Day trips from Klagenfurt
A castle with fourteen gates, Carinthia's second city, and an island with two churches all run on the same regional ticket — but only on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays.
- Hochosterwitz
- train to Launsdorf-Hochosterwitz
- Villach
- train, about 22 min, half a day
- Maria Wörth
- bus 510 to Reifnitz
Three destinations from Klagenfurt take anywhere from a few hours to a whole day, all three on the same regional pass, the Kärnten Freizeit-Ticket, €14.90 per person (Kärnten Freizeit-Ticket). The catch is the date. The ticket only works on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; outside that, the regular fare applies.
Hochosterwitz Castle
train to Launsdorf-Hochosterwitz, about 1 h each way. The approach to the castle runs through fourteen fortified gates, built between 1570 and 1586. No attacker in its history got past the fourth. The ticket is €14.90 per person (Kärnten Freizeit-Ticket), a full day counting the train both ways.
Villach
train, about 22 min, the shortest of the three rides. The main square has been the centre of town since the twelfth century, and the 94-metre tower of the parish church looks out over the Drava river and the nearby hills. Across the river stands the Schlossberg, a hill with the remains of an eleventh-century fortress.
Maria Wörth
bus 510 to Reifnitz, about 19 min; a bus is the only way to this peninsula on the Wörthersee, there is no boat across the lake. Until 1770 it was an island; an embankment joined it to the shore once the lake's water level dropped. Two churches stand side by side at the top, a former collegiate church and a smaller winter church, first recorded as far back as 830.
A ticket that only works on weekends
How long each one takes
One-way travel time; all three run on the Freizeit-Ticket, weekends and public holidays only.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Is there a boat to Maria Wörth?
No, bus 510 to Reifnitz, a direct route with no boat across the lake.
Is the Freizeit-Ticket valid on weekdays?
No, it only works on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays; the regular fare applies on weekdays.
Which of the three trips takes the longest?
Hochosterwitz, about 1 h of travel and a full day, while the other two are half-day trips.
Ready for Klagenfurt?
Where to next
Where to stay in Klagenfurt
→In the old town everything is on foot; by the Wörthersee you're closer to the lake and Minimundus, but…
Graz · 99 km
→A city whose clock has the big hand for the hours, and a blue museum across the river
How well does Klagenfurt suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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