Our tip
6-Lakes Cycle Tour Carinthia
Six lakes, 43 kilometres out, the train back.
The most popular lakes loop in southern Carinthia
The 6-Lakes Tour is the best known and one of the most popular leisure cycling loops in the region: around 54 km as a closed loop, gently rolling and family-friendly. It runs just under 3 km past our house, so from our front door it comes to about 60 km. On lovely cycle paths and quiet back roads you make your way gently through the Jauntal, from lake to lake. Ride the whole loop and you finish the evening exactly where you set off. Families and anyone wanting a slower day can make the most of Klopein and take the train from Kühnsdorf to Bleiburg.
What you see along the way
The Jauntal is a wide, flat valley floor, bounded to the south by the ridge of the Karawanken, which stays on the horizon for almost the entire loop. In between you ride through fields, meadows and short stretches of woodland, and the six lakes arrive one after another, each different from the last. There is no steep climbing anywhere on the loop, only gentle rolls, so you stop where you like the look of things and not where your legs give out.
Pirkdorfer See
3.5 ha, up to 3.5 m deep
The first lake out from our front door, at the foot of the Petzen. It grew out of a gravel pit on former wetland, the water is the coolest on the loop and the view of the mountain the best.
Sonnegger See
1.7 ha, up to 4.5 m deep
The smallest body of water in Carinthia still called a See, created in 1966 and sunny all round. On the southern shore there is a lido with a slide, a restaurant and a playground.
Gösselsdorfer See
32 ha, only 3 m deep
The shallowest on the loop and the most silted-up lake in Carinthia's lowlands, a nature reserve since 1986. The wide reed belt and the wet meadows make it an important stopover for migrating birds, so autumn is the busiest season here, though mostly in the air.
Lake Turner
44 ha, up to 13 m deep
Flat, warm and the only lake on the loop with a European conservation area of its own (Natura 2000). Broad reed stands and calcareous fen line the shore.
Kleinsee
9 ha, up to 15 m deep
The quietest on the loop. A belt of reeds and water lilies 20 to 40 metres wide encloses it, and you reach the water on a handful of wooden jetties.
Lake Klopein
110 ha, up to 48 m deep
The destination, and the liveliest of the six, officially promoted as Europe's warmest bathing lake at around 28 degrees in summer. A continuous shore promenade runs right around it, and in autumn it is far quieter here than in July.
3 ways for families and leisurely riders
All three have one thing in common: you ride one way only and take the S3 back. The bike travels with you, the bike ticket costs from 2 euro. At weekends there is an alternative without the station: from Friday to Sunday the Postbus Shuttle picks you up with your bike at Lake Klopein, seasonally, and drives right up to our house (bike transport 8 to 18h, 5 € per bike, booked in the app). Which one suits you depends on how many kilometres you want to ride and how old the children are.
The full loop
approx. 43 km of cycling
all six lakes, train from Kühnsdorf
The full day: Pirkdorfer See, Sonnegger See, Gösselsdorfer See, Lake Turner, Kleinsee and Lake Klopein, then on to the station. A good 3.5 hours of riding, the rest of the day belongs to the stops.
The short loop
approx. 25 km of cycling
Pirkdorfer See and Lake Klopein, train from Kühnsdorf
The easier choice with children, about two hours in the saddle and only 120 metres of climbing. If you still feel like it at Lake Klopein, add the Kleinsee.
Train and bike to the lake
approx. 10–15 km
from Bleiburg to Kühnsdorf-Klopeiner See
Take the S3 with the bikes straight to Kühnsdorf and do all your riding once you are there. Lake Klopein, Kleinsee and Lake Turner sit close together. The most relaxed option with small children, and the evening works the same way in reverse.
The route in detail
Both routes start at our front door and end at Kühnsdorf-Klopeiner See station, where you take the S3 back to Bleiburg with the bike. A click on the route outline opens the details: there you switch between the two routes and find the map with roads and places, all the figures, the elevation profile and the GPX file.
Our tip: a bike day ending with the sunset at Lake Klopein
Morning: off from the house
You start right at our door. On cycle paths and quiet back roads you make your way gently through the Jauntal, gently rolling and without steep climbs. Bikes and e-bikes can be hired from us, and charging an e-bike battery is free.
Midday: a stop along the way
On the short route, Café Restaurant Lisi in Hart near Eberndorf is the obvious choice (+43 4236 2606); it closes one day during the week. On the long route the Gasthaus Sablatnighof sits right on the track, next to the Sablatnigmoor nature reserve (+43 4236 2197). Either way, a quick call ahead is worth it.
Afternoon: at Lake Klopein
The shore path is almost empty in autumn, and the views are clearer than in summer. Time for coffee, feet in the grass, photos.
Evening: sunset
Stay until the sun sits behind the Karawanken. That is the reason we plan the day this way at all.
Then: 3.5 km to the station
It is about 3.5 km from the lake to Kühnsdorf-Klopeiner See station. Plan it in as the last leg, and after dark bring lights and something bright to wear.
Back on the S3
The S3 runs to Bleiburg without changing (hourly), and the bike comes along. From there it is 2.5 km to us, with 100 metres of climbing. If you finish the day earlier, take the Postbus Shuttle at the weekend instead: it picks you up with your bike at Lake Klopein and drives right up to our house, so the ride to the station falls away. Bike transport runs Friday to Sunday seasonally between 8 and 18h, so for the sunset it stays the train.
Five things to know first
- Bikes are carried on every Carinthian S-Bahn train. The bike ticket costs extra, from EUR 2.
- Watch out with the Aktiv Card: the train ride is included, carrying your bike is not. So book the bike ticket only and remove the passenger again under Reisende, because the Aktiv Card already covers that fare.
- It is about 3.5 km from Lake Klopein to the station, which you cycle yourself.
- Still, check the timetable before you set off back. The S3 runs almost continuously at hourly intervals.
- At the weekend you can skip the train altogether: the Postbus Shuttle Südkärnten brings you and your bike from Lake Klopein right up to our house. Booking is done in the app, at least 1 hour ahead. Bike transport runs Fri to Sun, seasonally, from 8 to 18h (5 € per bike), so for the late ride home after sunset the S3 stays the choice.
Even better in autumn
Trains run until late in the evening, so the day works in high summer too. From September it gets more pleasant: instead of haze over the water there is clear air above the mountains, you have the shore paths almost to yourself, and migrating birds rest at the Gösselsdorfer See. Cool temperatures make for easier riding than heat. And you can enjoy the sunset by the water at around 6.20 pm in mid-October, whereas in July you would be waiting until nearly 9 pm.
Ask about a date for the ride
Tell us your dates and how many of you there are. If you need hire bikes, say so and we will reserve them.