Camping at Lake Millstatt

Camping on Lake Millstätter See offers all the ingredients for a family holiday close to nature in Austria: southern flair, green alpine pastures and crystal-clear water. The second largest lake in Carinthia enchants with its wonderful nature, hidden bays and diverse water sports options. At Pincamp you will find the most beautiful campsites on Lake Millstatt.

Camping on Lake Millstätter See: holiday adventures in the Austrian Alps

Lake Millstätter See in the south of Austria is a true camping paradise. The warm water of the mountain lake promises carefree bathing fun in the summer months. The surrounding Nockberge mountains, rich in forests and meadows and often referred to with a wink as the Nocky Mountains, invite you to go on extensive hikes and bike tours. Art and culture lovers will also find plenty to discover around Lake Millstatt.

The campsites on Lake Millstatt guarantee pure relaxation and leisure fun. Framed by high mountains, some are located directly on the shore. Others are just a short walk away from the lake's numerous natural beaches. The perfect place for a family holiday by the water!

Döbriach at the entrance to the Nockberge Biosphere Park is a true camping Eldorado. The hiking village on the eastern shore of the lake has five family-friendly campsites. These include Seecamping Mössler, Camping Gauglerhof and Camping Brunner am See. No less attractive are Happy Camping Golser and FKK & Textil Terrassencamping Pesenthein.

Glamping accommodation on Lake Millstatt

Glamping has also gained in importance in Carinthia. The luxurious version of camping offers a high level of comfort without spoiling the camping atmosphere. The most beautiful glamping accommodations on Lake Millstatt, such as the 5-star Burgstaller Comfort Camping Park, offer their guests fully furnished safari tents, lodge tents or beach flats with their own bathroom and direct access to the lake. This makes a camping holiday fun!

Facilities at the campsites on Lake Millstatt

The campsites and glamping accommodation on Lake Millstatt are well equipped. The pitches have water and electricity connections and are also suitable for wheelchairs thanks to the flat meadow terrain around the lake. Clean sanitary facilities, playgrounds for children and a large leisure programme ensure wonderful days and relaxation from everyday stress.

Holiday guests without their own motorhome can usually also stay in holiday flats, caravans or mobile homes at the family-friendly campsites on Lake Millstatt. This does not detract from the holiday fun, as the atmosphere of camping is also fully appreciated here. The price of the local tax is usually included in the price of the holiday accommodation or is alternatively charged on site.

Camping with a dog on Lake Millstatt

Campers with dogs don't have to leave their four-legged companions at home on a camping holiday at Lake Millstatt. As a rule, dogs are allowed on the campsites. In addition to the usual entry requirements for other EU countries, campers should find out about the rules on the campsite, such as the obligation to keep dogs on a lead.

Lake Millstatt does not have its own dog beach. In Carinthia, dogs are generally not permitted at the lidos and publicly accessible bathing areas. However, there are a few places on the unspoilt southern shore of Lake Millstatt where dogs are allowed in the water. These places are only accessible on foot and are the only alternative to an official dog beach on Lake Millstatt.

How to get to Lake Millstatt

At 141 metres, Lake Millstatt is the deepest lake in Carinthia and also the one with the most water. The journey to this natural gem with twelve lidos, three diving centres and a wealth of other water sports experiences takes you to the south of Austria by motorhome or caravan.

Munich is around 280 kilometres from Millstatt, the main town in the lake region. Take the A8 motorway from the Bavarian capital to Salzburg, from there continue on the A10 Tauern motorway via Radstadt through the Tauern tunnel and the Katschberg tunnel in the direction of Villach to the Millstätter See exit. The Tauernalm service station in Flachau is recommended for a final refuelling stop.

The use of Austrian motorways and motorways is subject to tolls. The corresponding vignettes are available as stickers from automobile clubs, at petrol stations and border crossings as well as in digital form online or as an app.

As the scenic Felbertauern Road does not differentiate between tolls for cars, caravans or motorhomes, it allows camping holidaymakers to save money on their trip to Lake Millstatt. The Grossglockner High Alpine Road, which also leads to the destination via Munich, Zell am See and Heiligenblut towards Spittal, is downright picturesque.

Favourite destinations on Lake Millstatt

Along the 12 km long Millstätter See you will find beautiful places such as Lendorf with the Teurnia Roman Museum, the Ortenburg ruins in Baldramsdorf and the following excursion destinations that are particularly worth seeing.

Seeboden - the gateway to Lake Millstatt

Situated at an altitude of 618 metres, the municipality of Seeboden boasts several magnificent parks that stretch right down to the shores of Lake Millstatt. The local bonsai museum is unique in Europe with over 3,000 bonsai trees, a Japanese tea house, Zen gardens and idyllic ponds.

Travel back in time to the Middle Ages at Sommeregg Castle, which has been perched on a hilltop above Seeboden since the 12th century. In the castle's own restaurant, you can dine like a noble knight, while the history of the Inquisition is presented with a creepy twist in the torture museum.

