Austria holidays, Salzburg, Kaprun, Zell am See and so much more: Zell am see

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38 things to do on an Austrian winter holiday - and 79 Austrian things to be thankful for!

Skiing above the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier near Kaprun

Kitzsteinhorn glacier above Kaprun where it possible to ski in the Summer months.

Thinking about winter holidays? or skiing holidays in Austria? I started a list off to count up the options, of things to do, places to go, got to twenty suggestions and the ideas still came flooding out. But it is reasonable to say that there is plenty to do and see on a winter / ski holiday in Austria.

If you are looking for a list of events and happenings in the Kaprun and Zell am See ( On the internet sometimes spelt ZellamSee ) ski area click on the link here.

Salzburg a superb city to visit whatever the time of the year.

Salzburg in winter, a fantastic city to visit, explore and to shop in.

36 things to do on a winter holiday in Austria

Go in search of Apre Ski. (what you do after a day on the slopes, eat, drink & party).
Visit an Art gallery in Salzburg, Vienna, Linz, or Innsbruck, cities of culture.
Visit a local museum Bad Gastien, Kaprun, Zell am See or Saalfalden are pretty interesting ones.
Visit a Wellness, Spa or Beauty centers, relax, unwind, ease away aches and pains. Tauern Spa Kaprun and the spas in the Gastein valley are fantastic places to chill.
Skittles or indoor Bowling great with a beer!
Children's playgrounds, children still like them in the snow!
Visit the cinema, improve your German! some have international day showings.
Cleared footpath walks to follow, stopping at a mountain restaurant for a hot chocolate or something stronger!.
Cross Country Skiing across the valley bottom.
Curling on ice or even on a frozen lake?
Horse riding in the snow, or maybe a sleigh ride.
Ice-skating inside or outside
Ice-sailing something different
Ice-surfing?
Indoor tennis at Zell am see.
Outdoor fitness course, take a run
Nordic Walking - walking with poles, give that body a workout.
Top up the sun tan, bright and sunny in the snow.
Spa, sauna, steam room, Spa-World-Kaprun well worth a visit, or try the Gastein valley with 2 fantastic thermal spas, at Bad Hofgastein the alpentherme.com or at Badgastein Felsentherme.
? Make this one up for your self? or go and see an ice hockey match in Zell am See
Snow shoeing, walking across snowy slopes through trees and across snow covered meadows.
Have a ride on a horse drawn sleigh
Skiing an independent view point
Sit have a coffee or a Glühwein and soak soak up the atmosphere and history of the place.
Snow-boarding.
Snow-tubing.
Snow Kiting
Parascending
Visit a Sports centre with a gym.
Squash or tennis.
Swimming pool inside or out?
Sledging or tobogganing there is a great one in Kaprun
Winter markets, shopping at Zell am See or Salzburg market in the snow.
Sit down have a hot chocolate, take in the views and relax, you are on holiday.
Have a meal to remember having burnt off the calories.
Hot air ballooning over snowy mountains! Balloon festival at the end of January (now moved into January) in Kaprun and Zell am See
Take a cable car to the top of a mountain and take in the view. Schmitten views, history and activities
You are on holiday you decide?

Winter Ski map of the Kaprun and Zell am See area.

Looking for somewhere to stay in the Kaprun area then please consider looking at

austria-holiday-apartments.https://booking.zellamsee-kaprun.co.at/rentals/apartment-kaprun-apartment-tauernblick-ii-with-garden-in-kaprun-197681.html?FRMAdultos=8

Convenient and Spacious accommodation for your holiday stay in Kaprun

Attached was added at a later date and is copied with permission from an interesting blog found / written by an American teaching assistant by the name of Rebecca, who was based in the Austrian City of Graz, on her work experience trip in Austria.

