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.

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

Things to do in a week in Kaprun, Zell am See and the Salzburg area

 Summer  holidays  in  Austria
 
We’ve just returned from our second visit to Austria and stayed in Austria  Holiday apartment in Kaprun, which is perfectly positioned and very comfortable.

We are a young family and have two girls aged 7 and 5, so here’s a few notes from our trip in the Zell am See / Kaprun Salzburg area:-

Mountains, lake and valley to explore in Kaprun and Zell am See

1. The main activities for us this year were walking and swimming so we purchased a Kaprun Zell am See “Hike and Swim” ticket for a total of €176. It might sound expensive but one return ride on a cable car is £40 and one visit to the lido in Zell am See is £20 and as we can manage both in one day it’s cost effective,  it gave us "free" access to lots of the attractions in the immediate area.

2. Our first walk was one for the children “Schmidolin’s Feuertaufe”, it’s new this year and has a fire breathing dragon theme. There are 11 game action stations on a circular walk which is situated between the City Express (Mittelstation) and Areitbahn gondolas.  We all enjoyed this walk (route no. 56) and the children loved it especially when they each received a certificate at the end, which they were both very pleased with. If we had more time we probably would have done it again. For more info in German click here, the English link is above.


3. The next day the Schmittenhohebahn wasn’t running but the TrassExpress was which runs to its left (this isn’t shown on the summer map but is visible on the winter map). We then walked up the mountain to the St Elisabeth church at the Schmitten summit where we then followed the very short Empress Sisi walk (route no.1).

4. Our next walk was from the top of the Schmittenhohe along the ridge to the Sonnkogel chairlift (Erlebnisweg Hohenpromenade, route no. 67). This is mostly downhill and there are multiple information points along the way (including tunnels to explore) which can engage the children and at the top of the Sonnkogel there is a zip wire and slide.  Also here is a place where you can have your photo taken by the webcam, here’s ours!


We stopped off for coffee and apple strudel at the café/restaurant and then took the chairlift ride down, which the children loved, at the end of which there is another playground. From here it is the Sonnenalm cable car back to the car park.

Klamsee above Sigmund Thum Klamm gorge near Kaprun

5. On a cloudy and wet day we drove the one mile up the road from the apartment and paid  €8, for 4 of us to walk through the Sigmund-Thun-Klamm gorge which is very impressive. From the top of the gorge we walked around the Klamsee (lake) and then drove a very short distance to take the Maiskogelbahn cable car. This is like stepping back in time and at the top by the café there are swings, a number of animals for the children to see (goats, ponies, chickens) and also great views looking down to Kaprun towards Zell am See.


6. Our next trip we gave the children the choice of either taking the train and; bus to the Krimml waterfall or visiting the ice cave at Werfen.

They chose the ice cave so that’s where we went. This is approx 45mins from the apartment in Kaprun. We would advise going as early as possible in the day because we had a lot of queuing. When we arrived at Werfen, near the impressive, imposing castle, we were told to park in the lower car park and take the bus to the ticket office, whilst this cost us an extra €16 in hindsight it was money well spent because the drive up the mountain to the ticket office is not for the uninitiated (steep narrow hairpins avoiding buses for 5km and a narrow busy car park at the top). We paid £50 for our cable car/ice cave ticket and took the 20 min walk to the cable car, which leaves every 3 mins but can only carry 15 people at a time (so a long queue takes time to shift). There is then another 20min walk to the ice cave which itself has hundreds of steps (I felt dizzy for a short period as we got to the top but our children didn’t complain at all). Warm clothing and good footwear is essential. The ice cave is amazing and is only lit by lamps carried by the visitors and magnesium carried by the guide who also speaks English and German.

7. When we weren’t walking we were mainly swimming at the lido in Zell am See which has great facilities. Here we all used the pools, the water slide and swam in the lake. Whilst our children aren’t old enough yet they enjoyed watching the teens being towed by the speedboat on the doughnuts and the banana (and falling off). The views around the lake from here are fantastic, I bet there aren’t many other better situated outdoor swimming pools. We also used the indoor pool in Kaprun but I expect the new Tauern Spa Kaprun resort due to open in November will be much better.

View from the lido at Zell am See swim and sail

8. There is a great atmosphere in Zell am See on Wednesday nights during the summer with music bands, lots of food and drink stalls and entertainers including clowns making balloon animals.

