The Villach The Alpine Road is considered one of the most beautiful panoramic routes in Austria. Over a length of 16.5 kilometers, you have magnificent views of the Karawanks in Carinthia and the Julian Alps in Italy and Slovenia. You can drive comfortably by car to the Dobratsch at an altitude of 1,700 meters. But there is a lot to discover on the way to your destination!
The toll
The way to Dobratsch is well signposted and hard to miss. You don't have to leave the car to pay the toll. In 2022, it costs 19.5€ to drive through, regardless of how many people are in the car. You will also be given a map with the highlights. Here you can find the current prices and opening hours.
The route on the Dobratsch in detail:
PO Observation Platform Arenablick
Turn 2: Here you have a view of the ski jump.
P1, viewing rest at 770 m
There is a large rest area here, but we skip it because there is not much to see.
P2 City and lake view, 862m
From here you also have a very nice view of the city of Villach
P3 Waldrast, 965m
Here is another rest area with a view of the Finkenstein castle ruins. It's very nice, but where are the castle ruins? Do we think we're too stupid for that, or are they just those few stones in the foreground?
P4 Schüttblick, 1,020m
Here you have a beautiful view of the landslide area “Schütt”, view of the Julian Alps and the Karawanks.
P5 Three Country View, 1,307m
As the name suggests, you have a view of 3 countries: Austria, Slovenia and Italy. To be honest, it is very similar to P4
P6 Alpine Garden, 1,483m
When we arrive here at the end of May, it is still closed. But we are lucky: it is currently being renovated and we are kindly allowed to go through. Around 800 alpine plants from three climate zones thrive here in an area of 10,000 square meters. A special feature of the garden is that almost half of all the plants were in their original place of growth. From here, too, you have a wonderful view of the Alps and the Rote Wand.
Separate entrance fee, open from the beginning of June to the end of August, daily from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (time required: approximately 1 hour). Here you can find all information.
P6 Red Wall viewing platform
This highlight can be reached from the same car park. It is an absolute must. Here you have a magnificent view 400 m down over the cliff face and a distant view of the Karawanks and Julian Alps.
By the way, you don't have to cross the road, there is a very nice boardwalk through the forest (see above).
P8 Berggasthof Aichingerhütte
The exhibition “Rulers of the Skies – the Bird World of the Dobratsch Nature Park” is also located here. There is also a beautiful panoramic view of the lakes here, but we skipped this stop.
P11 Rosstratte, 1,732m
We have reached the last parking lot, from here we can only continue on foot. From here you have a wonderful view of the mountains all around. We want to hike to the Dobratsch summit, but before that we fortify ourselves in the Rosstrattenstüberl. In the imperial weather we enjoy our lunch outside.
This is the starting point for many hikes. two of the highest pilgrimage churches in the Eastern Alps are located here.
Our hike:
Goal: the summit of the Dobratsch at 2,167 m with the Dobratsch summit house at 2,143 m. Walking time is about 90 minutes. Well, this will probably be our shortest report in history. While it is still a lovely 20° in Villach, the temperatures up here are almost freezing. We don't let that put us off and set off. After all, we are wearing thick jackets and hiking boots. There is snow on both sides of the path, and the view is beautiful.
To make it short: after 20 minutes of walking we had to give up our plan. The snow was getting deeper and deeper, and with normal hiking boots and without equipment we couldn't get any further. Who would have thought that we would have to turn back on May 30th.
Luckily, the trip up and the path were still worth it. We walk a little further along the Gamsweg, where the Viewing platform chamois and summit view, from which you have an excellent view of the valley.
All in all, the Villach Alpine Road to the Dobratsch can be recommended to everyone. If you want to go hiking, you should plan a whole day for it, as there is really a lot to see here.
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