Carinthia - where mountains are mirrored in lakes
Carinthia means the southern slopes of the Alps, beautiful lakes and a wide range of ways to spend your free time. For a growing number of people, Austria's south is an alternative to the Mediterranean - there are beaches on lakes with warm water, yet tropical heat is rare. In Carinthia, even in the hottest summer months, you can enjoy being active outdoors all day long.
Besides lazing on the beach, it is worth making use of the extensive infrastructure and the opportunities for mountain hiking. In many places chairlifts and gondolas have been built to take you up into the most beautiful natural areas.
Gerlitzen Alpe and views of the Ossiacher See
“Gerlitzen Alpe” is a massif in the very centre of Carinthia, and you can conveniently take the motorway almost to the lift's valley station. It is only 9 km to the centre of Villach and 40 km to Klagenfurt. A large, free multi-storey car park lets you leave your car right by the lift. As the cabin climbs Gerlitzen (1,911 m above sea level), the beautiful Ossiacher See lies behind you. The lake has public beaches and piers used by excursion boats. You reach the summit in half an hour, changing from the gondola to a chairlift on the way. The view from the top is often described as a “360 panorama”, which gives you an idea of how much terrain you can take in. If you want a closer look at the surrounding peaks - Austrian, Italian and Slovenian - you can use the telescopes set up at key points. Seven trails starting at the top station are recommended. There are, of course, more combinations, as routes can be lengthened or shortened to match the length and difficulty of the hike to the group. There are 10 places to eat in the area, most of them in stylish wooden buildings with terraces. Thanks to the rising thermals, you will often see paragliders here - watching them take off and fly is a big attraction in itself.
Goldeck and the Mölltaler Gletscher
The “Goldeck” range lies on the outskirts of Spittal an der Drau, a beautiful historic town on the River Drava. The gondola carries you from 547 m above sea level to a plateau below the summits at 1,780 m. Many hikers choose one of the two trails leading to the summit of Goldeck (2,142 m). The route zigzags uphill, crossing patches of wild bilberries and opening up ever-new perspectives. Once at the top, you can decide to bag further peaks, such as Martennock (2,130), Staff (2,217), Kopasnock (2,087) or Eckwand (2,221). The highest parts of the range are a favourite of semi-wild horses, which graze freely here.
“Mölltaler Gletscher” is a network of mountain lifts that carry hikers into the wildest parts of the Alps. Suffice it to say that the highest chairlift station is at 3,122 m above sea level. Few people go that far, as most choose to start their hikes from the main station, which has full catering and toilet facilities. It lies at 2,800 m. Getting there is an attraction in itself, as the first section is covered by an underground funicular that leaves from the end of the valley and terminates at the middle station at 2,234 m.
The views are already stunning from there, and information boards remind you that this area once lured... gold prospectors. Riding higher on the gondola, you can admire glacial lakes - no fewer than eight have been counted here - and sections of the glacier.
Bad Kleinkirchheim and Kaiserburg
Bad Kleinkirchheim is one of the most charming and lively towns in Carinthia. There are large hotels and the well-known Römerbad thermal baths, small guesthouses, a pretty stream flowing between the buildings, shops and a wide choice of places to eat. You can set off on a mountain hike almost from the town centre. The “Bad Kleinkirchheimer Bergbahnen” gondola takes you straight up - although you can get off at the middle station if you wish - to the top station at 2,055 m above sea level.
From this point, called Kaiserburg, hiking and cycling routes set off. The latter attract fans of fast riding on so-called “single tracks”. It is worth choosing a trail that lets you take a break at one of the stylish restaurants on the mountainside. There you can always count on a hearty soup of the day, a regional dish or good coffee.
Each of the Carinthian locations described here offers not only wonderful views and opportunities to stay active, but also easy access thanks to the lift system, which makes hiking much easier and lets even people with less experience of mountain walking enjoy Alpine landscapes.
