Ski resort at only a few hours away from Belgrade – Season at Gerlitzen Alpe to begin soon, and there is snow until the end of March (PHOTO)

At the time when ski centers in the region and beyond are watching the sky and hoping for snow and a successful season, at only a few hours’ drive away from Belgrade, there is a true paradise for all fans of mountains and skiing. The city of Villach and the ski resort Gerlitzen in Carinthia, located on the south side of the Alps, promise skiing from December until April, at tracks over 50 kilometers long, adapted to skiers of all ages and experience. This place is also characteristic for the fact that the slopes of the mountain are nearly always sunlit, and in addition to skiing, you can also enjoy the fresh air, the intact nature, but also warm baths or infinity pools here.

If you set out from Serbia, you will reach the Austrian ski resort Gerlitzen in about a six hours’ drive. As we could recently hear at an event in Belgrade, due to its position, this ski resort is never without snow in the winter months, which enables skiing from December all the way to the end of March. If, at the very end of the season, there is not enough snow, there are artificial snow cannons.

Gerlitzen boasts 34 developed ski tracks with a total length of 53 kilometers, as well as 21 modern ski lifts. The tracks are adapted to all skiers, whether they are beginners or more experienced ones. Only a several minutes’ drive away from Villach, the modern ski lifts take the guests to an altitude of 1,911 meters, where the Grossglockner lookout provides a panoramic view of 360 degrees to the Julian Alps and the Woerthersee Lake. Skiresort.de has pronounced the ski resort Gerlitzen one of the leading world ski areas with tracks of over 60 km in length.

According to Georg Overs, the director of the Tourism Organization of the Villach Region, it is a destination in which all four seasons are still clearly pronounced and which offers numerous features throughout the year, from skiing in the winter, through activities on Lake Ossiach and Lake Faak in the summer period.

– Certainly, skiing is the most popular activity, because we have truly excellent tracks, which stretch to all four sides of the mountain. However, we have a varied offer for all seasons, because Gerlitzen is one of the most sunlit ski centers in Austria. During the summer months, a special attraction are the lakes which offer numerous activities, such as swimming, diving, wind surfing. There are also numerous hiking treks, but also those for mountain biking – he said.

When it comes to the winter season, he says that Advent in Villach begins in mid-November and lasts until the beginning of January, whereas the ski season begins on December 5 and lasts all the way until March.

– In addition to skiing, there are also numerous other activities on the mountain, and accommodation is available in numerous hotels, some of which are located on the mountain itself – points out Overs and adds that what’s new in the winter season 2024/25, among other things, is the popular ice bathing.

At this ski center, they especially take care of the guests who are skiing for the first time, so the tracks and the offer for the beginners at Gerlitzen Alpe are certified with the “Welcome Beginners” stamp of quality.

– Thanks to the wide, well-prepared and mild slopes, ski lifts for practicing, with three locations with ski schools, where servicing equipment can also be rented, this mountain fulfills strong criteria – they say at the Ski Center Gerlitzen.

A native of Belgrade, Mirko Radovic, who has lived in Austria for several years now, also works at one of the skiing schools. As he said, one of the reasons why he recommends Gerlitzen as a skiing destination, is its very position.

– If you set out from Belgrade, there is around 630 kilometers of a highway, and when you take a turn toward Gerlitzen, there’s a kilometer and a half to the first gondola. So, it is quite accessible from our country – he says.

The certainty of snow is also a very important factor.

– This is a region which always has quite enough snow for skiing. We all remember the problems that ski centers in the region had last year due to a lack of snow. It is precisely for this reason that there were numerous people from Serbia who canceled their arrangements and came to Gerlitzen to ski – says Radovic.

Despite having 53 kilometers of tracks, it is very easy to find one’s way around the ski center, which he cites as another advantage.

– The tracks are also very well prepared, they are maintained every night, and as I’ve already said, there are no problems with the snow. At the very end of the season, if there is need for them, there are snow cannons – pointed out Radovic and noted that, in that region, due to the excellent organization, there were no big crowds at the tracks or in the ski lifts.

In addition to the tracks for beginners, Gerlitzen Alpe, with its red tracks, is an ideal destination for experienced skiers as well, but also for all fans of adrenaline. So, everybody who has enough experience and fitness, sets out from the valley toward the Nature Park Dobratsch. Not far from there, at the foot of Dobratsch, is the Villacher Alpen Arena, where visitors can enjoy the ski races.

– The Skiline Speed Check at the Feuerberg track is entirely new and you can set your personal speed record there, with speed measured at a specially secured track. There is also the hobby racing track Neugarten, which has been rearranged and expanded, so ski clubs will be able to organize trainings and races here in the future, without any limitations to the public track – they say.

The ski resort also boasts natural sleigh tracks, and when air temperatures are low for a longer time period, some of the lakes are frozen and become natural ice-skating sites.

If, however, you are not a fan of skiing, you can enjoy walking in snowshoes, mountain-climbing through gorgeous landscapes, or relaxing in warm baths.

In the winter, the Nature Park Dobratsch becomes a true attraction, and in this region, since 2002, they have been promoting and practicing mild tourism.

– The Villach Alps hold something very precious: intact, untouched nature with all its fauna and flora, which is worth protecting. After a comfortable tour on snowshoes, mountain-climbing, skiing and sleighing, everybody gathers at the house on the top – for some mulled wine and tasty Carinthian delicacies – they say.

At this time of the year, Villach becomes especially attractive thanks to the Christmas fair, when all visitors can enjoy numerous features – an outdoor ice-skating rink, mulled wine and specialties characteristic of this area. The Christmas fair in the cottages and on the square in the center of Villach is open until January 6.

Gerlitzen Alpe offer accommodation for all tastes. There are hotels, the mountain resort Gerlitzen on Kanzelhoehe which has a unique location directly connected with the tracks, as well as numerous apartments or ski cabins on the mountain. Accommodation capacities in close proximity to the station in the valley in Annenheim and Klösterle/Arriach, in the city of Villach, as well as other locations in the whole region.

The Ski Center especially recommends mountain cabins on the sunlit slopes of the Alps, where the focus is on socializing on comfortable balconies for sunbathing or in rustic bars.

– You are invited to take a break in 15 ski cabins and mountain restaurants, which can be accessed by ski tracks or winter mountain treks. These places offer typical Carinthian cuisine dishes, partly even self-produced, fresh from the farm – they conclude at the Ski Center Gerlitzen.

Tourism organization of the Region of Villach

Georg Overs

Mirko Radović

Gerlitzen Alpe

Ski Center Gerlitzen

skiing on the Alps

winter season

Lake Ossiach

Lake Faak