 Poster: A snowHead
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@ribblevalleyblue, Tatmantours should pay commission 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@radar, Wow, cool. Heated lifts sounds lovely! Thanks for the heads up about bringing cash.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Motherofthree wrote: |
| @radar, I see, that explains why you are so knowledgeable about this area! Thanks for the tip about the Salzburg Verkehr app, have downloaded it now. It's great that there is a local bus, Regionalbus 260, that goes from Salzburg airport to Maishofen and the surrounding ski resorts. It doesn't go very often though, so we will need to hang around a bit at the airport and in Maishofen (perhaps in Cafe Karin - thanks for the recommendation) on the arrival and departure days. It's great that it's possible to get around the whole area on the buses. I get the impression that it's more affordable to buy food and drinks on the slopes in Saalbach and Zell am See, compared with in the big resorts in France and Switzerland, so perhaps picnic rooms aren't as needed here. Would you say this is true? Happy to receive any recommendations for affordable and good places to have lunch on the slopes in Saalbach and Schmitten/Zell am See. |
You could also get a train to zell am see & the bus to Maishof
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@Motherofthree,
@radar, Wow, cool. Heated lifts sounds lovely! Thanks for the heads up about bringing cash
Can’t speak for Zell as not been (we are contemplating going over this year now link is open, but didn’t last) but the lifts in Saalbach and Hinterglemm are amazing, they invest so much money.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Gored, @Motherofthree, you could get the train and get off at Maishofen and take a taxis to the hotel
Motherofthree the bus app will give you train options too, you take a bus to Salzburg Hbf then the train
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Motherofthree,
From the guru of Saalbach
@tatmanstours,
Need some help on picnic areas in the Ski Circus its roof @Motherofthree,
"Another thing I would like to know if there are picnic places on the mountain in Saalbach and Zell am See? I mean warm places indoors where you can eat your own food."
The only one I could think of was the one mentioned by ribblevalleyblue: at the bottom of the Sportbahn at Leogang. But that’s being totally refurbished for this season, so who knows?
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| radar wrote: |
@Gored, @Motherofthree, you could get the train and get off at Maishofen and take a taxis to the hotel
Motherofthree the bus app will give you train options too, you take a bus to Salzburg Hbf then the train |
Thanks for the info, the problem is just that Salzburg Hbf is 2.7 miles from Salzburg airport, so taking the train to Maishofen would first require a bus ride from Salzburg airport to Salzburg Hbf, followed by a train ride to Maishofen station and then a taxi ride to Hotel Victoria in Maishofen. This sounds a bit complicated and costly to me as there are five of us, so we would prefer to take the 260 bus from Salzburg airport to Maishofen, if it still runs in February 2023. At the moment it looks like it's not running then for some reason. I also came across a transfer company called getbytransfer, they do private transfer from Salzburg airport to Zell am See (and perhaps Maishofen too) for €137 each way for up to 8 passengers in a minibus. It sounds very convenient, but it's obviously more expensive than the 260 bus that costs €13.50 and is half price for children.
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@Motherofthree,
Always worth having a backup plan. While feb is not out yet, it was mentioned the timetables do not change. So you could try an earlier date to see the bus times & how they lineup with your flights. I know my BA flight does not have much wiggle room!
Private transfer is still cheaper than hiring a car! + you could get transfer for outbound & bus for return yourney.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Gored, Yes, indeed. Taking the 260 bus between Salzburg airport and Maishofen will require quite a lot of waiting around for us, but thankfully our flights to Salzburg are in the morning and the flights back to Gatwick are in the afternoon, so we will have plenty of time to do the transfer, whichever mode of transport we choose. Good idea to take a private transfer one way and the bus the other way, hadn't thought of that.
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@Motherofthree, the 260 bus timetables don’t change from one year to the next, the new timetable comes into effect on 5 December, not sure when they switch it on in the app or route planner.
Anyone doing a transfer to Zell will do your hotel as they would go past it.
