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Zell am See with Kids

Zell am See is a small town squeezed between a lake and the Schmittenhöhe, which is an unusual combination: the cable cars start at the edge of town and the bathing lido is a walk from the centre, so a summer day can hold a gondola ride and a swim without moving the car. Kaprun next door adds the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, which keeps snow when the valley resorts have none, and two of the best day trips in the Alps — the Krimml Waterfalls and the Grossglockner road — are each about an hour away. The trade-offs are that the town is busy and the main road and railway run along part of the lake, so a lakeside room is not automatically a quiet one, and that it closes down hard between seasons.

Best for ages
3+
Suggested stay
4–7 days
Best months
Jan–Mar, Jun–Sep, Dec
Daily budget
€240

Mid-range, family of four

Why Zell am See works with children

  • Swim and ride a gondola on the same day

    The lakefront lido and the Schmittenhöhe cable cars are minutes apart at the edge of town.

  • Snow that turns up in any winter

    The Kitzsteinhorn glacier above Kaprun holds cover when the valley slopes are thin.

  • A summer card that covers the lifts

    The regional card, included with many hotels, covers cable cars, the lake boat and the pools.

  • Two landmark day trips from one base

    The Krimml Waterfalls and the Grossglockner high road are each roughly an hour away.

Where to stay

Best areas in Zell am See for families

3 areas cover most trips here; the difference is mainly walking to everything versus glacier days and a calmer base.

  • Zell am See centre & lakefront

    Best for walking to everything

    The pedestrian old town, the lido, the station and the cable car are all within walking distance, at the highest prices.

  • Schüttdorf & the south shore

    Best for value with the lake path

    Quieter apartments and family hotels, a flat lakeside path into town and frequent local buses.

  • Kaprun

    Best for glacier days and a calmer base

    A valley village about eight kilometres away at the foot of the glacier lift, with the area's big indoor water park.

Family hotel picks in Zell am See

  • Zell am See — lakeside family hotels with half board
    Zell am See centre / SchüttdorfMid-range

    Zell am See — lakeside family hotels with half board

    Half board, an indoor pool and the regional lift card in one booking is the combination that makes an alpine week with children work in any weather, and the flat lake path means the lido is reachable without the car.

    • Half board with an early children's sitting
    • Indoor pool for the wet afternoon that will happen
    • Summer or winter guest card frequently included
    • Flat lakeside path into the pedestrian centre

    Fitting a family in

    Family rooms, suites and interconnecting doubles are the standard product; four is straightforward, five needs asking about directly.

    Watch out. The main road and the railway run along parts of the lake, so a lake-view room can equally be a road-noise room — check which side it faces. Most properties close between seasons, roughly April to mid-June and October to early December.

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  • Kaprun — valley apartments
    KaprunMid-range

    Kaprun — valley apartments

    Eight kilometres from Zell, noticeably cheaper and much calmer, at the foot of the glacier lift and beside the valley's indoor water park, with a kitchen for the evenings.

    • At the base of the glacier lift, so ski and snow days start on foot
    • Short walk or bus to the valley's indoor water park
    • Kitchen and separate bedrooms

    Fitting a family in

    Two- and three-bedroom apartments sleeping four to six are the common local product, usually with a sofa bed counted in that number.

    Watch out. Kaprun is quiet in the evening and the lake is a bus ride or a drive away, which makes it the wrong base if swimming rather than the mountain is the point of the week.

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Things to do in Zell am See with kids

  • Schmittenhöhe cable cars
    Nature

    Schmittenhöhe cable cars

    Zell am See

    Several cable cars climb from the edge of Zell am See to the Schmittenhöhe ridge at just under 2,000 m, opening marked family walking trails, playgrounds, viewpoints and mountain huts above the lake.

    Ages
    2–16
    Time
    5h
    Adult, from
    €35

    Good to know. The ridge is markedly colder and more exposed than the lakeshore, so warm layers go up even on a hot day. Lifts stop in high wind and thunderstorms, and only some of them run in the gaps between the summer and winter seasons.

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  • Krimml Waterfalls
    Nature

    Krimml Waterfalls

    Zell am See

    The Krimmler Ache drops around 380 m in three stages, with a path switchbacking up through the forest alongside it and viewing platforms placed at each level.

    Ages
    4–16
    Time
    4h
    Adult, from
    €8

    Good to know. Reaching the top is roughly 4 km of continuous climb on gravel, about an hour and a half up, and not a pushchair route above the first platforms. Spray keeps the platforms and railings wet and slippery. The lowest viewpoints are ten to fifteen minutes in and are the ones most families actually need.

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  • Grossglockner High Alpine Road
    Nature

    Grossglockner High Alpine Road

    Zell am See

    A 48 km toll road over the Hochtor pass at 2,504 m, with 36 hairpin bends and a spur out to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe viewpoint facing the Pasterze glacier and Austria's highest summit.

    Ages
    6–16
    Time
    7h
    Adult, from
    €40

    Good to know. A full day and a genuinely winding drive — the hairpins bring on travel sickness in children who never normally get it. The road is closed by snow for roughly half the year and gated overnight in season, and the high points can sit inside cloud on a clear valley day. The toll is charged per car rather than per person.

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Getting around Zell am See

The town itself is walkable and local buses are usually free with the guest card, so a car is optional for a week based here. Zell am See is on the Salzburg–Innsbruck rail line, and a narrow-gauge local railway runs up the valley towards Krimml, which turns the waterfall trip into an outing rather than a drive. A car is what you want for the Grossglockner road, and that road is tolled separately.

Zell am See tips for families

  • Money & costs

    Check whether the summer or ski card is included

    Many hotels here bundle the regional card covering cable cars, the lake boat and the pools. For a family it is worth more than the nightly rate difference between two otherwise similar properties.

  • Getting around

    The narrow-gauge train is a day out in itself

    A local railway runs up the valley from Zell am See towards Krimml. It is slower than driving and that is rather the point — the journey does some of the entertaining, and nobody is navigating.

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  • With kids

    The lake is swimmable, not tropical

    The Zeller See reaches the low twenties in high summer, which is warm enough for children to stay in for a while. In June it is still a mountain lake and feels like one.

  • When to go

    The town shuts between seasons

    Through much of April to mid-June and October to early December, lifts stop, hotels close and the lake is cold. There is no quiet-season bargain here, only a closed one.

Zell am See with kids: common questions

Can you swim in the lake at Zell am See?
Yes. The Zeller See reaches the low twenties in July and August and the town lido has shallow roped areas, lawns and slides. Earlier in the summer it is cold enough that most children last minutes rather than hours.
Is Zell am See worth it in summer as well as winter?
Very much so, and for families arguably more. The lifts run to walking trails and playgrounds, the lake is swimmable, the glacier stays open and prices are well below the ski season.
How hard is the walk at the Krimml Waterfalls?
The lowest viewing platforms are ten to fifteen minutes from the entrance and suit any age. Reaching the top is about 4 km of continuous climb on gravel, roughly an hour and a half up, which is a different proposition with young children.
Is the Grossglockner road a good day out with children?
It is spectacular and it is a long, winding day — 36 hairpins in each direction brings on travel sickness in children who never normally suffer. It also only opens for the summer half of the year and can sit in cloud when the valley is clear.

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