Well worth the €15 toll for a blast up the hill :o) If you fancy walking to the summit be property equipped, as it is properly mountainous at the summit (ie warm clothes and waterproofs in case the weather changes).
Just a little update on price: now you have to pay the entry fee per car, not per person. The muber of person is maximalized, but 15 EUR is the price for one car. That is great. I still love this mountain. We always make a walking tour from the top parking place to the top of the mountain, which is about 4 hours (up and down). Tolilet is always available at the restaurant however it is not always open.
On the edge of town, this road quickly takes the explorer to heights with spectacular scenery! Good paved road, well marked turnouts and scenic overlooks. perfect for the photographer.
OK - lets get the toll out of the way first. 15.50 Euros to take your car onto the alpine road. But for that, you get access to 15km of mountain road. Easy driving, which takes you up to an altitude of about 1700m. There are car parks where you can walk a very short distance to take in the views.Park at the top car park and take the 90 minute walk up a further 400m or so of height to the top of the mountain to get wonderful views in all directions, particularly the Julian Alps in Slovenia. The first part of the climb is the longest and probably the steepest bit - once you've got past this the walk becomes easier. There are a few benches and picnic tables along the way. Once you pass the transmission station you reach the cafe, and then it is a short climb to the top - to the right the highest point is marked with a cross and a view table. Once you've done this, take a very short walk across to a slightly lower top where there is a small Church. Then head down again to the cafe to retrace your steps to the car park. Stunning views. Allow four hours for the round trip on foot.If you've never climbed an alpine peak before, this one makes a good introduction. The path you follow is a gravel track suitable for four wheel drive vehicles, so it is difficult to get lost. Enjoy!
When in Villach be sure to drive the Alpenstrasse. 16 km drive through some of the most beautiful mountain scenery. Many stops along the way, hiking trails abound. From here you can see views in Austria, Italy and Slovenia. Pack a picnic lunch and be sure to take your time. Simply beautiful.
Wonderful view of Italy and slovenia. The refuge at the top has good wonderful fresh local buttermilk. not to mention great cakes. Well worth the treak or drive.
of al the famous alpineroads in Karinthie i like the villacheralpenstrasse the most. Great road surface and some very nice corners! Extraordinary view of villach and slovenie. I ride it every year a few times with my motorcycle
This is a wonderful small botanical garden. We spent about 3 hours there and could have spent more (but it was a long travel day, so our time was limited). Great variety of plants, very well kept. In early July, the lady slipper orchids were just going over, but the lilies were at the peak of bloom. Many of the early spring plants had been hit hard by the recent heat wave (36C for a couple of days in Villach), but there was still lots to enjoy. Everything well labelled.Admission is a mere EUR2.50 per person (in addition to the road toll).Before our visit, we had wondered about the size of the garden, because their website doesn't have a garden map. The garden turned out to be larger than we thought. So one of the pix I've uploaded is a snapshot of the map signboard in the garden.
After some 15 km of curves through the forest you get to the "Rosstratten" parking area (1700 m) and the most incredible view into the Julian Alps and Nockberge and Karawanken Mountains! The fee for this panorama-road is well worth it!If you are in the mood, hike all the way to the top of the Dobratsch mountain. Allow 1, 5 hours to the top. The more exciting trail is the "Jagasteig" - if you are not afraight of hights.