Total 911 Great Roads

Klagenfurt to Sankt Veit an der Glan, Austria

• Great Roads
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• Josh Barnett
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• 0 comments

Sitting by the enchanting Lake Wörthersee in southern Austria, the relatively small city of Klagenfurt may well be far removed from the country’s more famous great routes such as the Grossglockner Pass. However, pleasingly there’s still a driving treat to be had from its roads.

Beginning on the ring road that encapsulates the 97,000 inhabitants of Klagenfurt, turn off at Sankt Veiter Straße, located to the north. Minutes after you leave the centre of Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, the road rids itself of its urban flavour, revealing a backdrop of mountains across the fields that bless this pretty Austrian landscape.

The two roads making up our route – officially called the L71a and L72 – test a plethora of your car’s characteristics including handling, braking, grip, performance, and steering response, as well as your own attentiveness at the wheel.

This countryside jaunt of flowing, open road is broken up nicely with a hairpin left corner as you enter the hamlet of Hörzendorf. This hairpin is good for second gear while carrying good speed around the bend, but look back and beyond the barrier (if you dare) and you will be treated to a glorious view overlooking the entire, sweeping valley.

From here you can quickly change up to third and on passing the last of the large, traditionally-styled houses, you’ll witness the road becoming enthralled in the open landscape, with just a barn on your left to distract you from the vista of the road ahead.

A delicious half-mile straight awaits you, so plant your right foot and enjoy the sound of that flat six reverberating through the valley, mildly lifting for the 60 miles-per-hour right-hander only.

Pass the Jacques Lemans Arena on your right as you bring your Porsche to a calm pace once more, before approaching the junction with the 94 running through Kraindorf to complete the route. Sure, it may only account for some 20 minutes of driving, but it shows that no matter where you are, an exhilarating driving route can be had.

From Kraindorf you can either make your way north-east in search of the Grossglockner or, if time is of the essence, you can simply turn around and do the route all again.