Alpe Adria Road Trip Stage 1: Hermagor - Bad Kleinkirchheim

Hermagor is a peaceful shopping town with about 7,000 inhabitants, the main town of the Gail Valley and the center of the "World of Mountains and Lakes". Worth seeing is the Gailtal Museum in Schloss Mödendorf, which houses an important folkloric collection. Not far from there lies the Garnitzen Gorge, a true natural jewel with waterfalls and bizarre rock formations. Nature lovers can also find plenty at the nearby Pressegger See, which invites you to swim and take a Slow Trail hike through Austria's second-largest reed belt. At Manuel Ressi, the Bear Host in Hermagor, you can not only enjoy excellent food but also improve your cooking skills in the "Slow Food Vegetable Cuisine" workshop and take home homemade delicacies. Be sure to also visit the Semmelrock confectionery, where fine pastries, chocolates, and ice cream are still handmade. Hermagor is also known for its "Speckfest", held annually in June. The star is the EU-protected Gailtaler Speck g.g.A. You can learn what makes it so special and how it is produced during the Slow Food Travel experience at Schloss Lerchenhof from the speck master Hans Steinwender in person.

Through the small valley to the most beautiful lake

Schloss Lerchenhof is already on the way towards the Gitschtal, a small, lovely valley between the Carnic and Gailtal Alps, dominated by the 2,371-meter-high Reißkofel. It is a paradise for nature lovers, where the term "summer retreat" is not just a catchword. For the residents, nature is the most valuable asset, which they especially protect. Proof of this is that all rivers and streams have drinking water quality, and in the Mösener Moor lives one of the largest populations of the rare crayfish species in Austria. Around the main town of Weißbriach, gold, silver, and iron ore were mined in the Middle Ages, and even earlier, during Roman times, an important trade route led through the valley over Kreuzberg towards the Drava Valley. We follow this route and turn off at the Kreuzbergsattel (1,070 m) towards Weissensee. It is one of the most beautiful lakes in the country and the highest bathing lake in the Alps (930 m): the Weissensee, Nature Park of the Year 2026. Embedded in a fjord-like landscape, largely undeveloped, with secluded bays and little traffic, it amazes all visitors. Not bad either: Every host offers their guests a private, free bathing beach. The Weissensee is a special place for those who love hiking, mountain biking, diving, or exploring nature actively. During a boat trip from Techendorf, you can discover it comfortably, get off on the way, and hike back on the Slow Trail. A culinary highlight is the breakfast raft ride across the crystal-clear lake, which is teeming with fish. This makes Weissensee an eldorado for anglers, and if you wish, you can prepare wild fish "from nose to tail" under the guidance of top chef Hannes Müller – also bookable as a Slow Food Travel experience.

From the largest river into the Alpine valley

From the Kreuzbergsattel, you descend to Greifenburg in the Upper Drava Valley. Don't be surprised to see many paragliders and hang gliders floating through the air here, as the thermals in this region are among the best in all of Europe. It now goes upstream through the wide Drava Valley towards East Tyrol. The main river of the country springs in South Tyrol, crosses all of Carinthia, flows onward to Slovenia and Croatia to Hungary, where it flows into the Danube. It is especially known for the Drava Cycle Path, on which you can cycle 510 kilometers from the Dolomites to the expanse of Pannonia. Prefer to be on the water? On the Drava, you can also paddle canoe, kayak, or SUP. Find more on Draupaddelweg.com. Passing charming towns like Berg im Drautal and the herb village Irschen, it continues to Oberdrauburg, a historic town located on an old Roman road. Shortly afterwards, you cross the border to East Tyrol. In Dölsach, you can turn off to the Iselsberg or make a detour to Lienz, the picturesque capital. Via the Iselsberg road, which was already an important connection in Roman times, it leads to the Carinthian Möll Valley, a picturesque Alpine valley with high mountains and green alpine meadows. From a distance, you can see the old toll tower of Winklern built at this important traffic junction. Here you turn north and enter the Hohe Tauern National Park.