"Under the heading I'm thankful" it adds to quite a list of 79 things about Austria.

for a city that's safe at night
for a city that's safe during the day
for a fantastic church home
for a rich national history
for accessible and affordable operas
for affordable housing
for an abundance of castles
for an orderly and cheap laundry system in my apartment building
for Austrian school and office supplies -- so much cooler!
for balls (i.e. dancing balls, like Cinderella went to a ball)
for bike paths
for cheap but good wine and beer
for cheap sparkling mineral water
for cheap, convenient and reliable train travel within Austria
for cheap/easy/convenient opportunities to travel within Europe
for church bells that ring at 7 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, and 7 pm
for consistently good coffee
for cute, quaint villages
for dialect and its accompanying amusements, puzzles and challenges
for everyone who helped me and/or made phone calls to figure out all the bureaucratic visa stuff
for everything pumpkin out of Styria: pumpkin seed oil, pumpkin cream soup, pumpkin bread, etc.
for exclusively Austrian Sturm, Glühwein, Christmas markets, and Buschenschanks
for ex-pats
for friends
for good bread and cheese
for good health insurance and no referrals
for good places to run and bike
for having 38 public holidays
for having the Mur river running though town
for hospitality
for how Austrians will really pull through for you
for incredible scenery
for kebabs
for Labello
for lackadaisical passport control officials
for living in a bike-friendly city
for meeting so many cool people from all over the world
for my connections
for my fellow foreigners
for old European streets, houses, and architecture in general; especially how this everyday cityscape stayed fresh and new for me
for reliable public transportation
for skiing and Austrian-style sledding
for so much free/leisure time
for sturdy toilet paper and tissues
for the abundance and coexistence of kitsch, history, and design
for the Austrians who adopted me and introduced me to Austrian life and culture
for the comfortable pace and quality of life
for the coziness of Graz
for the insanely cheap price of a chunk of fresh mozzarella
for the lack of cockroaches, poison ivy, and poisonous spiders and snakes
for the ubiquitous ice cream stands in the summer
for traditional clothing and accordion music
for tram and bus drivers who will stop the vehicle and wait for you if they see you running to catch a ride
for wearing slippers at home or as a guest in someone's home
for wonderful room mates and a flexible landlady
that Austria takes care of its people
that dogs are so well-behaved here and are allowed to go everywhere
that even in Austria I can be BFF with my bank teller(s)
that Graz was the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2003 and therefore has lots of spiffy new buildings and such
that having a car is so unnecessary
that having a real Christmas tree with real candles is the only tree most of them have ever known
that I can leave my bike simply standing and loosely locked anywhere in the city and it will still be there when I come back
that I can understand German on the phone
that I can walk in to the doctor's office without an appointment and actually be seen
that I could live in the same apartment for over 2 years - longer than any other apartment I've ever had
that I had so many visitors in the past couple years!
that I lived for 2 years without a deadbolt and it never bothered me
that I'm no longer pre-judged on the basis of my president
that it is so easy to split the bill in a restaurant
that my room doesn't face a street
that nearly everything you ever use is recycled
that people have stopped introducing me as, "This is Rebecca. She's American."
that receiving phone calls is free on your mobile phone
that Styria has it all -- mountains, hills, vineyards, thermal baths…
that tax is included in all your purchases and tipping is practically nonexistent
that the country is very stable and doesn't have any severe political or international problems
that there are so many old people who are out and about
that there are very few Americans in comparison with other Austrian cities
that there are very few tourists in comparison with the other Austrian cities"

Quite a list, we would welcome other suggestions about what is good about Austria.

Winter Skiing Kaprun- Zell am See the Europa Ski area.

Chapel next to Kaprun Castle

The lake side market town of Zell am See and the alpine village of Kaprun have teamed up together for the past 40 years and were aptly collectively known as the "Europa Sport Region". They have now recently changed the focus on the joint marketing of the names of Zell am See and Kaprun.

Between the the lively medieval lakeside resort town of Zell am See and the spectacular Kitzsteinhorn glacier, lies Kaprun. Which is a traditional Austrian village with a pretty church and interesting castle. It is convenient for nursery slopes, pistes for all levels and fast links to near all year round snow sure slopes on the glacier so good for November to June ski holidays and beyond. For some night life check out the Austrian scene oompah bars always turn out to be very special nights!

