverns keep irregular hours and open by rota - check before relying on one. A car is essential.

Nearby

Weiz and the Raabklamm are north; Riegersburg and Zotter are east.