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

1. Go in search of Apre Ski. (what you do after a day on the slopes, eat, drink & party).
   
2. Visit an Art gallery in Salzburg, Vienna, Linz, or Innsbruck, cities of culture.
3. Visit a local museum Bad Gastien, Kaprun, Zell am See or Saalfalden  are pretty interesting ones.
   
4. 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.
5. Skittles or indoor Bowling  great with a beer!
   
6. Children's playgrounds, children still like them in the snow!
   
7. Visit the cinema, improve your German! some have international day showings.
8. Cleared footpath walks to follow, stopping at a mountain restaurant for a hot chocolate or something stronger!.
   
9. Cross Country Skiing across the valley bottom.
   
10. Curling on ice or even on a frozen lake?
11. Horse riding in the snow, or maybe a sleigh ride.
    
12. Ice-skating inside or outside
    
13. Ice-sailing something different
    
14. Ice-surfing?
15. Indoor tennis at Zell am see.
16. Outdoor fitness course, take a run
17. Nordic Walking - walking with poles, give that body a workout.
    
18. Top up the sun tan, bright and sunny in the snow.
19. 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.
20. ? Make  this one up for your self? or go and see an ice hockey match in Zell am See
21. Snow shoeing,  walking  across  snowy  slopes  through  trees  and  across  snow  covered  meadows.
22.  Have a ride on a horse drawn sleigh
23. Skiing an independent view point 
24. Sit  have  a coffee  or  a   Glühwein  and  soak  soak  up the  atmosphere and  history  of  the  place. 
25. Snow-boarding.
    
26. Snow-tubing.
27. Snow Kiting
28. Parascending
    
29. Visit a Sports centre with a gym.
30. Squash or tennis.
31. Swimming pool inside or out?
    
32. Sledging or tobogganing there is a great one in Kaprun
33. Winter markets, shopping at Zell am See or Salzburg market in the snow.
34. Sit down have a hot chocolate, take in the views and relax, you are on holiday.
35. Have a meal to remember having burnt off the calories.
    
36. Hot air ballooning over snowy mountains! Balloon festival at the end of January (now  moved  into  January) in Kaprun and Zell am See
37. Take a cable car to the top of a mountain and take in the view. Schmitten views, history and activities
    
38. 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.

1.     for a city that's safe at night
2.     for a city that's safe during the day
3.     for a fantastic church home
4.     for a rich national history
5.     for accessible and affordable operas
6.     for affordable housing
7.     for an abundance of castles
8.     for an orderly and cheap laundry system in my apartment building
9.     for Austrian school and office supplies -- so much cooler!
10.     for balls (i.e. dancing balls, like Cinderella went to a ball)
11.     for bike paths
12.     for cheap but good wine and beer
13.     for cheap sparkling mineral water
14.     for cheap, convenient and reliable train travel within Austria
15.     for cheap/easy/convenient opportunities to travel within Europe
16.     for church bells that ring at 7 am, 12 pm, 3 pm, and 7 pm
17.     for consistently good coffee
18.     for cute, quaint villages
19.     for dialect and its accompanying amusements, puzzles and challenges
20.     for everyone who helped me and/or made phone calls to figure out all the bureaucratic visa stuff
21.     for everything pumpkin out of Styria: pumpkin seed oil, pumpkin cream soup, pumpkin bread, etc.
22.     for exclusively Austrian Sturm, Glühwein, Christmas markets, and Buschenschanks
23.     for ex-pats
24.     for friends
25.     for good bread and cheese
26.     for good health insurance and no referrals
27.     for good places to run and bike
28.     for having 38 public holidays
29.     for having the Mur river running though town
30.     for hospitality
31.     for how Austrians will really pull through for you
32.     for incredible scenery
33.     for kebabs
34.     for Labello
35.     for lackadaisical passport control officials
36.     for living in a bike-friendly city
37.     for meeting so many cool people from all over the world
38.     for my connections
39.     for my fellow foreigners
40.     for old European streets, houses, and architecture in general; especially how this everyday cityscape stayed fresh and new for me
41.     for reliable public transportation
42.     for skiing and Austrian-style sledding
43.     for so much free/leisure time
44.     for sturdy toilet paper and tissues
45.     for the abundance and coexistence of kitsch, history, and design
46.     for the Austrians who adopted me and introduced me to Austrian life and culture
47.     for the comfortable pace and quality of life
48.     for the coziness of Graz
49.     for the insanely cheap price of a chunk of fresh mozzarella
50.     for the lack of cockroaches, poison ivy, and poisonous spiders and snakes
51.     for the ubiquitous ice cream stands in the summer
52.     for traditional clothing and accordion music
53.     for tram and bus drivers who will stop the vehicle and wait for you if they see you running to catch a ride
54.     for wearing slippers at home or as a guest in someone's home
55.     for wonderful room mates and a flexible landlady
56.     that Austria takes care of its people
57.     that dogs are so well-behaved here and are allowed to go everywhere
58.     that even in Austria I can be BFF with my bank teller(s)
59.     that Graz was the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2003 and therefore has lots of spiffy new buildings and such
60.     that having a car is so unnecessary
61.     that having a real Christmas tree with real candles is the only tree most of them have ever known
62.     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
63.     that I can understand German on the phone
64.     that I can walk in to the doctor's office without an appointment and actually be seen
65.     that I could live in the same apartment for over 2 years - longer than any other apartment I've ever had
66.     that I had so many visitors in the past couple years!
67.     that I lived for 2 years without a deadbolt and it never bothered me
68.     that I'm no longer pre-judged on the basis of my president
69.     that it is so easy to split the bill in a restaurant
70.     that my room doesn't face a street
71.     that nearly everything you ever use is recycled
72.     that people have stopped introducing me as, "This is Rebecca. She's American."
73.     that receiving phone calls is free on your mobile phone
74.     that Styria has it all -- mountains, hills, vineyards, thermal baths…
75.     that tax is included in all your purchases and tipping is practically nonexistent
76.     that the country is very stable and doesn't have any severe political or international problems
77.     that there are so many old people who are out and about
78.     that there are very few Americans in comparison with other Austrian cities
79.     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.

