Carynthia (Austria) > Reviews > Mountains and Lakes

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Value for Money
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Advantages:	Fairly cheap, lot of outdoor pursuits, Cheap flights from Britain
Disadvantages:

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

Carinthia, or Kärnten as it is known in German, is Austria's southernmost province. Traditionally the Carinthians have been the butt of many jokes, but Carinthia is a wonderful province.

The main places in Carinthia of interest are Klagenfurt and Villach, and the Shrove Tuesday (Faschingdienstag) celebrations in Villach are nationally acknowledged as the best. If Villach doesn't inspire you then you can always head from Villach on to Venice (ca. 3 hrs by train) and enjoy the carnival in Venice. Klagenfurt is a fine city, with a great deal of heritage.

Villach and Klagenfurt are separated by the Wörthersee which takes in picturesque towns like Velden and Pörtschach. The Wörthersee is great for families, there are plenty of outdoor activities to enjoy, and for cyclists it is relatively flat around the Wörthersee and this is a great holiday. The Carinthians are a very warm and welcoming people, and their traditions are all enjoyable. The evenigs can be whiled away easily in one of the Lokals, and there is always the possibility of using Carinthia as a base for forays in Italy and Slovenia.

Carinthia is also very accessible, with new budget flights being announced from Gatwick to Klagenfurt.