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{{Infobox Location|name = Villach|country = Austria|state = Carinthia|map = <map lat='"46.605' 61037721605049" lng='"13.8678' 855957031249826" zoom='"11' view='0' float='right'" />'''Villach''' ([[Slovenia]]n: ''Beljak'') is a city in [[Austria]] near the [[Slovenia]]n border|pop = 60. It is an important spot on the direct connection between [[Germany]] and [[Kranj]] and [[Ljubljana]] ([[Germany000|plate = VI|roads = {{Aat|2}} {{Aat|German]]: ''Laibach'') in [[Slovenia]] and the [[Croatia]]n coast. (For example most of the numerous people that go for holidays to the Croatian coast pass here.)10}} {{Aat|11}} {{E|55}} {{E|61}} {{E|66}}}}

== Hitching Out ===== South towards [[Slovenia]]'''Villach''' (''Beljak'' in Slovenian, ''Villaco'' in Italian) is a city in [[LjubljanaAustria]] ===To the south there is a motorway going through near the Karawanken Tunnel over border to [[JeseniceItaly]] (and [[Germany|GermanSlovenia]]: ''. It is an important spot on the direct connection between [[AßlingGermany]]'') in and Slovenia respectively [[SloveniaCroatia]]. Apart from Every year numerous people that there is also the old road over go for holidays to the Croatian coast passhere.

One possibility == Hitchhiking out ==In Villach there is catching a ride big motorway intersection (''Knoten Villach'' in German). You can go to Italy via the {{Aat|2}}, to Slovenia via the {{Aat|11}}, north towards Salzburg to via the {{Aat|10}} and east towards Vienna via the next gas station {{Aat|2}}.=== South towards [[Slovenia]], [[FeistritzLjubljana]]. Plenty of cars stopping {{Aat|11}} {{E|61}} ===To the south there into BOTH directions is a motorway going through the Karawanken Tunnel over to Jesenice (north and south''Aßling'' in German)in Slovenia. Apart from that there is also the old road over the pass.

[[File:VillachHitchHikeStopOne possibility is catching a ride towards Salzburg to the next petrol station in Feistritz. Plenty of cars stopping there in '''both''' directions (north and south).jpg|thumb|300px|right]]

But the best is to go from the city center centre almost directly to the east along Faakersee-Bundesstrasse (Ludwig Walter Strasse, then Maria Gailer Strasse) over the river and before the fork to the SudSüd-Autobahn there is a bus station where you can hitchhike and cars can stop and pick you up.You can already start hitchhiking at the bus stop across from the McDonald's on your way, it is between a gas station and the McDonald's and just after a traffic light so cars go slow.

=== North towards [[Salzburg]], [[Germany]] {{Aat|10}} {{E|55}} ===To the north there is the Tauern-{{Aat|10}} motorway going to [[Salzburg]] and [[Germany]].

===Experiences===During The Meeting Point between 100 an A10 after that Spot to the [[abgefahren hitchhiking race 2010]] some teams had major problems getting away from Villach north is a rather small roundabout. It is difficult to walk to Slovenia and from Rasthof Feistritz in particularthat point. Also, If somebody drives you there you can place yourself right before the entering Street to the on-ramp Faakersee didn't work well for themA10. The Villach experience was so traumatizing If people want to stop for some of the teams that you they made will have to stop right in the new figure of speech "roundabout - it will feel very unlikely to have get a Villach" ride from that spot (german "einen Villach haben"but it is possible) - if . If you don't enter the A10 the police won't bother you had a very unlucky or bad day there - but might stop and now trying to establish this phrase among the [[hitchhikers jargon]]question you.

This was also confirmed a year earlier on === East towards [[Graz]], [[Vienna]] & [[Hungary]] {{Aat|2}} {{E|66}} ===There is the 2009 University of Sheffield's 1500 mile hitch 'Bummit {{Aat|2}} motorway going east towards Graz, Vienna and Hungary. Try to Zadar'. Of the three hundred hitch-hikers an unprecedented (for Bummit) sixty two people descended on the bottle neck in Villach during one single night. The ever worsening weather of the mountainous region caused all of the participants find a ride which takes you to take shelter in the central train service station between Villach and try and 'blag' a train[[Klagenfurt]]. The four am train the next day was not happy to receive such an amount of people after 12 hours of being stuck in There are a wet train station and not wanting to pay. The thought lot of being stuck rides going in Villach often conjures up the idea of being stuck in the 'worst place humanly possible for a hitch-hiker, with only routes in and almost none going out' (Bummit 2010/2011)all directions from there.

