Villach, Austria

Villach is the second-largest city of Carinthia. It is a railway gateway to most parts of Austria as well as the Italian border. In Austria Villach is well-known for its carnival which is broadcast on public television throughout Austria. Villach is quite an old city with roots back in Roman times (when the city was called Santicum).The city was heavily bombed in World War II destroying many parts of the city.

Transport

By plane
Villach has no domestic or international airport. If you are travelling by plane you have to go to Klagenfurt (40 kilometres from Villach) which has an airport.

By train
Villach is a railway gateway within Austria, so trains go from virtually every bigger city including Vienna, Graz, Klagenfurt, Salzburg, Linz, Innsbruck and Bregenz. There are also direct connections to Munich, Zurich, Venice, Ljubljana, Zagreb and Belgrade.

By car
If you are coming from north, take the A10 Tauernautobahn. If you are coming from east (Graz,Vienna) take the A2 Südautobahn. If you are planning to go from Slovenia, take the A11 Karawankenautobahn.
If you are arriving from Italy also take the A2 Südautobahn. The motorway around Villach has two exits at Faakersee which takes you to the centre of the city and Ossiachersee which takes you to the north of the city.

Plan and Book:

Villach, Austria: See and Do

Villach is a quite small town, so it is easy to get around on foot. Taxis can be found near the railway station and in the centre of the city near Hauptplatz. Federal buses go to the surrounding area from the local Busbahnhof (busterminal,located a few minutes away from the railway station). Local busline no.10 (operated by a company called Kowatsch) goes around the historic city centre. Getting around by car can be tiring since parking space is rare during weekdays and traffic jams at business hours are very common. During weekdays parking fees are charged in most areas around the centre of the city.

Museum der Stadt Villach - if you are interested in the history of the town, go there. The museum has a nice expo on minerals, mining and all kinds of Villacher History. Nice to visit for some background info on the town of Villach. Time to visit approx. 1 hour. Widmanngasse 38.

Landskron Castle - the remains of the old fortress of Landskron are on the top of a hill, 676 m high. A great part of the castle was destroyed by a fire in the 19th century, but some parts are still there and a few halls can be visited. There is also a restaurant, and every Tuesday evening there is a special "medieval" dinner served by waiters dressed in period costumes. The view from the castle is wonderful. From here you can see Villach and the valley of the river Drau with its lakes, and the Slovenian Alps on the other side of the valley.

A section of the castle is now the home of several birds of prey. They can be seen in their cages, but even better is to see them fly, which is possible two or three times a day, according to the season and to the weather. The demonstrations last about 40 minutes, and the explanation on the birds and their behavior is in German only, but even those who cannot understand a word can enjoy watching eagles, hawks, kites, and owls fly just above their heads.

The bell tower of St Jakob - The church of St Jakob (the parish church of Villach) has an impressive bell tower, 94 metres high. It is the tallest in Carinthia and its present appearance and height dates back to 1847. Visitors can climb the 239 steps to the top and enjoy the wonderful view.

Thermen Resort - The heated pools of Villach. Here, there are slides, vortex pools, and hot tubs for you to enjoy. Or, you can relax on the chairs outside of the pool. There is a restaurant inside and a spa.

Museum of Doll Art - Collectors and doll lovers of dolls will be overwhelmed by this museum. They show porcellan, vinyl and wooden dolls made by famous artists. Some of these dolls are manufactured in the own studio. In the basement premises they exhibit all different kinds of craftswork like glass objects, pottery, flowers and certainly a great variety of special dolls. Vassacher Strasse 65.

Villacher Kirchtag - Every year (usually the first week in august) the city celebrates Villacher Kirchtag with a big amusement park. The city can get very crowded in this week with as many as 50.000 visitors, especially from italy.

Jazz over Villach - a Jazz festival in the middle of July located on Gernottenhöhe in Judendorf.


Villacher Alpenstrasse

Surrounding Area

Villacher Alpenstrasse - This almost 20 km alpine road takes you up to Dobratsch mountain and ends on 1.732 m. If you want to visit the top there is still has a bit of climbing to do. The top of Mount Dobratsch is at 2,167 metres above sea level.

Maibacherl - located in Warmbad near Villach. A hot spring, which only appears in springtime. The water is hot enough for bathing and is very popular with the locals. Entry is free. Buses and trains operate from the main station to Warmbad on a regular base. The hot springs were already known to the ancient Romans. Take bus No.1 from main station to Warmbad and get off in Warmbad. From there it's only a 10min walk to the hot springs.

Faaker See

Faaker See is a beautiful lake a few kilometres outside of Villach. Faaker See is one of the warmest lakes in Austria with water temperatures around 27 degrees during summer. It has the the cleanest water (drink water quality) in Europe. There are some free beaches, but the better ones have to be paid for. Faaker See can be reached by bus or train. Trains go to Faak am See (the ride takes about 20min) from the main station (during weekdays there is a train every two hours), a lido is only 10min away from the local train station.

Schütt located in the south of the mountain Dobratsch, an area with huge stone rocks, which are parts of Dobratsch itself after an earthquake back in the 14th century caused half of the mountain to fall into the surrounding area.