The skiing area of Zell am See and Kaprun is varied with three distinct Ski areas of:-

i) Maiskogel, where it is possible to ski down into the center of Kaprun and it is only a 10-12 minute walk away from Austria holiday apartment where up to 9 persons can sleep in comfort.

ii) The second area is above Zell am See down from the 2000 meter high Schmittenhoe, topped by a chapel and restaurant. This area has fantastic views down onto the frozen lake of Zell am See, where in the right conditions people will be found walking and skating. There is consideration to the possibility to linking up this ski area to meet up with the adjacent ski resorts of Sallbach and Hinterglemm. It is also possible to upgrade your Zell am See / Ski pass for a few Euros include this additional area on top of the 3 ski areas in Zell am See and Kaprun. There is speculation of new ski lifts and slopes down into Piesendorf extending the ski area even further.

Austrian Traditional Holiday Poster.

iii) The third area is above Kaprun on the Kitzsteinhorn which rises to 3203 metres in height. Below the summit there is the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, which is open all year round and normally subject to weather it sometimes only closes for 2-3 weeks in the summer for maintenance to the ski lifts. So it is possible to ski throughout most of the year, creating the possibility of a longer ski season for visitors and locals alike. This mountain area also has the benefit of a snow park for the ski boarders. For the recent season a new lift had been installed the "Kristallbahn" which had the benefit of heated seats! which made the ride up, nearly as much fun as the ski down! With upgrades and improvements being made year on year to the facilities provided.

Joint Ski resort area Map of Zell am See and Kaprun

The valley bottom between Kaprun and Zell am See is the location of a cross country ski course for an alternative form of skiing the Nordic type.

Tauern Spa Kaprun

New from November 2010 is the fantastic Tauern Spa Kaprun, it is located just to the north of Kaprun, on the road out of the village to Zell am See. Our sister blog at Austria-Spa-World provides further information on this 85 million Euro project, which will enhance any holiday by a visit and the use of its extensive facilities. There is a fantastic spa area, split into a "textile" and none textile (nudist) areas to suit.

Tauern Spa Kaprun close to Zell am See

As mentioned there are further additional ski areas in the immediate area the joint resort of Saalbach Hinterglemm and Kitzbuhel. Around 30 minutes away is the Gastein valley, where there is further additional extensive skiing, and it also the benefit of 2 (yes two) world class spa complexes at Bad Gastein and at Bad Hofgastein. Both are thermally thermally heated ( natural) and are definitely worth a visit what ever the time of the year.

Pisendorf and Niedernsill are just a few miles away from Zell am See and Kaprun, and are compact resorts, they tend to be a little quieter and cheaper, than their busier neighbours. A ski map of the area can be found via this link, can be used as a great base to commute to the larger ski areas. It is a good base, along with Kaprun for cross Country skiing with extensive routes along the valley bottom in all directions.

The holiday region Zell am See-Kaprun attracts 2 million overnight stays every year is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Austria. During the summer months you can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities like rafting, golf and hiking. And also in the cold season there is never a dull moment thanks to the possibilities of sleigh rides and hiking tours in snowshoes. Skiers can comfortably reach the 132 kilometres of slopes with powder snow on one of the 56 lifts. Snowboarders also enjoy the perfect high altitude conditions of the Snow-parks on the 2,600 metre high glacier plateau. Even in the summer you can swish down the slopes there.

Ski passes can be brought at a variety of locations in Kaprun and Zell am See, with the Kitzsteinhorn glacier comes a snow guarantee as well!! with an extended ski season into June and October starts for a new ski season possibilities.

Ski slope Cameras

Many holiday resort destinations have internet cameras, for example via the attached Zell am See / Kaprun link the site lead to cameras covering the areas of Maisikogel, the Kitzsteinhorn ( more than one camera to cover different areas of the glacier), the Schmitten, with further cameras looking over the lake at Zell am See. It is a useful resource to see perhaps the weather conditions, visibility, numbers skiing, or if there are and swimmers or skaters in or on the lake.

The renowned German publishing house of 'Falk Verlag' awarded Zell am See and Kaprun the high accolade of the voting the area the most family-friendly holiday region in Europe!

Looking for somewhere to stay? for 3 - 9 persons then consider Austria Holiday Apartment

Austria holiday apartment - Kaprun comfort and convenience

Kaprun information and Trips from Kaprun - Zell am See 12+ things to do

Kaprun Information

In 931 it is reported that the village of Kaprun was founded
Kaprun has around 3000 residents
Kaprun is at a altitude of around 800m above sea level
Around 1200 Kaprun castle is built
1828 The date of the first reported climb to the top of the 3029m high Kitzsteinhorn is reported
1938 Start date of the construction of dams and hydro power plant Glockner – Kaprun
1965 The Kitzsteinhorn glacier area opens for public Skiing
2010 Kaprun has 3000 inhabitants it also has accommodation for 8000 visitors.

