Apres Ski in Bad Kleinkirchheim

Bad Kleinkirchheim is an old spa town – more of a small town than a village, and spread out along the valley. But it is attractive and development has been cautious, with most buildings in chalet style and timber-faced.

The Town of Bad Kleinkirchheim Town

There is a substantial, affluent feel about Bad Kleinkirchheim – as one would expect of somewhere with a history going back 1,000 years or more – and plenty of opportunities for shopping. Popular designer shops include the Boutique Jesse, for Armani, the Alter Moda, Trachtenmoden, and Intersport Gruber, which stocks Bogner, Emmergi, Goldwin, Killy and Spyder. There’s also a perfumery, a jeweller, an antique shop and several arts and crafts shops, as well as a Craft Museum, four banks, a supermarket, a florist and a bookshop, but if not skiing or when not skiing, best of Bad Kleinkirchheim’s non-skiing treasures are the thermal spas.

Legend has it that the recuperative powers of the local mineral water became known after the badly wounded fugitive Count Palatine Poto hid out in the Kirchheim Valley in 1055 – and saw his injuries miraculously heal after quaffing some water from a fresh spring. It was some early excellent PR for the area.

In 1884 a local hotelier put out a brochure extolling the health benefits of staying here and it became a destination for the infirm seeking the ‘cure’. In 1934 the first outdoor thermal pool was built and the following year Kirchheim was granted the right to add the word Bad (designating it as an official spa resort) to its name. An indoor thermal pool opened in 1969 and ten years later the Roemerbad (Roman spa) thermal bathing centre was opened.

The Roemerbad was completely refurbished recently and is an impressive facility, which has been transformed into a 15-million euro ‘wellness oasis’, the highlight being a fabulous sauna centre. There’s also a new expanded massage area, state-of-the-art beauty salon, meditation area for total relaxation and an adventure areas for children, both inside and out.

With saunas of all shapes and sizes, covering 4,000 square metres, the Roemerbad sets new standards in the sweat stakes! One of the best things is that the Roemerbad is perfectly situated at the foot of the Franz Klammer ski run, so it could hardly be more conveniently located when legs are burning at the end of a tough ski day.

You’ll find thermal pools, with temperatures ranging between 28 degrees and 34 degrees, saunas of varying heat levels, including a tepidarium where it’s comfortable to stay a little longer, steam rooms, a solarium and a hot tub. There are also water slides, waterfalls and massage jets in the pools. What a great way to unwind and get ready for the evening!

The spa aspect of the resort is not just to do with pampering yourself. The resort is keen to promote the health-giving properties, especially as far as the sports-minded are concerned. The claim is that water therapy is the perfect way to keep your body fit for skiing or boarding – it keeps you in shape while being gentle with your joints.

The thermal water in Bad Kleinkirchheim is said to promote good circulation, reinforce the immune system against disease, strengthen connective tissue, alleviate rheumatic symptoms and nerve degenerative conditions, fight cardiovascular disorders and help the healing after surgery or illness. So there you are – get in there!

Apres-Ski Bars & Nightlife 

Bad Kleinkirchheim apres ski can start fairly early in the afternoon in bars such as the Almstube, the Viktoria Pub, Club MC 99 and the Take Five Dancing Club. There’s also a wide choice of restaurants specialising in local dishes and fine dining too.

Much of the après-ski scene seems to take place in the hotel bars. But one of the advantages of Bad Kleinkirchheim is that après-ski can mean anything from a few drinks in a lively apres ski bar after skiing and in the evenings to a quiet glass of wine, or a gluhwein, in a rustic, cosy bar – all tastes are catered for.  And you also need to allow time to take advantage of the wellness facilities and spa treatments – a sauna or hot-tub plus a massage after skiing is hard to beat and there’s no lack of choice here in that department.

Almstube (Arnulf Sagmeister) Schneerosenweg 6 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8200

Bistro Pub “Die Tronke” (Peter Tieber) Dorfstrasse 77 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8333

Brechlstube (Familie Krenn) Maibrunnenweg 15 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 293 2056

Club MC99 (Familie Sagmeister) Schneerosenweg 6 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8200

Country Stűbert (Maria Gritzner) St. Oswald, Rosennockstr. 34 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 690

Die Grotte (Bjӧrn von Schӧnebeck) Dorfstrasse 63 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 20672

Kir Royal & Prosciutteria (Werner Hrastnik) Dorfstrasse 43 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 354-7

Peso (Peter & Sonja Pertl) Maibrunnerweg 5 Tel: +43 (0) 42409 20472

Take Five Dancing Club (Arnulf Sagmeister) Schneerosenweg 6 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8200

