A Romanesque castle perched on a rock, a church with traces of the late Gothic period and distinctive natural formations give Dellach im Drautal a varied character. The places and activities offer different focuses: history and architecture are just as much in the spotlight as hiking trails, Nordic walking and summer events.
Castle, Church and Distinctive Natural Features
Schloss Stein is a Romanesque castle complex dating from the 12th century. It stands on a steeply rising rock about 200 metres above the valley floor, on the south side of the Drau between Dellach and Irschen. Its elevated position and historic structure together define the appearance of the castle complex. Below the castle, on the slope, there is also a protected and very rare type of vegetation: junipers that grow in tree form.
The parish church of Dellach im Drautal also brings together different periods. The church is late Baroque, while its choir contains a late Gothic core. A wall painting there dates from the late 15th century. Those interested in historic architectural styles will therefore find not just a single, uniform style, but a church whose choir preserves older elements.
An unusual natural process takes place along the Lappenbach, known as the Tuffbachl. Above the Schuster farmstead in the village of Stein, spring water with a high mineral content constantly forms new calcareous tufa rock through its interaction with certain lichens and mosses. Here, the focus is less on a single viewpoint than on the ongoing formation of the rock: water, minerals and the plants involved all work together.
Hiking Trails and Getting Your Bearings
The Weittal Waterfall lies at the entrance to the Lower DraĂźnitz Valley. From the village of UnterdraĂźnitz, it can be reached after about 1.5 hours on foot, at an altitude of around 1,500 metres. This gives you a concrete time estimate for planning, while the altitude places the destination well above the valley floor.
The Schloss Stein loop has its own character: it starts on flat natural ground and first leads to the Drau bridge. Then a steep climb through the forest takes you up to Schloss Stein. Whereas the approximate walking time is the key detail for the route to the Weittal Waterfall, the Schloss Stein loop is defined above all by the change from flat ground to a steep forest climb. This lets you assess the two descriptions according to different planning needs, without treating them as the same route.
The Nordic walking arena in Dellach im Drautal has four routes. An overview board next to the Drau bridge provides information about them. If you want to get your bearings before setting off, you can find an overview of the routes there; the four routes offer several options within this network.
More Activities and Seasonal Information
On 4 September 2026, the Barbara therapeutic climate gallery was closed for therapies. It has been a health tourism attraction since 2008. An old mine gallery was newly opened up and developed for the recognised healing spring; the Margaretha healing spring also rises in this gallery. The history of the site and its current therapy operations should be considered separately: if you want to plan your trip around a therapy, check its current status in advance.
An 18-hole miniature golf course offers fun and games for the whole family. Summer in Dellach im Drautal also brings regular spa concerts. If a concert is important to your travel plans, check the specific event dates in advance. Mini golf, music events and the nature and cultural attractions described here offer different ways to enjoy a stay, without prescribing a set daily itinerary.
Discover more destinations: Maltaberg, Baldramsdorf, Bad Kleinkirchheim, ReiĂźeck, Weinberg, Pesenthein, Rangersdorf, MĂĽhldorf.
See the main travel overview: Spittal An Der Drau.
