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Austria · Family · 8 days

Family: Lakes and Mountains

Warm lakes for splashing, a glacier with snow in July and a mine with slides: the family route for children aged four to twelve, with only two moves and hotels with pools.

The route, day by day

  1. Day 1 to 3

    Klagenfurt and Lake Wörthersee: Pyramidenkogel, Minimundus and Bathing Jetty

    The journey out is the longest day, 620 kilometres from Zurich on the A13, over the Arlberg, Innsbruck, the Felbertauern tunnel with a toll of around CHF 13 (about EUR 14), Lienz and the Drautal to Klagenfurt, seven and a half to eight hours with two breaks. With small children, split the drive with a night in Lienz, or take the Nightjet from Zurich to Villach, arriving at 7 am, and hire a car there. On Lake Wörthersee the first two afternoons are for the jetty: the Strandbad Klagenfurt has shallow water and slides, and the lake is 24 degrees in July. Day two: Minimundus with 150 miniature buildings and reptile zoo, cheaper with the Kärnten Card. Day three: the Pyramidenkogel, a 100-metre wooden tower with Europe's tallest building slide, 120 metres in 20 seconds, then the boat to Maria Wörth. You sleep in a family hotel with pool and own bathing spot on the eastern shore near Krumpendorf or in Klagenfurt. On to Zell am See: 200 kilometres on the A2 and A10 through the Katschberg and Tauern tunnels, special toll around CHF 15, to Bischofshofen and the B311, two and a half hours, three with a stop.

    Tours at this stop: Pyramidenkogel tower and slide ↗Minimundus Klagenfurt ↗Lake Wörthersee boat trip ↗

    Open the Klagenfurt and Wörthersee travel guide →

  2. Day 4 to 6

    Zell am See: Kitzsteinhorn, Summer Toboggan Run and Lake Zell

    Three nights, because the Zell am See-Kaprun summer card makes cable cars, boat, lido and buses free from the first night, and because children need a pool day after a move. Day four: the Schmittenhöhe with Schmidolins Feuerstuhl, a children's trail with play stations, and the lido on Lake Zell in the afternoon, 22 degrees. Day five is glacier day: the Kitzsteinhorn from Kaprun in three lifts up to 3,029 metres, snow in July, the Ice Arena with slides and a snow bar, warm jackets needed, plus Gipfelwelt 3000 with its panorama platform. Day six: the Sigmund-Thun-Klamm in Kaprun on wooden walkways, then the summer toboggan run on the Maiskogel or, in rain, the Tauern Spa water world in Kaprun, open to children from four. If you travel without children under ten, take the Grossglockner-Hochalpenstrasse to the Kaiser-Franz-Josefs-Höhe with its marmots instead, toll around CHF 45 (about EUR 48), one day. You sleep in a family hotel with pool and half board in Kaprun or Zell. On to Salzburg: 90 kilometres on the B311 and A10, an hour and a half, two to four with a stop in Hallein.

    Tours at this stop: Kitzsteinhorn Gipfelwelt 3000 ↗Sigmund-Thun-Klamm Kaprun ↗

    Open the Zell am See and Kaprun travel guide →

  3. Day 7 to 8

    Salzburg: Hallein Salt Mine, Haus der Natur and the Drive Home

    Hallein lies on the way to Salzburg, and the Dürrnberg salt mine is the best stop for children in Austria: a mine train into the mountain, two wooden slides, a raft across the salt lake, miners' overalls included, 90 minutes, children from four, family ticket around CHF 70 (about EUR 75). Then into the city, car into the hotel garage. Day seven: Hohensalzburg Fortress by funicular, the marionette museum at the top, then the Haus der Natur with its aquarium, dinosaurs and the Science Center, where children stay glued to the experiments for two hours. Day eight morning: Hellbrunn Palace with the trick fountains, where the guide sprays the visitors and children love it, and the zoo next door, then the drive home. You sleep in a family hotel or apartment in the Nonntal district or near Hellbrunn, with a trolleybus connection, family room CHF 180 to 250. Return to Zurich: 530 kilometres on the A8 to Munich, the A96 to Lindau and the A1 to Zurich, five and a half hours of pure driving, seven with children and a playground break at the Chiemsee. You still have the Austrian vignette, and Germany is free.

    Tours at this stop: Salzwelten Hallein ↗Haus der Natur Salzburg ↗Hellbrunn Palace trick fountains ↗

    Open the Salzburg travel guide →

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What the route costs

Rough total per person for the whole route, mid-range, travelling as a pair. Flights and hotels vary by season; details are on the destination pages.