Agree with the train option , we will be doing the Austrian transfer shuttle one way and the 680/260 the other.
Before you comit to any transfer, get a firm quote from them as the increase in fuel cost is going to affect the taxi companies.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Assuming that the #260 timetable does not change, the departures from Salzburg Airport on Saturdays are at 08.49, 12.49 and 16.49.
The bus goes right past the front door of the Hotel Victoria, and as there is a bus stop in Atzing (the stop after the one for the connection to Saalbach) then there cannot be more than 100m from this bus stop to the hotel.
For the 608 bus up the valley up to Saalbach you will need to cross the busy B311 road - which is not something you want to be attempting with kids in tow. Instead, walk back to the crossroads past the petrol station (300m) and walk to the bridge by Transgourmet. The 680 bus stops are under the bridge (remember to wait at the one furthest away from the Victoria / closest to the Transgourmet building for Saalbach). If you are picking up skis from Big Time, the bus stop in the village is almost right outside the shop.
"Getbytransfer" is a consolidator site based in Croatia - if they are offering a Salzburg-Zell transfer for €137 then they are seriously undercutting everyone else (or else the offer sounds - ahem - too good to be true...)
The train "station" at Maishofen is just a small platform halt - not many trains stop there and there is no taxi rank. If you do consider the train, it is better to go on to Zell am See and get a taxi from there. The 260 and 680 buses also stop opposite Zell station.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Actually - ignore the bit about catching the 680 bus from under the bridge (and the problems with crossing the busy road). Checking on the google landscape view there is an underpass under the B311 just 50m from the Victoria (turn right out of the hotel) so you can cross the road there and the bus stop for the 680 to Saalbach (and the 260 back to Salzburg) is there on your right as you come out of the underpass.
The bus stop for the 260 from Salzburg or the 680 from Saalbach is two houses down from the Victoria, so only about 50m. If you look at the landscape view on google, it is the lay-by with the "H" painted on it (Haltestelle = bus stop)
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@radar, Thanks, perhaps I will be able to see the timetable for February after 5th December then for bus 260. That's good to know that any transfer to Zell will go past Maishofen. We are more inclined to take the 260 bus (and spend a few hours waiting around both on the day of arrival and departure), or taking the local bus to Zell and then the train to Salzburg, followed by the bus to Salzburg airport, than taking a private transfer, due to the cost.
Last edited by So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much  on Fri 4-11-22 22:24; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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@quinton, Thanks for your useful information. Do you know if there is a bus from Big Time ski hire shop to Hotel Victoria that we can take when we have collected the ski equipment? I have a feeling it might be a bit too far to walk with ski equipment.
I found the "getbytransfer" shuttle service online, no idea how good they are. Didn't realise €137 each way is a good price! It's good to know that it's better to get off in Zell if taking the train from Salzburg. I have seen that it would be too far a walk from the train station in Maishofen to Hotel Victoria with suitcases. How much approximately is a taxi for 5 people from Zell train station to Maishofen? We would also be happy to take a local bus from Zell train station to the hotel.
Sounds great that the nearest bus stop to Hotel Victoria is so close. It says on the hotel website that it is "in front of the hotel" and on Sunweb's website it says 100 m away.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@Motherofthree, agree with you on the 260, at the airport there are two restaurants upstairs as well as a coffee shop and cafeteria on the arrivals level, the ones upstairs have a view of the runway
To go to Big Time you could take the 680 heading into Maishofen, it goes from Zell to Maishofen station then up to Saalbach,
It’s the 680 bus from Zell to the Hotel Victoria, check with the hotel which is the best bus stop.
As @quinton, mentioned I would be weary of consolidator’s.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| quinton wrote: |
Assuming that the #260 timetable does not change, the departures from Salzburg Airport on Saturdays are at 08.49, 12.49 and 16.49.
