Long-distance hiking trails Austria | From the mountain to the lake

Millstätter See. Bad Kleinkirchheim. Nockberge. Official tourist portal

© Kärnten Werbung - Michael Stabentheiner

Long-distance hiking trails Austria Travelling along the Alpe-Adria-Trail, the Nockberge-Trail and the Via Paradiso

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My HikingTIME
on the long-distance hiking trails in Carinthia

Here I take TIME for my TIME: Travelling along the Alpe-Adria-Trail, the Nockberge-Trail and the Via Paradiso

“Escape for a moment": the stages of the long-distance hiking, long-distance walking and pilgrimage trails stretch across Carinthia's mountains like the threads of a spider's web. In the Millstätter See - Bad Kleinkirchheim - Nockberge region, the web is particularly tightly woven. New, inspiring and enriching encounters lurk at every fork in the road.

Nockberge-Trail - Seeboden am Millstätter See © Gert Perauer_MBN Tourismus

Hiking far ...

Perhaps the most beautiful long-distance hiking trails in Austria and also some pilgrimage trails meet at the foothills of the Nockberge mountains. The hiking village of Seeboden is one of these junctions. If you are on the Alpe-Adria-Trail and stop off on the promenade, you are very likely to meet like-minded people who are undertaking a 2-day hike with an overnight stay on the Via Paradiso or ending the tour on the Nockberge-Trail on the lakeside terrace. Bad Kleinkirchheim is another such hiking hub. Here you can spend the night in comfort on the Alpe-Adria-Trail and the Nockberge-Trail. The warm springs that feed the thermal baths in the high valley are perfect for a day of relaxation.

On the Alpe-Adria-Trail from the Grossglockner to the sea

Eternal ice, thundering waterfalls, sheer endless views, ‘story-rich’ places and stretches that tempt you to stop and reflect. This is how the Alpe-Adria-Trail can be atmospherically described. From the foot of the Großglockner - Austria's highest peak - to the sea, the long-distance hiking trail winds its way through the natural and cultural landscape on the southern side of the Alps in 43 stages. Eight stages also lead from west to east through the Millstätter See - Bad Kleinkirchheim - Nockberge region.

Without borders: The Alpe-Adria-Trail leads on 43 stages through Austria, Slovenia and Italy.
750 kilometers of hiking: ... lie between Heiligenblut am Großglockner and the coastal town of Muggia on the Adriatic in Italy.
Daily stage length: ... up to 27 km (E 33: Gradisca d'Isonzo - Duino)
Ascent depending on the stage: ... up to 1557 meters in altitude (E 12: Seeboden - Millstätter Alpe)
Hiking season: mid-May - October
Suitable for: ... experienced long-distance hikers. Some stages of the Alpe-Adria-Trail are also suitable for beginners (good physical condition required).
Special features: The "Grenzgänger" is one of the most beautiful long-distance hiking trails in Europe.

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Wanderer genießen den atemberaubenden Ausblick vom Alpe Adria Trail © Franz Gerdl_Kärnten Werbung

Der Alpe Adria Trail führt durch malerische Almlandschaften © Franz Gerdl_Kärnten Werbung

Ein klarer Bergsee entlang des Alpe Adria Trails, ein perfekter Rastplatz © Franz Gerdl_Kärnten Werbung

Ein idyllischer Abschnitt des Alpe Adria Trails, umgeben von üppigen Wäldern © Franz Gerdl_Kärnten Werbung

Nockberge-Trail: long-distance hiking from the mountain to the lake

From north to south through the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Carinthian Nockberge: on the Nockberge Trail, hikers can expect more than a dozen gentle, green peaks, one of the most extensive Swiss stone pine forests in the Eastern Alps, a personal encounter with nature and a relaxing dip in Carinthia's deepest lake at the end.

Particularly attractive: the Nockberge-Trail is a year-round trail that invites you to go on multi-day ski tours in winter over a distance of more than 60 kilometers.

Wild expanses: The Nockberge-Trail leads over 8 stages and 128 kilometers through the Nockberge Biosphere Reserve to Lake Millstätter See.
Daily stage length: ... up to 21.7 km I Ascent depending on stage: up to 1189 meters in altitude
Hiking season: mid-May - October
Suitable for: ... experienced long-distance hikers, some stages of the "Nockberge-Trail" are also suitable for long-distance hiking for beginners (good physical condition required).
1000 little secrets: The Nockberge are mountains full of treasures, but also a habitat for special animals and beneficial plants.
Animal company: Thanks to the marmots on the high alpine pastures and the nutcracker in the pine forests, hikers on the Nockberge-Trail are rarely unobserved.
At any time of year: four stages of the Nockberge-Trail can be tackled on touring skis in winter.