Extract of a map showing Kaprun and the Kitzsteinhorn mountain area, alpine walks

Part map of the Kaprun valley showing village, walks, dams, cable cars and reservoir locations

Thing to do a see in and around Kaprun & Zell am See.

There is lots to see and do in the immediate area of Kaprun and Zell am See. But for those who would like to spread their wings a little further how about these for a few idea:-

(Journey times are from the Kaprun / Zell am See area.)

1) Visit to Salzburg about 1 hours and 20 minutes by car also accessible by train with a similar journey time.

2) A visit to the Krimml waterfalls about 50 minutes by car / bus, it is also possible to get there by the quaint local train from Zell, and a further possibility is to hire some bikes, put them on the train and cycle back down the valley, there is a superb cycling network, but I would advise book your place on the train in advance of hire of the bikes.

3) Visit the Ice caves above Werfen Castle, they are the largest in Austria, very worthy of the climb / cable car ride to the top. Located just off the motorway to the South of Salzburg

Werfen castle "Where Eagles Dare" was filmed worth a visit with falconry display.

4) Werfen castle around 40 Km to the south of Salzburg, is a truly awesome setting, if you don't fancy the the walk from the town, there is a funicular railway from the back of the castle. Both the ice cave and Werfen castle can be visited quite easily in one outing.

5) The Olympic city of Innsbruck, again by car, bus or train at just under two hours away. Plenty to see and do, at any time of the year.

6) Close to Innsbruck is Crystal World home of the Swarovski Crystal business.

7) Visit the Gastein valley, famous for it naturally heated thermal springs / spas. There is Ski, mountain Gastein spa complex at the head of the valley in the interesting Victorian spa town of Bad Gastein, accessible by train from Zell am See.

8) If you don't want to travel as far up the valley at Hofgastein there is the Alpentherme spa complex. In terms of both spas set aside 3/4 hours to get the full enjoyment of the "wellness experience. To find out a bit more about the Tauern Spa world Kaprun click on the link to get to the blog, it opened in November 2010, and a great place visit all year round.

9) Grossglockner Valley pass (the peak of the mountain), starts just a few minutes drive away from Kaprun and Zell am See, from the traditional village of Bruck. To get the most from the trip, aim to do the trip on a day when there is good visibility, there is certainly plenty to see, and different places to stop. The trip up the side road up to the glacier, complete with museum and multi-storey car-park is well worth the effort.

10) A day trip to Venice is not out of the question but an early start is recommended because the car journey comes in at 4 hours! But if you set off at 6.00 am you will be there for 10.00 Am. The quickest route is via Mittersill.

11) Kaprun dams not too far for an outing, open from late May until the Autumn, in a stunning setting and awe inspiring engineering work, to get a better picture of the attraction click on the dam video link

12) Liechtenstein Gorge is not only one of the beautiful gorges, it is also one of the deepest and wildest chasms in the Alps. It is a magnificent natural phenomenon and very much worth a visit. It is close to the alpine town of St Johann im Pongau and the alpine resort of Alpendorf.

13) Another possibility is to take a flight from the Aerodrome which is located on the local road between Zell am See and Kaprun. Parachuting is even a further possibility!

14) In Kaprun there is the castle, village church, village museum and a motor museum all worth a visit in their own right.

Fantastic mountain walk in and around Zell am See - Kaprun

There is lots more to see and do in and around the area, there are mountain walks galore, plenty of cable cars to take in the views, glacier skiing on the Kitzsteinhorn, where it is possible to ski all year round. A trip to Munich, perhaps for the beer festival, or to Hitler's Eagle nest are all extra possibilities.

For sporting possibilities, to give you a clue the area was formerly know as the Europa-Sports region, which does give you a direct idea to the further possibilities. There are too many to list, a separate article would be required.

If you are looking for somewhere to stay for between 3 - 9 persons, then please consider staying at Austrian holiday apartments in Kaprun

What a view of the lake at Zell am See

Parachuting above the lake at Zell am See, Austria

Three night break in Austria? Salzburg City and mountain resort area.