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Thanks
BA Heathrow flight lands at 15.30
Hopefully that is plenty of time to catch the last bus!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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The bus stops "in front" of the Hotel Victoria are literally 2 houses / 50m away on the main road. If you go on to Google Maps and select the arial view, you can see them as lay-bys painted with a letter H.
The bus to Big Time is the #680 Saalbach-Hinterglemm postbus which runs every hour - catch it on the opposite side of the road to the Victoria. Or you could walk there in about 15 minutes if you needed to stretch your legs. Cross under the road, turn left and walk along the footpath as far as the castle and crossroads, then turn right into Maishofen village. It is too far to walk back with ski gear - either spend about €15 on a cab, get the 680 bus back towards Zell am See - or perhaps ask if the shop has a shuttle service for guests (many offer this service).
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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@radar, Thanks, good to know there are places to eat at arrivals in Salzburg airport!
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@quinton, Thanks for your tips, I will ask Big Time if they are able to shuttle the ski equipment back to Hotel Victoria. They did say they could deliver it to the hotel, but I think it's best for us to try it out in the shop first, as I'm not 100 % sure of my childrens' shoe sizes.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Shops offering a shuttle service usually take you and your ski equipment back to the hotel in the same minibus. Some will even pick you up from the hotel beforehand (or will pay for your taxi). I don't know if Big Time do this.
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@quinton, Just got a reply from Big Time and they have agreed to take us plus the ski equipment back to the hotel after we have collected it from the shop and to pick it up from the hotel at the end of our stay. Great service!
Last edited by You'll need to Register first of course. on Mon 7-11-22 15:35; edited 1 time in total
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i think also : stay at Saalbach ... there is no need to try Zell am See....the only nice is the view of the lake when it is frozen. Otherwise Saalbach is much much better for skiing...
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@turms2, Really. We will try both areas, but will start with Saalbach as I've heard the slopes are a bit gentler there...
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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saalbach area is huge....you cant spend easy a week only there.... (i mean with hinterglemm und leogang)
for me its in the top5 in Austria.
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| Motherofthree wrote: |
| @turms2, Really. We will try both areas, but will start with Saalbach as I've heard the slopes are a bit gentler there... |
If you do decide to go to Zell and want gentler slopes I'd stick to the left side of the mountain as you look at the piste map (blues are 1,2,3 and 3a) and take the lift down at the end of the day. The run back into the town is not the friendliest.
I'm not sure the skiing is automatically gentler is Saalbach but there is more choice so I guess you have a wider range of runs to get to the same place so can avoid the steeper ones.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@TomBH, Thanks for the tip to ski the left side of the mountain in Zell. As long as we can get back to Postplatz/the bottom of the CityXpress lift that's great, as we need to catch the ski bus back to our hotel from this place.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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@turms2, Sounds good. We prefer blue ski runs and I have seen there are plenty of those in the Saalbach area, which suits us.
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The left side of the mountain in Zell is the area above the Areitbahn and is where the easier pistes are. If skiing there it is easiest to get down to the Areitbahn base station (rather than the bottom of CityXpress) from where you can take the little red train back to Zell am See. There is a platform across the road from the Areitbahn - just walk under the underpass and follow the signs), the train is included in your lift ticket and runs every 30 minutes. The 680 bus to Maishofen stops opposite Zell railway station but only runs hourly - if you need to get back quicker or everyone is tired, just take a cab from the station.
To get to the Areitbahn lift, just do the journey in reverse - bus to Zell station, then the little train to the Areitbahn halt. There are also buses, but these are not as frequent as the train and are usually packed with people going on to Kitzsteinhorn.
[But I agree with the others - there is more, and better, skiing at Saalbach and then on to Hinterglem or Leogang]
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You know it makes sense.
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| quinton wrote: |
The left side of the mountain in Zell is the area above the Areitbahn and is where the easier pistes are. If skiing there it is easiest to get down to the Areitbahn base station (rather than the bottom of CityXpress) from where you can take the little red train back to Zell am See. There is a platform across the road from the Areitbahn - just walk under the underpass and follow the signs), the train is included in your lift ticket and runs every 30 minutes. The 680 bus to Maishofen stops opposite Zell railway station but only runs hourly - if you need to get back quicker or everyone is tired, just take a cab from the station.