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Nockberge-Trail - Innerkrems © Kärnten Werbung - Franz Gerdl

Nockberge Trail © Kärnten Werbung - Michael Stabentheiner

Tschirnock Wanderung bei Sonnenuntergang © Gert Perauer_MBN Tourismus

TIP

Wunderschöner Blick auf die Außenanlagen der Wellness Therme St. Kathrein, perfekt für eine Auszeit in der Natur © Mathias Prägant

TIP

Travelling individually...

... hike for two, three or four days on the Alpe-Adria-Trail from hut to hut and take a break every now and then - for a sunset with a view of the lake or a wellness day in one of the thermal spas in Bad Kleinkirchheim.

Via Paradiso. The magic of hiking.

"People don't need much, but silence and authenticity. These two are essential for a good life."

The waves of Lake Millstätter See, shady gorges, sunny flowering meadows, pretty farmhouses and wonderful views of Lake Millstätter See accompany long-distance hikers on the Via Paradiso and allow them to forget everyday life. Thanks to the route and altitude, the Via Paradiso is one of those multi-day tours in Austria that are ideal for a first long-distance hike.

Always the lake in view: Stage hiking trail with 4 daily stages and a length of 55 kilometers
Daily stage length: ... up to 15.5 kilometers I Ascent depending on the stage: up to 650 meters in altitude
Technical demands: ... mostly low. Some sections are classified as moderate.
Suitable for: all long-distance hikers. The Via Paradiso is also very suitable for long-distance hiking for beginners and for families with children aged 10 and over (good physical condition required).
Hiking season: early May - early November
Hiking with a dog: The Via Paradiso is ideal for a tour with your dog.
Try it out: How about a picnic in a hammock, a dip in the lake or a walk through Millstatt Abbey?
The journey is the reward: Numerous experiences extend the journey - if you still have time, add a day at the Kärnten Badehaus Millstätter See!

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Blühende Almwiesen und schroffe Felsen säumen den Via Paradiso Wanderweg © Gert Perauer_MBN Tourismus

Long-distance hiking for beginners

The Via Paradiso is ideal for a first long-distance hike due to its route and moderate differences in altitude. This multi-day hike is also recommended for families with children aged 10 and over.

Some stages of the Alpe Adria Trail and the Nockberge Trail are also ideal for first-time long-distance hikers. However, a certain basic fitness level is also required for the stages categorised as easy and medium. Then nothing stands in the way of a first 2-day hike with an overnight stay on the long-distance hiking trails in the south of Austria.

Nockberge-Trail -Turracher Höhe © TRN - Franz Gerdl

Hiking without luggage

If you book the tour via the ‘Official Trail Angels Info & Booking Centre’, you will receive top advice, help with tour planning, tips for the ‘long-distance hiking packing list’, luggage transfer, complete packages and other amenities such as a mobility service (train station shuttle) as a matter of course!

The Trail Angels team is also on hand during the tour if required. The Trail Hotline is available daily from 08:00 to 20:00!

Historische Dörfer und pittoreske Landschaften entlang des Alpe Adria Trails © Franz Gerdl_Kärnten Werbung

3 DAYS OF HIKING from hut to hut: Which huts are open?

The ‘Digital Carinthia Alpine Hut Guide’ is the ideal tool for anyone who wants to plan their own hiking tour and find out about the catering options along the long-distance hiking trails in Carinthia.

The web app lists around 290 mountain huts and the most beautiful mountain inns in Carinthia. Even without downloading from the app store, hikers can find current opening times, pictures and other information summarised in compact form on the pages of the “Alpine Hut Guide”.

Pilgrimage: On the Way of St. James, the Hemma Pilgrimage Route, the Way of the Book
and the Domitian Pilgrimage Route through the region

Kultur Stift Millstadt© Franz Gerdl_Kärnten Werbung

The search for meaning and slowing down, the desire for reorientation or simply the experience of nature are motives that lead pilgrims to the major pilgrimage routes in Carinthia. The stages connect important pilgrimage churches and places of worship, and sometimes they also follow old smuggling routes where Bibles and postilles were once smuggled.

The pilgrimage routes in Carinthia are mostly designed as multi-day hikes and offer connections to the major European pilgrimage routes.

Taking my TIME outside of TIME, taking the first step, walking four to five kilometers per hour. Sometimes it's less, sometimes more ... Carrying everything I need in my backpack and constantly alternating between self-reflection, dialog with myself and listening to my own inner voice ...

This is how long-distance hiking can be aptly summarized by Ulrich Grober (On hiking - new paths to an ancient art).
What is to be done? Just start hiking on the long-distance hiking trails in Austria!

Long-distance hiking trails Austria Travelling along the Alpe-Adria-Trail, the Nockberge-Trail and the Via Paradiso

My HikingTIME
on the long-distance hiking trails in Carinthia