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Dobratsch nature park
Gentle mountain experience for all generations
Whether on foot or comfortably by car via Villacher Alpenstraße. Once you arrive at the Rosstratte, the last car park before the summit, you are presented with a fantastic postcard mountain panorama. The Dobratsch Nature Park adventure area invites you to go hiking and offers lots of interesting facts at its foot with exciting mining history (including a show mine).
What makes the Dobratsch Nature Park unique
- Local recreation area: The Dobratsch is Villach's green lung and is specially protected as a nature park
- Barrier-free paths: The Skywalk or the geology trail are suitable for pushchairs or walking aids
- Variety of huts & cuisine: snacks, pizza or a breakfast buffet - the Dobratsch cuisine is diverse
Highlight of the season
The Dobratsch circular hiking trail:
Hikers can circle the Dobratsch on a total of 4 stages. Culture and landscape alternate at every turn, making this long-distance hiking trail a varied experience. The trail circles Villach's local mountain in an anti-clockwise direction, with each stage taking between 5 and 6 hours.
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Hiking in and around Dobratsch Nature Park
The Dobratsch is best explored on foot. Hiking options lead ambitious hikers away from Heiligengeist or on more moderate tours to viewing platforms or rustic huts. Some of the paths - the geological trail or the Skywalk - are barrier-free and therefore also suitable for pushchairs or those with walking aids. From the last car park, the Rosstratte, it takes 1.5 hours to reach the summit via a forest path.
The Dobratsch circular hiking trail
The circular hiking trail at the foot of the Dobratsch offers plenty of variety for all those who choose it. Over a comparatively small radius of 10 kilometres, the landscape and culture change at every turn as you hike around the Dobratsch in four moderate stages in an anti-clockwise direction. There is no better way to experience the nature park region than here.
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Barrier-free Skywalk Dobratsch
The barrier-free Skywalk is located directly opposite car park 6 on the Dobratsch. A viewing platform that ends in a 7 metre long self-supporting metal platform and thus offers an unforgettable view of the red rocks of the Schütt and the picturesque Karawanken. Under the motto ‘Experience nature for everyone’, particular attention was paid to easy accessibility, especially for pushchairs and walking aids.
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Dobratsch Bus
From May to October and in the winter season, the bus takes you regularly to the Rosstratte, the last car park on the Villach Alpine Road. Ticket free of charge with our Erlebnis CARD.
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Mountain hut cuisine
The Dobratsch, or more precisely the Dobratsch huts, cater for their guests all year round and do so in a variety of ways. From the breakfast buffet after an overnight stay in the summit hut, the homemade curry in the Aichinger hut, a stone oven pizza on the Rosstratte or the classic Brettljause, everything is provided for small and large appetites on the mountain.
Children and family
Directly at the Rosstratte, families can enjoy a small high plateau with plenty of space for little explorers. The neighbouring playground is the ideal starting or finishing point for short hikes to the viewing plateau.
Nature Park Rangers
Speaking of nature park rangers: For them, the focus is on experience and discovery and they show young and old alike why the Dobratsch Nature Park is worth protecting and experiencing in equal measure. The Dobratsch has been protected as a nature park in Carinthia since 2002 and is the habitat of numerous animal species as well as the local recreation area for the town of Villach.
Dobratsch and its surroundings
Already in the valley, far below the summit cross of the Dobratsch, its forerunners and the surrounding area offer impressive natural spectacles and recreational opportunities:
- The Schütt impresses with its rock formations, the crystal-clear waters of the Gail and its unspoilt nature and attracts many people seeking peace and quiet.
- Bad Bleiberg with its miners' culture is a UNESCO Intangible World Heritage Site. The disused mine is used as a healing tunnel for health tourism. There is the Terra Mystica show mine for young and old explorers.
- In Warmbad - the local recreational jewel of Villach - you can walk, picnic, jog or - with a little seasonal luck - even bathe in natural thermal springs, the Maibachl.
- The Dreiländereck is located south of the Dobratsch and is a popular excursion destination. The special thing about it is, of course, that once you reach the top, you will find the border stone between Italy, Slovenia and Austria.
Winter in the nature park
If the snow is still a long time coming down in the valley, the Dobratsch is reliable when it comes to snowfall in winter. The Rosstratte also offers a beautiful backdrop in winter for exploring the winter landscape on touring skis, sledges, snowshoes or on foot.
Erlebnis CARD Winter
With the Erlebnis CARD Winter, you can experience a variety of activities every day: from ski tours in the nature park to relaxing in the KärntenTherme thermal spa and guided winter hikes, there is something for everyone.
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Ski touring & cross-country skiing
Since the ski lifts on the Dobratsch were closed, Villach's local mountain has become the most popular ski touring area in the neighbourhood. From the valley in Heiligengeist or directly from the Rosstratte, the summit house is a popular and at the same time sporty and ambitious ski touring destination. At the foot of the Dobratsch, with the Villach Alpen Arena and other cross-country ski trails, winter fun is also possible within a short distance.
You can find an overview of the tours in our tour portal at touren.kaernten.at.
Sledging and more
For families and the young at heart, the Dobratsch and the Villach Alps Arena offer toboggan runs that are groomed for tobogganing throughout the winter. And if you have planned a longer tobogganing day, you can also hike to the Dobratsch summit house with your wooden sledge and enjoy the long descent.
Tip: Sledges can be hired at the Rosstratte!
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