[VILLACH] En Route to Slovenia

How I ended up in Villach is anybody’s guess. I almost always end up in the main city of the region which, in this case, is supposed to be Klagenfurt. I blame bus and train tickets. This was probably the only available route when I booked last year? Anyway, Villach is small, seemingly eventless, but quite a looker too, especially that part at the bridge with the jester statue and those snow capped mountains and a church’s double towers in the background. Before we continue, here are some trivia for Villach.

It is the second largest city in the Austrian state of Carinthia; the biggest being Klagenfurt which also serves as the capital. If we zoom out to country-level, then Villach is the 7th largest Austrian city. The population is a meager 60,000+ so you can imagine how boring the city might be but hey, at least it is not crowded! The Drava river bisects the old town in half, with one half housing the main train station and the other half flowing over to that part of the city that stretches all the way to the mountains.

Looking at the map of the region, I guess I ended up here because it’s close to the Austria-Slovenia border and it looks like going to Klagenfurt first would mean heading farther east, whereas originating from Villach just means heading all the way down south. Anyway, all I can recall is that the train from Salzburg was modern and fast, but the train to Ljubljana a few days later was old, slow AF, and without WiFi. Villach’s main train station is quite small and doesn’t seem that busy.

Just like most main train stations in big cities, Villach’s has lockers downstairs which you can rent for a measly EUR2 (~PHP120) for a 24-hr period. This is useful if you are just here on an extended transit. Once you get out of the train station, just follow the road perpendicular to it and head straight. It won’t take you five minutes to reach the bridge with the flags. Before reaching it, though, you will see a church to your left, which arrests attention because of its tall spire as well as the curious looking skyline it forms along with Hotel Mosser’s reddish façade.

The bridge is called Villach Draubrücke. Look left and you will see the jester statue in deep contemplation. I suggest you take your selfie here because that backdrop of Alter Friedhof’s double towers, Kriegsbrücke as well as the snow capped mountains from afar is just a sight to behold. I was looking at it for quite some time and still couldn’t get enough of it. By the way, the riverbanks have giant benches where you can just chill while people-watching.

Once you cross that bridge, you will find yourself in the old town where most of the activities are concentrated. It’s basically a long stretch of pedestrian road with shops, cafes, and fast food like McDonalds. The most popular attraction on the horizon, though, is the Parish Church of St. Jacob, whose clock tower dominates the skyline. The church itself is rather small and I wasn’t able to see what it looks like inside because it was closed when I was there.

The Rathaus is just across the street but I didn’t even notice it because it looked rather plain. In any case, the area is quite lively with all the food stalls and market staples. You will also see some carnival-type attractions set up for kids. I suppose that if you reside in Villach, this is really the place to be, especially if you have kids. And that’s where my Villach sightseeing ended. Hey, it’s a small city, okay. Aside from the Drava, there doesn’t seem to be a lot to see.

[VILLACH] En Route to Slovenia

[CARINTHIA] Budget and Itinerary