Lake Afritz

Level of difficulty 1 |  Gastronomy 1 |  Distance 3.7 km  Time 1 hour

---

This picturesque lake is located in the nature reserve of the same name and is known for its idyllic setting and light boat traffic.

General information

• Carinthia Card
• Sonnenschein Card
• Lake Afritz Wikipedia
• Lake Afritz tourist information
• Carinthia tourist information
• Tour video
• Climate
• Wind, waves, weather

Navigation rules

Lake Afritz (Afritzer See) is located within the Lake Afritz Nature Reserve, which was established in 1970. It includes the areas surrounding the lake along its western, northern, and eastern shores. Therefore, please paddle respectfully and in harmony with nature!

Be sure to give fishermen and swimmers plenty of room as well!

Dangers and risks

The lake is a popular fishing spot. The north and west shores are particularly well-suited for fishing, which is why you should keep a safe distance from the shore there. Especially when the weather is warm, the water is bustling with fishing boats.

The path from the parking lot on the north shore down to the water is quite steep for a short stretch. Be especially careful when carrying your SUP to the water when the ground is wet in the morning or frozen in the winter.

Since the B98 runs right next to the lake and cars are traveling at high speeds, you should be especially careful when you’re out and about with children. However, the parking lot is well separated from the road.

The banks are easily accessible in many places, but the ground drops off steeply rapidly. Anyone entering the water or stepping onto a SUP should feel their way with their feet to avoid stepping into thin air and falling.

On beautiful summer days, the few public access points to the lake—especially around the campground and the public beach—are filled with swimmers. Paddle past them at a safe distance or glide to the shore on your knees!

Caution is also advised when paddling near the lakefronts of the private homes along the road on the east shore.  

Because it is located in a valley known for its reliable thermal updrafts, it can get windy at the lake. Just like at the neighboring Lake Brennsee, windsurfing and kitesurfing are popular here, but we stand-up paddlers have more room to maneuver at Lake Afritz.

Directions

You can reach Lake Afritz from either the south or the west. If you're driving from the south, take the B98 and turn left into the parking lot right at the end of the lake.

Coming from the west, the route also follows the B98 and might run along Lake Millstatt, but it definitely passes by the small Lake Brennsee. A mile and a half past Lake Brennsee, you’ll see the north parking lot of Lake Afritz on your right.

Those who prefer public transportation can take the so-called Nockmobil, among other options. This flexible shuttle service in the Nockberge Biosphere Park connects over 650 stops and can be booked via app or phone. To travel to Lake Afritz, select the destination stop “Afritzer See Nordufer/Parkplatz” in the Postbus Shuttle app and book your ride by specifying the desired time and number of passengers.

In addition, the Postbus 350 (formerly 5150) runs between Villach and Radenthein and passes by the bus stop Feld am See Wiesen. From there, it is about 500 meters to the parking lot on the north shore of Lake Afritz. There is also a bus stop at the south bank.

National and international bus, train, and flight connections can be found via the comparison portals Omio, Busbud as well as RailEurope. If you arrive by plane, you will either land in Klagenfurt or Ljubljana – the closest airports in the region.

Parking

There is plenty of free parking by this small lake. Along the eastern shore, there is a parking lot with lake access next to the road on both the north and south sides. You can also park easily at the lido Strandbad Friessner and along the access road leading there.

Swimming

With its clear, sometimes dark water (drinking water quality), the lake is perfect for swimming. In July and August, the water warms up to a maximum of 26°C, though the average water temperature during the swimming season is around 20°C. However, due to its location and its character as a mountain lake, Lake Afritz is somewhat cooler than many other swimming lakes in Carinthia.

On the south shore, there is a public beach with changing rooms, restrooms, gastronomy, and a SUP rental service. Guests of the Hotel Fischerhof Glinzner and Camping Bodner have their own lidos. There are also public accesses directly along the loop trail. Since motorized boats are prohibited, visitors can enjoy a peaceful swimming and paddling experience here.

Once the lake is too cold for swimming in autumn, you can enjoy a relaxing bath in one of the two thermal spas in the nearby municipality of Bad Kleinkirchheim.

Therme St. Kathrein
Dorfstraße 47, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim
Phone +43 (0)4240 81100

Thermal Römerbad
Dorfstraße 74, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim
Phone +43 (0)4240 8282 201

Tour

At the small beach in the north, start to the right and paddle all the way around the lake along the shore.