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Austria Pre-Christmas Trip Report

Friends and i went to Austria for a long weekend staying at the Austria Holiday Apartment in Kaprun, close to Zell am See. We found the accommodation on the web and got an early cheap pre-Christmas flight with Ryanair from Stansted at a bargain £50 return!

Salzburg a fantastic place to visit any time of the year

We flew to Salzburg in 1 hour 40 mins (arriving 20 mins early) and hired a car from Avis (100 Euro for 4 days) and spent the day sight seeing in Salzburg. The weather was perfect, crisp and sunny with clear blue skies.

Everywhere was trimmed up traditionally for the festive season and very tastefully too with the white lights twinkling against the frost and snow in the background. There was plenty to see:- Christmas market, ice rink in the square, food stalls. Make sure you try the mulled wine or schnapps or both! The goulash soup is worth trying too, a local dish and the meat was excellent.

There are shops galore all tastefully decorated for those of you who want to shop, we decided to look rather than

buy and spent our time exploring all the side streets. There was also Salzburg castle, museums, galleries and casino to visit perhaps on another occasion.

I recommend you walk down by the river and have a coffee at the roof top cafe / bar at the Hotel Stein which overlooks the town and river. Great views and rugs are provided for those who feel the cold.

Austria holiday apartment in Kaprun sleeps from 3-9

Kaprun Apartment

We arrived at the apartment in Kaprun late afternoon after a 75 minutes drive from Salzburg. The apartment was new, well appointed, clean and warm with under floor heating. Plus a store room for boots and skis etc. The rooms are en-suite and there are views of the mountains from the front windows.There is a supermarket close by for all your needs and it is only a 5 min walk into the town centre via the bridge.You park the car in the basement and the drive is heated so there is never a problem with ice and snow to hinder your entry/exit.

The next day we woke up to 4 inches of snow. A picture perfect Christmas card, wunderba! everywhere looked magical. It brought the child out of us all. The roads were cleared with typical Austrian efficiency.

The snow plough and gritters had been out during the night, so driving was not going to be a problem.

Europa Ski Area cover Zellamsee and Kaprun

Zell am See

We headed out to Zell am See for a look round. Beautiful town, again trimmed up tastefully for Christmas (white lights only) with a Christmas fair also that opened up at 4pm with brazier fires,surrounded by cabins and bars. We headed for the lake for a walk then a hot drink at the Grand Hotel on the lakeside with great views. We didn't have time to take in the 7 mile walk around the lake

Bad Gastein fantastic thermal spa well worth a visit

Bad Gastein

For lunch we headed for Bad Gastien, the old spa town where the German Kaiser use to holiday. Lots of snow and a stunning waterfall run through the town, as pictured in the poster. We didn't visit but the Towns Spa areas are something special and are also thermally heated, very spectacular. Apple strudel is a must for lunch.

Hofgastein Spa

Late afternoon we headed for Hofgastien spa world in the valley floor. Another pretty town with an indoor and outdoor ice rink, with tasteful Christmas lights. The spa is quite something, an experience I will never forget. To swim outside in hot spa waters, with snow on the ground, mountains and trees in the background and the snow falling on your face while you float on the warm waters, is magical. It certainly put a smile on my face. I managed to get a 1500m swim in another outdoor 25m pool. Stainless steel with underwater lighting - very special.

We went late in the day to savour the lighting and atmosphere, which I highly recommend.. To finish off we tried the saunas and steam room ( nude area - not for the squeamish! ). There is also a rest room with waterbeds and a ladies only area. We opted for the 2 hour session which was not long enough (23 euro included towels). There was also a large family area for the kids with a pool cinema in the water dome, plus slides and chutes, one of which is very fast! so fast that we had to check it out twice!

Skiing on the Kitzsteinhorn, above Kaprun open most of the year for skiing

Kitzsteinhorn glacier ski area

For our last day we drove 10 mins away to the ski lifts for the Kitzsteinhorn mountain 3200m. We headed for the summit to walk through the tunnel to the glacier and viewpoint. (You can check the weather on the web cams on the TV in the apartment) We were above the cloud level and could see for miles to the horizon. Spectacular. Don't forget your camera. Very cold so wrap up well. The cafe is excellent, or like us, you can take a picnic and eat where you like. The facilities are very good and warm. We walked part way down the mountain, then used the lifts for the rest of the way.

