Via Paradiso – Hiking around Lake Millstatt

You travel independently to Millstatt on the northern shore of Lake Millstatt and check into your room at the Schlosshotel See-Villa right on the lake. A first stroll along the lakeside promenade helps you unwind and get in the mood for the days ahead, and you meet your mountain hiking guide and your fellow travelers. In the evening, you enjoy delicacies from the regional Alps-Adriatic cuisine with the group – at an insider culinary tip from your mountain hiking guide.

After breakfast, the bus takes you within a few minutes to Döbriach on the eastern shore of the lake, the starting point of the first stage of the Via Paradiso. Shady forests and open lake views accompany you along the way, crowned by a viewing platform that will leave you in awe of the panorama. At midday, you stop for a refreshing break at a mountain hut. At the finish, Millstatt awaits, where enjoyment and relaxation go wonderfully hand in hand: Millstatt is one of Carinthia's award-winning Slow Food Villages – food with origin and history, right on the hiking route. To round off the day, there is an aperitif on the lake terrace and fresh whitefish (Reinanke) from the lake.

The Nockmobil takes you comfortably up to the Lammersdorfer Hütte (1,650 m), the starting point of one of the most beautiful high-level hikes on the Millstätter Alpe. Across lush alpine meadows and past the reservoir of the Lammersdorfer Alm, you hike up to the Stana-Mandl with sweeping views over the Carinthian Nock Mountains and on to the Granattor – an impressive rock gate filled with ruby-red garnet stones and one of the most spectacular viewpoints in the region. You then descend along the gentle ridge of the Millstätter Alpe to the Schwaigerhütte. After a well-deserved break, the shuttle takes you back to Millstatt. In the evening, Millstatt's regionally focused cuisine – whether hearty or refined – makes sure nobody goes home hungry.

Ups and downs guarantee a varied hiking day today: through an impressive gorge and past an atmospheric castle, the trail leads to ever new views of the lake. Today you change accommodation – your luggage is already waiting for you at the Hotel Moserhof in Seeboden. The castle restaurant along the way offers modern as well as traditional dishes, and in the evening you dine at the renowned mo.wi restaurant at the Hotel Moserhof.

The circular hike starts at the Süduferweg car park in Seeboden and first climbs onto the densely wooded ridge between the Drau Valley and Lake Millstatt. Along comfortable forest paths, you reach the little moorland lake Egelsee and continue to the Gasthof Lug ins Land high above the Drau Valley, the destination of the stage, where a late, rustic lunch stop awaits. Instead of taking a transfer, you walk back to Seeboden along the Süduferweg right on the shore of Lake Millstatt, closing the loop. In the evening, local fish and homemade dishes await you at the hotel restaurant.

In the morning, you take a relaxing boat ride from Seeboden to Großegg – a leisurely way to start the day, with views of the lake from the water. From the pier, you hike via Insberg to the high plateau near Glanz, where the view of Lake Millstatt opens up once again step by step. The last four kilometers or so climb steadily until the final panorama unfolds at the Sternenbalkon by the Alpengasthof Bergfried – a fitting finale to the tour. How about a picnic basket from the Mirnock farmers with bacon, cheese, curd spread, homemade bread, elderflower juice and Mirnockaugen? Afterwards, the boat or the shuttle takes you back to Seeboden, where you spend the last evening together with the group.

After a delicious breakfast, it's time to check out and travel home independently from Seeboden – with lots of wonderful memories and moments of pleasure in your luggage. If you like, you can add another night and use the following day to relax or take a trip to the nearby cultural town of Villach.