Key facts at a glance
The Zell am See-Kaprun Summer Card is included in the stay at 262 partner properties and cannot be bought at all, so a hotel with the Summer Card is the normal case rather than a distinguishing feature. Three conditions decide its value: between 15 July and 15 September it is valid on the arrival day only from 3 p.m., and four headline services only from the second day of the stay. The TAUERN SPA is only a bonus partner, giving a discount rather than free entry. And at least one house, the Sport- und Familienresort Alpenblick, ties the card to a direct booking according to its own website.
Transparency notice: this article contains advertising links to Booking.com. If you book through them we receive a small commission — the price stays exactly the same for you.
| Property | Location | Wording of the commitment | Condition | Profile | Best for | Booking.com |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Hotel Zell am See | Zell am See | dedicated Summer Card page, included in the stay | none stated | 4-star superior, private beach | mountain days plus swimming in the lake | Check availability |
| Familotel amiamo | Zell am See | included from the first day | none stated | children's hotel with childcare, private beach | families who will use the cable cars | Check availability |
| SOULSISTERS' Hotel | Kaprun | guests receive it free of charge | none stated | 4-star superior, adults-only spa zone | spa with a mountain programme | Check availability |
| Appartements Hauserbauer | Kaprun | guests receive their Summer Card on arrival | arrival 15 May to 31 Oct | apartments with kitchen, family-run | self-caterers, longer stays | Check availability |
| Sport- und Familienresort Alpenblick | Zell am See | included in the room rate on direct booking | per the hotel, direct booking only | 4-star superior, indoor pool into outdoor pool | active families - subject to the caveat | Check availability |
The Summer Card is included in the stay at 262 properties in the region — you cannot buy it at all. “Hotel with the Summer Card” is therefore not a selection criterion but the normal case. What matters is something else: the conditions under which it applies, and where the booking channel can cost you it.
At a glance: five properties, five needs
Because practically every partner property includes the card, this selection is a curation by need rather than a ranking. One house per case, each with a Summer Card commitment on its own website:
- Right on the lake: Grand Hotel Zell am See — its own peninsula, private beach, card included.
- With children: Familotel amiamo — here the card expressly applies from the first day.
- Spa in Kaprun: SOULSISTERS’ Hotel — the house gives guests the card free of charge.
- Self-catering, affordable: Appartements Hauserbauer in Kaprun — card on arrival within the card period.
- The cautionary case: Sport- und Familienresort Alpenblick — card included, but according to its own website only on direct booking.
What the card covers in 2026 — and what is only discounted
The card runs from 15 May to 31 October 2026, for the whole stay including arrival and departure day. It distinguishes between two kinds of partner, and that difference is the most common misunderstanding: with premium partners the admission is fully included, with bonus partners you get only a discount.
Fully included are, among others, the Schmittenhöhe, Kitzsteinhorn and Maiskogel cable cars, the Kaprun high mountain reservoirs, the boat service on Lake Zell, the three lidos and the indoor pool in Zell am See, several gorges and a series of museums.
Important: the TAUERN SPA in Kaprun is a bonus partner, not a premium partner — there you get a discount, not free entry. The same applies to the Krimml Waterfalls, the Ferleiten wildlife park, the 3K K-onnection at the Kitzsteinhorn and the casino. If your plan counts the thermal spa as a free item, the sums are wrong.
The high-season rule almost no hotel mentions
This is the point that can cost you a whole day of the holiday. Between 15 July and 15 September 2026 the card is valid on the arrival day only from 3 p.m. And four services are usable in that period only from the second day of the stay: the summit ride to the Schmittenhöhe, glacier jets 3 and 4 at the Kitzsteinhorn, the full circuit on the MS Schmittenhöhe, and the Kaprun high mountain reservoirs.
Those are precisely the four things most guests come to the region for — and precisely during the period when most of them come. In practice: do not plan a mountain day for your arrival day in high season, and if you are staying only two nights, you effectively have one day for those four services. Arrive outside that window and the restriction does not apply.
One more detail from the official rules: the valid forms are the digital card in the app and the original plastic card. Photos and screenshots are not accepted. Show the card as an image at the turnstile and you stay put.
1. Grand Hotel Zell am See — card and a private beach
The Grand Hotel stands on its own peninsula in Lake Zell, is classified four-star superior, and keeps a dedicated page for the Summer Card. The private beach is reachable without crossing a road, there is an indoor pool, and the spa has a separate adults-only zone. For a stay that combines cable cars with swimming, this is the most obvious combination.
Important: the summer rate the hotel advertises contains a 15 per cent direct-booking discount, and the base rate is not shown beside it. Book through a portal and you pay more than the figure on the hotel page suggests. With 131 rooms it is also not a quiet house.
Who it suits: guests who will use the card for mountain days and swim in the lake in the evening. More about the property among the luxury hotels of the region.
Check availability2. Familotel amiamo — the card from day one
The amiamo in Zell am See puts it more plainly than any other house: the Zell am See-Kaprun card is included in an amiamo holiday from the first day. It also names the card period from 15 May to 31 October and sets no minimum number of nights. The property is a children’s hotel with childcare, a private beach on Lake Zell, and indoor and outdoor pools.
