Schmittenhöhe Cable Car and Panorama Walk

NO EXTRA COST – ESCORTED   (Easy!)

A short bus journey from Zell to the Schmittenhöhe cable-car station, from where we ride to the top. Simply stop for a coffee to admire the view before returning or you may wish to walk across the mountain and down to the valley on another cable-car. Learn all about the local flora and fauna. 

If you simply wish to visit the Schmittenhöhe and then return to base, then trainers or sandals are perfectly fine. If you wish to join us on the walk, it is not particularly strenuous and is mostly downhill. It is over a distance, though, of approximately 2 kms and sturdy shoes are highly recommended.

If you wish to continue the walk to the Sonnalm, which we highly recommend as a great mountain restaurant, you will absolutely need hiking shoes or boots.

Journey to Krimml Waterfalls

NOT ESCORTED   (Easy to moderate)

You can depart the hotel at 9.30am for the narrow-gauge train and coach to Krimml at 10.00am. arriving at 11.55am. You can spend as long or as short as you wish, allowing time for those who are energetic to walk to the top of the falls, some 650 metres uphill! Take your choice of return travel departing hourly at 1.20, 2.20, 3.20, 4.20pm. Get back in time for a swim before dinner! Final details in resort.

Why not stop at Mittersill on the return journey for the short walk to the National Park Centre, a superb exhibition of everything to do with the “Hohe Tauern” Alps. Highly recommended, especially on a wet day!....and it’s FREE! From just outside the museum or from the square, you can take a bus directly back to Zell.

Trainers are usually OK for this visit but, if you wish to walk up the paths alongside the waterfall, we highly recommend hiking shoes. It will require a bit of an effort uphill but it’s not too difficult otherwise.

Gipfelwelt 3000  (Activity Level 2)

NOT ESCORTED – NO EXTRA COST - (Easy!)

Bus from Zell to the cable-car station beyond Kaprun

The first two cable cars bring us to the foot of the snow-line, above which snow and ice remain for the entire summer (usually). We transfer then to the "Gipfel 3000", which whisks us up to 3029 metres, just over 10,000 ft. Enjoy stunning views over the glaciers below and experience the facilities offered at "Gipfelwelt 3000", such as the Cinema 3000, the Ice Arena and the National Park Gallery. This tour is accessible to almost everyone although we will be at altitude with rarefied atmosphere and extreme care should be taken. 

Trainers and sandals are adequate for this tour but, if you’ve got them, wear your hiking shoes.

Salzburg

ESCORTED TOUR – NO EXTRA COST  - (Easy!)

Salzburg....no matter how often we return to Austria, we always have a huge request for Salzburg. Our journey is by train, approx. 1 hour 45m each way. The tour commences at the beautiful Mirabel Gardens, followed by coffee and cake at the famous Sacher Hotel. We’ll have a short, guided tour through the old city with free time to relax, have lunch or a light snack, shop, visit museums or cathedrals, galleries or castles. A trip by funicular to the Hohen Salzburg Fortress is always worth a try, for the spectacular views and its exciting history. We will meet again mid-afternoon for the tram or taxi back to the station and train home.

Trainers or sandals are ideal for this tour.

Salzburg Terrace Hike

ESCORTED TOUR – EXTRA COST £20

For keen walkers, we have a treat in store for you this year. After the walking tour of the town, we’ll walk up to the massive fortress, Festung Salzburg with a short side-trip to the Abbey where Maria was a Novice before joining the von Trapps. We’ll walk across the ridge, offering spectacular views of the city below. We’ll stop for a refreshment at the lovely Schloss Hotel, overlooking the city below. From the Mönchsberg, we will take the lift back down to the city There’ll still be some time to see the city. You only need to decide if you wish to take part in the walk, once we reach Salzburg Old-Town. 

Trainers and sandals are adequate for this tour but, if you’ve got them, wear your hiking shoes.

The High Dams 

(and Mountain Herbal Walk)

ESCORTED TOUR - NO EXTRA COST

An excursion for everyone. Walk as little or as much as you wish. We take the bus from Zell to the Kettle Waterfalls. From here, we travel by special bus, through tunnels and around hairpin bends, until we reach the High Dams at Mooserboden. You now have the opportunity to explore the dams or have a snack at one of the restaurants, before returning to the valley below. Final details in resort

Trainers and sandals are adequate to visit the dam but if you wish to take the hike. you will need to wear your hiking shoes.