Viktoria Pub (Arnulf Sagmeister) Schneerosenweg 6 Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8201

Restaurants in Bad Kleinkirchheim

There is a wide choice of restaurants specialising in local dishes, but also some fine dining available. The three top establishments are probably at the Thermenhotel Ronacher, the Gasthof Drage and the Loystube restaurant at the Thermenweit Pulverer. For traditional home cooking, the top choices are the Restaurant Einkehr, the Landhausstuberl, the Dorfwirt, the Gasthof Alt Kirchheim, Gasthof Dalnig, Restaurant am Golfplatz, Gasthof Sportalm, Gasthof Hinteregger, Restaurant Berghof and Junge Romer at the Spa Romerbad.

Alt Kirchheim, Dorfstraße 71, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 241

Almstube, Schneerosenweg 4, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 8200

Gasthof Dalnig, Dorfstraße 84, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 228

Gasthof Ruanig, Zirkitzer Weg 44, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 357

Kirchenwirt, Margeritenweg 2, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 8890

Loystub’n, Thermenstraße 4, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 744 26

Einkehr, Teichstraße 7, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 8114

Landhausstuberl, Dorfstraße 36, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 688

Dorfwirt, Dorfstraße 87, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 353

Gasthof Ploninger, Mohnweg 8, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel. +43 4240 587

Golfrestaurant, 9545 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel. +43 4275 593 [email protected]

Gasthof Drage, Rottensteiner Weg 1, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel. +43 4240 277

Restaurant Junge Romer, Dorfstraße 74, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim – Tel: +43 4240 81200

Restaurants in St Oswald

Gasthof Pizzeria Sportalm, Rosennockstraße 53, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 8202

Gasthof Hinteregger, Rosennockstraße 56, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim Tel: +43 4240 477

Restaurant Berghof,  Rosennockstraße 55, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim – Tel: +43 4240 479 or 468

Zur alten Schmiede, Schmiedweg 9, 9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim -Tel: +43 4240 491

Other Activities 

There’s no shortage of other activities in Bad Kleinkirchheim, for both the active and the more sedentary, including cross-country skiing, winter-walking, snow-shoeing, tobogganing, horse-riding

Cross-country skiing 

Cross-country skiing is popular in Bad Kleinkirchheim and the ski schools run courses in what many would claim is the original skiing style.  Bad Kleinkirchheim and the surrounding area have 56km of prepared cross-country trails, including some at altitude in the Nockalm area. Cross-country skiing is a big feature in Bad Kleinkirchheim, where many Austrian families head out at the weekend with their langlauf skis and no thought of using the lifts. It’s a good way to enjoy the scenery away from the marked pistes and the cross-country network extends from Bad Kleinkirchheim to Gnesau and the small and delightful village of Reichenau.

Snow-shoeing, ice-skating and curling 

Another snow sports option is snow-shoeing, with two-hour guided hikes available through the ski school for 30 euros. Of course, all this off-slope activity helps ensure the pistes are even less crowded, which is a big bonus for skiers and boarders. There’s also an outdoor ice-rink that offers curling as well as skating.

Toboganning, snowtubing and horse-riding 

You can go snowtubing down an icy run on a lorry inner-tube, or try the thrill of the two and a half mile toboggan run. Or you can saddle up for some horse-riding in the snow (the horses have special shoes to stop them slipping) or sit back for a horse-drawn sleigh ride.

Winter walking 

One of the great attractions at Bad Kleinkirchheim for non-skiers, or for those who just fancy a break from the slopes, is the superb network of winter walking trails, with 60-kilometres of prepared trails for hiking in winter. Treading these cleared winter walking paths is a rare opportunity to really get away from the hurly-burly. The trails don’t just keep to the valley as many cleared paths do in other resorts. The local topography can be gentle enough to take walkers high up for fabulous views.

Shopping and excursions

Bad Kleinkirchheim has a range of shops, with some designer goods – but you can also visit the charming town of Villach, which is about 35km away and has wonderful shopping and restaurants. Those with a car at their disposal will find this easiest, but you can also take the post-bus to Villach. For a real excursion you can even carry on past Villach for a cross-border outing to Italy.

Bad Kleinkircheim Tourist Information

For more information about the activities listed above contact the Tourist Office:

Bad Kleinkirchheim Tourism
Dorfstrasse 30
9546 Bad Kleinkirchheim
Tel: +43 (0) 4240 8212
Fax: +43 (0) 4240 8537
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.badkleinkirchheim.com