Summer Holiday in Austria

Summer holiday in Austria 2015 

Since the age of 8 (and I’m now 43) I have been a big fan of the Austrian alps, it’s such a beautiful part of the world! I love winter sports, from watching the downhill ski-ing and snowboard slopestyle on TV to freeriding the slopes on what is now an almost antique Ride snowboard. It never really occurred to me that it was a summer holiday destination until 2003 when we made our first wonderful trip to a village near Innsbruck after we had seen a feature on the BBC’s Holiday programme. A few years later and we decided to return to Austria with two small children and little did we know that we would unearth a real gem of a place that would capture all of our hearts and minds.

And so it is that we have made our 5^th (yes 5^th!) summer excursion in seven years to Sue & Derek’s fantastic austria holiday apartment in Kaprun. Why change a winning formula! It is still an exciting place to visit where we can enjoy what we have experienced previously coupled with the fascination of discovering new and interesting places and events. This is of course made a little easier as our children get older – they were just 4 & 6 on our first visit and are now 10 & 12 but they love going back just as much as we do.

The start of this years trip wasn’t the best when we couldn’t even get off the ground in England, our flight was cancelled as we were sat on the plane (curtailed by a lightning strike!). But we knew what we were going to miss so hastily re-arranged a new flight to get us on our way. On arrival at the apartment the stress of that major problem quickly evaporated and was very soon forgotten. The apartment was clean, comfortable and in great condition just as it has been in past years and so didn’t disappoint. We had a nice relaxing evening watching a film, having a bite to eat and deciding what we should do the next day.

Well the heat wave seemed to have settled in and at 30c it was a simple choice of which lake or pool (or both) to go for a swim in. As we like the ambiance of Zell am See we chose the lido or Strandbad. A family day pass was around €23 and as we arrived early when it was quiet we did get our money’s worth. Great fun to begin the holiday and fantastic views around the lake. Without much persuasion my youngest daughter & I took an exhilarating tow behind a speedboat from Edi’s Wasserskischule, “Daddy I’m hanging on for dear life” she said quite calmly really, which is pretty much what I was doing too! Very proud I was though. There are other activities on offer such as water-ski-ing, wake-boarding, the donuts and banana boat so something to keep those with an adrenalin rush entertained.

It was also Wednesday which meant that the weekly summer festival – the Zellersommernachtsfest – was on too. We ate outside in one of the many restaurants and then enjoyed street festivities particularly the music – a mixture of traditional Austrian oompah and the more contemporary – and the food & drink on offer at the many stalls. The atmosphere made it so that we visited it again the following week.

We had such great weather, it was wonderfully sunny and incredibly hot with the forecast for it to continue so our two favourite ways of cooling down are to go up into the mountains in the morning and then go swimming in the afternoon. The most economical way of doing both is the “Hike and; Swim” ticket which lasts for 6 days and provides access to the pools in Zell am See, all the cable cars that are operating in both Zell am See and Kaprun as well as the local post buses. For our family of 4 this cost €260 (or £193), which is quite reasonable given that two trips to the Kitzsteinhorn would cost the same amount.

