Austria / Carinthia / Villach – Lake Faak – Lake Ossiach Region / Cycling & Mountain Biking
Superb cycling in holiday paradise!
Mountain biking, road cycling on World Championship courses or leisurely
riding round the lakes: the Villach – Lake Faak – Lake Ossiach Region
offers endless opportunities in scenic settings.
Cycling is definitely a growing trend. And if you want to keep in training while
you are away or see the sights by bike, you will find the perfect ingredients for a
dream holiday here in the heart of Carinthia. Whether three-country tours by
mountain or racing bike, exciting single trails with the fun factor thrown in or trips
with the kids to a lake for a swim: few holiday regions have as much to offer in
the great outdoors – and as many ways of exploring on two wheels!
Pedalling between lakes and mountains. A network of cycle paths and trails
along gurgling streams and rivers takes you from one lake to the next. The
landscape is almost too beautiful to be true. You can stop off for refreshments at
lakeside cafés or a dip in the water that reaches up to 28 degrees in summer.
Another unforgettable experience is a trip south into the neighbouring countries,
such as the tour from the Italian border town of Tarvisio to Lake Ossiach or from
Kranjska Gora in Slovenia to Lake Faak. First you can take the bus across the
border to Kranjska Gora and then cycle from there via Tarvisio along the former
Pontebbana railway line back to Austria. On the bus to Slovenia you may also
meet many walkers intending to do stage 22 of the Alpe Adria Trail from
Kranjska Gora back to Lake Faak. An alternative is the bike bus from Lake
Ossiach to Spittal an der Drau, from where you can ride along the River Drau
cycle path – it is slightly downhill and therefore not too strenuous – back to
Villach and Lake Ossiach. And while you have a break in Villach, the lively town
on the Drau, your bicycle will be safe with the bike butler – a service (like the
bike buses) that is free of charge with the Region’s Experience CARD.
Incidentally, the 366 km Drau trail is one of only four European cycle paths to be
given a five star rating by the German Cyclists Association (ADFC). Also highly
commended (with the 2016 Italian Green Road Award): the Ciclovia Alpe Adria,
a bike trail that runs from Salzburg to the Adriatic in Italy. The sections from
Villach across the border into the picturesque Val Canale are also very popular
as half or full-day tours. Many locals ride to the little town of Venzone at the
entrance to the Canale del Ferro. Once you have managed the short hill up to
Tarvisio, the most tiring part of the route is behind you. Then it’s downhi ll almost
all the way – through impressive countryside and fought over border areas with
many front line defences still visible today. After a well-earned rest in Venzone,
officially one of Italy’s most attractive villages, you can then board the Micotra
train (with a waggon for bikes) and enjoy the leisurely return trip to Villach.
Forest tracks and single trails. You can also have endless fun exploring the
mountain bike routes in the Villach – Lake Faak – Lake Ossiach Region.
Nowhere can you see the changing scenery and get a taste of three countries
more quickly and intensely than on the MTB Tour 3. If you want, you can have
your breakfast on Lake Faak, lunch in Kranjska Gora and an afternoon espresso
in Tarvisio. Just under 90 kilometres long, the tour only has one significant climb
(right at the start). You will however be rewarded with spectacular panoramic
views of the mountains and unforgettable impressions of three cultures. Shorter,
but none the less recommendable are the intermediate Prefelnig mountain bike
tour on the south side of the Ossiach Tauern range, with breath -taking views of
Lake Ossiach, and the route round Oswaldiberg near Villach (both between 11
and 12 kilometres long).
Beside it, on Kumitzberg, you will find Villach’s brand-new Areaone Mountain
Bike Skill Centre. Professional guides at the first centre of its kind in the Alps Adriatic region will give both beginners and experts (and even the very young on
balance bikes) tips and tricks to perfect their techniques. Six short practice trails
at different levels of difficulty are available. Their features range from simple
balancing exercises to challenging switchbacks and jumps over a five metre gap
catering for all kinds of riders.
The courses at areaone will be held from June on. Starting in May, there will be
weekly workshops with guided tours on the new Kopein Trail on Lake Faak. The
mountain bike enduro trail (intermediate level) is about 6 kilometres long. Two
other shorter single tracks, the Samonig Trail and Shorty Trail near Latschach,
are currently being planned in the vicinity. Many local bike enthusiasts will
therefore soon be able to combine these three courses into one varied MTB
enduro tour with a high percentage of trails.
Road cycling on World Championship courses. “Nowhere is as good for road
biking as the Villach Region,” says someone who should be in the know: Paco
Wrolich, one of Austria’s most successful professional cyclists, comes from the
village of Latschach on Lake Faak. Among his personal favourites is the three country tour from Lake Faak via Tarvisio in Italy and the Predil Pass to Bovec in
Slovenia and from there over the Vršič Pass (Slovenia’s highest) to Kranjska
Gora and back to Austria. It is a round trip with quite a few climbs but well worth
the effort. Like on the MTB Tour 3 described above, the truly remarkable route
gives you a unique insight into three different countries and cultures on one
single day.
A none the less amazing experience for road cyclists is the Dobratsch nature
park. Gruelling at times, the 16.5 kilometre long climb up the Villach Alpine Road
has often been used as the mountain stage for the Tour of Austria race. There is
even an app where you can time yourself and compare your results with the
2017 Cycling & Mountain Biking
Page 2
professionals’ best times. If you want to see where top cyclists ride on not quite
such steep routes, you can head for the short, but demanding 1987 World
Cycling Championship circuit. Located on Lake Faak, it will take you along good,
varied roads where traffic tends to be light and up quite a long hill (from St.
Niklas to the lake) that the athletes taking part in the Ironman Austria Triathlon
also have to tackle every year. The former World Championship course is also
used for the Lake Faak Triathlon over the Olympic distance in late August.
At the end of May, Austria’s largest stage race for everyone is held on Lake
Ossiach: the six-day Tour de Kärnten. Covering a total of 430 kilometres with an
elevation gain of 8,000 metres, it provides perfect training under race conditions
for both amateurs and professionals.
The pace is much more leisurely round the region’s largest lake on 21 May. Held
for the 14th time this year, the traffic-free day on Lake Ossiach makes Sunday
cycling or inline skating with the children safer and much more fun. A tip: if you
prefer to watch all the action from above, you can take the Gerlitzen cable car
from the lake up the mountain and then ride your bike down the toll road. Bike
tickets for the cable car and also for the Lake Ossiach boats are available
throughout the season, e.g. with the Kärnten Card. The Kärnten Card (costing
from €38 for adults and €18 for children) is available for one, two or five weeks.
Guided bike tours with the Experience CARD. And the Villach Region’s
Experience CARD even entitles you to complimentary services such as the bike
butler, many guided tours, trail workshops and the bike buses to Italy, Slovenia
and Spittal an der Drau. The Experience CARD for visitors is available free of
charge from all participating hotels.
Information and bookings:
Region Villach Tourismus GmbH
Töbringer Str. 1 • 9523 Villach-Landskron • Austria
Tel: +43 4242 42000–0 • Fax ext: 42
E-mail: [email protected]
You can find our digital picture archive at www.region-villach.at!
2017 Cycling & Mountain Biking
Page 3