The view of Velden and Lake Wörthersee from Hohen Kreuz is impressive.
Holidays in Austria are always one thing, or let's put it this way: if you're lucky, the weather is good.
Last summer, after three weeks in Crete, we decided to go to Carinthia for another week with the children and grandma and grandpa. Otherwise we are always driven to the sea or to well-known cities. This time we wanted to try it again.
In August we packed our 154 things and set off - by car, starting in Vienna, it takes about 3.5 hours to Velden. We always add half an hour for breaks and another 30 minutes for delays. In this case we were very well on time.
As we definitely wanted affordable accommodation with direct access to the lake - after all, the children want their water fun - we booked three quarters of a year in advance. After a long search, we decided on the Barry Memle Seehotel in the casino town of Velden. In this resort with its own beach area, you can choose between different sized rooms, holiday flats and small bungalows. There are enough leisure facilities in the water, a small fitness room, a sauna, an infrared cabin and a lovely indoor pool - which was unfortunately closed due to Corona. All in all, we can recommend the Barry Memle for young and old without reservation.
The 7,000-square-metre complex is on the outskirts of town, but it's a 10-minute walk to the lively centre. Velden is a chic and trendy place. Many visitors want to see and be seen here. If you sit in one of the street cafés and watch the traffic, you will see some very high-priced cars driving by again and again. It's obviously all about standing out here. But you can't impress us with that, at most you can embarrass us.
In dream weather, Lake Wörthersee is a real swimming highlight.
A walk through Velden is nevertheless an experience. Passing several snob bars and the casino, you can always enjoy a nice view of the beautiful, but unfortunately somewhat built-up Wörthersee. The water quality, however, is still excellent. Finally, you pass the well-known Schlosshotel Velden, which houses a Falkensteiner luxury hotel. On the other side of the road you will find a bust commemorating the actor Roy Black, who celebrated a few of his greatest successes here.
In sophisticated Velden, it's still a case of seeing and being seen. But you don't have to like it.
Already in the afternoon of our arrival, we had just checked in, we thought about what we could do during this week. In fact, the range of possibilities is very large and it was not possible to fit everything into seven days. Here we want to give a small overview of what you can do:
1) A hike in the area
Around Velden there are some very nice walking and hiking trails that can be reached on foot. We wanted to check out the area on the very first day and just marched on. By chance we ended up in the Roman Gorge, which starts at the "Franzosenkirche" in the Velden district of Unterwinklern, leads up to the magnificent vantage point "Hohes Kreuz" and rewarded us with a magnificent panoramic view of Lake Wörthersee and the surrounding mountains. This hike, which is pleasantly cool even in summer, is also manageable with children if you have reasonably good shoes on.
Duration: 2.5 - 3 hours of leisurely walking
On the first day we explored the surroundings of Velden. Spelling mistakes included.
2) A boat trip across Lake Wörthersee
Lake Wörthersee is one of the most famous and beautiful lakes in Austria. It is the largest lake in Carinthia and, due to its climatic location, also one of the warmest lakes in the Alps. If you are ever here, you should definitely take a short tour of the lake. From the landing stage in Velden - near the Schlosshotel - you can reach Klagenfurt by water. Our tour by boat gave us a wonderful day on the water. During the tour, the boat stops at several stations and you can take a complete tour of the lake - a must for every holiday on Lake Wörthersee, especially in good weather.
A boat trip like this is fun, especially when the weather is good.
3) A beach day
Lake Wörthersee is a wonderful bathing lake due to its pleasant water temperatures and very good water quality. There are several beach resorts around the lake, and we definitely recommend a hotel with its own water access. At the Barry Memle Seeresort, we were able to borrow pedal boats, canoes, stand up paddles and other floating equipment, and there is a small water playground that delighted the children. You can also spend the whole week here, weather permitting.
4) Visit the Pyramidenkogel
If you want to visit one of the most magnificent viewing platforms in Austria, you absolutely have to go to the Pyramidenkogel. The lookout tower on the 851-metre Pyramidenkogel is a viewing and broadcasting tower south of the lake in the municipal area of Keutschach am See. We took the boat to the Maria Wörth landing stage and split up there. The grandparents took the public bus to the tower, my wife, the children and I hiked up, which took about 1.5 hours. There is a restaurant at the top where you can eat very well. After that, we had to queue a bit, because we were going up the tower. At almost 100 metres, the world's highest wooden observation tower is a construction consisting of elliptically arranged wooden pillars that spiral upwards into the sky - the impressive tower is visible from afar and has a few other attractions to offer besides the great view:
- Highest covered slide in Europe
- Three freely accessible viewing platforms
- A weather-protected skybox
- Our highest viewing platform is 70.6m high
- FLY 100 panoramic rope ride
- Freefall from 52 to 30 metres
A visit to the Pyramidenkogel is an absolute highlight on a holiday at Lake Wörthersee.
