 Poster: A snowHead
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My Wife and I and our 15 month old daughter are going to Zell for a week in June.
Was wondering what the weather will be like at that time of year.
Also has anyone any tips for places to visit or things to do and places for lunch in or around Zell am See.
Thanks in advance.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Chick, There's loads to do, have a look at the Tourist Info website. Lunch on the terrace of the Grand Hotel is always nice if the weather is fine. You could PM Byron Gates, he spends a lot of time there in the Summer.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Tue 17-04-12 21:28; edited 1 time in total
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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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Weather can be blazing hot sun, or cold and rainy. It's the mountains lol. Rain late afternoon/early eve can be common (assuming Zell is like the rest of the Alps).
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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clarky999, That was certainly the case 2 summers ago, but in August - monsoon weather.
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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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Chick, to get the best out of that area worth considering a car but for local trips, and if the weather is kind, hire bikes and seat/buggy - cycle paths everywhere. Your nipper might enjoy the Wildpark and from there you can drive up to the top of the Grossglockner Strasse. If hot enough the pool down by the lakeside in Zell is very nice. Bike the easy paths through to Kaprun in one direction or Saalfelden in the other - nice places to stop for lunch along the way. Take the ski lifts up to the Kitsteinhorn Glacier (Kaprun) and give the nipper a taste of snow and nip off for a slide yourself - I think the Intersport up there will even rent clothing (best check). Take the train to Salzburg. Krimml waterfall is OK but not as spectacular as they make out. A week will fly by.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Chick, Drove to Kaprun with the family in June/July 2007. Weather in our experience tended to be sunny during the early part of day with heavy downpours late afternoon/evening. Head to Saalfelden for the toboggan run, Saalbach to do the Murmil (???) trail (a walk down the hill with loads of things for the kids to do on way down). Personally I thought Krimml was stunning and the waterpark at the foot of it was great fun for the kids too. The park at the toll gate to Grossglocknerstrasse was great fun too. The new spa near Kaprun is supposed to be amazing - my sister and hubbie recently bought a chalet in Zell and have been a few visits.
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Chick, Is it a DIY trip or are you going on a package?
If it is the package there are more interesting optional trips than you will have time to do, Werfen Castle, Krimml, Grossglockner, Hitler's Eagles Nest etc.
If not or you just fancy staying around Zell the main cable car and gondolas will be open on the Schmittenhohe so ride up and wander down at leisure. There a four lidos around the lake with swimming platforms pools and slide as well as umbrellas, hire an electric boat to cruise around the lake yourself, hire bikes and explore further as there are many cycle paths.
Sallbach/Hinterglemm for walking and or mountain biking if thats your thing, if not I wouldn't bother as they are very quiet in summer.
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Narrow gauge train from Zell to Krimml - often pulled by a steam loco. Waterfalls/park once there.
Tandem Paraglide from the top of Schmittenhohe
Montelino Adventure Trail on Kohlmais, Saalbach or Kodok Discovery Trail on Reiterkogl, Hinterglemm. (Your 15-month old daughter might not fully appreciate these, but they are nice walks and are accessible with a buggy). Likewise the walk from Reiterkogl to Rosswaldhutte in Hinterglemm.
Snow/views/morning on the piste - Kitzsteinhorn, Kaprun.
Lots of easy cycling around the lake, and to Kaprun, Maishofen, Saalfelden, Maria Alm. Intersport have hire bikes, as does the shop next to the Sports hall/Ice stadium. Someone will have bike trailers to hire - don't worry about traffic, there are plenty of easy bike trails.
Outdoor street market with buskers and street artists takes place one evening a week....
Then there's Salzburg, Innsbuck, Lienz ....
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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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Thanks for all the info.
We are going on a pakage with crystal so no need to rent a car.
We will probably take in Salzburg for a day and maybe Kitzbuhel the rest we plan to stay around thre Zell area.
Whats it like pushing a buggy up on Schmittenhohe .
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Chick, if you don't have one already, a child carrier back pak thingy (don't know what the official name is  ) would be a good investment. We used one for longer walks for our youngest, who would have been 3 (nearly 4) at the time. Was handy for walking up the Krimml waterfalls and some of the walks around Saalbach and Schmittenhohe. Bear in mind that pretty much every restaurant up the hill will have outdoor toys etc to play with - really is very child friendly. Would highly recommend going to the Panorama Alm above Saalbach - really is a lovely spot to lunch and kids play area etc - stunning.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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We are spending a week in Zell in August with a 5 year old and a 1 year old, so will be taking advantage of all the great info here.
Any tips you pick up in June will be much appreciated Chick!
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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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| Chick wrote: |
| Whats it like pushing a buggy up on Schmittenhohe . |
You are joking, right? That's a 1,200m climb from the lake. Some of the paths are good enough for a buggy to pass, but they're very, very steep. Take the cable car instead.
If the weather's good, the lido is blissful. The places others have mentioned - Krimml, Werfen, Salzburg, the steam train, etc - are all suitable for a young family. Be careful if you're tempted by the Eisriesenwelt (the ice caves at Werfen), as an uncaged toddler could easily take a fatal fall on the approach path. I think that the salt mines near Salzburg would be OK for a toddler, but you might hace trouble getting there without a car.