One of our favourite ‘cool’ activities is summer sledging on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier at the Ice Arena. So cool in fact that we had to do it twice. The best time to go is as early as possible to avoid the lift queues that build up as the day progresses. On our 2^nd visit we went very early and even spotted a wild alpine marmot grazing on the lower slopes during the first cable car ride, anyway we were first to arrive and the piste bashers were still preparing the piste with fresh snow but once they’d finished we made ‘fresh tracks’! There’s something for everyone up there, even if it’s just relaxing in the café/restaurant with a coffee and apfelstrudel.

 

We used the cable cars on all six days with our pass and we all enjoyed the walks on the Schmitten all of which gave stunning views of the region. These included:

1.     Schmidolin’s Baptism of Fire – a great walk for all with activity stations for children at 12 different points en route. It seems that on each of our visits there has been one or more new stations to try out which maintains their interest. Our preference is to start at from the Areitbahn lift, although it’s possible to do it from the City Express (Mittelstation) too.

2.     Route 68 - the High Promenade is a lovely walk down from the Schmitten summit to the Sonnkogel chairlift where there is lots to see and do on the way, finished off with a drink and a bite to eat at the restaurant before taking the chairlift to the Sonnenalm cable car.

Walking  at  its  best  in the  Austrian  Alps  above  Zell  am  See  -  Kaprun

3.     Route 55 – the Plettsaukopf is a great short walk from the City Express (Mittelstation) through the trees to the reservoir where there is a play park and a water feature. The apfelstrudel at the Mittelstation restaurant was wonderful too and the children enjoyed the trampoline!

4.     Route 50 – this is much longer and downhill all the way (but not as easy as you might think) from the Schmitten summit past the Breiteckalm and on to Mittelstation. We imagined we were skiing in the winter whilst walking down the grassy pistes. After arriving back in Zell on the City Express we took the free bus back to the Schmitten car park to fetch our car.

 

After all this good exercise in the fresh mountain air we were ready to relax and have fun by the lake/pool. On the days when we didn’t go to Zell we explored a little further afield:

1.     Derek & Sue had always said how nice the bathing lake was at Niedernsill and so this time we made a point of visiting it, in fact twice, and the entry cost for us all was approx. €18. They are absolutely right, and it’s crazy how it has taken us until now! It’s a beautiful small lake in a picturesque location with climbing frames and hammocks above the water, a water slide and pontoon plus a giant water fountain. The water temperature was just perfect and even when busy it’s not overcrowded. There’s a café and ice cream stall, just everything you could need for a full afternoon lazing about on or in the water or its grassy banks. If you don’t want to take it easy, there are tennis courts next door and a sandy volleyball court too.

Fantastic  Swimming  Lake and  Sporting  Facilities  at  Niedernsill

2.     We also returned to the pool at Piesendorf which is a little cheaper at €11 for us all. This too has stunning views and is separated by multiple pools, longer water slide, Jacuzzi and sports pool. It too has a café The water was a little cooler but given the heat that was fine too. It too has a café and changing rooms and can be accessed by the lokalbahn train that runs between Zell am See and Krimml.

Most evenings we were too tired to do much exploring and so relaxed in the apartment but on the Monday night we did also enjoy the ‘Mystical night of water’ in the Sigmund Thun Klamm gorge walk which is just a minute up the road. We’ve walked through the gorge a number of times before because it is so nice but had never done so at night. The guides spoke in German and English and after walking through the gorge in twilight and by the lake we arrived at a welcoming campfire where we listened to stories and ate a baked potato. On our return we were each handed a firelit torch to make our way back. It was very popular and well worth the money (<€20 for the family).

On our last full day we decided to treat ourselves to a full day pass at the Tauern Spa in Kaprun, which cost €65. It’s a five star complex with many different pools indoor and out as well as a long water slide, outdoor café with waters edge ordering and an excellent restaurant. This place never disappoints! With a non-alcoholic cocktail in hand, on a sun lounger by the salt pool, with a great view of the Kitzsteinhorn and music playing in my ears whilst the children are having fun, what could be better!

The day we left for home we said goodbye to Kaprun with another go on the Maisiflitzer alpine coaster, an exhilarating experience whizzing down the mountain side in a cart on a rollercoaster track. Our family ticket for one ride was €26. We were also unlucky to just miss the annual village festival which was setting up for the evening, and by all accounts they even managed to set a new world record for the longest ever apple strudel at a staggering 752m!