The views were stunning, the skiing looked great, catering for all abilities and boarders, with plenty of jumps and routes. Pity we weren't skiing ourselves - there is always a next time.

We spent the evening in Kaprun wining and dining. The food was very good, particularly the steaks. We had 'deer'- venison well it was the festive season! We found the the hotel bars and après ski are excellent, with plenty of choice of venues.

Krampus celebration take place in early December

Kramprus and St Nicholas celebrations

An interesting twist to the evening was the Krampus Celebrations. A mixture of 'good versus evil' where St. Nicholas arrives at on a horse drawn sleigh. The evil characters look like something out of Pans Labyrinth! - quite scary. Certainly frightened some of the younger ones!

Can't recommend the the area more highly. Will be back to try the skiing and hiking, water sports and biking in the summer.

Nick, Scarborough.

Looking for somewhere to stay then please consider Austria Holiday Apartment

Summer Holiday in Austria -Kaprun and Zell am See

My husband , two older teenagers and myself flew to Munich airport and hired a car and drove to Kaprun in Austria, near to Zell am See for a 10 day holiday, in the Alps. We had wonderful sunny weather and so for the first day, after visiting the tourist information office in Kaprun, we went to a lovely swimming lake at Niedersill between Mittersill and Piesendorf. Here the grassy banks run down into the lake, and there are trees for shade and a sweet little cafe where we had a snack. In the centre of the lake is a fountain which pumped water up about 50 metres. The lake was delightful and the scenery was fantastic. I think this was much more fun than a beach swim, being able to swim and mountain watch at the same time was wonderful.

The lake at Niedersill

The following day we brought a 6 day a swim and lift pass, which covers the area of Zell am See and Kaprun which enabled free ravel on the cable cars in the area and also swimming lakes and can be used on buses as well. We went up into to the Tauern mountains, on the Kitzsteinhorn. Looking down from the ski lift we saw our first Marmot. Later on the nature trails we learnt that baby Marmots are called monkeys and adult females "Cats" and adult males "Bears". Also that they are hunted for the medicinal value in the creation of ointments.

We have been swimming at Optimum Kaprun baths which is lovely but apparently going to partially close when the new Tauern Spa Kaprun opens between Zell am See and Kaprun in November this year (2010). Later in the holiday we hired cycles, and went close past the location of the new spa, and it is in a stunning location in the valley bottom surrounded by mountains.

In the evenings we have entertained ourselves by going to a European Ice Hockey match in Zell Am See, watching Salzburg Red Bull play a team from Switzerland. The score was 4 to 2, and it was a very exciting and fast moving game - but we gave up trying to work out all the complex rules involved. That same evening a Wednesday we went into Zell am See centre where there is a festival on the streets every week and we watched large good natured crowds milling around listen to various musicians / bands playing a range of different music, throughout the town centre. It was all very lively and uplifting.

On Thursday after another walk in the mountains, at night we went to the Porche Congress conference centre in Zell am See to watch an Austrian Folk evening which included songs, dances, cow bells and the typical Austrian horn. We all ended up being dragged on stage to dance or yodel!! It was highly entertaining and good value at 36 Euros for 4 of us. They served drinks at your table during the evening and it lasted about 1.5 hours.

Another day we hired bicycles from Kaprun for 52 Euros for 4 of us and took them up the Maisikogel, lift, we had to pay another 2 euros for the transport of each bike, on top of the 6 day lift passes we had. We then cycled down the cycle route into Kaprun which was really fun. As I am not an experienced cyclist this was an easy route and enabled us to have a peaceful cycle stopping half way to a packed lunch, even though there were two mountain restaurants we could have stopped at.

Kaprun Austria holiday Apartment where we stayed

This is the view from the Austria holiday apartmentt garden where we where we stayed, we could clearly see the Kitzsteinhorn glacier.

Overall we had a great time and there is lots to see and in and around the area for all ages, our teenage children even said they would like to come back!!

