Bad Eisenkappel: Hiking, Nature and Culture

Bad Eisenkappel can be planned around different travel interests: hiking can shape your stay, as can a visit to the Obir Dripstone Caves or a cultural stop. When choosing a hotel, it is worth first considering the daily pace you have in mind. For hikes, distance, duration and elevation gain provide useful guidance; for the caves, the guided tour and cave bus are important, while some cultural attractions have a set date or specific visiting hours.

Hiking: Circular Trail, Summit and High Valley

If you would rather take a circular route around the town than aim for a summit, consider the panoramic circular hiking trail: it is well marked, runs around Bad Eisenkappel and is about 14.5 kilometres long. This approximate distance gives you a concrete basis for including the hike in your plans.

At Hochobir, by contrast, the summit is the main attraction. It is 2,139 metres high, and nine well-signposted and marked hiking trails lead to the top from all directions. From the summit, views extend in every direction across the surrounding mountain, valley, river and lake landscapes. This gives you two different perspectives when planning a hike: a marked circular route around the town, or trails leading to a summit with panoramic views.

Vellacher Kotschna combines a distinctive natural setting with specific tour details. This protected high valley has numerous springs and a rich variety of flora and fauna; it was also declared the municipality’s second nature reserve. The moderately difficult hike through the valley takes three hours and involves 1,000 metres of elevation gain. It leads from the high valley at 1,000 metres to Sanntaler Sattel at 2,000 metres. The difficulty, duration and elevation gain give this hike a different planning profile from the distance listed for the panoramic circular hiking trail.

Visiting the Obir Dripstone Caves

The Obir Dripstone Caves can only be visited as part of a guided tour. The cave entrance is also accessible only by the cave bus, which runs at regular intervals. The guided tour and bus ride therefore go hand in hand. Check the cave bus timetable before making your plans so you can take these requirements into account.

Culture: Tradition, Remembrance and Art

Ante Pante takes place every year on 1 February in Bad Eisenkappel. The route first leads to the parish church and then to the Schlossbrücke south of the town. There, the little churches are taken down from their poles and gently placed in the Vellach stream. If you would like to plan your stay around this tradition, the fixed date is an important consideration; the sequence of stops is also part of the custom.

The Peršmanhof can be visited from May to October on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Outside these opening hours, visits are possible by prior arrangement, but not during the winter months from November to March. Check the visiting hours before your trip. With more than 100 square metres of exhibition space, the Peršmanhof Museum gives particular attention to the persecution and resistance of Carinthian Slovenes, focusing on the crimes committed against the Peršman family.

The Vorspann Gallery on the main square of Bad Eisenkappel offers a different cultural focus. Since 2004, it has been a centre for contemporary art from the Alpe-Adria region. Together, these cultural attractions cover a range of subjects: from the examination of persecution and resistance, through a local tradition, to contemporary art.

Discover more destinations: Bleiburg, Sankt Primus, Diex, Wasserhofen, Völkermarkt, Lind, Kleindiex, Hart.

Back to the main travel overview: Völkermarkt.