Address

Villach

GPS

46.617943437878, 13.84859919548

Address

Villach

GPS

46.617943437878, 13.84859919548

General information

Paddleboarding

Thanks to the Drava River Villach is a true paddling town The river has a slow and gentle current in the urban area due to the barrages and is usually easy to paddle even for beginners (exception: after long periods of rain). In addition, the Villach region offers the Gail, a river which can also be paddled, although only by experienced paddlers. In addition, Lake Ossiach and the Lake Faak are two extremely attractive paddling areas. Smaller lakes on the outskirts of the city do not allow for extensive tours, but they are suitable for learning the SUP technique or for just leisurely floating on the water.

Swimming

In the metropolitan area of Villach there are a lot of popular lakes, which can all be paddled as well. The following lakes can be found in the town's vicinity:

  • Lake Faak
  • Lake Ossiach
  • Magdalener See
  • Lake Silbersee
  • Vassacher See
  • Leonhardsee

Thermal water can be enjoyed in the Warmbaderhof as well as in Kärntner Therme (Carinthian thermal baths) in Warmbad all year round. In addition, the Maibachl Healing Spring offers a year-round natural bathing experience of a rare kind. After strong precipitations you can climb into the warm spring water pool free of charge in the middle of the Warmbad Forest and let yourself be pampered by the healing water.

Worth seeing

The medieval Wernberg Monastery (1227) offers not only a restaurant and guest house, but also events and lectures of all kinds. It is also worth noting that the restaurant serves products from its own farm.

The old town of Villach is ideal for a relaxing day away from the water. The center scores with mediterranean flair, nice shops and bars and with its promenade along the Drava River (the longest river in Carinthia).

The parish church tower is the ideal starting point for a short tour of discovery through the city centre. 239 steps lead to a height of 94 m and at the end of the ascent you can enjoy a great all-round view of the city and far beyond the city limits. It is the highest church tower in Carinthia.

Extra Tips

Every year at the end of July the small folkloric festival St. Magdalener Kirchtag located near Gasthof Hopf. In addition to live music, competitions and awards for traditional costumes, you can enjoy delicious roast pork and fried chicken at this small folkloric festival.

With the Villacher Kirchtag every end of July and beginning of August Austria's biggest custom festival takes place. Hundreds of thousands of visitors stream into the small town for a week and transform the entire city center into a traditional zone with a large amusement park. The highlight is the costume parade on the Saturday of the so-called traditional week.

An easygoing bike trail along the Drave makes it possible to explore the whole of Carinthia by bike up and down the river. In Drobollach by Lake Faak you can rent your e-bike cheaply and hassle-free out of the Click&Bike self-service machines. From there you then explore the entire Alpe-Adria Region by bike. There are also nice route suggestions on the provider's homepage.

The small callistenics workout park at the nearby Lake Silbersee offers a varied workout by the water. Furthermore, the Silbersee offers two beach volleyball courts that are highly coveted in summer.

Villach has established itself as a real Paddling Town in recent years. The SUP Alps Trophy is also significantly involved in this. It has been holding the first competition weekend of the paddling season in Villach and on neighboring Lake Faak every year with the The Lake Rocks Festival (since 2022).

No SUP, no problem! Click&Paddle operates three self-service machine located around Villach (Lake Faak and Lake Ossiach). They are equipped with Croslake SUP boards and you can book these online. You even get a 20% discount on SUPs and kayaks. Simply enter the discount code "SUPAtlas" when booking and then glide along on a great board!

For paddling tours on the Drave the so-called Freizeitbase offers a SUP rental in the city center and right by the river.

With the Flycenter Ossiachersee you get a bird's-eye view of Lake Ossiach and the entire region around Villach while paragliding down from the mountains.

Overnight Stay

Apartments Villa Mayr
Seepromenade 113, 9524 St Magdalen
Phone +43 (0)699 1644444

Apartments Benedikt
Millstätterstrasse 37, 9523 Villach
Phone +43 (0)4242 431812

Hotel City
Bahnhofplatz 3, 9500 Villach
Phone +43 (0)4242 27896

Hotel Palais26
Hauptplatz 26, 9500 Villach
Phone +43 (0)4242 26101

Four Seasons Apartment ‚GREEN PARADISE‘
Treffnerstraße 60, 9500 Villach
Phone +43 676 3423949

Gastronomy

Gasthof Hopf.
St. Magdalener Strasse 10, 9524 St. Magdalen
Phone +43 (0)4242 42076

Hauser's Mostschenke
Dr. Schärf-Straße 1a, 9524 St. Magdalen
Phone +43 (0) 650 4404070

Fifty Fifty Burger Bar
Italienerstrasse 19, 9500 Villach
Phone +43 (0)650 2607532

KaLani Cafe Bar Restaurant
Europastrasse 8, 9500 Villach
Phone +43 (0)676 4509090

Gasthaus Gatternig
Franz Jonas Strasse 28, 9500 Villach
Phone +43 (0)4242 44592

Wascher’s Bar
Italiener Strasse 10b, 9500 Villach
Phone +43 (0)676 4776693

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