Summer holiday in Austria

We love Austria and just had to return to Zell am See and Kaprun! This was our 4^th summer visit since 2009 and even now there are plenty of things for us still to do and new places to go such is the variety on offer in the area for all ages. ( For further information on two of our previous visits see the following links second visit and our third visit ) .

In fact to make even more of our holiday this time we again stayed at Austria Holiday Apartment wonderfully located apartment in Kaprun for ten nights.

This is an account of what we did as a family - that’s a mum, dad and two girls aged 8 and 10.

What we get most enjoyment from is walking in the mountains and swimming…lots of swimming! So we checked the weather forecast, via the apartment’s WiFi and the local TV channels, and decided to immediately go for the ‘hike and swim’ card again which is perfect for us. For a family of 4 it costs €205.50 for 6 days and provides unlimited use of the cable cars, gondolas and; chairlifts at the Kitzsteinhorn, Schmittenhohe and Maiskogel mountains and the three outdoor swimming areas around Lake Zell and the indoor pool in Zell am See. This is a great economic way of using the facilities.

Dragons Walk on the Schmitten great for children and dragons / adults alike

We asked the children what they’d like to do first, both immediately responded “the Schmidolin walk!” This is a great way of getting into the mountains and keeping the children entertained. The circular walk has over 12 different activity stations, some of which change from year to year, for children to have fun and help the dragon Schmidolin in his quest. It’s best to start at the Areitbahn gondola where the parking is free and the ticket office is in the Intersport shop. The staff are very helpful, they will give the children a card to mark off at each activity station, and with all the right answers on return they will be given something to remember the occasion.

New! This year at the top of the Areitbahn lift, there is a motocross course on e-bikes which boys might like, have a look here at the Freeride E-center

Swimming in a Lake with Mountain views

Lake a Zell am See beautifully clean with great views

It was sooooo hot on this our first day (obviously the fire breathing dragon had been busy!), that the temperature gauge in the car was reading 42°c! So we just had to go to the lido and jump in Lake Zell to cool off, aaaaaaahhhhhhh.

The lido can be busy but it has a heated pool with a slide, a pool for the very little ones, a café and is right next to the lake and with stunning scenery too.

Sledging on a Mountain in the Summer

View from the top of the Kitzstienhorn with glacier above Kaprun

‘What would you like to do next?’ we asked. “Can we go sledging?” was the response. Why not it’s only August! Our second day we ascended the Kitzsteinhorn which is just a few kilometres drive up the road from the apartment. Two gondolas and a cable car take you to the summit station – the Gipfelwelt 3000 – where there is a fantastic café/restaurant, a cinema and a panoramic platform at 3029m. On a clear day the views are unbelievable. We made our way to the Ice Arena on the glacier where everyone, young & old, can go tobogganing / sledging and have fantastic fun. The less energetic can watch from a deckchair with a hot or cold drink.

Summer Sledging on the Kitzsteinhorn in August

In fact we had so much fun that we went back a few days later and when we arrived at the summit this time it was actually -2°c and snowing! As always its best to be prepared for the conditions but winter clothes can be bought or hired from the Intersport shops that are at each gondola station.

We built a snowman

The cloud soon gave way to some sunshine and it ‘warmed up’ to 7°c so we built a snowman, in fact three, which became an instant tourist attraction. Just wonderful!

In the summer months there are always many events happening, some occur each week and some are special one-off events so it’s definitely worth checking with the Tourist Information Centre as there is something for everyone.

Summer Evenings in Austria

Every Wednesday evening in Zell am See there is a festival with street bars, entertainment, food vendors and traditional music. Whilst busy the atmosphere is fabulous. We were lucky enough to go twice and the children loved the pancakes and candy floss stalls!

Great evening with Live music in Medieval town center of Zell am See

We only just missed out on Kaprun’s own festival and mountain bike extravaganza – Bike Infection which takes place in mid-August, we went in 2011 and it was well worth a visit.

Football fans will be interested to know that the area is also a magnet to top football sides who like to take training camps. One evening the top Qatari side Al-Sadd were training on the pitch opposite the apartment so I watched them for some time. When they finished I had my photograph taken with one of their players – ex-Real Madrid and Spain legend ‘Raul’. Football gold!

