hochosterwitz castle (burg hochosterwitz)

This is one of the best in Austria. You can either take the scary lift to the top but I would recommend to take the walt up there so that you can experiance the many defence towers along the way. The meals at the restaurant in the fotress are good and friendly service.

Beautiful castle situated in Carinthia near St. Veit. The best part is the protective gates guarding the path to the castle that were built in the 1500's. The castle itself is only so-so with a museum containing a few interesting artifacts.l

Great medieval castle not far from Klagenfurt (you can combine it with the trip to Minimundus - you can make it in one day). The walk upwards is not exhausting. The museum is also worth the visit.

This medieval castle on top of a 160-meter dolomite rock can be seen 30km away. Suggest you take the elevator to the top, and enjoy stunning panoramic views. There is a restaurant at the top, a small museum and a gift shop. The walk down is not strenuous and offers a lot of scenery.

I guess the most important advice is: you must take your time to "conquer" the 14 gates - one by one - of this incredible place. Each gate not only has its own name, but also its own story. Enjoy the view over central Carinthia from the differen "vista points" and let your mind go back some 500 hundred years in history. Please also know upfront: you are not visiting a nice castle with extravagant living rooms and beautiful gardens but a military outpost which played an important role over the centuries for the Carinthian people."Der Weg ist das Ziel" - I have no better words to describe thie place

A really unique medieval castle with its 14 doors, built for protection, a lot of fun to go through all, some 600 metres to the top where you can visit a well preserved castle building and museum in it and, of course, enjoy the beautiful view. Get some guide information before visit, so you can fully understand this unusual structure. Nice for a trip to history...

The castle really dominates the surrounding area and approaching it from the south provides one with a great view of it sitting on top of a seemingly isolated promontory.The castle is well maintained and the different gate-towers on the way up are a real treat for anyone into late medieval fortifications. If you are scared of heights, the walk up is still manageable, though certainly less enjoyable (just stick to your left, make sure you stare at your feet when walking over the couple of wooden bridges and avoid looking out of the right-hand overhanging windows - also, remember that there are floor holes at the bottom of the right-hand walls, so avoid looking directly down there!). The way down is a breeze (at least for me).

We thoroughly enjoyed our walk up and through the castle this morning. Not too many other tourists and quite an easy walk up to the top. Well with the visit.

the castle is impressive from afar and also as you walk up through all the gates. This is the best part of the visit. Up at the top, there is a small museum about the the family through the ages and some old military equipment. We enjoyed the museum including viewing the old documents/papers and visiting the church. you can get to the church by a small path prior to arriving at the top. It is not indicated really and is not where the little garden is located, but before this area further down the mountain. We went early in the morning when they first opened and we highly recommend this since there is no line to buy tickets plus finding a parking spot is so much easier.

I have planned to visit this castle when I saw some web pictures. And I do not regret at all. Especially the view from afar is breathtaking! So when you are close to this castle stop your car for a while. We went up by foot (not by funicular) and I can recommend it to everyone. Even my three years old daughter made it without any troubles.

Close you eyes and think "the perfect medieval castle:" up will pop Burg Hochosterwitz, an imposing, impregnable fortress atop a high hill north of Klagenfurt in the enchanting but inexplicably neglected Austrian province of Carinthia (the Kärnten). If this sounds daunting to the faint of heart or step, rest assured that the owners (same Khevenhüller family since 1541) have given great thought to accessibility. Cars and buses can drive more than halfway up the hill before arriving at an entirely adequate parking area serviced by an elevator that goes to the very top (the castle courtyard). But those who truly wish to indulge in the full Hochosterwitz experience must at least descend on foot, through the 14 defensive gates that discouraged would-be invaders from attempting to storm the castle (all who tried, failed). A museum at the top offers fascinating insights into the history of the castle and its past life. On a practical level, restaurants at both the top and the car park offer splendid, authentic local cuisine at modest prices and large quantities. Though a bit off the path for tourists, this castle provides incomparable rewards for those who visit. We have been there 3 times over the years, and will not miss a return opportunity next time we are in Carinthia. Hint: if you have the great good fortune of running into any members of the Khevenhüller family while visiting, you will find them to be among of finest persons inhabiting planet Earth.

Me and my wife have made a couple trips to Europe and have seen a few castles, not a whole lot but enough to where I can decide that this one is my favorite. First off its a little ways off the main road, so your driving through the mountains and hills of the back country looking for this place. Then out of nowhere it appears in the distant, a massive structure just sitting on top of this mountain in the middle of flat plains. We arrived and the lift to the top was out of order which did not bother me because making the trek to the top through all the gates is part of the experience. The gates and path to the top is an awesome thing as it winds around the mountain each gate a part of history as an almost impenetrable barrier. I believe it was said that an enemy force only ever breached to the 7th gate and I believe there was 13.Once you get to the top you can walk around the outside walls where one courtyard is. This is one of my favorite parts. It offers great views of the surroundings and is also partly enclosed by the massive castle walls. It overlooks the castles church and has a garden. Its a great for relaxing and pictures.There is a museum inside with many things from the castle such as weapons and armor. There is one suit of armor that Im still not sure if it was real or not but it was on a giant mannequin and would not fit an ordinary human. I dont know if they found it there and it belonged to some huge man or what.Overall I love this castle and I think it really should be visited should you be traveling through.

I am not a hiker, but this is one Dolomite hill worth walking up, passing through its 14 fortified gates. If you like history and REAL medieval castles, or even if you do not, this well-maintained, not overly touristy place is definitely worth a detour. Local folklore claims that the castle was never conquered despite numoerous attempts through the centuries (the castle was first mentioned in written records dating from 860) and that none of the attackers managed to pass beyond its fourth gate. Hochosterwitz is, however, not easily reached with public transportation.

First we saw this place at night from autobahn, it was lighted in a beautiful way and seemed fairy. We visited it next day and it looked amazing on that rock. As usually in childfriendly Austria even there we could easily walk with children wagon, we used special elevator to go up, it was rather extreme:). Down we walked on foot looking at different interesting corners of the castle, park we liked most of all.

this was nice trip during our stay, I recommend to take some water, it takes about 60 minutes slow walk up to the top. On the top you can find restaurand, gift shop and guided tour.