Apartment I
110 m²6-8 guestsfrom €108/night
Two separate bedrooms, a spacious living room and its own terrace. Private bathroom and separate WC, plus a fully equipped kitchen.
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Bathing lakes in Carinthia
Bathing lakes in Carinthia: the right one for every mood
Eleven lakes between 10 minutes and two hours away.
At a glance
Carinthian lakes
All times are driving minutes from the house, the way we give them to guests on the phone. None of them is routed. The water temperature is the most recent measured reading; the depth comes from the state's bathymetric maps.
| Lake | From the house | Water | Depth | Good for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pirkdorfer See | approx. 10 min | no measuring station | 3.5 m | toddlers, quiet afternoons, everything in view |
| Sonnegger See | approx. 15 min | no measuring station | 4.5 m | when everywhere else is full, small and still |
| Lake Klopein | approx. 20 min | 26,3 °C | 48 m | warm water, lidos, boat hire, plenty going on |
| Kleinsee | approx. 20 min | no measuring station | 9 m | a small bathing lake against the Karawanken |
| Turnersee | 25 min | 28,0 °C | 13 m | reeds, water lilies, Slow Trail on the shore, bird park |
| Gösselsdorfer See | approx. 25 min | 25,8 °C | 3 m | nature instead of programme, rarely busy |
| Lake Wörthersee | approx. 35 min | 27,2 °C | 85 m | the big name, easy to reach by train |
| Faaker See | approx. 60 min | 25,7 °C | 30 m | turquoise water below the Mittagskogel, watersports |
| Rauschelesee | 1 h, around 56 km | 27,3 °C | 12 m | playground right on the shore, very good with children |
| Millstätter See | approx. 90 min | 26,6 °C | 141 m | a day trip for the setting, mountains all round |
| Weissensee | approx. 2 h | 25,1 °C | 99 m | the coolest and clearest, at a good 930 m |
Water temperatures measured on July 30 at 09:45 PM. Temperature: Hydrographic Service of the Province of Carinthia, CC BY 4.0. Depth: bathymetric maps of the Carinthian Institute for Lake Research.
10 to 25 minutes away
Southern Carinthian bathing lakes on the doorstep
You can reach these six on an ordinary afternoon, without planning the day around them.
Pirkdorfer See: the closest
approx. 10 min
Our nearest bathing lake, at the foot of the Petzen. Gently shelving shore, a lido, pedalos. It is small enough to see the whole shoreline from your spot on the grass, and that is exactly what makes it so relaxed with small children.
Sonnegger See: the quiet one
approx. 15 min
The lake for days when everywhere else is too busy. Still water, a shoreline you can take in at a glance, no crowds. When every parking space at Lake Klopein is taken on a Saturday, this is where we go.
Lake Klopein: the warmest
approx. 20 min
The best known lake in the region, up to 28 °C in summer. A continuous lakeside promenade, several lidos, boat hire. This is where most is going on, and where there is most to do.
Kleinsee: the little one below the Karawanken
approx. 20 min
A small bathing lake with the Karawanken behind it, set between woodland and meadows. From one and the same viewpoint you can see it and Lake Klopein lying side by side.
Turnersee: the unspoilt one
25 min
Reed beds, water lilies and a Slow Trail right along the shore. One of the most natural lakes in Carinthia, good for walking and looking. The bird park is right next door.
Gösselsdorfer See: the unhurried one
approx. 25 min
Shallow, warm and rarely full. If you want nature rather than a programme, this is the one. Along the main road there are several places to get into the water between the water lilies.
Warm or cool
The warmest bathing lake in Europe: Lake Klopein
The order does not change, because it depends on how the lakes are built and not on the weather. No sizeable stream flows into Lake Klopein, so its water heats up to 28 °C in summer. The Millstätter See is over 140 metres deep and therefore slow to react, and the Weissensee sits at a good 930 metres and stays noticeably cooler.
The region has advertised it as the warmest bathing lake in Europe for decades. What we can verify is the part that concerns us: among the eleven lakes in the table above it is reliably the warmest, and for a reason that does not change.
Still warm enough to swim in September
In high summer you barely notice the difference, it is swimming weather everywhere. It gets interesting in September: when it turns warm once more, you can often still swim comfortably at Lake Klopein while the deeper and higher lakes have cooled down markedly. So if you come in late summer or early autumn, head for Lake Klopein rather than the Millstätter See.
The full measurement series for every Carinthian lake, including the past few weeks, is kept by the province itself.
Current lake temperatures in CarinthiaAt Lake Klopein
Which lido suits whom
The lidos at Lake Klopein all have different names and are genuinely different. We know two of them well enough to tell them apart.
Camping Nord
for the smallest
A small water slide and a sandpit area. For children who cannot swim yet, this is our tip at Lake Klopein.
Camping Süd
for the sporty
With a beach volleyball court. Worth knowing: it gets deep quickly here. For small children Camping Nord is the better choice.
