זיליאן

June to October is best for hiking and cycling. The Helm mountain is a popular summer and winter peak. Winter has skiing at the Sillian ski area and cross-country trails in the valley.

• Museum Burg Heinfels is a medieval castle ruin above the village, now a museum.
• Helm - Monte Elmo is the mountain above Sillian, with a cable car and views of the Dolomites.
• Helmhaus is a mountain hut near the summit.
• Heimkehrerkreuz is a memorial cross on the Helm.
• Thurntaler is a peak for a long hike.
• Sillianer Hütte is a hut on the Carnic Alps high-level route.
• Loacker Museum is a small museum in the village.

• Ride the cable car up the Helm.
• Hike on the Carnic main ridge.
• Cycle the Drau path.
• Visit the castle museum.
• Cross the border to the Dolomites.

• Lienz is about 35 minutes away by car or by train.
• Kals am Großglockner is about 50 minutes away by car.
• Innichen and Sexten in the South Tyrol Dolomites are about 10 to 20 minutes away by car.
• Lake Braies is about 40 minutes away by car.
• Cortina d'Ampezzo is about 1 hour away by car.

• Kals am Großglockner is the nearest preferred destination.
• Lienz is the nearest town.

• By air: Innsbruck Airport is about 2 hours away by car. Salzburg is about 2 hours 30 minutes.
• By train: Regional trains run along the Drau valley from Lienz to Sillian and on to Innichen. Check times on ÖBB.
• By car: Take the road along the Drau valley from Lienz, or from South Tyrol over the border at Arnbach.

The village is walkable. A cable car leads up the Helm, and regional buses and trains serve the valley. A car helps for the wider area.

A car helps for the Dolomites. Roads are quiet in the valley. Winter tyres or chains are required in snow. Motorways in Austria need a vignette, and Italy has its own road rules.

East Tyrolean food shows South Tyrolean and Italian influence. Look for Schlutzkrapfen, filled pasta, Kaspressknödel, cheese dumplings in broth, and Strauben, fried batter. Huts serve simple, hearty meals.

Sillian is very safe. Watch the weather on high routes. Tap water is clean and safe to drink. The emergency number is 112. The mountain rescue number is 140.

Sillian sits on an old route along the Drau valley, between the Alps and the Dolomites. The castle above the village guarded this crossing. Border changes in the 20th century set the line to South Tyrol, and the village remains a quiet gateway to both regions.

Quick practical facts for Austria at a glance: