Planning a summer holiday in Zell am See with children? You have made an excellent choice. Cradled between the turquoise Zeller See and the peaks of the Schmittenh\u00f6he, this Austrian lakeside town is one of those rare places where parents can genuinely relax while the children stay busy from morning to night. Whether your little ones are still toddlers or already teenagers, here are 8 family adventures that make a summer in Zell am See truly unforgettable.<\/p>\n
The Zeller See is the undisputed centrepiece of any family summer. In July and August the water sits at a comfortable 22\u201324 \u00b0C \u2014 warm enough for the youngest to splash about for hours. The Strandbad Zell am See<\/strong> on the western shore is the main public lido, with its own shallow area for toddlers, slides and a grassy sunbathing lawn. Changing rooms, showers and a kiosk are all on site.<\/p>\n Parent tip:<\/strong> in high season, arrive before 10 a.m. to secure a good spot near the shallow area. Paid parking is right by the entrance.<\/p>\n The Zeller See boat service<\/strong> runs round trips across the lake with a stop in Thumersbach on the eastern shore. For children this is a real adventure \u2014 watching the ducks, seeing the mountains mirrored in the water, and arguing over who gets to sit right at the front. At several points along the promenade you can also hire pedal boats and electric boats yourself.<\/p>\n Suitable ages:<\/strong> all ages. Children under 6 often travel free on the scheduled boats.<\/p>\n The Schmittenh\u00f6hebahn<\/strong> carries families up to 1,965 metres in under 15 minutes. At the summit you will find a well-kept terrace restaurant, a nature trail and, in summer, an alpine flower walk. The gondola is modern and comfortable \u2014 with none of the open chairlifts that can frighten children.<\/p>\n Parent tip:<\/strong> dress in layers, as it can be up to 10 \u00b0C cooler at the top. Family tickets are available and considerably cheaper than individual fares.<\/p>\n Several short, well-marked paths lead away from the summit of the Schmittenh\u00f6he and suit families perfectly. Down in the valley, the circular route around the lake is largely flat and pushchair-friendly for roughly 10 km. Children love the feeling of standing right on top of a mountain, and a stop at a mountain hut for a Kaiserschmarrn keeps everyone motivated.<\/p>\n Suitable ages:<\/strong> lakeside circuit from 5\u20136 years. Summit paths from 4 years with proper footwear. Under 4: a child carrier is advisable for the summit.<\/p>\n Just a 10-minute drive from Zell am See, the Kaprun high mountain reservoirs<\/strong> are a huge hit with children. Buses and funiculars take you up through a tunnel inside the mountain to the Mooserboden and Wasserfallboden reservoirs<\/strong> at around 2,000 metres. The scale of the dam walls is enormous \u2014 children find them impressively vast \u2014 and the brilliant blue glacial water is a completely new sight for most of them.<\/p>\n Parent tip:<\/strong> the trip includes a steep funicular inside the mountain, a real highlight for most children. Warm jackets are essential. Allow half a day.<\/p>\n The flat promenade along the shores of the Zeller See is ideal for family bike rides. Rental shops in town hire out children’s bikes, tow bars and trailer bikes for the smallest riders. The path is separated from traffic along most sections, and plenty of caf\u00e9s along the way invite you to stop.<\/p>\n Suitable ages:<\/strong> trailer bikes from about 3\u20134 years; independent cycling from 6 years on the flat lakeside sections.<\/p>\n The Zell am See\u2013Kaprun region offers a strong choice of family-friendly adventure activities in summer. The Kitzsteinhorn glacier area<\/strong> near Kaprun has climbing courses, ziplines and outdoor play elements. In Zell am See itself, the surrounding hills hold forest discovery trails and flying-fox installations for school-age children. Equipment and safety gear are provided on site.<\/p>\n Suitable ages:<\/strong> most climbing courses have a minimum age of around 6 years. Check the operators’ websites before you visit.<\/p>\n Right beside the main bathing beach on the shore of the Zeller See there are dedicated playgrounds, perfectly suited to toddlers and pre-schoolers. The equipment is well maintained, and being so close to the water you can move effortlessly between splashing, playground and picnic without covering any distance. The town centre is an easy walk from most centrally located accommodation.<\/p>\n Parent tip:<\/strong> in the pedestrian zone you will find bakeries and supermarkets where you can stock up on picnic supplies cheaply. That way the snack stands by the lake stay a special treat.<\/p>\n Summer runs from late June to early September, with July and August the peak season. Book your accommodation at least two to three months ahead if you are travelling during the school holidays. Many hotels offer the Zell am See-Kaprun Summer Card<\/strong>, which includes free or reduced entry to mountain railways, boats and many attractions \u2014 a genuinely excellent deal for families.<\/p>\n Zell am See hits a note that few destinations manage: beautiful enough for adults, and at the same time packed with real activities that keep children of every age enthralled from early morning to late evening. Browse our guide to the best things to do in Zell am See<\/a> and our complete summer guide<\/a> to start planning your family programme.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Planning a summer holiday in Zell am See with children? You have made an excellent choice. Cradled between the turquoise Zeller See and the peaks of the Schmittenh\u00f6he, this Austrian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[117,251,110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27595","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kids-en","category-sommer-en","category-zell-am-see-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27595","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27595"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27595\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27595"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27595"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27595"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}2. Boat trips on the lake<\/h2>\n
3. The Schmittenh\u00f6hebahn \u2014 big views, happy children<\/h2>\n
4. Easy walks for children around Zell am See<\/h2>\n
5. Kaprun \u2014 the high mountain reservoirs<\/h2>\n
6. Cycling along the lakeshore<\/h2>\n
7. Adventure parks and outdoor action<\/h2>\n
8. The playgrounds by the beach<\/h2>\n
How to plan your family summer in Zell am See<\/h2>\n
Ready to plan your family adventure?<\/h2>\n