Discover a slice of camping heaven in the Austrian Alps

Picture perfect scenery, amazing attractions and home from home comforts made the Grevsen family’s trip to Carinthia a breathtaking, fun-filled and unforgettable experience.

Keen campers Camilla, Stefan and their children Lily, 6, and Alfred, 4, couldn’t wait to explore beautiful and sunny Carinthia. Nestled between mountains in the Austrian Alps and dotted with glistening warm lakes, Carinthia has spectacular landscape in every direction. As Lily pointed out: “It almost looks like a painting!” 

Where they stayed
Driving from their homeland in Denmark, the family spent four nights at Camping Brunner Am See. This award winning, campsite is set against the backdrop of Lake Millsteatter See and has its own private beach. 
 
“Camping Brunner Am See is such a brilliant campsite, in a setting more beautiful than we could have ever imagined. We had a breathtaking view of the lake - it’s a sight we will never forget,” said Camilla, adding with a smile: “Alfred was super excited about being able to jump directly into the water from our pitch!”

Getting set up
Surrounded by majestic mountains with the lake in front of them, the family quickly pitched their spacious Birchdale 6PA Prime Air tent.

“The kids helped and we had some good laughs while pumping the air tubes. Decorating the tent was a group project. It’s important to us to create a home feel at the campsite, because we enjoy being able to kick back and recharge the batteries,” explained Stefan. 

To do this, the family set up a dining room, kitchen and living room with a super comfy Aberdeen Lake Inflatable Sofa.

The kids couldn’t wait to try out their new Convertible sleeping bags.

“They were so excited they asked if they could go to bed right away, in the middle of the day!” laughed Camilla.

With atmospheric lights, soft furnishing and even a coffee machine, the tent soon felt like home and the family could truly relax.

“After a long car ride, we spent our first night playing board games and reading together on our inflatable sofa,” remembered Stefan. “For us, camping is a great way to connect as a family and spend time in nature.”

Exploring the local area
From hiking to watersports, visiting castles to mining for gems, Carinthia is packed with fun things to do in the great outdoors. 

“On our first day at the campsite, a guide came by to tell us about wonderful places and attractions to visit in the area,” recalled Stefan.

These are the awesome things the family did during their four-day trip.

Lake Millstatter See 
Camilla, Stefan, Lily and Alfred loved splashing around in Lake Millstatter See. 

“One morning we woke to the sound of birds singing. The weather was amazing, so we decided to spend the day on the water,” Camilla shared. “We rented a pedalo at the Sittlinger Strandbad <link to  www.sittlinger.at>. The kids had a blast pedaling around on the lake.”

Known as the jewel of Carinthia, Lake Millstatter See has inviting, crystal clear waters that are rich with minerals. It’s ideal for swimming, windsurfing, sailing, wakeboarding and boat rides. While the gently sloping shallows are perfect for paddling.

Garantium gem mine
Discovering hidden gems is always an exciting part of every camping holiday – but on this trip, the family could actually do it for real! 

After a leisurely breakfast at the tent, enjoying the view, Camilla, Stefan and the kids set off on the short drive to the Garantium garnet mine.

“We got the chance to mine for gemstones,” enthused Camilla. “All of a sudden Lily shouted ‘I found something’, and would you believe, she did! A beautiful stone, that they helped us make into a necklace. The staff were almost as excited by her catch as we were!” 

Garantium is open every day during the summer and has a museum, garnet gallery, digging zone and nature site with rope bridge.

Sommeregg Castle 
Located close to Garantium, the family decide to head to Sommeregg Castle for lunch in a historic setting.

“Again, we were stunned by the view and enjoyed a well-earned break,” said Stefan.

Built in medieval times, Sommeregg Castle has a restaurant and torture museum with over 100 exhibits, along with knight’s games and jousting in August.

Alpen Wildpark 
A zoo set in the midst of the mountains was too good to miss and the family had a fantastic time navigating Alpen Wildpark.

“Alfred loves animals, and was super excited seeing all their animals. They also had an exhibition with preserved animals and we were amazed with the huge bears, giraffes and lions. As it was in the mountains, the park itself was a fun hike,” smiled Camilla.

Alpen Wildpark is a great family day out, with interesting animals, a petting area and playground.

Star balcony at Alpengasthof Bergfried 
Heading up into the mountains, the family were blown away by the rolling hills and snow-capped peaks.

“We went to the amazing star balcony at Alpengasthof Bergfried,” explained Stefan. “We all simply lost our breaths from the view. We spent quite a while taking it in and talking about how fortunate we were to see the land from above.” 

Alpengasthof Bergfried is a restaurant and hotel perched on the hilltop village of Mittenwald and the star balcony is a viewing platform with a glorious, far-reaching vista. The restaurant can provide a picnic for you to tuck into while enjoying the sights.

Fun at the campsite
With a campsite as beautiful as this one, the family made sure they saved some time for relaxing around the tent.

“We decided to spend our last afternoon at the campsite, using our chairs as sun beds and bathing in the lake from the private beach,” sighed Camilla happily.

They also rented go cart bikes, which were available from the campsite office.

“We had heaps of fun riding around the site!” grinned Stefan. “Then cooked dinner in our campsite kitchen and toasted marshmallows as the sun set.” 

“We highly recommend visiting Carinthia, with or without kids,” he added. “The nature, landscape, food and exciting sights make it the perfect setting for any holiday, whether active or relaxing.”

Camilla summed it up by saying: “For us, the great thing about camping is, that you can go, wherever you wish, and bring your own little home from home. With an air tent you are pitched and ready very fast, so you can enjoy your leisure time. Lily loved it so much, that she asked to bring photos to show her classmates!”

Find out more about visiting Carinthia here.