Southern Alpine Trail – Styrian vineyards and the Carnic Alps in Austria

The first stage on the Südalpenweg is perfect for immigration for the coming days on your feet. Without any notable differences in altitude, you hike along the Mur to the west and enjoy the wonderful landscape on the riverbank.



The Bad Radkersburg train station is a bit outside in the north of the town… read more

On the second day on the Südalpenweg you will stay the first two thirds of the route directly on the banks of the Mur. On this stage there is only a few more meters of altitude compared to the first day. The first gentle hills offer you a foretaste of the next stages. Mills operated by the water of the… read more

The third stage takes you through a hill country covered with wine, the Windischen Bühel. It goes without saying that you will meet one or the other Buschenschank along the way. The demands of the day also allow a glass of wine to take a break. Make sure you have enough sun protection. Because where… read more

Do you want more wine? Then you can choose this variant via the South Styrian Wine Route. On the same route as stage 2 you hike to Spielfeld, where you turn towards Slovenia instead of continuing to Ehrenhausen. You walk up and down between vines and wineries. You can enjoy wonderful views over the hilly… read more

The meters in altitude increase day by day. On the fourth stage you move along the ridge that forms the border with Slovenia. For the first few meters you can say goodbye to the vines. Then you dive into a forest that takes you up to the ridge. You follow this to the Remschnigg Alm. It is the southernmost… read more

Those who feel fit can also add the Heiligengeistklamm to the fourth stage of the Southern Alpine Trail. With a few kilometers and more meters in altitude, it becomes a bit more demanding. To do this, you hike through a wonderfully secluded gorge, which promises a pleasantly cool section of the path… read more

On the fifth stage of the Southern Alpine Trail, you continue to hike along the Slovenian border to the west. There is so much going up and down that a total of 1,000 vertical meters come together. The first highlight awaits you right in the morning: From Pongratzen you hike steeply up to the ridge… read more

On this day it's more downhill than uphill, because your stage destination is in the Drautal. From there you hike up into the Karawanken the following day. So this is the last stage through the gentler mountains east of the Drava. Finally, you climb the 1,522 meter high Hühnerkogel.



From Gasthof Strutz… read more

Alternatively, you can hike from Pongratzen via Eibiswald and Soboth to Lavamünd. Behind Eibiswald you wander through the remote and lonely forest areas of southern Styria. This route is a little longer and also more difficult to divide, as there is no conveniently located accommodation in the middle… read more

The first day in the Karawanken is still quite comfortable. You climb up to the gentle Kömmelgupf and then hike back down into the valley to Bleiburg. In Lavamünd you cross the impressive Drau and go straight into the forest. With short, steep sections you walk steadily uphill between the trees and over… read more

First of all, all worries that you might have when looking at the time have been taken away: Originally, stage 8 took you to Koprein, where you could spend a night at the Riepl inn. This inn is now closed. That's why you have two options for this stage: Either you shorten the ascent to the Petzen with… read more

You can also make the ninth stage more comfortable if you want. Because this route includes the ascent to Hochobir behind the Bad Eisenkappler hut. But you can also stay at the hut, because it is your stage destination. It's just under eight kilometers and 1,100 meters in altitude to get there that day… read more

The tenth day on the Südalpenweg is once again a somewhat more leisurely stage. You should just be aware that the day's climb does not await you until the last third of the route; before that it is mainly downhill. From the Eisenkappler hut you hike to the Schaidasattel, where you meet an asphalt pass… read more

On the eleventh stage, the long descent into the tranquil Waidisch and the paths over the steep forest slopes are a challenge. Surefootedness is required on the exposed paths. In the morning you hike north downhill to Zell-Pfarre, which could hardly be more idyllic. From there it goes uphill, first on… read more

On this day, a fantastic view over Carinthia is waiting for you. But you don't get it for free: it's 1,200 meters in altitude from Waidisch to the summit of the Ferlacher Horn, which promises this panoramic view. Just a little south of Waidisch there is a steady steep climb to the panoramic mountain… read more

Compared to the other stages, this one is more comfortable. Exciting paths through rocky slopes are waiting for you. From the Bodental you slowly hike up the southeast slopes. First of all, a few buildings will accompany you on your way. Then you dive into the forest and keep hiking uphill, left past… read more

It's mostly downhill on this day - and quite a long way. So make sure your knees are well rested. From the Klagenfurter Hütte you hike down to the Bärental. The street gets wider and you pass the first buildings. Then you turn left again and hike a little up to a chapel, from which you have a great view… read more

This variant from the Klagenfurter Hütte to Rosenbach runs partly in Slovenia. So you walk south of the ridge that marks the border and enjoy great views towards Triglav National Park on the other side of the valley. On the way you can spend the night at the Kahlkogelhütte to split the route into two… read more

This stage has so many vertical meters because it includes the ascent of the Mittagskogel. If you want to take this summit with you, you can easily split it up over two days and spend the night in the Bertahütte, which is 600 meters below the summit. If you skip the summit, you can deduct 600 meters… read more

Even before the first ascent of the day you can enjoy a wonderful view over the Faaker See and the Carinthian landscape. Then the cycle gets going and it goes up in several bends around 600 meters through the forest. On this day you stay below the ridge and so you cross the slopes with little ups and… read more