Key facts at a glance
Two trips from Kaprun, two different days. The Mooserboden is water and engineering at 2,040 m: a dam you can walk on, a guided tour inside the mountain, a loop walk around the lake - cheaper, but with a 45-minute approach chain each way and a hard last ascent at 15:30. The Kitzsteinhorn is glacier and altitude: a cable car to 3,029 m in a little over half an hour, more expensive, but faster and more spectacular in settled weather. Both in one day does not fit.
| Mooserboden | Kitzsteinhorn | |
|---|---|---|
| Altitude of the destination | 2,040 m | 3,029 m (Gipfelwelt 3000) |
| Character | reservoir, dam, engineering | glacier, altitude, viewing terraces |
| Ascent | bus, inclined lift, connecting bus - around 45 min each way | cable car - a little over half an hour |
| Adults, return | € 39,50 | € 48,00 |
| Time needed | half to full day, hard last ascent at 15:30 | half a day, more flexible |
| In bad weather | more robust - tour and exhibition are inside the mountain | weaker - the terraces stay grey |
| With children 5-12 | the ascent is the adventure | impressive, but less to do |
Part of our complete guide: Mooserboden & the Kaprun High Alpine Reservoirs at 2,040 m
Both trips start in Kaprun, both cost half a day to a full day, and both take you well above the treeline. They are still two completely different days out. If you only have one of them, it is worth knowing which.
The difference in three lines
The Mooserboden is water and engineering at 2,040 metres: two reservoirs, a 107-metre dam you can walk into, and an approach made of shuttle bus, inclined lift and connecting bus that is part of the experience in its own right.
The Kitzsteinhorn is glacier and altitude: a cable car to the Alpincenter at 2,450 metres and on to the Gipfelwelt 3000 at 3,029 metres, where there is snow in high summer and the view reaches the Grossglockner.
In short: the Mooserboden tells you a story, the Kitzsteinhorn hands you a view.
Water and engineering versus glacier and altitude
At the Mooserboden the destination is something you walk on. You cross the dam crest with turquoise water on one side and a drop on the other, you can be guided through the inside of the wall, and afterwards you can walk the loop around the lake – two to three hours, mostly easy. It is a place where you do something.
At the Kitzsteinhorn the destination is a platform. The Gipfelwelt 3000 gives you viewing terraces, the National Park Gallery tunnel and the highest viewpoint in Salzburg reachable without any mountaineering. There is barely any walking up there – but you are standing at 3,029 metres, and that feels different from 2,040.
With children the logic often runs opposite to what parents expect: the Mooserboden, with its four changes of vehicle, its open inclined lift and its water, regularly beats the glacier for younger children, because something is happening the whole way up.
Time budget and access, honestly calculated
For the Kitzsteinhorn you drive to the valley station car park and step straight into the cable car. From the car park you are at the top in a little over half an hour.
For the Mooserboden you drive only as far as the Kesselfall Alpenhaus. After that the chain takes over: shuttle bus, Lärchwand inclined lift, connecting bus – around 45 minutes each way, plus queueing at the changes in high season. There and back that is an hour and a half of pure transport before you have seen anything at all.
The second and more important difference is the way back. At the Mooserboden the last ascent is considerably earlier than the last descent: arrive at the Kesselfall too late and you will not get up at all. Miss the last descent at the top and you are stranded at 2,040 metres. Plan those times backwards, not forwards. There is more detail in our guide to getting to the Kaprun reservoirs.
What the day costs
The ascent to the Mooserboden is the cheaper of the two – though the guided dam tour is paid for separately and is not part of the ticket.
The Kitzsteinhorn costs more, but there you need no extra ticket for the main attraction.
The most common mistake first-time visitors make
Doing both in one day. On the map the Kesselfall and the Kitzsteinhorn valley station are only a few kilometres apart, and that regularly produces a plan of glacier in the morning, reservoirs in the afternoon. It does not fit: the two ascent chains alone add up to a good three hours, and the last ascent to the Mooserboden is long gone before you are back down from the Kitzsteinhorn.
The second most common mistake is clothing. 2,040 and 3,029 metres both mean windproof jacket, a jumper and sturdy shoes. Step out of the car in a T-shirt and you will be cold at the top – at the Kitzsteinhorn that holds in August too, with 30 degrees down in the valley.
A clear recommendation by group
- First visit, one day, settled weather: Kitzsteinhorn. 3,029 metres and a glacier are the images you come to the Hohe Tauern for.
- With children roughly 5 to 12: Mooserboden. The ascent is an adventure, and at the top there are paths, water and an exhibition rather than a viewing platform.
- Interested in engineering: Mooserboden, without hesitation – and take the dam tour.
- Short on time, deciding on the day: Kitzsteinhorn. Shorter ascent, no four-stage chain, no hard cut-off for the last ride up.
- Very small children or limited mobility: Kitzsteinhorn. The changes of vehicle at the Mooserboden and the windy dam crest are harder work than they look.
If you want to see both
Then take two days, and put the Mooserboden on the day with the better forecast. The reason: at the Kitzsteinhorn you may well be standing above the cloud layer and still get your view; at the Mooserboden you are standing in the cloud and see nothing of the turquoise water.
A good order is Kitzsteinhorn first, Mooserboden second: the glacier day is the more weather-dependent fixed point, and the reservoir day is easier to push back by a day.
And if the weather turns?
With low cloud and rain the Mooserboden is the more robust choice, provided the facility is running at all: the dam tour is inside the mountain, so is the exhibition, and neither needs a long view. At the Kitzsteinhorn a closed cloud layer leaves you the National Park Gallery – but the terraces you came up for will be grey.
Thunderstorms, high winds or maintenance can close either at short notice. Check the operating status with the operator in the morning before you set off – and if both are out, there are ideas for rainy days in Zell am See-Kaprun.
Frequently Asked Questions
Mooserboden or Kitzsteinhorn - which is more worthwhile?
On a first visit with only one day and a good forecast: the Kitzsteinhorn, for the 3,029 metres and the glacier. With children roughly 5 to 12, with an interest in engineering, or with unsettled weather: the Mooserboden, because the dam tour and the exhibition are inside the mountain and work without a long view.
Can you do the Mooserboden and the Kitzsteinhorn in one day?
No. The two ascent chains add up to a good three hours, and the last ascent to the Mooserboden at 15:30 has gone before you are back down from the Kitzsteinhorn. Plan two days and put the Mooserboden on the day with the better forecast.
Which of the two is cheaper?
The ascent to the Mooserboden. It costs adults € 39,50 return against € 48,00 for the Kitzsteinhorn. At the Mooserboden the guided dam tour adds € 12,00 if you want to take it - at the Kitzsteinhorn the main attraction is part of the ticket.
Which trip is better with children?
With children roughly 5 to 12 the Mooserboden usually wins: the ascent by bus, open inclined lift and connecting bus is the adventure in itself, and at the top there are paths, water and an exhibition rather than a viewing platform. With very small children the Kitzsteinhorn is easier - fewer changes, a shorter ascent.
What do you do if the weather is bad?
The Mooserboden is the more robust choice, provided the facility is running: the dam tour and the exhibition are inside the mountain. At the Kitzsteinhorn a closed cloud layer leaves you standing on grey terraces, with only the National Park Gallery still working.
