The Worthersee is Carinthia's biggest lake and one of Austria's top tourist attractions in Summer. The visually stunning setting is reason alone to stop by for a few hours, though the only way to truly experience it is to take a dip.
Many consider it Austria's best destination for bathing and swimming, for several reasons: a) With water temperatures averaging 21-23 C (often reaching a pleasant 25 C in August), it is one of Austria's warmest lakes. b) Its water is clear, has a characteristic blue-green colour, and is clean enough to be safe for drinking, at least in early June, before the tens of thousands of swimmers arrive in high season. c) Its location south of the Alps means it gets one of the highest number of sunny days in Austria, and it is also protected from strong winds, making ideal bathing weather in the months of July and August.
Ever since Austria's aristocracy has chosen the Worthersee as their summer retreat in the 19th century it has been associated with glamour, though in recent decades it has lost a little of its shine. Nevertheless, the lake still attracts the rich and famous, and food and accommodation prices along its shore are very high compared to the rest of Carinthia.
Klagenfurt airport close to the lake and can be easily reached by train, bus, or motorway.
International sleeper trains offer direct services from Berlin or Dusseldorf to Velden and Portschach on weekends, or otherwise with a change over in Salzburg. Sparnacht offer available on sleeper trains if booked in advance with Deutsche Bahn. It costs EUR 60 return.
The cycle rental in Portschach is opposite the post office. No deposit or ID is required and a 5 h rental was 4 EUR in 2003.
Lake ferries connect all major settlements in summer but are infrequent.
Regional and international trains connect Velden, Portschach, Krumpendorf and Klagenfurt and run approximately every 45 minutes during peak times. You can check train and bus connections, both domestical and international, at: [http://fahrplan.oebb.at/bin/query.exe/en].
On inline skates, do not expect an uncontinuous and wide enough path all around Worthersee. From Klagenfurt (i.e. the east end of Worthersee) to Toschling (which is just east of Portschach, approx. in the middle of the north bank), there is no problem, as the path is all asphalted. Once you go further westwards (to Velden), you either stick to the path and walk for ca. 100 m where there is no asphalt, or, once you see the Toschling tourist office across the street on your right, stick to the narrow (!) and a bit uneven pavement next to the main road for ca. 300 m until the railway crossing, where you will hit the asphalted path, from which you departed, again. Until Velden, there are no further obstacles. The south bank of Worthersee is not recommended for inline skaters.
Klagenfurt, Carinthias capital (approx. 90,000 inhabitants), with its old and neat dontown and lots of smaller shops and boutiques, is equally appealing to the tourist as it is to locals.
The Bakery / Cafe Wiennerroither in Poertschach is on the main road a few hundred meters east of the train station. A very large variety of freshly baked Austrian bread is sold here from 5:30 am to 10:00 pm. Though quality suffers a bit in summer, by international standards the bread is superb.
The restaurant Joainig in Poertschach started off as a typical Austrian Gasthaus and expanded to become a large-scale operation with huge indoor and outdoor dining spaces and an industrial size kitchen supplying smaller local hostels. However, high standard food is still served at moderate prices and the service is friendly and professional. Wide choice of local specialities on menu, different theme every month. Joainig is about 1km east of the town centre. It is hard to miss if the cycle path is followed.
Half way on the main road between Velden and Poertschach, a fully Italian- staffed pizzeria serves excellent stone oven pizzas and pasta. 4 - 8 EUR for a large pizza.
For a more authentic and simple Austrian Gasthaus in Poertschach, go to the small hostel opposite the Wienerroither Bakery on the main road near the town centre. The interior is simple but local specialities are very good.
Supermarkets are located in all towns along the Woerthersee. At the cheese and ham counter sandwiches are prepared at no extra charge. This is probably the only way to buy a meal for less than a euro in Austria.
When swimming, beware of speedboats. To protect swimmers, a strict speed limits applies to speedboats in the region 200m from the shore. It is not recommended that you swim out further than 200 m. If you do, make sure you take a highly visible object like an inflatable buoy with you.