Length

3.7 km

Time

1 hour

Start and landing

Small beach near the north parking lot.

SUP rental

Strandbad Friessner
Seestraße 4, 9542 Afritz am See
Phone +43 (0)664 4208697

SUP2GETHER
Mobile SUP rental
Am Birkengrund 26, 9073 Klagenfurt
Phone +43 (0)463 20323020

Peaceful SUPing on dark waters

It’s not exactly one of the region’s top spots for water sports or vacations, and that’s precisely why Lake Afritz is a paddling destination worth visiting. The only significant infrastructure—including campgrounds and a public beach—is located on the southern shore of the lake; the rest of the area is largely untouched and sees little boat traffic.

That’s why I choose the the small beach on the northern shore to start my short tour. But if you’d rather set out from the south, you can do that too—either by taking the free lake access on the main road or by going stand-up paddleboarding as a guest of the beach resort or the campground.

Since the shore along the main road is still in the shade until mid-morning in early May, I start my tour to the right, toward the wooded western shore of the lake. I navigate my way out onto the water, weaving between the lines of patient anglers, and watch as my nose gently parts the carpet of pollen floating on the water.

There must still be a lost aluminum paddle lying on the seabed here on the beach—it sank during one of my first SUP trips back in 2019. People are fishing on the private properties in front of me today as well—young and old, men and women—everyone seems to be waiting for their next big catch.

Since the lake is fed primarily by its tributaries on the western shore and in the southwest and drains into the brook Afritzer Bach in the far south, I can feel a constant, gentle current flowing from north to south.

So I glide along the shore beneath the overhanging trees, barely paddling at all, and notice that the score between birdsong and traffic noise from the road is probably 1:1. The view across the lush green slopes of the sun-drenched Mt. Tauchenberg (1,568 m) on the opposite side, however, is a definite 10!

It was a better idea to start with the west bank anyway, since it’s more scenic than the east side, even though both long shores, along with the north bank, are part of the local scenic conservation area.

It is likely that this very landscape conservation is one reason for the biodiversity in the water, as the 23-meter-deep lake is home not only to eels, carp, roach, and perch, but also to freshwater mussels and various species of crustaceans.

The short Afritzer See Slow Trail, which winds its way around the lake for 4.5 km, keeps peeking through the trees and is perfect for a family stroll through the woods and meadows. As soon as the forest thins out and gives way to meadows, I can already see the campgrounds and beaches on the south shore ahead of me.

I happen to pass by just in time, because out of nowhere, one convertible after another suddenly rolls past the mobile homes and camping cabins at the Hotel Fischerhof Glinzner and down toward the lakeshore. I pull over and watch the commotion for several minutes until all the cars have found a parking spot.

After a bit of small talk with the drivers, I now know that this is the annual Mercedes convertible meet-up (see minute 2:50), which has been held every year since the turn of the millennium. Today’s drive takes them to the lake, and later they’ll continue on—possibly even as far as Styria or Slovenia. There are some great classic cars here too, and after snapping a few photos, I head back to my SUP and paddle on to the lake’s outlet.

It runs quite inconspicuously from the southern tip of the lake, passing under a small wooden bridge and into a brook called Afritzer Bach. From here, I begin my return journey along the eastern shore, which is naturally noisier and far less pristine due to the road. Nevertheless, this shore is also part of the protected area and beckons with its quaint lakeside cottages and a few enviable homes, complete with lake access and a boathouse.

Between Mt. Wöllaner Nock (2,145 m) and Mt. Mirnock (2,110 m), the view stretches far into the northern part of the Gegendtal Valley and beyond. Ahead of me, just a few kayaks and fishing boats bob on the calm water, which gives me plenty of room to push myself to the limit with some vigorous strokes as I wrap up the tour.

Just before I reach the north shore, however, I need to be careful again, because the fishermen are still there, and by now I can already see four of their floats in the water. I glide my SUP between them and wrap up my exploration with a refreshing swim in the green and clean water.

I can hardly imagine that things are any less relaxed here in the height of summer. I’ll definitely be back in a few months to see for myself.

Find more SUP tours on Carinthian lakes in the SUP Guide Carinthia.