Friesach – Ferstlhöhe – Gratkorn

The great wide world at your doorstep: a short hike for those who simply want to get away and take the air. As a bonus, you can find treasures here from the whole wide world.

This two-hour hike to Gratkorn (or five hours to the starting point) takes you through woods, meadows and forest paths, past refreshment points and townships. There’s a whole world for hikers to discover on this tour.

Characteristics

Skill

Fitness

Best season

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

The tour in numbers

easy

Level of difficulty

18,1 km

Route

5:00 h

Time

347 hm

Uphill

350 hm

Downhill

640 m

Highest point

Map & downloads

Download GPX data

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More information

Via motorway A9 (exit Peggau–Deutschfeistritz junction), exit Gratkorn–Nord, and follow the federal road B 67 in the direction of Semriach to the Weingrill inn car park.

The starting point is the bus stop at the Weingrill inn in Friesach (line 140: Semriach–Friesach–Gratkorn–Graz). From here, take the Petschenweg path (no. 6; Jasen–Höchwirt inn–Scherwirt inn) in a south-easterly direction. After passing a number of houses keep right, and after an extended stretch of woodland and meadows you’ll reach a forest road. Keep to it going left towards the Ferstlhöhe hill and march eastwards on trail no. 6/8. Wander through the town of Jasen to the Höchwirt inn. You can detour for a quarter of an hour via trail no. 7 to the Tropical Exhibition before going back to Gratkorn. Trail no. 8a leads from the Höchwirt inn (Weissegg–St Stefan/Gratkorn) to the road sign for Gratkorn. From here, follow Raiffeisenweg towards the south. Turn right and westwards at the St Stefan fire station to reach Kirchplatz square. From here you can take a taxi or public means of transport back to Friesach.

If you wish to venture the way back to Friesach on foot, walk along the main street of Gratkorn past the culture centre and the nature-protected Zigeunerloch cave. This is the habitat of the rare rock dove. Because of prehistoric finds the cave is closed to the public. Walk directly to Friesach along the Mur river or on the foot and cycle path along the federal road.

A must-see is the Tropical Exhibition in Gratkorn: 1,100 objects from South Asia, India, Africa and Latin America collected on world trips are lovingly presented during guided tours.

Hikers can easily arrive without a car by using bus or train services. The frequent S1 trains between Graz and Bruck/Mur make reaching OberGraz easy.

(Kleinstübing railway station / approx. 25-min. walk to starting point; departure point: bus stop Gratwein–Gratkorn railway station / approx. 20-min. walk from end point).

More details on train and bus connections: www.verbundlinie.at and www.oebb.at

Arrival and departure by bus: bus stop at Weingrill inn, line 140 (Semriach–Friesach–Gratkorn–Graz)

If you’re in Gratkorn and don’t want to return to Friesach you can use public service transport to get to the starting point: bus stop Dr.-Karl-Renner-Strasse; lines 140 (Semriach–Friesach–Gratkorn–Graz) and 100 (Graz–Bruck); or bus stop St Stefan Schulgasse, line 110 (Graz–Gratkorn–Gratwein–(Hörgas)–Rein–Enzenbach)

Parking is permitted at the Weingrill inn car park.

Refreshment points: Weingrill, Hochwirt, and Pucher inns, as well as Schlemmereck, Restaurant Kulturhaus, Handl confectionery and many other inns and pubs in Gratkorn

Contact Tropical Exhibition: T: +43 664/26 06 251

WK 133 Graz und Umgebung, Region Hügelland-Schöcklland, Gleisdorf, Weiz, Raabklamm