Burgruine Finkenstein the scenic remains of a castle built in the 12th century. Has great views. Today it is used as location for musical events.

Soca/Isonzo valley, Slovenia

The Soca/Isonzo valley in Slovenia is about an hour's drive from Villach over the Predil mountain pass via Italy. Its deep limestone gorges offer a spectacular scenery and its emerald-coloured rivers are famed for some of the best kayaking and white whater rafting in Europe. Since the Soca valley is actually easier to reach from Villach and Klagenfurt than Ljubljana (Slovenia's capital) it's well worth a day trip. Head for the town Bovec, the tourist centre of the Soca valley.


The Minimundus is a miniature park on the Wörthersee at Klagenfurt in Carinthia, Austria. It displays over 150 miniature models of architecture from around the world, built at a ratio of 1:25. The Minimundus is 40 mins by train from Villach.

Schloss Rosegg

Schloss Rosegg is a castle in Rosegg, Carinthia, Austria. The castle features a large wildlife park with many animals, tours of the castle with rooms displays and life-size wax figures in period clothing, and a large hedge maze. Other activities include contemporary art exhibits, summer events, concerts, theater programs and a café. Schloss Rosegg is 24 mins by bus from Villach.

Pyramidenkogel

Pyramidenkogel is an 851 m high mountain in Carinthia, with a spectacular lookout tower. It is located to the south of the Wörthersee and near the town of Maria Wörth, in an area that is a boundary between speakers of German and Slovenian. In nearby Slovenia the mountain is known as Jedvovca. The mountain has been a tourist attraction since at least the late 19th century. The view from its top is mentioned in Karl Baedeker's 1879 The Eastern Alps. Pyramidenkogel is 2 hrs 7 mins by train and bus from Villach.

Burgruine Federaun is a castle in Carinthia, Austria. Today the castle is home to the Friesach City Museum Burgruine Federaun is 13 mins by bus from Villach.

Klosterruine Arnoldstein

Klosterruine Arnoldstein is a castle in Carinthia, Austria. Despite its name it is actually a former Benedictine abbey, a medieval citadel perched on top of the hill overlooking a city of Arnoldstein in Carintia state of Austria. Castle Arnoldstein was constructed in the 11th century (1085- 90) as a Benedictine abbey under leadership of Bamberg prince bishops. Klosterruine Arnoldstein is 28 mins by train from Villach.

Burgruine Strassfried is a castle in Carinthia, Austria. Its ruins are located next to the Austrian-Italian border by Arnoldstein in Carinthia. The castle is first documented as Castrum Strazvrid in 1279, when the estate was captured by the Habsburg King Rudolf. Of the original twin-tower facility, only the eastern of the two has been preserved. Considerable parts of the wall still remain, but only small parts of the palace are intact. It was severely damaged during the Napoleonic Wars by French forces, who blew up part of the fortress in 1797 during their occupation of Strasbourg. Burgruine Strassfried is 40 mins from Villach and 12 mins from Klosterruine Arnoldstein by train.

Outdoor Sports and Activities near Villach

Gerlitzen is a mountain and small ski resort located half an hour from Villach. Gerlitzen offers some of the best vistas in Austria. On clear days almost the whole of Carinthia can be seen from this mountain top. You can either drive up (take care in winter) or take the cable car. From the parking space/cable car station it's a hour's walk to the summit. The cable car station at the mountain's base at Annenheim can be reached by bus or train, though connections are poor.

Kanzianiberg is one of the best natural climbing walls in Austria. There are hundreds of colour-coded climbing routes at all levels, and on sunny days the vista is stunning. The maximum height difference is approx. 60 m. Kanzianiberg can be accessed by bus or bicycle (30 min from Villach) or car (15 min).

Alpe Adria Golf is one of the best 19 hole golf places in the area with stunning views from every hole. Located in Finkenstein, a 10 minute drive from Villach.

Kranjska Gora Ski Resort is an old Slovenian ski resort located in seven different areas in Municipality of Kranjska Gora. You can choose between 18 ski slopes of different technical difficulty. Ski lifts and ski runs stretch over the slopes of Vitranc from Kranjska Gora to Planica at altitudes from 800m to 1,215m. The system of 6 chairlifts and 13 drag lifts takes you to your dream trail. If you want to do something else, look at the map of ski runs and discover the splendid terrains also in Mojstrana and Ratece.

One of the biggest advantages of ski slopes in Kranjska Gora is that there is only a Snow covered beach separating you from your hotel and the ski slopes. A complete beginner can step onto the snow with the help of the excellent ski schools and instructors available. The nearest city is Jesenice and about an hour away from Ljubljana. Kranjska Gora Ski Resort is 24 mins drive south of Villach.

Hiking - Villach is surrounded by a number of mountains including the Dobratsch which offer many possibilities for hiking.

Cross-country skiing - Cross-country skiing is possible on Dobratsch and all major ski resorts around Villach.

Ice-skating - Ice-skating is possible on Faakersee, Ossiachersee and Vassacher See though this depends heavily on the weather in winter whether lakes are frozen or not.