December in Zell am See-Kaprun is a month with two clearly separated halves. The first is quiet, atmospheric and comparatively inexpensive: Christmas markets, first ski days, little bustle. The second is the most expensive and busiest phase of the entire year. Knowing where the dividing line falls lets you book two very different holidays.<\/p>\n
On average, valley highs sit around 2 degrees with nights near minus 5. The days are the shortest of the year, with darkness falling around 16:15. Snow in the valley is possible in December but not guaranteed. Reliably wintry conditions are found at altitude: on the Schmittenh\u00f6he<\/a> and above all on the Kitzsteinhorn<\/a> up to 3,029 metres.<\/p>\n The Advent season is one of the loveliest times to get to know the region. Zell am See holds its Advent market in the village centre near the lake promenade, and Kaprun has its own, smaller market. The combination of snow-covered mountain backdrop, lake and market lighting is why many guests travel specifically for it.<\/p>\n The advantage of these weeks: prices are well below those of the Christmas period, the villages are pleasantly full rather than overcrowded, and the ski areas are already coming into operation. If you want the Christmas atmosphere without paying Christmas rates, this is the best window. More on saving in visiting on a budget<\/a>. Exact market dates change annually, so check the events calendar.<\/p>\n During December the Schmittenh\u00f6he and Maiskogel take up ski operation, while the Kitzsteinhorn has been running since autumn. It can take several weeks before every installation is open, depending on snow. If you come in early December, factor that in and treat the glacier as the safe option. Orientation is in the ski guide<\/a>, the Kaprun piste guide<\/a> and, for pass choice, the Ski ALPIN CARD<\/a> and ski pass prices.<\/p>\n From roughly 20 December until early January, peak season applies in the strongest sense. Accommodation is usually booked out long in advance and costs a multiple of the low season, restaurants require reservations, and the slopes are full. If you come at this time, book early and plan the day accordingly: early lift starts, reserved tables, a buffer for parking, see parking in Zell am See.<\/p>\n The first half suits couples, Advent travellers and skiers who value quiet and fair prices. The second half suits families tied to school holidays who want the classic Christmas atmosphere in the snow, with the budget to match. The wider frame is in the winter guide<\/a>, and the sequel in the new year is Zell am See in January<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" December brings Christmas markets, the start of the ski season and the most expensive weeks of the year at Christmas. What opens when, and how to plan the month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2356,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[252,110],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-winter-erleben-en","category-zell-am-see-en"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32818","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=32818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32818\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2356"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/zellamseekaprun.at\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Advent: the quiet first half<\/h2>\n
The start of the season<\/h2>\n
Christmas and New Year<\/h2>\n
Away from the slopes<\/h2>\n
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Who December suits<\/h2>\n