Behind the bus stop Villach Neulandskron there's an A1 gas station and you can stand with your sign in front of it. Using a sign with "Klagenfurt" (or "KL") will let people know which way you want to go on the Autobahn, however we caught a ride in less 10 minutes and it took us all the way to Graz. We were also recommended a spot at the Vassacher See bus stop. We abandoned it because it is very cold and wet there in the early morning but it seems to be a decent option and there's a camping site nearby. === Southwest towards [[Udine]], [[Venice]] & [[Italy]] {{Aat|2}} {{E|55}} ===There is the {{Aat|2}} motorway going southwest towards Udine, Venice and Italy in general. Just before the border there is a big service station. The OMV gas station near a McDonald's on Maria-Gailer-Straße has traffic to Vienna, Germany and Italy. It took a while but eventually we caught a ride to Venice from there and it seems like there could be some good spots to spend the nigh in the area as well. Other option is to go to bus station Federaun Brücke and in direction to Villach you can stop cars heading to A2 highway. We used sign A2 with Italy flag and after 45 minutes we caught a car to Udine.  === Personal experiences ===If you are hitching south, from Salzburg to Slovenia for example, and get a ride to Villach, you can try your luck at the blackhole called Rasthof Feistritz and wait something like the usual 3+ hours for a ride, or you could go an extra 5kms to the new Parkplatz/toilet just down the road which recently opened (2018). There is obviously less traffic there, but in one hitchhikers experience/opinion there is way more of a chance to get a ride! ''In August 2016, on the way to Italy we caught a ride directly to Venice in Villach. It took us 2-3 hours but admittedly we didn't spend the whole time asking around so it's possible it could've been quicker if we had tried harder. Then on our way back we got rescued after maybe half an hour from a dark, closed gas station and brought to a better spot and then in the early morning we only waited a few minutes before getting a ride to Graz.'' ''In July of 2022 on our way from Munich to Ljubljana, we waited 5+ hours at the Maria Gailer bus station before finally getting a direct ride to Ljubljana.'' ''in september 2019 I hitchhiked from this town with 0 experience and got a pick to Salzburg easily.'' During the [[Abgefahren hitchhiking race 2010]] some teams had major problems getting away from Villach to Slovenia and from Rasthof Feistritz in particular. Also, the on-ramp Faakersee didn't work well for them. The Villach experience was so traumatizing for some of the teams that they made the new figure of speech "to have a Villach" (German "einen Villach haben") - if you had a very unlucky or bad day - and now trying to establish this phrase among the [[hitchhikers jargon]]. This was also confirmed on the 2009 University of Sheffield's 1500 mile hitch 'Bummit to Zadar'. Of the three hundred hitch-hikers an unprecedented (for Bummit) sixty two people descended on the bottle neck in Villach during one single night. The ever worsening weather of the mountainous region caused all of the participants to take shelter in the central train station and try and 'blag' a train. The four am train the next day was not happy to receive such an amount of people after 12 hours of being stuck in a wet train station and not wanting to pay. The thought of being stuck in Villach often conjures up the idea of being stuck in the 'worst place humanly possible for a hitch-hiker, with only routes in and almost none going out' (Bummit 2010/2011). During the Bummit's of 2010 and 2011 there has been much conversation of having a 'Villach' or 'Villach moment' which absolutely echoes the abgefahren Abgefahren hitch-hike the year after. [[User:Prino|Prino]] had a similar bad experience in 1985, trying to get from Villach to [[Yugoslavia]], but eventually, after a 4:24 wait, settling for a ride to [[Klagenfurt]]. == Other useful information ===== Internet ===There is free Wi-Fi available at the main railway station, as well as in the shopping mall ''Atrium''. There is also free Wi-Fi in the city center.