For families
Hiking with children in Southern Carinthia
The question is rarely how good the view is. It is: how far will we get, what happens along the way, and how do we get back when nobody can go on. This page answers exactly that, split into pram routes and roughly 5 to 8 year olds.
Adventure outings for children
Go toZeitenwegZeitenweg by the mountain lake
The cable car takes the whole climb, and a flat loop runs around the mountain lake at the top.
Go toTrögerner KlammTrögerner Klamm gorge
Almost level along the stream, deep between the rock walls. The coolest stretch for miles in high summer.
Go toSablatnigmoorNatura Trail Sablatnigmoor
Flat, walkable all year, and a viewing tower waiting at the end as the goal.
Go toWildenstein waterfallWildenstein waterfall
A 54 metre free fall with a flying fox park right beside it. The child knows the goal before setting off.
Suitable routes for prams and for school-age children
We have not sorted these routes by difficulty but by what actually derails a family walk: the length, the surface, and whether anything happens along the way.
With a pram and toddlers
Four loops work with a pram, all four according to their operators. The easiest is the Zeitenweg: the cable car takes the climb, and the loop at the top runs flat around the reservoir lake. The Trögerner Klamm is asphalted and free of gradient, the coolest stretch in high summer, but it is a public road. The Sablatnigmoor is flat and walkable all year. And the car-free promenade at Lake Klopein, strictly speaking not a hike: the northern shore is the flat part, the full loop has around 80 metres of ascent. An all-terrain pram beats a buggy everywhere here.
Official information
Roughly 5 to 8 years
At this age it is not the distance that counts but whether something happens along the way. The Wildenstein waterfall drops 54 metres in free fall, with a flying fox park right beside it. The Slow Trail Kitzelberg ends at a viewing platform above the lakes, a shaded forest path for children who are already steady on their feet. The loop around the Pirkdorfer See is flat and can be rounded off with an afternoon in the water. Up on the Petzen there are also a marble run, a panorama swing and a free disc golf course.
Official information
What to do on hot days
On hot days a walk without water is a bad idea with children, and this area makes it easy. In the Vellach valley near Bad Eisenkappel the river follows the path almost throughout, and the Trögerner Klamm sits so deep between its walls that the sun barely reaches in. If you want to wade in, there are flat, stony spots along the way. This is an unmanaged mountain stream, not a supervised bathing spot: cold water, slippery rocks, and it rises quickly after rain. Children should not be out of sight there. If you prefer something more predictable, add the Pirkdorfer See to a short loop (about 5 km from us) or drive to Klopeiner See, the warmest bathing lake in Europe.
Vellach valley & Trögerner Klamm
The river beside the path, deep shade, flat spots to wade in. Unmanaged and unsupervised, so only with an adult watching.
Pirkdorfer See, approx. 5 km
The nearest lake to the house, small and quiet. A flat loop around the shore, then into the water.
Klopeiner See, approx. 18 km
The warmest bathing lake in Europe, with lidos. Free by train with the Aktiv Card.
Nature pond at the house
For days when nobody wants to drive: wooden jetty, lawn and quiet right by the apartments.
The outing where children walk without being asked
In St. Paul im Lavanttal, 24.8 km from us, a shaded path leads up through mixed woodland to the Johannesberg in summer, and along the way theatre is performed at several stations. It is aimed at children from about four to twelve, takes a morning and ends with a picnic. For children who resist every walk on principle, this is the trick: they only notice at the end that they have been hiking. The dates fall in July and change every year, so check the organisers' page before you travel.
If you are in St. Paul anyway: the Kulturrundwanderweg 2 loops over the Josefsberg and Johannesberg in about two hours, a good 5 kilometres and roughly 200 metres of ascent, with somewhere to stop on the way. St. Paul Abbey sits at the trailhead.
St. Pauler WaldgeschichtenWhat actually belongs in the rucksack with children
More food than you think
The fully equipped kitchen is not decoration: making your own in the morning saves the argument on the mountain. A supermarket in Bleiburg is about 4 km away.
A change of clothes
On the water routes it is not a question of whether but when. A washing machine, a dryer and a separate drying room are in the house, so two or three sets per child are enough for the week.
Sturdy shoes, even on the flat loops
Gorge and moorland are level, but wet and partly stony. Sandals do badly there.
A destination the child knows
Waterfall, viewing tower, ball run: if the child knows what is waiting at the end, they walk the distance by themselves.
Frequently asked questions from families
- Which walk is genuinely pram-friendly?
- The Zeitenweg on the Petzen summit plateau (the cable car does the climbing, the loop up top is flat around the reservoir lake, 30 to 60 minutes) and the Trögerner Klamm gorge, which the region explicitly lists as pram-friendly. Both want a pram with reasonably off-road wheels.
- From what age does the Slow Trail Kitzelberg work?
- From about six, without anyone having to be carried. 6.8 kilometres and 245 metres of ascent on a shaded forest path, ending at a viewing platform above the lakes. Slow Trails in Carinthia follow set rules: no more than ten kilometres, no more than 300 metres of ascent and never longer than three hours.
- Can the children get into the water along the way?
- Yes. In the Vellach valley near Bad Eisenkappel the river follows the path and has flat, stony spots. It is an unmanaged mountain stream, not a supervised bathing spot: cold water, slippery rocks, and it rises quickly after rain. More predictable are the Pirkdorfer See (about 5 km) and Klopeiner See, the warmest bathing lake in Europe.
- What if the child gives up halfway?
- On the Petzen the cable car brings you back down at any time. At Klopeiner See you travel back free by train with the Aktiv Card, so the car is not stranded at the wrong end. The Postbus Shuttle runs to the Petzen valley station from the stop at the house, with the GO-MOBIL shared taxi as a backup on request.
- Is there anything to play with along the way?
- Up on the Petzen: a ball run, a panorama swing, a free disc golf course and the activity stations along the Zeitenweg. There is a Flying Fox park at the Wildenstein waterfall. And at the house there is the playground, the ponies and the nature pond, more on the family page.
- Can we dry wet things?
- Yes. A washing machine and a tumble dryer are available in the house, plus a separate drying room for wet shoes, jackets and rucksacks. Two or three sets of clothes per child are therefore enough for a week.
Enquire about a hiking week with children
Tell us how old the children are and when you would like to come. We will put the right loops together for you.