Klagenfurt

Klagenfurt (Slovenian: Celovec) is the capital of Carinthia in Austria. It was one of the eight host cities in the 2008 European Football Championships.

Understand
Klagenfurt has about 100,000 inhabitants and is close to Wörthersee. It is the native town of well-known writer Robert Musil (especially known for his book The Man Without Qualities), and is host for The Ingeborg Bachmann Competition, a famous German literature competition. Musician and composer Gustav Mahler also worked and lived in Klagenfurt.

Tourist information

 * Klagenfurt website

By plane


Other nearby airports include Graz, Salzburg, Vienna, Ljubljana, Maribor, Trieste and Venice.

There are good train connections (3–5 hours) to all airports above apart from Ljubljana and Maribor. A private shuttle bus serves Ljubljana and Graz airports from Klagenfurt, but it must be booked in advance.

By train
Since (main station) is located at a railway gateway to Italy, Slovenia and Germany, it can be easily reached from any bigger Austrian city. There are hourly connections to Vienna, Graz and neighbouring Villach.

By bus
Klagenfurt has daily connections to Graz (departing close to the main train station) and to Ljubljana in Slovenia. Tickets can be bought directly on the bus.

By car
Klagenfurt is on the A2 motorway and has four exits (Klagenfurt West, Klagenfurt Nord, Klagenfurt Ost and Klagenfurt Airport). It can be easily reached by Graz, Vienna and Villach. The B91 connects Klagenfurt to Slovenia.

Get around
Most sights of interest can be easily reached by foot. Klagenfurt offers an extensive bus network. Tickets can be bought directly at the bus and cost around €4 (24-hr ticket) or €0.90 for a single ride. The main bus hub is at Heiligengeistplatz in the centre of the city.

Hiring a bicycle is recommended if you wish to travel to Klagenfurt's beach, on the shore of the Wörthersee in the Western outskirts of the city. There is a cycle path along the Lendkanal, taking you from Heiligengeistplatz (take the underpass) to the beach and continuing along the northern shore of the Wörthersee all the way to Velden. Bikes can be hired at Neuer Platz.

See

 * Europapark - This park, next to the Minimundus and to the Strandbad (beach) of the Wörthersee invites to stroll, relax, play chess and enjoy the beautiful plants. Watch peacocks fan their feathers.
 * Europapark - This park, next to the Minimundus and to the Strandbad (beach) of the Wörthersee invites to stroll, relax, play chess and enjoy the beautiful plants. Watch peacocks fan their feathers.
 * Europapark - This park, next to the Minimundus and to the Strandbad (beach) of the Wörthersee invites to stroll, relax, play chess and enjoy the beautiful plants. Watch peacocks fan their feathers.
 * Europapark - This park, next to the Minimundus and to the Strandbad (beach) of the Wörthersee invites to stroll, relax, play chess and enjoy the beautiful plants. Watch peacocks fan their feathers.

Do

 * Walking tours explore the historic city daily in summer. Head for Neuer Platz in front of the city hall or call 537 2293 for more details.
 * Football: SK Austria Klagenfurt play soccer in the Austrian Bundesliga, the top tier. Their home ground Wörthersee Stadion (capacity 32,000) is on the ring road 3 km southwest of town centre.
 * Swimming: Klagenfurt's beautiful beach (Strandbad Klagenfurt) is on the Wörthersee and has space for around 12,000 guests. In addition to a sandy beach, a large grassy area and piers for sunbathing, there is also a small football pitch, a beach volleyball court, a water slide (free of charge) and two restaurants. Entrance fee is approx €2-3.
 * Ironman Austria is a triathlon, next held in Klagenfurt on 16 June 2024.
 * Ironman Austria is a triathlon, next held in Klagenfurt on 16 June 2024.

Buy
The centre of the city (around Alter Platz) offers a large variety of boutiques, book shops and perfumeries. Big shopping malls are located in Völkermarkterstrasse.

Street food
Stalls serve traditional Austrian cuisine in the indoor part of Klagenfurt's market.



Phone
The local area code is (0)463. The country code for Austria is +43.

Internet

 * An Internet cafe can be found at Waaggasse 10 (Sir Magic's Internet Cafe, close to Alter Platz)
 * Free Internet terminals are offered at Klagenfurt University, on the Western fringe of the city (about a 10-minute bus ride from the main bus station)
 * Cafe Jäger offers a wireless hotspot for a bargain €3/day (using the FON network). This cafe is near the nature park Kreuzbergl, about a 15-min walk from the city center. Radetzkystraße 38 - 40 A-9020 Klagenfurt

Consulates

 * 🇷🇴 Romania

Go next

 * Take a trip around lake Wörthersee with stops in Pörtschach, Velden am Wörthersee and Maria Wörth.
 * Archaeological Park Magdalensberg Close to Klagenfurt Virunum, the ruins of an ancient roman city (around 50 AD) can be found. Virunum can be best reached by car (take B317 to St. Veit). Entrance is around €5 (plus €1 if you want a guided tour), special fares apply to groups and children. The site is open from May to October from 09:00 to 19:00. For more information and material contact Tel. +43 4224/2255
 * Gerlitzen is a mountain and small ski resort an hour from Klagenfurt. The skiing is nothing special but Gerlitzen offers some of the best vistas in Austria. On clear days almost the whole of Carinthia can be seen from this mountain top. You can either drive up (take care in winter) or take the cable car. From the parking space/cable car station it's an hour's walk to the summit. The cable car station at the mountain's base at Annenheim can be reached by bus or train, though connections are poor.
 * Hochosterwitz Castle. One of the most impressive medieval castles in Austria, dating back to the 9th century, is 20 km outside of town. This rock castle stands on a dolomite rock towering 175 m above everything else, and is considered a landmark for the entire Carinthia state.
 * There are a couple of excellent health spas near Klagenfurt, ideal for a day of relaxation and pampering. The municipal swimming pool in the city of St Veit is about half an hour's drive from Klagenfurt, and offers state of the art sauna facilities for a bargain price of €10 for a day. The hot springs at Warmbad Villach are also a good place to go for swimming, relaxing, sauna and massage. Price is €14 per day.
 * The Soca/Isonzo valley in Slovenia is about an hour and a half's drive from Klagefurt over the Predil mountain pass. Its deep limestone gorges offer a spectacular scenery and its emerald-coloured rivers are famed for some of the best kayaking and white water rafting in Europe. Since the Soca valley is actually easier to reach from Villach and Klagenfurt than Ljubliana (Slovenia's capital) it's well worth a day trip if you're hanging around Carinthia for longer. Head for the town Bovec, the touristic centre of the Soca valley.
 * Tentschach Castle is a castle first built in 13th century and is located 20 km outside the town. It was rebuilt to its present form in the 16th century.