Through the national park to the highest peak

The largest national park in the Alps spans the federal states of Carinthia, Salzburg, and Tyrol. In its middle lies Austria's highest mountain, the Großglockner. The Hohe Tauern National Park impresses with its breathtaking high mountain landscape and fascinating animal and plant life. You can observe ibex, marmots, or golden eagles, admire edelweiss or gentian, and if you like, be guided by a national park ranger to the most beautiful places. Kids between 13 and 15 can even train to become junior rangers. The national park administration is located in Großkirchheim, where gold was mined until the 17th century. Heiligenblut, with its famous pilgrimage church of St. Vincent and the Großglockner in the background, is a genuine postcard motif. Those who want to see Austria's highest peak (3,798 m) up close take the Großglockner High Alpine Road, one of the most beautiful panoramic roads in the world, up to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe (2,369 m). Once at the top, you enjoy a sensational view of the majestic Großglockner and the Pasterze Glacier, which you can reach via 552 steps downwards. With some luck, you might see cute marmots and majestic ibex – best from the Swarovski observation platform. You return the same way to Heiligenblut and can visit one or another experience world on the way. From Winklern, it goes on to Flattach and from there you reach the foot of the Mölltaler Glacier within minutes, which you can access with the glacier express, one of Europe's longest funicular railways. Obervellach is known as a spa town – for over 200 years, you can do healing fasting here with the original Schroth cure. From here, you can branch off to Mallnitz and visit the Bios National Park Centre, which fascinates visitors with its interactive exhibition "univerzoom national park." Through the Möll Valley, it continues towards Kolbnitz, where on the way the Falkenstein Castle, Carinthia's oldest castle, and the cone-shaped Danielsberg, a mystical power place already settled in the Stone Age, catch the eye.

Living culture and deep waters

In Möllbrücke, you return to the Drava Valley, and via Sachsenburg, continue to St. Peter im Holz, where the Roman Museum Teurnia offers insights into the world of Celts and Romans who once settled here. Soon you reach Spittal an der Drau, the urban center of Upper Carinthia, known for its charming old town and the magnificent Renaissance Schloss Porcia. For 50 years, the beautiful arcaded courtyard has served as a stage for the famous "Porcia Comedy Plays", and the Museum of Folk Culture is also housed in the castle. The tour continues through the narrow Lieser Gorge to the Lake Millstatt, the deepest bathing lake in Carinthia. Seeboden is a popular holiday resort, crowned by Sommeregg Castle. The chilling torture museum and the knightly games in August are a must-see. In Millstatt, not only the beach but also "Carinthia's first bathhouse" invites you to a pleasant bathing experience. The old Benedictine monastery with the abbey church forms the charming backdrop for the annual "Millstatt Music Weeks" and the "International Guitar Festival." You can also best discover Lake Millstatt by taking a ride on the scheduled ship or exploring the bays by rowing boat.

Lightheartedly through ateliers and the Nock Mountains to warm springs

Through the lovely Lieser Valley, we continue to the artist town Gmünd, where medieval flair meets contemporary art. Artists from all over the world live here for several months in international guest studios, where you can meet them and admire their works in exhibitions. Among car enthusiasts, Gmünd is known for the Porsche Museum because the first cars named Porsche were built here. Young and old can immerse themselves in an interactive experience world at the "Pankratium House of Wonder" or walk the "Dragon Mile," an energy experience path, and cross the Dragon Gorge on the 170-meter-long suspension bridge.

Sidestep: If you have time, you can drive the toll Malta High Alpine Road through the Maltatal with its high waterfalls up to the Kölnbrein Dam, Austria's highest dam. From the Airwalk viewing platform, you enjoy a spectacular view.

Our road trip continues via Innerkrems to the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve Nockberge, a habitat for many protected plants and animals. Here begins the fantastic Nockalmstraße, which winds for 34 kilometers to Ebene Reichenau. Along the way, you drive through a picturesque Alpine landscape characterized by gentle mountain peaks called "Nocken" by locals, picturesque alpine meadows, vast coniferous forests, and small mountain lakes. There are 52 hairpin bends providing driving pleasure; behind every curve, a new view of the unique landscape awaits. Traditional huts along the road ensure culinary delights, where Carinthian cuisine is served. In some alpine farms, you can also buy homemade snacks for the next leg or a hike. Various experience worlds, playgrounds, and exhibitions provide entertainment on the way. Those interested can even book an exciting tour with a ranger, spend "A day in the wilderness", or follow the "tracks of Speik and Zirbe", two rare plants growing here with beneficial effects. Bad Kleinkirchheim, the famous spa and winter sports resort in the Nock Mountains, is the destination of today's tour. Its tourist development owes much to the mineral-rich thermal water, known since the Middle Ages for its healing effects. Cheerfully bubbling, the 36-degree warm spring water flows from a rock wall in the crypt of the small church of St. Kathrein, which you can visit during a short walk on the thermal path. It feeds the two public thermal baths, the Thermal Römerbad and the St. Kathrein Thermal Spa, which offer relaxation and bathing fun after an eventful day. You can experience a lot here: The mountain railways take you to lofty heights where you can hike, mountain bike, practice mountain yoga on the trail, or have fun in the activity park and on the Kaiserburg bobsleigh run. Those interested can play a round on Carinthia's highest golf course. Afterwards, it's time to "enjoy" in the Slow Food Village Bad Kleinkirchheim, which invites visitors every autumn to the "Culinary Nights" and the "Delicacies Festival."