Entry prices and opening hours change from season to season, which is why they are deliberately not listed here. You will find the current details from the lidos themselves.
With a toddler
Lakes for small children
If you ask us: either Camping Nord at Lake Klopein with its sandpit area, or one of the quieter lakes such as the Sonnegger See and the Pirkdorfer See. You can keep an eye on everything there and it is less busy, which with small children is often worth more than the bigger slide. The Strandbad Klagenfurt on Lake Wörthersee also has a large sandpit area right by the water, though it is considerably busier.
When the playground decides it
A tip for a whole day out: there is an excellent children's playground right on the shore of the Rauschelesee in the Keutschach valley. The drive takes about an hour and covers 56 kilometres, so the day is planned around it. For a quick afternoon the lakes close to the house remain the better choice.
Without a car
To the lake by train and shuttle
From Bleiburg station, around 2.5 km from us, the local train reaches Kühnsdorf-Klopeiner See in about ten minutes. With the Aktiv Card, which you get from us free of charge from your first night, that journey is free. The largest lake in the table works without a car too: take the train to Klagenfurt West and it is a few minutes on foot to the Strandbad Klagenfurt on Lake Wörthersee.
The lake shuttle from Kühnsdorf
From Kühnsdorf-Klopeiner See station the lake shuttle (Postbus lines 763 and 764) takes you to two lakes: to the lidos at Lake Klopein and on to the Turnersee. It runs daily from 1 May to 30 September and is timed to the Koralm railway; no booking needed.
Lake shuttle timetableAnd within the villages
The Postbus Shuttle Südkärnten stops right at our house (Ferienhaus Huber stop) and runs on demand via an app to Lake Klopein without changing, as well as within Bleiburg, Feistritz ob Bleiburg, Eberndorf and St. Kanzian. Booking early is best. With a season ticket such as the KlimaTicket you pay only a 2 euro comfort surcharge per person and journey.
Everything about a holiday without a carThe bigger day out
The famous Carinthian lakes
Once you are here, you often want to see the big names too. All four work as a day trip, none of them as an aside.
Lake Wörthersee
approx. 35 min · by train too
The best known lake in Carinthia, and the only one of the large ones you can comfortably reach without a car: by train to Klagenfurt West, from there a few minutes on foot to the Strandbad Klagenfurt. Minimundus and the Europapark are right beside it.
Faaker See
approx. 60 min · the turquoise one
The most striking water in this list, turquoise to green, with the Mittagskogel behind it. About an hour's drive, so a whole day and not an afternoon. In return you see Carinthia here the way it looks on the postcards.
Millstätter See
approx. 90 min · the day trip
The second largest lake in Carinthia, set deep between the Nockberge and the Millstätter Alpe. A day for the views and the setting, less so for a quick swim.
Weissensee
approx. 2 h · the coolest
It lies at a good 930 metres, higher than any other lake on this page, and you notice it in the water: around 24 °C when Lake Klopein has 28. In return a large part of the shore is undeveloped and reachable only on foot or by boat. Two hours' drive, worth it as a day out in its own right, not as an aside.
For the train day to Klagenfurt with Minimundus, the Europapark and the reptile zoo we have a page of its own. Train day to Klagenfurt with children
Back at the house
Enjoying all the lakes and our private nature pond
For days when nobody wants to get into the car, our nature pond is right by the house, with a lawn and a jetty.
The nature pond at the houseApartments for 2 to 8 guests
Apartment II
70 m²5-6 guestsfrom €81/night
Two separate bedrooms and an eat-in kitchen with dining area, plus its own balcony. Private bathroom and separate WC.
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Apartment III
50 m²2-4 guestsfrom €27/night
One bedroom and a cosy eat-in kitchen with a seating nook, plus its own balcony. Private bathroom and separate WC.
View apartmentexcl. final cleaning · minimum stay 3 nights
Frequently asked questions about the lakes
- Which lake is the warmest?
- Lake Klopein. It reaches up to 28 °C in summer and is considered one of the warmest bathing lakes in Europe. The reason is that no sizeable stream flows into it.
- Which lake is best for small children?
- The Camping Nord lido at Lake Klopein, for its small water slide and sandpit area. Quieter and easier to keep an eye on are the Pirkdorfer See and the Sonnegger See, where you can see the whole shoreline.
- Can you get to Lake Klopein without a car?
- Yes. From Bleiburg station the local train takes about ten minutes to Kühnsdorf-Klopeiner See, free with the Aktiv Card. From there the lake shuttle (Postbus 763 and 764) runs daily from 1 May to 30 September straight to the lidos.
- Can you swim in the Völkermarkt reservoir?
- No, the reservoir is not a bathing lake. It is a dammed river and is used for rowing and stand-up paddling.
- How far is the nearest lake from the house?
- The Pirkdorfer See is around 10 minutes by car, roughly 5 kilometres. That makes it our nearest bathing lake.
Ask without obligation
We are happy to tell you in advance which lake will be quietest during your week. Send us an enquiry without obligation and we will reply personally.