Worth seeing

Historic downtown Klagenfurt is popular with locals and tourists alike. It owes its Southern flair to Italian architects. More than 80 of the 16th century arcades have been restored and opened to the public. Klagenfurt received several international awards for the restoration of its historic centre. It is the only city to have received the "Europa-Nostra-Diploma" three times.

Still, the city centre is not a museum, but a popular shopping destination. The arcades and carefully restored passageways teem with boutiques, shops, restaurants, cafés, and bars. Klagenfurt recognised the significance of the downtown shopping experience early, and established Austria’s first pedestrian mall in 1971.

The Benediktinerplatz, the market square in the heart of the city, is a special jewel. Here local farmers sell their crops and fishmongers from Italy offer their wares. Every Friday, the market is reserved for Kärnten’s organic farmers. Other sights include the "Neue Platz" with the Lindwurm Fountain, the Cathedral and Cathedral Square, the "Klagenfurt Landhaus" (home of State Parliament), the People’s Observatory, and the leisure park Minimundus with a model of Wiesbaden’s "Kurhaus". In addition to sporting events, Klagenfurt has numerous attractive event highlights to offer, such as its valley festival "Altstadtzauber", the Christmas Market and the Ursula Market.