Carinthia: lakes, castles and southern sun
Carinthia's lakes warm to twenty-five degrees in summer, Hochosterwitz castle is guarded by fourteen gates and cable cars climb to the Gerlitzen summit. It is the southern side of the Alps with everything that goes with it: swimming in the morning, a trip in the afternoon, a terrace in the evening. A week comfortably covers Millstätter See, Ossiacher See, Faaker See and Wörthersee without having to pack up and move somewhere else every day. And because everything here revolves around water, you will appreciate a vehicle that swallows bikes, paddleboards and beach gear for the whole family.
Set off early in the morning so that something is left of the first day. There are two options: via Linz and the Pyhrn motorway, or via Salzburg and the Tauern Tunnel — both bring you to Millstätter See, which lies practically at the motorway exit. If you would rather not spend the whole day behind the wheel, stop overnight roughly halfway in Upper Austria and arrive the following morning. Set up your base in Döbriach or in Millstatt.
At more than one hundred and forty metres deep, Millstätter See is the second largest lake in Carinthia, yet it holds more water than any of the others. The northern shore is sheltered from cold winds by the Millstätter Alpe massif, so the water warms up faster than you would expect in the Alps. The southern shore has been a protected area since 1970 and has stayed almost uninhabited. Give the morning to the beach, and in the afternoon walk into Millstatt to see the former Benedictine abbey.
Move your base to Ossiacher See — from here you are close to Villach and to the other lakes, and you can drive the rest of the week without packing up again. A mountain road leads up to Gerlitzen (1,909 m) from Bodensdorf, but it is narrow and steep; with a motorhome it makes more sense to leave the vehicle down in Annenheim and take the Kanzelbahn cable car, which has been running here since 1928. It only goes as far as Kanzelhöhe — a second cable car carries on to the summit itself, or you can walk up in thirty to forty-five minutes. From the top you see Ossiacher See, Wörthersee and the ridge of the Karawanks all at once. On the way back down, leave some time for Villach.
Faaker See is a small lake with strikingly turquoise water — the colour comes from fine limestone particles carried in by the Worounitza stream, which stay suspended for a long time. Motorboats are banned here, so the water is quiet and you can see all the way to the bottom. A private island sits in the middle, and an easy cycling loop runs around the shore. This is the day when nothing is rushed.
Wörthersee is the largest of the Carinthian lakes and in summer also the warmest address in the region. Velden is its liveliest end — a promenade, a marina, cafés and plenty of people in the evening. Maria Wörth, on a peninsula on the southern shore, is the opposite pole: two churches directly above the water, and quiet. Excursion boats cross the lake, so you can travel one way by water and the other along the shore.
Hochosterwitz Castle stands on a dolomite rock one hundred and seventy-two metres high, and the climb to the upper courtyard passes through fourteen gates, built between 1570 and 1586 by Georg Khevenhüller as a defence against the Ottomans. If you would rather not walk up, the Fürst-Max-Bahn lift takes you there for an extra fee; in the 2026 season admission is 18 € for an adult and 11 € for a child, with a family ticket at 47 €. Watch out for two things: in September the castle is closed on Mondays, and the last entry is an hour and a half before closing time. The afternoon belongs to Klagenfurt — Neuer Platz with the fountain of the Lindwurm dragon, and right next to it Minimundus with 166 models of buildings from some fifty countries at a scale of 1:25.
The last day is all about the drive back and it is the same stint behind the wheel as the first one, so set off straight after breakfast. If you came here through the Tauern Tunnel, go back via Pyhrn and Linz for a change — the route is comparable and at least you will not see the same thing twice. One last swim can still be fitted in during the morning, before you take down the awning.
Up to 3.5 t, which covers most motorhomes, the Austrian motorway vignette is enough: in 2026 the ten-day one costs 12.80 €, the two-month one 32.00 € and the annual one 106.80 €. Buy the digital vignette in advance — the one-day and ten-day versions are valid immediately, while the longer ones only take effect eighteen days after purchase. Above 3.5 t the vignette does not apply at all and a GO-Box on-board unit is required; the toll is then calculated from the kilometres driven, the number of axles and the emission class. The vignette also does not cover the Alpine sections with their own toll: for the up-to-3.5 t category, a single journey through the Tauern Tunnel on the A10 (the route via Salzburg) costs 15 € and the Bosruck Tunnel on the A9 (the route via Pyhrn) 7 €. The Karawanks Tunnel on the A11 at 9 € is not on the way into Carinthia — it leads from Villach into Slovenia, so you only pay it if you carry on further south. The Gerlitzen Alpenstraße mountain road from Bodensdorf is tolled separately and paid on the spot.
Terrassencamping Pesenthein — Millstatt am See (Millstätter See) · Komfort-Campingpark Burgstaller — Döbriach (Millstätter See) · Camping Brunner — Döbriach, Glanzerstraße (Millstätter See) · Seecamping Berghof — Villach-Landskron (Ossiacher See) · Ideal Camping Lampele — Ossiach (Ossiacher See) · Camping Arneitz — Faak am See (Faaker See) · Strandcamping Gruber — Faak am See (Faaker See) · EuroParcs Wörthersee — Schiefling am Wörthersee · Campingplatz Klagenfurt am Wörthersee — Klagenfurt
Count on sleeping at campsites. The network around the Carinthian lakes is dense, so this is not really a limitation, but the car parks at the beaches are designed for a day visit, not for an overnight stay. In high season, book ahead. Be particularly careful around Faaker See at the beginning of September: European Bike Week is held there, the largest motorcycle gathering in Europe (around two hundred thousand participants in 2018), campsites in the area are full months in advance and the nights are noisy. If you want peace by the water, come in June or in the second half of August.
Take on fresh water and empty the cassette at whichever campsite you are staying at — a service point is available at Camping Arneitz by Faaker See, Seecamping Berghof in Villach-Landskron and Ideal Camping Lampele in Ossiach, among others, but it is intended for guests. A vehicle merely passing through is served only exceptionally, so time your service stop for the day you change base. Berghof is open all year, which comes in handy if you travel outside the main season.
Adria Coral XL
Seven days by the Carinthian lakes mean mainly water and short hops between bases, so it pays to take more equipment rather than less — the Coral XL has a large rear garage that swallows bikes, paddleboards and beach gear for the whole family. As a semi-integrated vehicle it also handles the climbs and tunnels on the A10 and the A9 better than a bulky A-class, and you will still park it at the tight campsites around Wörthersee.
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