Wörthersee circular hiking route stage Klagenfurt - Pörtschach

On the way from the east bay up to the Zillhöhe, you pass the vineyard of the city of Klagenfurt – a wonderful tribute to the warm climate of the region, with an even more wonderful view of the Karawanken on the southern border of Carinthia.

After crossing the southern motorway, a dense beech forest with its peaceful silence swallows the hikers again. The path leisurely rolls over the gentle hills up to Draßnitz Castle, a wonderful resting point. Here, as you descend towards Pirk, the landscape fundamentally opens up for the first time. The Wörthersee is out of sight, and suddenly green fields and the rugged but mostly well-visible peaks of the Hohe Tauern in the west dominate the view. The following ascent to Pirkerkogel is perhaps the most strenuous and steepest passage on the circular hiking route. One is rewarded for the effort at the viewpoint just after the summit. Here, you have an unrestricted view to the south, where the turquoise blue Wörthersee majestically sparkles in the sun in front of the mighty Karawanken.

Afterwards, the hiking trail runs steadily on the south side of the ridge, where sun-flooded clearings alternate with green beech forests and dense coniferous forests.