Millstatt - Carinthian high culture for explorers

In the late 19th century, the aristocracy and bourgeoisie flocked to Lake Millstatt for their summer holidays. Numerous Wilhelminian-style villas still bear witness to this today and lend Millstatt an unrivalled charm. Palm trees thrive on the lakeside promenade. In the Kärnten Badehaus, you can enjoy wellness with a view of the water in the brine steam bath and infinity pool.

A cultural attraction is the Benedictine Abbey of Millstatt, founded around 1070, with its Romanesque cloister, historical museum and baroque collegiate church. Here, the Last Judgement fresco by Urban Görtschacher is a source of pure amazement, as is the Millstatt Lenten cloth with scenes from the Old and New Testaments.

Carinthia Gailtal Nature Arena

South of Lake Millstatt runs the picturesque Gailtal valley, which is one of the most beautiful places in Carinthia with its wild gorges and waterfalls. The centre of the region is the pretty little town of Hermagor, from where dozens of hiking trails run up to altitudes of 2800 metres. The Gailtal valley merges into the equally beautiful Lesachtal valley in the west and is also a very popular area for mountain bikers.

Activities and excursions

Active holidaymakers can experience plenty of fun on Lake Millstatt, but also moments of quiet contemplation.

Water sports on Lake Millstatt

Twelve lidos, three diving centres, numerous boat hire companies and water sports centres make Lake Millstatt a paradise for water sports enthusiasts. Holidaymakers can explore the beautiful shores by canoe, hire a pedalo and find their own swimming spot or take their first steps on water skis. There is an abundance of other water sports experiences in all the villages on the lake. But it's just as nice to simply lie on the beach and relax.

Family programme at Lake Millstatt

For children and their parents, a day on holiday at Lake Millstatt is a real adventure. They can go out on the water with a Reinankenwirt and haul in the nets, feed animals in the barn at the Löscherhof farm in Seeboden or immerse themselves in a world full of legends and myths at Sagamundo, the house of storytelling in Döbriach.

Visit to the Granatium adventure world

The Granatium adventure world in the garnet town of Radenthein is a wonderful excursion destination for the whole family. Garnet used to be mined in the town and processed in Bohemian grinding shops. In the Granatium, visitors of all ages can follow in the footsteps of this history. Highlights include the walk-through garnet vein and the garnet mining area: Here you can extract the coveted gemstones from the rock yourself with the right tools.

Hiking around Lake Millstatt

Hiking is one of the most popular leisure activities around Lake Millstatt. The beautiful themed hiking trails such as the "Path of Love" or the hike up the Mirnock World Mountain are very popular. The Enzian Garnet Trail, an easy route that leads to the Garnet Gate on the Millstätter Alpe at an altitude of 2,060 metres, is also well worth a visit.

Bay hiking: A special experience for those seeking peace and quiet

On the largely unspoilt southern shore of Lake Millstatt, bayside hiking is very popular. This is a guided rowing boat tour, during which you glide to various unspoilt spots in the early morning in an almost mystical atmosphere and learn lots of interesting facts about the local lake inhabitants along the way. Near Döbriach, surrounded by gentle waves, a bench resembling half a shell awaits. You can reach the modern object via stone blocks, take a seat and let your gaze wander as far as the Hohe Tauern.

Gastronomy

On the lush alpine pastures around Lake Millstatt, the aromatic scent of herbs fills the air. Cows and goats graze on the pastures and produce the best milk. At the Kaslab'n Nockberge show dairy in Radenthein, you can see how this milk is transformed into real cheese specialities and then taste a creamy hay-milk beer cheese. Hearty or sweet Carinthian cheese dumplings are almost a culinary must on a holiday in Carinthia.

A hearty snack at a mountain hut or in one of the rustic local wine taverns is also part of the programme. A regional delicacy is often served: Nockschinken ham refined with caraway and garlic and cold-smoked over beechwood chips. Of course, the inns on Lake Millstatt also serve fresh fish, especially whitefish, which is caught exclusively in the wild.

Best time for a camping holiday at Lake Millstatt

Lake Millstatt is suitable for a camping holiday all year round. Situated on the southern side of the Alps, it offers a temperate climate that is mainly influenced by the Adriatic Sea. Spring is mild and ideal for long hiking tours. The bathing season begins in May and ends in September, with air temperatures of between 25 and 35 degrees Celsius in midsummer. The water temperatures at this time are a pleasant 20 to 25 degrees Celsius.

Perhaps the most beautiful time of year is autumn, when the waters of Lake Millstatt and the surrounding mountains are bathed in a warm, intense light that photographers like to describe as Venetian. The first snow usually falls at the end of November. Holidaymakers can then look forward to activities such as horse-drawn sleigh rides, curling and skiing on the icing sugar slopes of the Goldeck sports mountain.