Mountain Views to take the breath away

View from the Schmitten above Zell am See

Anyway back to normality and the next walk we did was on the Schmitten, where we took the cable car to the summit station and walked the route from the St Elisabeth chapel down the ridge to the Sonnkogel, this is a lovely short walk, not that strenuous, with amazing views again and plenty to keep children entertained along the way. There are lots of information stations too that describe the area, the history, the wildlife and the fauna of the mountain which is interesting and of course importantly there is a café/restaurant at either end. The coffee and apfelstrudel should not be missed!

On a rainy day we wandered into Kaprun, found a lovely café at the bakery and then later visited the indoor pool in Zell am See which had a 74m water slide and diving boards. The pool is also adjacent to the ice rink, home of the EK Zeller ice hockey team, on the main road.

High Dams Above Kaprun

Kaprun Reservoirs

One place we’d not visited previously were the high altitude reservoirs at Kaprun including the Mooserboden reservoir and dams. The start of this excursion is just a few km past the Kitzsteinhorn gondola station where you park your car, get a ticket €39 per family, which includes the bus ride up to the higher reservoir.. We were fortunate enough to go on a good weather day when the power company Verbund had also organised a day specifically aimed at children with lots of activities going on. We walked along the dam walls ( you can also walk in the dam wall) and had a nice picnic next to the reservoir amongst the glacial mountains, simply stunning.

Swimming Lido at Piesendorf

When our ‘hike and swim’ card had expired we had three days to choose what to do. Firstly we decided to venture to the outdoor pool, the Hinkelsteinbad, at Piesendorf. This was a little difficult to find at first so I would advise checking the map, it’s next to FC Piesendorf (the football team), but an alternative would be to travel by the Pinzgau Lokalbahn train from Furth-Kaprun as the pool is next door to the railway station. Anyway the pool was much quieter than the lido in Zell and equipped with a heated pool, sports pool, a jacuzzi, a longer slide, a café and with a beautiful vista up the valley. Idyllic! For the family it was just €10.50 for the day and we stayed for over 5 hours. We had a fabulous time there and would definitely recommend it.

The following day was forecast to be poor, so we decided to take the train from Zell am See to visit Salzburg. This cost just €32 for a return ticket for us all and included parking in the ‘Park and Ride’ at Zell station. I would recommend going early as the journey takes 1.5 hours and the parking spaces are limited. We enjoyed walking around Salzburg and visited the house that was the birthplace of Mozart. We would like to have visited the Science and Natural History Museum science museum (again) but ran out of time(!)

Tauern Spa Kaprun

Salt / brine swimming pool at Tauern Spa Kaprun

Our final day ended on a real high where we spent virtually the whole day at the Tauern Spa, Kaprun which is described as the ‘Base Camp for Body Soul’ and that is a pretty accurate summary. The complex is 5 star and the ‘wasserwelt’ (waterworld) is nothing short of fantastic with lots of different indoor and outdoor pools, jacuzzis, slides and even a heated salt water pool. Very very relaxing, and lots of fun too. What was even better was that it was much less busy than our previous visit and the weather was good! A day pass cost €61.50 but it was worth it. On entry you are given a wrist band that contains a chip, which not only controls a changing room that acts as a locker but also can be used to purchase food, which is very nice, from the restaurant and cafes (note when not using cash this can be a little dangerous to the wallet!). I am looking forward to the day when we can also visit the sauna and masseuse and leave the children to entertain themselves!

Before we returned to the airport we had fun on the Maisiflitzer roller coaster at the Maiskogel in Kaprun which follows the gradient of the ski slope and has bumps and turns. At the point where the photograph is taken we were doing 42kmph, awesome! One run down the track for the four of us, in two carts, cost €24. The area has also been developed with a go-kart track €2 for 10 mins and large slides which are €0.50c per go. Plenty to keep the children entertained here!

So there it is our 4^th, and most enjoyable to date, visit to Kaprun. Many thanks to the Austria Holiday Apartment again for the hire of their apartment which looked as fresh as it did when we first arrived in 2009. It’s well equipped and very conveniently placed for walking into Kaprun, travelling by road and only a few metres from the Billa supermarket.

The dilemma is now whether to return for a winter ski trip or another amazing summer adventure. We now love Austria even more!

Richards Family

Tauern Spa Kaprun - a great place to visit throughout the year

Holiday Apartment Kaprun further links