Carinthian lake tour: Lake Wörthersee to Lake Weissensee

Route details

Tour through the Carinthian lake district from Klagenfurt via Velden am Wörthersee to the nature-protected Weissensee. 92 kilometers through changing landscapes with lake and mountain panoramas.

The Tour begins in Klagenfurt, the Carinthian capital, and first heads west towards Velden am Wörthersee. At around 16.5 kilometers in length, Lake Wörthersee is Carinthia's largest lake and is nestled between the foothills of the Gurktal Alps in the north and the Karawanken mountains in the south. The water has a characteristic blue-green color.

From Velden, the route continues west through the Carinthian hills. The roads in this section are mostly well developed and offer moderate bends. West of Villach, the character of the route changes: the roads become narrower, the curve radii tighter and the landscape gains altitude.

The destination of the Tour is Lake Weissensee, which at 930 meters above sea level is the highest of Carinthia's large bathing lakes. The 11.6-kilometre-long lake lies in the middle of a 76-square-kilometre landscape and nature reserve. Only around a third of the 23-kilometer-long shore is built on, the rest is a nature reserve. Motorboats are not permitted on the lake and there is no bypass road.

The approach to Lake Weissensee via the Kreuztal valley or from the Drautal valley includes some steep ascents with tight curves. Concentrated driving is required here. The road surface alternates in places between well-preserved asphalt and older sections with patches.

Duration for the 92 kilometers should be around two to two and a half hours, without longer breaks. In midsummer, you can expect increased traffic at Lake Wörthersee, especially at weekends. There is significantly less traffic at Lake Weissensee itself.

The region around Villach and Lake Faak is an established motorcycling area. The European Bike Week, one of the largest motorcycle meetings in Europe, takes place here every year at the beginning of September. The infrastructure for motorcyclists is correspondingly well developed.

The Tour is suitable for riders with basic cornering skills. Technically demanding passages such as Hairpin bends occur occasionally, but do not characterize the route. The surface is predominantly grippy, there are no gravel or unpaved sections.