Holiday apartment in Barbian: waterfalls, churches and herbal experiences

Waterfalls and hiking trails

Barbian can be explored through its waterfalls, trails and churches. The lower waterfall of Barbiano is 85 metres high and the highest in the series of waterfalls. From the last Barbian waterfall tier, a wild and romantic trail leads to the upper waterfall. A varied route is the circular hike “Waterfall Three Churches Circuit 2”: it leads from the village centre of Barbian to the two Barbian waterfalls and onwards via Katzenleiter, Kasserol and Stangen to Briol and Bad Dreikirchen. Some steep and narrow sections, particularly at the Upper Waterfall and Katzenleiter, require sure-footedness and suitable footwear. The steep and narrow sections call for a steady pace; breaks can be planned along this stretch.

Churches, frescoes and chapels

The parish church of Saint James the Elder in Barbian has been documented since 1378. It was remodelled in the Gothic style and consecrated in 1472. Inside, there is a copy of the Crucifixion of Wechselburg, twelve apostle windows, a rose window above the main entrance and several wooden sculptures from the 16th and 17th centuries.

In Dreikirchen, the Church of Saint Gertraud was first mentioned in 1237. The chancel of the Church of Saint Nicholas is richly decorated with frescoes. The Church of Saint Magdalene, built towards the end of the 15th century, is Late Gothic and now has no frescoes; at the same time, it is the largest of the three churches in Dreikirchen. The Chapel of the Holy Sepulchre is located below the road from Ponte Gardena to Barbiano, near the “Wohlaufhof” farm, and has a simple Baroque altar. It was probably built in the 17th century in connection with a Way of the Cross, also commemorated by three crosses along the path.

Herbs, damson plums and special insights

At the pine oil distillery on the Barbian Alpine pasture, free guided tours are offered every Wednesday between 10:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. from 20 May to 28 October 2026; a tour lasts 20 minutes. At the “Oberpalwitterhof”, 50 different herbs grow in the organic herb garden in accordance with organic farming guidelines. The guided herb-garden hike at “Kreitla” lasts one hour. At 20 minutes, the tour remains short, while the one-hour herb-garden hike takes more time.

The Barbian damson is the focus of the guided damson excursion. The tour is designed as an easy to moderately difficult hike with a walking time of around 3.5 hours and begins at 10:00 a.m. in front of the Barbian Tourist Information Office. The 10:00 a.m. start and the walking time of around 3.5 hours provide the excursion with a clear time frame. This allows you to choose between a waterfall circuit, historic churches, herbal knowledge and a culinary-themed hike when selecting your holiday apartment in Barbian.

Holiday apartment in Barbian and regional orientation

Bus route 346 is also relevant for planning your arrival and excursions: it connects Klausen, Waidbruck and Barbian. If you would like to discover other places besides Barbian, you will find suitable connections here: Villnöss, Meransen, Mühlbach, Rodeneck, Lajen, Villanders, Klausen, Feldthurns.

For the overarching travel overview: Eisack Valley.