"-----------RP1 Villach
Villach a proud cozy town in Carinthia ,east of the Dobratsch, where the Gail and the Drau meet.
Its favorable location has brought prosperity to the city for centuries, at the crossroads of the Salzburg - Venice and Graz - Liens - Bolzano routes.
German, Italian, and Slavic influences have brought the sr = tad its charm. And the center, with the pedestrian streets around it, invites you to shop and stroll.
Museums ensure that there is plenty to experience here even in bad weather. Think of museums with oldtimers, city history and the large 3D relief of Carinthia
Moreover, Villach is a great starting point, because from here you can explore some of the most beautiful roads in Carinthia.

---------- RP3 Gerlitzer Alpenstraße
One of those roads starts in Bodensdorf, on the Ossiacher See, the road goes to the top of the Gerlitzen, hence the name Gerlitzer Alpenstraße.
It is a dead-end asphalt toll road (8 euros per vehicle) and stops at the height of a hotel parking lot at an altitude of 1720 meters.
14 kilometers of excellently constructed hairpin bends and 14 percent incline rates. The name Gerlitzen is derived from the Slovenian word 'goreti', which means 'to burn'.
This indicates that special fires were often lit in this region and that is why the Gerlitzen is also called the 'Fire Mountain'.
The geographical center of Carinthia is 1200 meters away. Unfortunately, you can only get there via a walking path.
Back at the lake, the B94 takes you to the busy Feldkirchen where you best avoid the center.
Take the Gurktaler Straße (B93), to the north and turn onto the secondary road (L80) which takes you into gentle turns to the Goggausee.
Beyond the lake, on the Goggausee Landesstraße, there are a lot of beautiful, sharp curves where the forest provides shade to Gurktal, with the mountain range, the Gurktal Alps, in the northwest.

---------- RP04 Gurk
Motorcyclists often ignore churches as places of interest. Maybe this tour is an opportunity to change that. The first opportunity for this is one of the cultural highlights on this route - the cathedral of Gurk with its striking twin towers visible from far away. to which a monumental cathedral has been added three generations later. The result: the pillar basilica has a beautiful, still original portal and beautiful gothic stained glass windows and frescoes.
The oldest and most sacred part is the 100-column crypt containing the grave of the patroness of the state.

---------- RP06 Burg Hochosterwitz
We continue the route via the 67. A narrow road with many curves but little traffic. This takes us via the Pisweger Sattel pass to St. Veit an der Glan.
Just past this town, you pass another symbol of Carinthia on the right: Burg Hochosterwitz.
The castle rises high above the surroundings and stands on a 150-meter high limestone rock. If you want to visit the castle it is a 620-meter long walk via a steep road.
At the top of the castle, we see an inner courtyard with arch gallery, an old well, and the castle museum with armor.
With your motorcycle suit on, the climb takes a lot of time, but it pays off. Less sporty? Take the elevator up. The castle was first mentioned around 860.
The castle has been in the possession of the noble Khevenhüller family since 1541 but has long been converted into a museum and is open to the public.

---------- RP08 Diex
After this, we will set our sights on Hamburg. Take the L113, a lovely road that leads to Diex, a village at an altitude of 1159 meters, and said to be Austria's sunniest spot. The winding descent to Brückl offers beautiful views and is well worth the detour. Then you follow the Görtschitztal to the exit to Althofen and you reach the eastern edge of the Gurk Valley. Along the way, you will pass the early-classical Schloss Pöckstein, a residence of the bishops of Gurk.

---------- RP11 Strasbourg
Further west we find Schloss Straßburg wrathing high above the road and originally this was the primary residence of the bishops of Gurk. In the 18th century, the castle was severely damaged in an earthquake, was abandoned, and was left to decay for 200 years. Large-scale restoration work only started in 1950. large parts of the castle were restored. After this, we cross the Gurktal Alps. A winding, narrow road that connects the Gurktal with the Metnitztal.The road has had its best time, so watch out for cracks and stones. Still enjoy the road, especially the last kilometers, in the descent to Marienheim.

--------RP 13 There is an unsightly sign that you can make a detour to the east, to the beautiful Car and Motorcycle Museum at Landhotel Seppenbauer in St. Salvator. Gerhard Porsche's private collection is fantastic and even people who have absolutely no feeling for technology dream here.
Everything here tells a piece of motorized history, from the very beginning of motor-powered mobility over the 'Rockin' Fifties' to the present day. Drive back to Marienheim and continue to follow the pretty Gradeser Straße.

---------- RP14 Metnitz
In Metnitz, a large, rusty sculpture looks down on you while passing. It represents a dead ship and refers to an old custom: the dance of death. You might decide to visit the Metnitser Totentanz museum. Further on you can widness how many different types of road surfaces there are. We set coarse to the Flattnitzer Höhe where you drive on just about every conceivable road surface. But the road runs at an altitude of 1400 meters, it is not busy and it is wonderful to be on it to drive. As of now there are fewer mountains and we mainly drive through valleys, Small roads wind along streams and rivers almost everywhere.