To get to the Areitbahn lift, just do the journey in reverse - bus to Zell station, then the little train to the Areitbahn halt. There are also buses, but these are not as frequent as the train and are usually packed with people going on to Kitzsteinhorn.
[But I agree with the others - there is more, and better, skiing at Saalbach and then on to Hinterglem or Leogang] |
I’d beg to differ and would say that it’s much quicker and easier to get to the top of the blue runs on the Schmittenhohe (Zell mountain) via the City Xpress than via the Areitbahn, if coming from Maishofen, and doesn’t require changing onto a train or another bus (660).
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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@quinton, Thanks for the info, very useful to know about the little train line between Areitbahn base station to Zell am See and that it's free for lift pass holders. How easy/difficult is it to grab a taxi for 5 people and ski equipment from Zell railway station?
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Poster: A snowHead
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@Austrian Seagull, Thanks, I can see there are several blue runs from the top of Schmittenhöhe to the bottom of the CityXpress lift. This area, plus the one next to Areitbahn II and III, looks great.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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All taxis are minibus taxis with racks on the back for skis. There is always a long line of taxis queued up at Zell am See station.
Re: the Areit area. The lower half of the piste back down to the base station can get very busy and cut up in the afternoon, so consider riding down in the gondola if legs and kids are tired.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I’m guessing at least €20 for a taxi from Zell to Maishofen, but probably worthwhile if you’ve just missed a 680 bus.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@quinton, Thanks for the info, sounds great. I can see that the slopes by the lowest gondola, the AreitXpress, are red, so we would be taking the gondola down this part of the slope.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@Austrian Seagull, Thanks, good to know. Yes and we could also take a taxi when arriving from Salzburg airport if we don`t take the 260 bus for whatever reason. Good to know too that all taxis are of a minibus size, they should be big enough for 5 people then plus suitcases.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Austrian Seagull, I agree that it is probably easier to get to the top of Schmitten from the CityXpress. I just added the Areitbahn/train option in case the OP finds themselves in that area at the end of the day.
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There is a third option to access the top of the blue runs at Zell and that is to catch the number 71 ski bus from Zell Postplatz to the bottom of the TrassXpress and Scmittenhöhenbahn ski lifts. Then it’s just one lift ride right to the top of the blue runs. If the bus timings coincide, this would be the quickest way to the top. However, skiing back down to this valley station at the end of the day would require skiing black runs, so you’d want to download on the lifts, or ski down via the CityXpress or Areitbahn routes.
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@Austrian Seagull, Good to know there is this option too. We are most likely to access the top of Schmitten via the ZellamseeXpress though, as we will be staying in Maishofen. Do you know if it's possible to ski from the top of this lift to the bottom of the Kettingbahn chair lift? I can't work it out from looking at the piste map.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Motherofthree, Just for clarification, Viehhofen and Zell are about equidistant from your hotel, so I wouldn’t discount accessing the Schmittenhohe via Zell, or returning that way.
The short answer to your question regarding getting to the bottom of the Kettingbahn from the top of the ZellamseeXpress is yes, but this would be via a steep black run or via a very circuitous blue route. Instead, you’d want to take blue 10 and then blue 9a to the bottom of the Kapellenbahn. This chairlift will take you to the very top of the Schmittenhohe, at the start of blue 1.
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@Austrian Seagull, Thanks for the info, that's good to know that Zell and Viehhofen are at the same distance from our hotel. Thanks also for pointing us in the right direction for how to get to the top of the Schmittenhöhe from the top of the ZellamseeXpress gondola! When I zoom in the piste map I can indeed see that the blue slopes number 10 and 9a go towards the bottom of Kapellenbahn, although at first sight it looks like they are going the other way lol.
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FAQ