So that was our trip this year, there were so many other things we could also have done including biking along the many flat trails , visiting Salzburg, exploring Saalbach, the Grossglockner pass, the list is literally endless. If you don’t believe me just visit any of the tourist information offices

Once again thanks to Derek & Sue for the use of their apartment in Kaprun. It’s the perfect base for everyone young and old to explore this wonderful area.

Richards Family 2015 J

 

View  from  the  apartment  terrace  of  the  Kitzsteinhorn

If  you  are  looking for somewhere to stay for 3-9 people? With the benefit of three bedrooms and three bath / shower rooms. For further information please see www.austria-holiday-apartment.com

Zell am See & Kaprun a visitors view.

 The contents of this article on Zell am See and Kaprun was written by Brian R Stevens came from "content Caboodle", where another one of Brian's articles can be found here, they  give an interesting overview of  first impressions of the Zell am See ski area. The links in the article I have put in to provide further information to the reader. Enjoy!

"The first time I visited Zell am See I was actually staying at a small town further north going back towards Saltzburg called Lofer bie Martin. I was actually staying in the Schloss Grubhoff castle 

www.panoramio.com/photo/1224116

Schloss Grubhoff castle, Austria

which was once owned by the king of Bavaria but has now been converted into luxurious apartments which can be rented out as holiday lets. I was enjoying my stay at Lofer and in particular the quaint ski facilities there, which incidentally would be no challenge for anyone who considers themselves good intermediate or advanced level but is well worth a visit for curiosity's sake, it really is oldy worldy Austrian skiing facilities and you will not find much of a presence there beyond the Austrians themselves.

The marked difference I noticed in visiting Zell am See was the level of activity there, lots more people, a thriving little town in a gorgeous setting and much more to offer the higher level skiers, still not a majorly serious challenge for the advanced skiers but certainly enough to keep them happy for quite a few days with some decent blacks and reds to go at.

The resort in my opinion is much more suited to the intermediate level skier with plenty of reds and blues plus those blacks for when you want to give yourself a bit of a challenge, you should be able to ski from the top of the mountain to the bottom without too much trouble as well. The top of the mountain (called Schmittenhohe) gives you access to a number of runs which you can circuit and if you do prefer a longer run you can ski down to Schuttdorf and get lifts all the way back, or of course you can ski back to Zell am See or to the gondola. I class myself as intermediate and there was enough there for me to visit this resort on 3 separate occasions.

It's not a bad resort for beginners either, other than if you want to ski all the way back to town then you might find it a bit tricky with some fairly steep slopes near the bottom that have to be negotiated, the alternative being some very shallow cross country tracks which can be really hard work and may put a lot of people off so they might decide to just come back to the bottom on the lift.
That aside, the slopes at the top of the mountain do cater for beginners and if I was a beginner again I certainly wouldn't rule out Zell am See particularly if you are moving towards intermediate level, it may just present you with the challenges you need to get you to that next level.

The addition of the ski lifts from the centre of town (in place for a few years now) has provided a much needed boost to the convenience level the resort has to offer, previously there was a long trek to the top of the hill going out of the town where you could get the gondola. This is still running and is serviced by a regular bus service or is accessible by people with a car available, personally I would not consider it walking distance from the town centre particularly if you are having to wear ski boots and carry skis, (although I am sure there are probably a number of people who could prove me wrong).
If you do park at the gondola there is a sort of cross country track that goes out to it from the main piste (number 4) but there are sections of it that are actually flat to uphill and no decent run that lets your speed carry you through those sections, so a lot of puffing and panting goes on. The alternative is to come down some of the steeper slopes or to ski to the bottom and then get the bus back up. If you caught the bus or walked (mad fools) then there is no problem.

View of the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier above Kaprun

Another bonus of staying at Zell am See is that you are pretty close to Kaprun, where if the worst occurs and there is no snow you have a glacier, although whenever I have been there snow has not been a problem. You are also quite close to Salbaach-Hinterglemm which is another great resort that has pistes either side of the valley where it is located, it also offers a few more challenges to the experienced and advanced level skiers as does Kaprun. Both of these resorts can be reached on the ski bus which can be used off the back of your ski lift pass at no extra charge, the ski pass also gives you free parking in the ski areas. If you have your own transport you can go visit Lofer which I mentioned earlier or you are also not too far away from, Bad Gastein, Bad Hofgastein, Wagrain, Schladming and Obertauern.