Summer traditional music in the town Square in Zell am See on Wednesdays nights

9. As we had a late flight back to the UK and the weather was poor we drove into Salzburg and visited the Natural History/Science museum which was fascinating for us all.  We spent approx 3 hours inside, there are a number of floors with rooms featuring dinosaurs, the ice age, science, space exploration and the Doppler effect, evolution, aquariums amongst others.

10. On a sunnier day we probably would have gone back to Hellbrunn on the outskirts of Salzburg (also adjacent to the zoo) – this has lovely gardens including the summer house from The Sound of Music (“I am 16 going on 17”), a great play area and a house with incredible fountains (see also ).


Some other interesting things that were happening at the time we were there

11. A mountain bike festival in Kaprun, "Bike infection 2010"for links for action packed cycle videos click here.

12. On the 7th August (day of our departure) there was the 2nd  lake festival at Zell am See
The date set for 2011 has already been set, and looks to become a regular occurrence.

13. For football fans there were a couple of team that were using Kaprun as a training base whilst we were there, German Bundesliga side FC Nurnberg  and Romanian Liga II side CS Concordia Chanjia


Other info

14. Parking – is free on the roadside in Zell am See on Friday afternoons, all day Saturday and Sunday and after 6pm on other weekdays.  At other times it is very cheap but the maximum stay is 3 hours. It also is very busy so spaces are rare but it is a much cheaper alternative than the underground covered car park. In Kaprun the parking is much easier and parking was free at the apartment where we stayed.

Whilst this has been our second visit we still have plenty more to do including the Kitzsteinhorn glacier  the Kaprun dams and reservoirs; the train ride upto Krimml waterfalls, cycling around and boating on the lake; the spa, walks and castle in Kaprun; Saalbach-Hinterglemm etc. etc. etc.

Looking forward to returning again sometime!

(Update  for  our  visit  in 2013,  where  we  stayed in the  same  apartment,  click  on this  link )

Jeremy  Emma and  family

View from the apartment where we stayed of the Kitzsteinhorn complete with glacier

If you are looking for somewhere to stay for 3-9 people? which has the benefit of three bedrooms and three bath / shower rooms please consider  www.austria-holiday-apartment.com.  For a down loadable brochure click on the Kaprun holiday apartment link

Krimml Waterfalls - Highest waterfalls in Europe

Walking in the Austrian Mountains near Krimml

Krimml Waterfalls  claim to be the highest waterfall in Europe, and allegedly the 5th largest oner in the world, they are located in the splendid Hohe Tauern National Park, about 150 km south west of  Salzburg and directly west from the scenic resort lakeside market  town of Zell am See.  The falls are next to Austrian village of Krimml  of the same name.

Krimml Waterfalls are 380 m high. They are  split up into 3 parts, the first section is 140 metres high, the  middle section is 100m long and the upper section is  a further 140 metres in climb. The total drop is in total  380 metres. The  noise of the roar of falling water can be heard in its immediate vicinity,  and from the path that climb up the west side of the cascade  up a large and picturesque pine forested wooded valley. 

Krimml waterfalls view  from the bottom

Krimml Waterfalls are easily accessible by local train from Zell am See, it is also possible to put bikes on the train up to Krimml station and cycle back down the valley.  

The  waterfalls from  are accessible by paying a small entrance fee of  around 2 Euro. There are facilities, next to the pay point:-  restaurant, toilet and shop.  There is a  good  wide walking track  leading up to the top of Krimml Waterfalls. With plenty of places to stop take in the views and to sit.  After a walk of around half a hour there is an excellent Austrian restaurant / hostelry where its possible to have a meal / hot chocolate or something a little stronger.  Fit walkers may want to walk further  up the mountain trail to the top.  

In 1967  the waterfalls  were nominated by the European Council as an excellent example of conservation of nature,  but for many years  the Krimml waterfalls have been  a popular  tourist holiday destination.  So if you are in the area, it well worth the effort to take in the sights.  On sunny days you are guaranteed to see rainbows a plenty enjoy.

If you are looking for somewhere to stay in the area please consider the option of Kaprun and Austria-holiday-apartment.com. which can sleep from 3 to 9 persons in comfort.

Kaprun apartment rental, lots to see and do in and around the area.