The hike to the Pyramidenkogel undemanding but very satisfying.
5) Visit Klagenfurt
A city trip to the capital of Carinthia was also on our to-do list. Klagenfurt is located on the eastern shore of Lake Wörthersee. The city's coat of arms is the Lindwurm, a winged dragon, whose monument stands on Neuer Platz. Nearby is the opulent cathedral, built in the 16th century. The narrow streets around the Old Square are lined with Baroque and Renaissance buildings and make a stroll through the old town an experience. You're also on the safe side when it comes to culinary delights in Klagenfurt. There is a wide selection of restaurants and pubs to satisfy every taste. We chose the "Bierhaus zum Augustin". In the picturesque courtyard we enjoyed Kässpätzle and Carinthian Kasnudeln and the excellent draught beer. The traditional pub has moderate prices and is located at Pfarrhofgasse 2 in the city centre.
Klagenfurt is definitely worth a visit.
6) And go to Minimundus there
An absolute classic in Klagenfurt is the miniature world "Minimundus". Everyone in Austria knows this destination, which was opened in 1959. You shouldn't expect any breathtaking attractions here, but a visit to this classic is a must. On 26,000 square metres of park space and 1,500 square metres of indoor adventure world, you can admire 165 miniature buildings, such as the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal and the launch pads of Cape Canaveral. Even children who normally only sit in front of a screen get wide-eyed here.
Big buildings on a small scale: Minimundus in Klagenfurt.
7) Visit the animal park and the labyrinth
Only 5 km from Lake Wörthersee, the excursion destinations Zoo, Castle & Labyrinth Rosegg offer a nice alternative to a holiday by the water. The Rosegg Animal Park near Velden is the largest animal park in Carinthia. Between Rossegg Castle and the zoo is one of Austria's largest garden labyrinths with over 3,000 hornbeams. It was a very nice day trip for the whole family.
Fortunately, we all found our way out again.
8) Go to Lake Ossiachersee
If you want to visit another lake besides Lake Wörthersee, a trip to Lake Ossiachersee is the perfect choice. Lake Ossiach is the third largest lake in Carinthia. Here, everything is a little more tranquil than around its bigger brother some 30 minutes away by car. We even considered spending our next Austrian holiday at the beautifully situated Ossiachersee, because there is also a lot to experience here.
9) Visit the Familywald at Lake Ossiachersee
Visiting the climbing forest at Lake Ossiach was the highlight of our Carinthia holiday. The Kletterwald has much more to offer than a high ropes course. There are several panorama terraces, an adventure trail, the treetop path, a forest playground, a fly-line (like a small roller coaster in the forest - great fun) and the awesome treenets adventure. The treenets are nets stretched between the trees at sometimes dizzying heights. This was an experience not only for the children. Everyone can find something on the 30,000 square metre site.
The Familywald on Lake Ossiach has much more to offer than a high ropes course.
10) Take a bike tour around Lake Wörthersee
Even though we didn't do it ourselves, we can recommend a bike tour around the lake. My wife's parents had their e-bikes with them and really enjoyed the day tour. There are no major climbs and you always pass idyllic rest areas. The cycling tour on Lake Wörthersee is also called the Wörthersee Tour and leads along the north shore and through the Keutschacher 4-lake valley. It is an absolute "must do" for pleasure cyclists during their stay at Lake Wörthersee. The approx. 50 km long route takes about 3 hours and covers just 400 metres in altitude.
11) A hike up the Goldeck
This hike is something for mountain fans. The Goldeck is a 2142 m above sea level mountain in the Latschur group in the Gailtal Alps in Carinthia, southwest of Spittal an der Drau. It takes a little more than an hour by car from Velden to the valley station of the Goldeck cable car. The ascent on foot is possible, but only recommended for very athletic people, after all, the summit cross is at an altitude of over 2000 metres. Even from the top station it is still a nice stretch to the very top - but one thing we can say from experience: it is absolutely worth it, because the view is fantastic!
A hike up the Goldeck is strenuous, but worth it.
We really liked it in Velden am Wörthersee, so we give it 10 out of 10 recommendation points.
We look forward to your feedback and are open to a lively exchange. You also want to travel, like to travel often and have a question, just write us and comment.
Kind regards,
Steffi, Max and the kids
(Author of this blog: Max)
Here you can find accommodation in Velden
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