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The Biosphärenparkbahn Brunnach cable car above the meadows of St. Oswald

Mountain & Nature

Biosphärenparkbahn Brunnach & the Nockberge

Bad Kleinkirchheim · Carinthia

QUICK INFORMATION

CATEGORY
Mountain & Nature
COUNTRY
Austria
REGION
Bad Kleinkirchheim · Carinthia
DURATION
2–4 days

ABOUT THIS ATTRACTION

A gondola into the UNESCO Nockberge Biosphere Reserve — gentle peaks, alpine-rose meadows and family trails above the tree line.

HISTORY & BACKGROUND

The story behind it

The Nockberge were declared a national park in 1987 and redesigned as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2012 — protection through sustainable use rather than strict wilderness.

WHAT TO SEE

What to see here

01

Brunnach summit plateau at 1,970 m

02

Active Park adventure playground

03

The 5-summit ridge tour to Falkert

04

Alpine rose blossom in June–July

WHY IT MATTERS

Why it matters

The softest, most family-friendly high-alpine walking in the Austrian south.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION

Before you go

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MAP & LOCATION

Biosphärenparkbahn Brunnach & the Nockberge

Biosphärenparkbahn Brunnach & the Nockberge, Bad Kleinkirchheim, Carinthia, Austria

46.8511, 13.7914

Open in OpenStreetMap

MORE ATTRACTIONS

More to see in Bad Kleinkirchheim

The Kaiserburg cable car and ski slopes above Bad Kleinkirchheim in winter
Mountain & Ski

Kaiserburg & the Franz Klammer Downhill

The Kaiserburgbahn cable car rises from the village to 2,000 m, where the valley’s signature runs begin — including the 3.2 km “Kärnten – Franz Klammer” World Cup downhill, a black piste with 842 m of vertical and gradients up to 80 %. Klammer himself won his first race on the K70 course here in 1971, five years before his Olympic gold. In summer the summit station starts the Feldpannalm loops and the Wöllaner Nock panorama.

View attraction
The outdoor pools of the Therme St. Kathrein with mountain views
Thermal Spa

Therme St. Kathrein

The family spa beside the late-Gothic Kathreinkirchlein holds the largest water surface of any Carinthian thermal spa — 1,200 m² across indoor and outdoor pools, all filled with 34 °C Akratotherme water that rises directly behind the church. Legend credits Count Poto with discovering the “eye spring” in 1055; for centuries people washed their eyes at the source, which still flows in a vaulted chamber below the church. An 86 m slide — the longest of all Carinthian spas — serves the families; the NockMed health centre the therapy guests.

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The terraced pools of the Thermal Römerbad at the foot of the Kaiserburg
Thermal Spa & Sauna

Thermal Römerbad

At the foot of the Kaiserburg downhill — you can watch World Cup skiers from the sauna windows — the Römerbad stacks three wellness worlds on three levels: Romanum with its sauna garden and outdoor thermal pool, Noricum with stone and pine saunas, and the adults-only Maximum with Finnish sauna, brine inhalation and the quiet half-roofed infinity pool. Opened in 1979 as one of the first “event spas” in the Alps and reimagined in 2007, it remains the saunier’s choice.

View attraction
The Nockalmstraße winding through the alpine pastures of the Nockberge
Scenic Road

Nockalmstraße

One of the most beautiful scenic roads in the Alps begins at the valley’s northern exit: 35 km of gentle curves from Ebene Reichenau past the Windebensee to Innerkrems, threading the biosphere reserve’s alpine pastures with viewpoints, the Karlbad (a historic radon bath hut) and dozens of accessible short walks. Cyclists climb it on race bikes all summer; in autumn the larches turn gold.

View attraction
The Kaiserburg Bob roller-bobsleigh track curving down the mountainside
Family & Village

Kaiserburg Bob & Village

Carinthia’s most modern alpine roller coaster winds 1.4 km and 26 curves down beside the Kaiserburgbahn at up to 40 km/h — the 7-metre-high loop is the finale. Back in the village, Kirchheim’s late-Gothic church of 1492 anchors a quiet spa-town centre of guesthouses, the Kurpark and shops; the 18-hole golf course and the Römerloipe cross-country trail share the same meadows on their seasons.

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THINGS TO DO

Things to do nearby

01

Ride the Flow Country Trail

02

Hike the Nockberge Summits

03

Ski the Klammer and Soak

04

Spa Days and Wellness Evenings

05

Camp in the Kirchheim Valley

06

Drive the Nockalmstraße

FOOD & DRINK

Where to eat nearby

01

Trattlers Einkehr — Carinthian classics in a rustic hut beside the Therme St. Kathrein, the valley’s favourite table

02

Restaurant Adriana — the region’s steakhouse (Tomahawk, dry-aged) in a smart village dining room

03

Restaurant Loystubn at Hotel Pulverer — 400-year-old farm-to-table Carinthian cooking with “Carinthian sushi” of local trout

04

Restaurant Dorfwirt — traditional guesthouse kitchen, rustic rooms, house-baked bread

05

Waldtratte at the Kaiserburg — alpine hut stop on the slopes and summer trails

06

Panorama-Restaurant Nock IN — Käsespätzle with a 360° view at 1,906 m on the Brunnach

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HOTELS & STAYS

Where to stay nearby

01

Hotel GUT Trattlerhof — 4-star superior with 140 years of history, big wellness and its own mountain restaurant

02

Der Kirchheimerhof — adults-friendly superior hotel up the hill, ski-in location and famous day spa

03

Hotel Pulverer — classic 4-star superior directly at the Römerbad with the Loystubn restaurant

04

Nockberge Lodge Appartements — modern apartments a walk from the Kaiserburgbahn

05

Biobauernhof Gasthof Hinteregger — organic farm inn on the Rosennock road, real farm breakfasts

06

Thermenchalet — private chalets with their own sauna, minutes from both spas

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ITINERARIES

Day-by-day routes

Nockberge Panorama Day — Bad Kleinkirchheim1 day

Nockberge Panorama Day

The Nockalmstraße through the biosphere, a summit stop on the Brunnach and a spa evening — the valley’s perfect summer loop.

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Bike and Borders: Flow Trail & the Lakes — Bad Kleinkirchheim1 day

Bike and Borders: Flow Trail & the Lakes

Morning laps on Europe’s longest flow trail, then west to the lakes — Ossiach, Villach and the turquoise Faak.

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NEARBY DESTINATIONS

Continue the journey

Ossiacher See

Ossiacher See

Carinthia

Villach & Faaker See

Villach & Faaker See

Carinthia

Klagenfurt & Wörthersee

Klagenfurt & Wörthersee

Carinthia

Graz

Graz

Styria

Millstätter See

Millstätter See

Carinthia

PART OF

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