When you think of the Alps, it brings Austria Not the first thing in your mind, I'm guessing. And you guessed it, I'm going to tell you why it should be. I'm taking you to unknown climbs, nice people and a beautiful environment for those who like the outdoors! And where are we doing that? In Bad Kleinkirchheim, in Carinthia!

Landal invites us to Bad Kleinkirchheim, in Carinthia, Austria, and I must admit: it didn't immediately ring a bell for me either. Perhaps for the winter sports fanatics among us, but we prefer temperatures above 0. Bad Kleinkirchheim is a cosy Austrian village with plenty to do. There's a thermal spa/swimming pool, but also the Landal park It has its own swimming pool. In addition, there are plenty of providers for outdoor activities. A lot is possible, we're told at reception, too much to mention. Fortunately, we receive a comprehensive calendar and brochure. We've come here for cycling, but if you're here with your family, there's more than enough to do!

After our warm welcome at reception, we unpack the car and immediately hop on our bikes. A quick spin to loosen up, lovely! It's a simple route, a quick loop through the village to explore everything, and we tackle a couple of small hills outside the village. We spot a nice restaurant and immediately know where the supermarkets are. So useful, a round past the church. After that, we settle into our lovely apartment, put the groceries in the fridge, and easily head to the chosen restaurant. Over dinner, we plan tomorrow's route.

The Alternative Three-Country Giro

We're close enough to Italy and Slovenia to cover both countries in a single day. But make no mistake, this is a challenging 140-kilometre ride with nearly 1,800 metres of elevation gain. A great start to the holiday. Because this route doesn’t disappoint in the slightest. We head down the main road, but once at the bottom we take a back road. It’s a lovely, peaceful climb to the next village. After that, cycle paths and roads alternate, without the traffic making us feel uncomfortable. Motorists take their time and leave plenty of space when overtaking. Towards the Italian border, the road is mostly flat. Once we’ve crossed the border, we turn off the main road and onto a beautiful cycle path. It’s a real treat here: no cars, lovely tarmac and a varied landscape. The gradient does, however, rise steadily between 1-2% – Italian-style flat.

The cycle path brings us to the Slovenian border. This crossing consists of two white border posts. Earlier, we already filled our water bottles along the cycle path. This is also necessary because to get back into Austria we have to cross the Wurzenpass. Fortunately, an unexpected attraction awaits us at the top. A Slovenian supermarket / duty-free shop. Here you can buy everything you can normally get at an airport. We stocked up heavily on tobacco. We are clearly the odd ones out here with fizzy drinks and a tube of Pringles. Outside on the folding chairs, we enjoy ourselves immensely! We get back on our bikes for a super-fast descent on lovely tarmac. We are back in Austria.

Via the Atlantic Ocean (we think the trousers were invented here) we return to the first descent of the day. We climb upwards between the rocks. The climb is both a reward and secretly quite tough after a day like this. Once at the apartment, it's time to freshen up and cook in the excellent kitchen.

Out for a walk at Landal

Unfortunately, the weather is a bit worse the next morning. But as mentioned, there is plenty to do for people who like to be outdoors. So we'll go for a walk in the drizzle. A small tip is to stick to the marked routes. We don't entirely, and then the paths are of poorer quality. But there is also plenty of beauty to be found via the official routes, and Komoot can certainly help you too!

Luckily, it dries up just before midday, and after lunch, we set off to conquer the climb to Falkertsee. This one is for the climbing goats among us. The route is short at only 31 kilometres, but despite that, it still packs in over 1000 metres of ascent. So, the climb can be called challenging, but if you have the time to look around between suffering, you won't be disappointed. Once at the top, it's a bit of a let-down. You can't really get to the Falkertsee by bike. Secretly, we should have done our morning walk here. Because on foot, you can get to the lake and also walk to the real summit, with a beautiful view.

We're descending again and soon we'll be back down. We're riding back slowly along the cycle paths. And we're popping into the supermarket quickly for an extra snack. This climb has taken its toll and tomorrow we go again!

Knock-out on the Nockalm

This route first takes us past the Falkertsee, which we will leave behind, both literally and figuratively. The next turn will take us to the Nockalm. This is a toll road, but cyclists can pass for free. Despite the toll, it's not super quiet, but as mentioned, everyone takes their time and space when overtaking. It soon becomes clear why a toll is charged here. Not only is the asphalt perfect, but the view is also something to behold! In this way, you'll feel your legs a lot less. The climb is also a lot friendlier, covering just over 900 vertical metres in 12 kilometres. At the top is a typical Austrian mountain hut where everyone is welcome. Perfect if you want to make it a round trip.

We continue with the lovely descent. Six kilometres later, we get to climb just as much again. It's no hardship, because secretly this is even more beautiful. Once at the top, you're truly in the middle of the other peaks in this area. We catch our breath, enjoy the view and get ready for the long descent. Because now 27 kilometres await us, the majority of which is downhill. This is along the main road, but the tarmac is really top-notch everywhere. It's a mix between real descending and pedalling a bit now and then. Before we know it, we're in the artists' village of Gmünd. You can definitely stop there for a snack and a drink. Unfortunately, we were hungry earlier and had indulged in pretzels from the supermarket.

We cycle largely flat back towards our final climb via Millstätter See. We know what awaits us, and with our hearts full and legs empty, we ride back to the apartment. If you're going to do one ride, make it this one!

Routes Bad Kleinkirchheim – Cycling in Carinthia

Our last day is unfortunately not sunny. In the morning, we will finish our routes for you. These can be found here:

Higher spheres during a hike

To go out for a hike in the afternoon. Because even if you want a more varied holiday, there's plenty to do here. We already mentioned it in the intro. But besides road cycling, you can also go gravel biking, mountain biking, and hiking. However, a second look at the summer activities shows us that we could have easily entertained ourselves here for two weeks. We came for the cycling, but could easily come back without our bikes and not be bored, and that says a lot. Okay, we would miss the bikes, but you can easily go here with your family or a group of active friends. Landal Bad Kleinkirchheim offers the holidaymaker who likes to be outdoors, therefore, enough not to get bored!

Practical tips: Landal Bad Kleinkirchheim, how do I get there?

Bad Kleinkirchheim is particularly easy to reach by car. This is also convenient for doing your shopping and for popping over to Italy or Slovenia, for example, without your bike. The drive from Utrecht to Bad Kleinkirchheim is 1094km. In Austria, a vignette is mandatory; these can be purchased from the ANWB, or just before the border.

You can also come by public transport. There is a train station at Millstater See, from where a bus goes to Kleinkircheim. This also passes Landal. That's then an overnight train to Salzburg, change there, and then continue. It's doable, but you are a bit dependent on it.

Restaurant and coffee tips:

The Spar and the Billa on the main road, a kilometre's walk from Landal.

We ate pizza at Margherita Pizzeria, Not very atmospheric, but very tasty!

As a closing, on the last day we're at Landhaus-Stüberl Restaurant Belgium. Typical Austrian restaurant and accompanying menu. If you're in Austria, this is part of the experience.

Bike shop: In Kleinkirchheim there is a Intersport Rent It's for hire. You can also go there for bike equipment and possibly a repair.