  • Getting there 182 EUR
  • Accommodation 712 EUR
  • Food 428 EUR
  • Local mobility 193 EUR
1,514 EUR
Total per person · 8 days

Money & payment: You pay in euros (EUR). Cards work almost everywhere; mountain huts and sausage stands often want cash. Tipping is expected: 5 to 10 percent, by naming the rounded total when you pay. In ski resorts a visitor tax of EUR 2 to 4 per night is added to the hotel price.

Rental car for this route

A rental comparison link will follow once the partner programme is live. Until then, compare directly with the rental companies or at your arrival airport.

Tips for the route

Reverse the order if you would rather have the long drive at the end: then you start in Salzburg, five and a half hours from Zurich, and finish on Lake Wörthersee, where the children swim once more before the drive home. The return from Klagenfurt is long at 620 kilometres, but manageable with a night in Lienz or on the Nightjet from Villach to Zurich, returning the car in Villach.

Hotels with pools: on Lake Wörthersee and in Zell am See there are family hotels with childcare, an indoor pool and half board, where children up to six often sleep free in their parents' room and up to twelve pay half. Book six months ahead, as the good places go early for July and August. Apartments with a kitchen are cheaper, but then you organise breakfast and dinner yourself.

Children in the car: the journey out is long at seven to eight hours, so leave before 7 am, stop every two hours at a service area with a playground, and have snacks and audiobooks ready. Child seats are compulsory in Austria up to 135 centimetres. The legs between the stops are under three hours, which any child can manage. The High Alpine Road with its hairpins is not for children prone to travel sickness.

Vignette, tolls and summer card: the digital ten-day vignette costs around CHF 12 (about EUR 13), the Felbertauern tunnel around CHF 13, the Tauern motorway between Spittal and Golling around CHF 15, the High Alpine Road around CHF 45 per car. In return, all cable cars and the boat in Zell am See are free with the summer card, and the Kärnten Card for around CHF 50 per adult and CHF 25 per child covers the Pyramidenkogel, Minimundus and the boat.

Off season for families means the last two weeks of June or the first week of September, when the Swiss summer holidays have not yet started or are already over. Lake Wörthersee is then 22 to 23 degrees, the hotels cost 30 percent less, and the jetties are half empty. In August, Lake Wörthersee and Zell am See are full of families from all over Europe, and the Kitzsteinhorn lifts have queues in the morning.

Frequently asked questions about Family: Lakes and Mountains

How long should you allow for the family route?

Eight days with three nights on Lake Wörthersee, three in Zell am See and two in Salzburg. With small children, fewer moves is always better, so rather one more night at a lake than a fourth place. If you have ten days, stay four nights on Lake Wörthersee and build in a stopover night in Lienz on the way out.

When is the best time to travel with children?

July and August, because the lakes are then 23 to 25 degrees and the Kitzsteinhorn still has snow. The second half of June and the first week of September are cheaper and emptier, and Lake Wörthersee is still 22 degrees. In May and October the lake is too cold for splashing, and many family hotels are in their shoulder season with a reduced offering.

Can you do the family route by train?

Partly: Nightjet to Villach, regional train to Klagenfurt, Railjet through the Gasteinertal to Zell am See, on to Salzburg, back on the Railjet. Locally, buses and boats run and the guest cards include them. With a pushchair, swimming kit and three hotel changes, the car is honestly more comfortable, especially for Hallein and the Pyramidenkogel.

What does the trip cost for a family?

Around CHF 1,400 (about EUR 1,500) per adult mid-range: petrol, vignette and tunnels for the journey there and back around CHF 170 as a share, seven nights in family hotels around CHF 665, food CHF 400, and around CHF 180 for local petrol, tolls and parking. Children up to six often sleep free, up to twelve at half price, and admissions for two children add around CHF 150.

Are the lakes and outings safe for small children?

Lake Wörthersee and Lake Zell have shallow, supervised lidos with non-swimmer areas. The Pyramidenkogel has a lift, and the slide is for ages six and up with an adult. The Kitzsteinhorn at 3,029 metres is not recommended for toddlers under three, as the altitude makes them tired and grizzly. The salt mine admits children from four, and the slides can be ridden with an adult in front.

Is there a shorter or longer version?

Shorter: Zell am See and Salzburg in six days, a five-and-a-half-hour journey, only one move. Longer: add two nights on the Wolfgangsee after Salzburg with the Schafbergbahn and the lido in St. Gilgen, or a night at the Chiemsee on the way home with the boat to Herreninsel, making it ten days with a shorter final driving day.

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