You absolutely must hire bikes. Cycle maps are available from the tourist office, and the trails in the valley floor are very flat and often completely free of motorised traffic. Spend a lazy afternoon on a pedalo, too - some have built-in slides that your daughter would love unless she's afraid of the water. According to your own tolerance of cold, the lake can be chilly, though, so maybe consider a shorty wetsuit for your daughter.
My favourite restaurant in the area is the Mitterberghof, about 500m above the far side of the lake with some of the most astonishing views that I've ever seen. It's perfect for the classic Austrian dishes like wiener schnitzel and apfelstrudel. It's a very steep bike ride to get up there, but you should be able to haul your daughter up in a trailer.
If you're feeling particularly energetic, get up early and ride up the Hundstein while the family are in bed. It's a pretty classic ride, although it would be nice to have a little more single track. Breakfast at 0900 in the cafe at the top is such an incredible experience that I rode up four mornings in a row last summer.
If you're considering a selfish afternoon without your daughter, try white water rafting, canyoning or parascending. I can recommend Outdo, but I imagine the other outfits are also pretty good.
Zell is such a great place for a summer holiday that we plan to go back for the third year in a row.
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| Jonny Jones wrote: |
| Be careful if you're tempted by the Eisriesenwelt (the ice caves at Werfen), as an uncaged toddler could easily take a fatal fall on the approach path. |
Yep, I did it with my son when he was about 8 and it was tough going and I wouldn't recommend it for kids much younger than that. It is a spectacular place to visit though.
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You know it makes sense.
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Jonny, my question was up on Schmittenhoe as opposed to up the Schmittenhoe so we intend to use the cable car.Our daughter is an early riser so doubt ill get to ride up the Hundstein but sounds great.We only have 6 full days so it will be hard to do everything.
Will def look at hiring some bikes if the weather allows.
Whats the best way to go to Salzburg train or bus?
Jimi, will do a report when we come back.
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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| Chick wrote: |
| Jonny, my question was up on Schmittenhoe as opposed to up the Schmittenhoe so we intend to use the cable car. |
That makes more sense! I was wondering if you were some kind of superhuman althletic megastar. Many of the paths on the Schmittenhohe are passable with a large-wheeled buggy, as much of the top of the mountain is grassy pasture for cattle. The paths aren't paved, though, so a small wheeled buggy would get trapped in ruts and undergrowth.
| Chick wrote: |
| Whats the best way to go to Salzburg train or bus? |
Definitely train. There are several direct services a day.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We are staying in the Tirolerhof.
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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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Chick, That's only about 200 metres from the lakeside and the pool and I seem to remember there's a bike hire place in the same street.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Chick, Tirolerhof is my favourite hotel in the world, you will be very well looked after there.
They do cycle and segway hire from the hotel, they also have their own private lido round the other side of the lake and the minibus will take your round and back although it is also a nice cycle.
The best food on the Schmittenhoehe is the Tirolergrostl in the Hochzelleralm which is just down from the peak on the right hand side as you look up at it, maybe a 300m gravel path to and fro so you will be fine. The paths up and down are mainly gravel chips as there is actually a road up and down, when I say road in wouldn't attempt ti in a non 4wd but it is a gravel surface. A nice walk would be from the top to the restaurant about half way down on the Sonnenalm known as Blaickners. It is also good food and I would recommend you ask for a Hirtenspeise, which is just fantastic! it is steep from that point on so would recommend you download form there on the Sonnenalmbahn (yellow cable car)
Jonny Jones, must be very fit as I would think that cycling up to the Mitterberghof above Thumersbach would be heart attack material. The view and food are well worth it though. They used to do a package trip up there of an evening followed by a meal and a (flaming) torchlit walk back down which was nice.
When exactly in June are you going? This really is something to see
http://www.zellamsee-kaprun.com/en/news-events/events/midsummer-festival_e56335
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Theres also a rather quaint old style fairground if you drive through saalbach. Can't remember the name of it, but it was a little wooden roller coaster and some great slides.
There are self drive roller coasters at kaprun and Saalbach, just remember to allow a big gap between you and the car in front, I got stuck behind my daughter who rode the brake all the way down 
For anyone planning a trip, check out the family deals at the Grand Hotel, they can be really good value and the hotel is great.
For the sailors among us, there is dinghy hire at the end of the lake, wind picks up late afternoon. Can be quite interesting.
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I'm surprised that no one has mentioned that Zell am See is a summer favourite of the arabs.
As part of a little european tour, culminating with a three day visit to Zell in July last year, we stayed in the Tyrolerhof in the town centre. We were immediately struct by the extreme quantities of arabs walking/wandering around the town (Especially on an evening and on the waterfront).
It became a bit of a joke watching the burhkas drifting around. It was like being in a zombie film.
When we got home I did a bit of amateur detective work and saw that there are numerous holiday tours from the arab countries to Austria, where they appear tp target Vienna ans Zell am See.
I concur with all of the excelent comments above, but felt that this needed mentioning. It did make us feal a little uncomfortable.
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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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Poodle Hunter, Hmmm, consider it mentioned then.
Chick, In my experience Zell am See is popular in the summer, including with arab visitors but certainly not in extreme numbers (and would it matter anyway?). The Grand Hotel is a particular favoutie and a few restaurants change their menus from German and Russian to German and Arabic.
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