Things to do in Klagenfurt
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Minimundus
Down near the Wörthersee, Minimundus has around 140 replicas of some of the world’s architectural icons, downsized to a scale of 1:25. By lying on the ground with a camera, you can later impress your friends at parties with great snaps of the Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower or Arc de Triomphe. Building materials are true to the original. The Sydney Opera House, Tower of London, Statue of Liberty and Schloss Neuschwanstein are also here. English guides to the less recognisable models – such as Bad Ischl train station – are on sale for €4. There’s a café and restaurant (normal size) on site.
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Landesmuseum Rudolfinum
If you’ve ever wondered what the fossilised head of an ice-age woolly rhinoceros looked like, a visit to Landesmuseum Rudolfinum will quell your idle speculation. The museum’s Lindwurmschädel (dragon skull) was found in the 14th century and it even became the model for the head of Klagenfurt’s central fountain. This museum also has lots of Celtic armour and jewellery, and the multimedia ‘Glocknerrama’ – an acoustic and visual simulation that leads you to the peak of Austria’s highest mountain.
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Restaurant Maria Loretto
Restaurant Maria Loretto Situated on a headland above Wörthersee, this wonderful restaurant is easily reached by foot from the Strandbad. You might also hire a bicycle and make a day of it, perhaps taking a dip from reedy banks or the lakeside beach before or after the culinary deed. It does a very good trout and some flavoursome meat dishes, but it’s the sheer character of the place that makes it a wonderful choice for food and casual drinks. Call ahead Mondays, when it’s sometimes closed except from May to August.
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StrandBad
Swimmers can dip a paw into the Strandbad, Klagenfurt’s lakeside beach with cabins, restaurants and piers for basking. You can plough a circuit 100m offshore for 500m or so along the line of buoys and back. It’s a decent swim of about 1km in warm waters in summer, and uncrowded. Kästchen (lockers large enough for day packs) in the Strandbad cost €1 plus €10 deposit and are located on the extreme right of the complex as you walk in.
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Villa Lido
A short walk along the lakeshore from Europapark, this classy and attractive lakeside restaurant has a café terrace on land and tables on a wooden jetty over the water (reserve for one of these). Its menu takes your taste buds through Italian saltimbocca, classic fish or red-meat dishes and pasta, and culminates in delicious sorbets. The upstairs lounge is open from 5pm till late.
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Dolce Vita
In a region strongly influenced by northern Italian cuisine, this restaurant is something of a local flagship. Inexpensive it is not, but it builds a seasonal menu mostly around fresh local produce and game, while also offering a lunchtime Venetian Sarde in saor (sardines in a marinade). Expect to pay about €14 for a pasta entree.
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Konzerthaus
Entertainment options in Klagenfurt are somewhat limited, but you can catch plays at the Konzerthaus stages a mixed bag of opera and popular music. An events booklet from the tourist office is useful. In summer, the lakeside stage by the Europapark is a great experience.
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Bergbaumuseum
The Bergbaumuseum is a pleasant option for a rainy day. Exhibits including tools and drilling equipment are housed in tunnels that lead from the grounds of the botanical gardens deep into the hill. The locals took shelter here from Allied bombing during WWII.
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Wappensaal
The ceiling of the Wappensaal has a trompe l’oeil gallery painted by Carinthian artist Josef Ferdinand Fromiller (1693–1760), and depicting Carinthian landowners paying homage to Charles VI. Stand in the centre of the room for the best effect.
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Zauberhutt’n
The fried squid in a light garlic oil is a delight, but pasta, pizza and classic meat dishes all feature on the menu of this inexpensive, family-run restaurant. It’s also the headquarters of the Magic Club of Klagenfurt (with a very unexpected visiting card).
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Stadttheater
Entertainment options in Klagenfurt are somewhat limited, but you can catch plays, musicals and operas at the Stadttheater. An events booklet from the tourist office is useful. In summer, the lakeside stage by the Europapark is a great experience.
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Happ’s Reptilienzoo
Lounge lizards can also nip down the road to check out real-life role models at Happ’s Reptilienzoo; there are crocodiles plus all manner of creepers, crawlers and slitherers here for kids and adults to admire. Some signs are in English.
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Botanischer Garten
At the far end of Radetzkystrasse is a rather limp Botanischer Garten. Adjoining the gardens is the Kreuzberglkirche, perched on a hillock with a set of very pretty mosaic stations of the cross on the path leading up to it.
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Stadtgalerie
Some excellent rolling art exhibitions are held in the Stadtgalerie, which has a main venue on Theaterstrasse. Those in recent years have included works by Oskar Kokoschka and Californian pop-art maestro Mel Ramos.
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Wirtshaus Zum Heiligen Josef
This restaurant with outside tables serves excellent Austrian food, plus a few Italian vegetarian options such as risotto and gnocchi. There are daily soups and lunchtime specials and it has a very friendly English-speaking owner.
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Landhaus
The provincial government headquarters, Landhaus, stands just to the west of Alter Platz. Go through the archway into the cobbled two-storey courtyard to truly admire the building’s two steeples.
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Kamot
This jazz joint has a warm pub atmosphere and a bar where you can sit and chat into the late hours. It hosts some of the top national jazz names on the pub circuit, but it’s a nice place for a drink anytime.
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Restaurant Arkadenhof
This is the more formal of the two restaurants in the upmarket Palais Hotel Landhaushof with a menu of grills and steak flambéed in cognac, wok noodles, pasta dishes and classics like Tafelspitz.
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Alpen-Adria-Galerie Im Stadthaus
Some excellent rolling art exhibitions are held in theAlpen-Adria-Galerie im Stadthaus. Those in recent years have included works by Oskar Kokoschka and Californian pop-art maestro Mel Ramos.
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Wörthersee Festspiele
The Wörthersee Festspiele happens every summer between late June and mid-August, with operas, ballets and pop concerts taking place on an offshore stage on the Wörthersee.
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Wörthersee Ätsch Petsch
At the Schlosshotel Wörthersee, this hip pub-like place serves grills, calamari, jacket potatoes and other tasty dishes. It’s open until midnight (at least) on most nights
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Pankraz
Another good option for music lovers is this funkily decorated place, which sometimes features DJs and live music. There’s a shop selling house and electronica CDs here, too.
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Bierhaus Zum Augustin
Traditional in character, this place has an attractive, copper-plated bar and wooden floorboards. There’s a cobbled courtyard at the back for cheap alfresco eating.
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Paddle or Electric Boat
The lounge lizards for whom might sound a tad too strenuous will enjoy indulging in paddle or electric boat escapades alongside the Strandbad.
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Stadthauptpfarrkirche St Egyd
The Stadthauptpfarrkirche St Egyd, with an ornate gold-leaf interior and some fine ceiling frescos.
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