Lesachtal: Culture and Hiking

Lesachtal combines a strong pilgrimage tradition with craftsmanship and a wide range of hiking opportunities. When planning a stay, you can choose different themes to focus on: Maria Luggau and its religious history, mills and museums, or routes through the landscape. If you are looking for a hotel in Lesachtal, you can use these themes as a starting point for planning your trip.

Pilgrimage, Mills and Craftsmanship

The pilgrimage tradition in Maria Luggau dates back to 1513. Every year, thousands of pilgrims visit the Basilica of Maria Luggau to venerate the Sorrowful Mother. The pilgrimage and basilica are a religious focus, distinct from the themes of craftsmanship and mills. If you are interested in religious traditions, Maria Luggau offers a separate point of interest when choosing the themes for your trip.

Another cultural route takes you along the Maria Luggau Mill Trail. This short circular walk runs from the Bäckwirt to five old watermills and a mill museum. The Violin-Making Museum is on the top floor of the Lesachtal Folk Music Academy, while the Shoemaking Museum is in the neighboring Shoemaker’s House. The Violin-Making and Shoemaking Museum displays the legacies of violin maker Johann Lexer and shoemaker Andreas Niggler in an authentic setting. Alongside the pilgrimage, the focus is therefore also on mills and two different crafts.

Hiking Trails and Specific Routes

Lesachtal has around 300 kilometers of marked hiking trails. They lead through wooded valleys, across lush meadows and alpine pastures, and up to rocky peaks. When choosing a specific route, you can consider not only the scenery but also details such as duration, distance and elevation gain.

The therapeutic climate hiking trail from Niedergail toward Niedergailer Alm is about 7.5 kilometers long, takes around 3.5 hours and has an elevation gain of about 300 meters. These figures are approximate and may be updated by the operator; check the latest route information before setting out. The Bread and Morenden Trail is an approximately three-and-a-half-hour circular route through forests, along streams and across alpine pastures. Both routes take around three and a half hours. The Niedergail trail also has a specified distance and elevation gain, while the Bread and Morenden Trail is a circular route through forests, along streams and across alpine pastures.

Hikes in Lesachtal connect with the Carnic High Trail. The Höfe Trail ends in Liesing in Lesachtal. For a themed guided hike, certified mountain and hiking guides offer a variety of tours focusing on the flora, fauna and geology of Lesachtal. Climbing routes range from easy to difficult; check specific routes and conditions before your trip.

More Activities and Getting Around

There are different options for cycling, too: the Lesachtal Bike Tour Guide brings together cycling routes ranging from easy family rides and leisurely scenic trips to demanding mountain bike trails. The range therefore extends from easy, relaxed rides to challenging mountain biking. Ski touring opportunities are available for experienced tourers as well as less experienced skiers and beginners.

Local food offers another way to explore Lesachtal. Together with Gailtal, Gitschtal and Weissensee, it is part of the world’s first Slow Food Travel Destination in Carinthia. Local food artisans and producers put the Slow Food philosophy into practice there.

In Lesachtal, visitors can also travel from their accommodation to attractions and generally from A to B without their own car. If you are planning your trip without a car, you can take this option into account when planning your stay.

Discover more destinations: Sankt Lorenzen im Lesachtal, Sonnenalpe Nassfeld, Jenig, Mellweg, Schlanitzen, Kirchbach, Kötschach-Mauthen, Egg bei Hermagor

Go to the main travel overview: Hermagor.