Important: “from the first day” is the hotel’s commitment, not a suspension of the regional rule. The high-season restriction above — 3 p.m. on the arrival day, four services only from the second day — comes from the region and applies regardless of what the hotel promises. If in doubt, ask how the house handles it for your arrival day.
Who it suits: families who will genuinely use the cable cars. How it compares with the other family properties is in the family hotels of the region.
Check availability3. SOULSISTERS’ Hotel, Kaprun — the card free of charge
The house in Kaprun writes on its own Summer Card page that guests receive the Zell am See-Kaprun Summer Card from them free of charge, and can then use many attractions free or at a substantial discount. It is classified four-star superior, and in the wellness area an adults-only zone is separated from the family section.
Important: despite the name and the adults-only zone this is not an adults-only property — there is a playroom and a playground. And the Kaprun position means short journeys to the Kitzsteinhorn and the reservoirs, but a bus ride to Lake Zell. The house publishes no rates.
Who it suits: spa guests with a mountain programme. Anyone genuinely after a child-free house will find the position on that in adults-only hotels.
Check availability4. Appartements Hauserbauer, Kaprun — the card for self-caterers
At the apartments on Hauserdorfstrasse in Kaprun the commitment is stated plainly: guests arriving between 15 May and 31 October receive their Summer Card from the hosts. The units have a fully equipped kitchen, a balcony with mountain views, a heated ski room and a charging point for electric cars; the business is family-run.
Important: there are two neighbouring businesses under the same owner — the Appartements Hauserbauer at number 23 and the Pension Hauserhof at number 22, with separate phone numbers. Check which one you are booking. And as is usual with holiday flats, the property does not publish the final cleaning charge or the minimum stay; ask for both before you compare a nightly rate with a hotel.
Who it suits: self-caterers and longer stays, where the included cable car rides add up over several days.
Check availability5. Sport- und Familienresort Alpenblick — the case that teaches the lesson
The Alpenblick in Zell am See is classified four-star superior, has an indoor pool that flows into the outdoor pool, and runs a children’s programme from age three. It appears on the region’s official partner list, and it names the Summer Card on its website as an included service.
Important — here is the catch: on its own Summer Card page the house writes that the card is included in the room rate “bei der Direktbuchung” — on direct booking. The region’s partner list, by contrast, states no condition about the booking channel. Both statements stand as written, and from the outside there is no deciding which one governs a portal booking. We therefore do not name the card here as unconditionally included. And in full disclosure: the booking link below this paragraph is a portal link, which is precisely not a direct booking. If the card is what decides it for you, settle it with the house before booking — or book with them directly.
Who it suits: active families with an eye on the budget — subject to the caveat above.
Check availabilityDo not confuse them: three cards that sound alike
The Summer Card is the benefits card with the free admissions. The Guest Mobility Ticket is something else: a ticket for public transport, in use since 1 May 2025, at some properties tied to a small per-night charge. And the free guest card is again not the same thing as the Summer Card.
This is not pedantry. On several hotel pages “guest card” or “Guest Mobility Ticket” appears exactly where guests expect the Summer Card. If a website mentions only “a card with benefits” without naming the Summer Card, that is no evidence of free cable car rides. All the detail on the card itself is in the Summer Card overview.
What to check when booking
Four questions worth settling before you book. First: is the card tied to the booking channel? The Alpenblick is the proof that houses with that condition exist. Second: from which day does it apply in your travel period — does your arrival fall between 15 July and 15 September?
Third: what exactly do you want to use it for? If your plan rests on the thermal spa or the Krimml Waterfalls, you get only a discount there. And fourth: is the card issued digitally or as plastic — and when do you receive it, on arrival or in advance? If you want an early start up the mountain on day one, that should not be something to sort out at the desk.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many hotels in Zell am See-Kaprun include the Summer Card?
The region's official partner list holds 262 properties where the card is included in the stay - hotels, guesthouses, apartments and holiday homes. The card cannot be purchased. The question is therefore not whether a house has it, but under which conditions.
From when is the Summer Card valid on the arrival day?
In principle for the whole stay including arrival and departure day. Between 15 July and 15 September 2026, however, only from 3 p.m. on the arrival day. Four services are usable in that period only from the second day of the stay: the summit ride to the Schmittenhoehe, glacier jets 3 and 4 at the Kitzsteinhorn, the full circuit on the MS Schmittenhoehe, and the Kaprun high mountain reservoirs.
Is the TAUERN SPA free with the Summer Card?
No. The TAUERN SPA is a bonus partner, not a premium partner - there you get a discount, not free entry. The same applies to the Krimml Waterfalls, the Ferleiten wildlife park, the 3K K-onnection and the casino in Zell am See. Fully included are the Schmittenhoehe, Kitzsteinhorn and Maiskogel cable cars, the high mountain reservoirs, the boat service and the lidos.
Do I get the Summer Card if I book through a portal?
Usually yes, but it is not guaranteed. At least one house, the Sport- und Familienresort Alpenblick, states on its own website that the card is included in the room rate on direct booking. The region's partner list names no such condition. If the card matters to your decision, settle it with the house before booking.
Is a photo of the Summer Card enough?
No. The valid forms are the digital card in the app and the original plastic card. Photos and screenshots are not accepted according to the official rules.
