Faaker See is a warm, clear lake about 12 kilometres southeast of Villach, ringed by mountains and small resort villages. The water temperature in summer regularly reaches 26–28°C, making it one of the warmest Alpine swimming lakes in Austria. The lake is popular for swimming, sailing, windsurfing, and cycling around its 14-kilometre shoreline path.
The resort villages around the lake — Faak am See, Egg am Faaker See, and others — are pleasant enough without being remarkable, the lakeside terraces and hire-boat outfits that you find throughout Carinthia. What makes Faaker See worth the drive from Villach is the quality of the water and the view: the Mittagskogel rises steeply above the southern shore and the lake sits low enough that the surrounding peaks frame it on all sides. The lake also has an unexpected footnote: every September the European Bike Week motorcycle rally brings tens of thousands of riders to the Faaker See area, briefly turning this quiet resort into the largest motorcycle gathering in Europe.