I have to say I really enjoyed my skiing at Zell am See but I also really enjoyed the apres ski and evenings out as well, there are loads of bars and restaurants to choose from and the place has a real buzz to it. If you are there at the right time of year you might be lucky enough to see some of the traditional Austrian celebrations, for example the seeing out of the winter and welcoming in of the spring, I have memories of the band coming into the bar dressed as chickens and playing music aimed at getting everyone to have a good time and into the street to join in with the locals dancing.

I hope you have found this review useful and that it has given you a flavour of one of my favourite ski resorts in Austria, I have skied in a few different places and countries, including Italy, Bulgaria, Germany and Canada but cannot think of anywhere that delivers the full package quite as well as Zell am See, although to be honest I would not knock any of the other places I have been to either all of them have their special characteristics and are also worth visiting in their own right"

To see another of Brian's article  please click  here on the link.


If you like the area and are looking for for somewhere to stay? then please consider Austria holiday apartment it sleeps from 3-9 in comfort, and has the benefit of three bedrooms and 3 shower rooms.

Ski at Austria Holiday Apartment

Kaprun – the perfect base for a winter adventure

Austrian  Alps

While our apartment is brilliantly situated for a beautiful summer holiday – and you can still even include a little sledging if you fancy thanks to the glacier - it is of course the most perfect base for an exciting winter adventure. Once the weather in the UK starts to change – with the light evenings fading and the warm air replaced by cooler mornings and a fair bit of rain and wind, it can mean only one thing; autumn has arrived! For many of us the start of autumn is super exciting and no, it’s not because Christmas is only round the corner, it because it’s the start of the ski season. For those who love the crisp, clean mountain air this time of year is special as it means the countdown has begun to your big trip away. Whether it is for a long weekend, a week or if you’re really lucky, ten days, keen skiers look forward to their annual trip with great excitement. If you’ve already booked with us we can promise you a fantastic experience - the apartment is just perfect; brilliantly comfortable, in a great location and with plenty to do right on your doorstep. With a bit of something for everyone, here are just some of the great winter activities to enjoy near the apartment.



Kaprun – beginners slopes

The area has a pretty good reputation for beginner’s slopes; up on the Maiskogel the atmosphere is just perfect – really relaxed and the runs are mostly tree lined and gentle in nature. Once you’ve built up a bit more confidence there are some great progression slopes where you can practice your turns and stops to perfection. Although these slopes are on the lower side they are brilliantly easy to reach from the accommodation. If, at the start of the season, the snow down low is looking a little on the thin side then head on up to the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier which is the snow sure plateau further up the mountain. Up here you are guaranteed to get fantastic snow coverage and the facilities all round are just excellent. If you are heading up the glacier or out for the day skiing and are new to the slopes then make sure you have packed all your essentials in a small rucksack so that you can fully enjoy the day – have a look this checklist from Iglu Ski for some great tips and advice.


Great for snow boarders – big and small

The Snowpark Kitsteinhorn, Kaprun boasts Austria’s biggest super pipe along with mogul slopes and ski trails – so enough to keep most boarders and freestyle skiers happy. Situated nice and high at 2,900 metres the park has loads of space to practice those manoeuvres in. The half pipe is an amazing 160 metre long and 6 metres high. Not quite up to that standard yet? Well grab a drink and sit in the spectator area to enjoy watching the exploits of those giving it a go. There are two other great snow parks too - Schmittenhöhe at the Hahnkopflift and the Park on Maiskogel – both of which can offer kids (and those still young at heart) a safe environment in which to have fantastic fun.

Kitzsteinhorn snowpark

Fancy a bit of cross-country?

If boarding or downhill skiing isn’t your thing then how about trying cross country? Kaprun has a number of beginners and medium difficulty loops for you to set off on. For those a little more advanced there are over 200 km of trails in the area to work your way round and if you fancy a little skiing at night, how about the 5 km track up on the Kitzsteinhorn plateau – the track is floodlit. Beginners should head for the easiest trail that starts in Karpun and is called West trail.


Time for some après ski?

So you’ve enjoyed some great runs and are feeling pretty pleased with yourself – now it’s time to enjoy some of the nightlife Kaprun has to offer. Stop off at one of the many ski huts on the slopes and sample some mulled wine or the Austrian specialty Kasnocken and enjoy the stunning light as it begins to fade across the mountains. Down in the town things are slightly livelier and there is great choice of ski pubs and bars to get the party started in.



Beginner or old pro, young or old, boarder or cross country lover, Kaprun and the surrounding area has some truly great winter activities to keep you busy this season. Make the most of your holiday and come to our beautiful Austrian resort of Kaprun, and savour that fantastic mountain scenery and air. Have a great holiday.   

Melissa Sutter.

 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