---------- RP15 Stadl an der Mur
Shortly afterward you will leave beautiful Carinthia because when you reach the Murtal, you will have arrived in Styria. We turn left in the town of Stadl an der Mur. Do not get confused by local signposts. Stadl an der Mur merged on 1 January 2015 with Predlitz, which is more than six kilometers further west. The two villages are very idyllic on the
upper reaches of the Mur and together form the municipality of Stadl-Predlitz.
Via another beautiful road, we head south again, back to Carinthia.

---------- RP16 Turracher Höhe
We do this via the Turracher Höhe, a plateau, and at the same time also the impressive pass that forms the border between Styria and Carinthia. The pass is located at an altitude of 1763 meters, the road there is about two kilometers long and leads to Turrach and the scenic Turracher See. You can go even higher, but not with the engine. A gondola rocks you from the lake to 2000 meters. Above that, you can enjoy a 360 ° panoramic view of the wider area. The southern slope of the Turracher Höhe is technically the most challenging. The road is in good condition, but with a gradient of more than 20 percent, this is a wonderful ride.

---------- RP17 Nockalmstraße
And the driving pleasure is still not over. On the south side of the Turracher Höhe, just before the town of Ebene Reichenau, you have on the right the Nockalmstraße, a legendary road. With its maximum gradient of 23 percent, it is one of the steepest roads in Carinthia. Motorcyclists have to pay 18 euros toll, but that is a treat that you should definitely give yourself. Over a distance of 57 kilometers, you will encounter 52 sharp bends that are beautifully integrated into the separate landscape of the Nockberge National Park. The round rock tops are geological rarities, they are older than the surrounding mountain ranges and contain many soil resources. The many blast furnaces, which are now out of use, indicate that this was a mining area. Nockberge National Park is best known for its large larch and alpine pine forests.

--------RP19 The 2042 meter high Eisentalhöhe is the highest point. Then you descend almost 500 meters, but at the Schiestelscharte the Nockalmstraße almost climbs again to 2000 meters.
When you pay the toll, you also get a lot of information about the almost 1500 square kilometer biosphere park and its nature, which can also tempt bikers to discover trips but only between 8 and 6 pm, because motorcycles are not allowed on this route outside. At the Eisentalhütte there is a Biker's Point with lockers for helmets and valuables, so you can enjoy the surroundings without having to carry too much ballast. After Nockalmstraße you drive west and then it goes straight to one of the best-preserved medieval cities in Austria.

---------- RP 20 -23 The almost 15 kilometers long toll road (motorcyclists pay 11.50 euros) through the Maltatal takes you to the highest dam in Austria. Expect a big climb, because the mountain road starts at 911 meters and brings you to the Kölnbreinsperre dam at 1933 meters. One of Austria's most spectacular mountain roads, Malta Hochalmstraße takes you through six mountain-cut tunnels, several sharp turns, and past a lot of waterfalls that dry up at night as theThe Malteiner Wasserspiele are particularly impressive. Not afraid of heights? Then take the Airwalk, near the dam.

---------- RP25 Gmünd
Gmünd is located at the confluence of Malta and the Lieser. The city's territory extends to the foothills of the Hohe Tauern National Park in the west and to the Nockberge National Park in the east. Gmünd has a rich history and probably originated between the 11th and 12th centuries as an outpost of the Archdiocese of Salzburg and was supposed to protect the Katschbergsattel against the Duchy of Carinthia. In 1346 Gmünd was granted city rights, making it the oldest city in modern Carinthia after Friesach. A remnant of that period is the Salzburg dialect of the local population, which is mainly spoken in the Katschtal, the highest valley in the Lieser basin. The Porsche Museum in Gmünd is definitely worth a visit. Ferdinand Porsche worked here from 1944 to 1950 and the first true Porsche - the legendary 356 - originated here. The factory here produced 44 coupés and eight convertibles. In 1982 antique dealer Helmut Pfeifhofer opened the first opposite the former factory.

---------RP 26 Millstatt
The route ends at the Millstätter See is the second largest lake in Carinthia, after the Wörthersee. With its depth of 141 meters, it is the deepest lake and the lake that contains the most water. It is 12 kilometers long and is located at an altitude of 588 meters. The water has the quality of drinking water and in the middle of summer it heats up to 26 degrees. Perfect for swimming.
Around 1070 a Roman Benedictine monastery was built in Millstatt. For centuries the monastery was the religious and cultural center of Oberkärnten and it was one of the largest in Carinthia. The monastery no longer has a religious function, but culturally you will still enjoy it here.