High Dams Hike - (Moderate)

NO EXTRA COST

For those keen to stretch their legs, we offer a 2-hour hike down to the next reservoir. Listen out for the chirping sounds of marmots and buzzards, as we walk through the bog. Sturdy footwear and a good level of fitness is compulsory. We will give you guidance in resort and allow you to assess if you are up to the walk. (Activity Level 5)

We highly recommend hiking shoes for this short walk, as there is rough terrain. Trainers are not recommended.

Thumersbach “Guestbook” Hike - (Moderate)

NO EXTRA COST

For those keen to see our lovely town from the far side of the lake, this is a lovely morning walk. We will take the 09.30 ferry across the lake to Thumersbach and walk to the small village. Our walk commences on the road and then onto a forest track. The first part is a steep uphill walk to around 60 metres and from then on, the path is undulating. We read on the placards dotted along the way about the famous people who lived here, including the von Trapp family. There are two routs back to the ferry, one short, the other perhaps one mile longer. We’ll finish with a refreshment at the lake-side café.

This is a relatively easy hike. Trainers may be OK but, if you have hiking shoes, please wear them.

Sigmund Thun Gorge - (Quite Easy!)

NO EXTRA COST

This is a lovely short excursion. We travel by bus to the gorge, where we encounter a fully-operational hydro-electric power station, which we can view. We then enter the gorge and pass along it by means of a wooden boardwalk, climbing approximately 200 steps over a distance of around 1km. At the top, we walk along the lake as far as the café, where we’ll stop for refreshments. Then we catch the bas back to base.

This is a relatively easy hike. Trainers may be OK but, if you have hiking shoes, please wear them.

Kitzloch Gorge - (Moderate!)

NO EXTRA COST

This is a much more challenging but quite exciting hike, featuring a few short but steep uphill hikes and a total of around 480 steps. That’s the equivalent of around 40 flights of stairs! It offers rewarding views for those who take part. At the end, we walk back along the road/footpath to Taxenbach station, which is about 2km away for our train back to Zell.

We highly recommend hiking shoes for this short walk, as there is rough terrain. Trainers are not recommended.

Kitzsteinhorn and Areit Lounge Hike 

NO EXTRA COST - (Moderate)

This is a superlative walk, with spectacular views…but beware, it’s a steep downhill hike. We’ll start at the top of the mountain, which we reach by cable-car and then we’ll walk down the first section, to the Trass Express top station. From here you’ll have option to return to base by cable-car or to continue the hike, which is not only downhill but on gravel paths. Total hiking time around two hours. The reward is the spectacular view at the Areit Lounge, whilst enjoying a beer or a coffee….and maybe even some Apfelstrudl.

Trainers are not suitable for this hike. Hiking shoes will be compulsory and a walking pole would be an advantage.

City Express and Areit Lounge Hike 

NO EXTRA COST - (Moderate)

This is a relatively easy hike, although the first 30 minutes are uphill, quite steep at times. We wander through the forest until it opens up with amazing views across the Kaprun Valley. Total hiking time, around one hour. The rewards are as above!

Trainers are not suitable for this hike. Hiking shoes will be compulsory and a walking pole would be an advantage.

Alexander Enzingerweg

The ultimate Hike - (Very difficult)

NO EXTRA COST

This is the ultimate hike and only very few may be fit to do it. (I just hope I am!).I will assess your fitness level and judge if  We travel by coach and cable-car to the Kitzteinhorn, with an early start at around 08.15am. We will travel to Gipfelwelt 3000 (see excursion above) for a short visit and then return to the Alpine Centre by cable-car. From there we commence our hike, initially on a steep gravel road and then on a mountain track. We may need to traverse patches of snow, ice and rivers along the way. Then we hike uphill for about twenty minutes to the ridge or arret, from where we have the most wonderful views of the valleys, the mountains and the pastures and villages below.

You must be an experienced mountain walker to undertake this tour. This is not a hike for the faint-hearted, it is quite strenuous and it will take around 4 to 4 1/2 hours, plus the time at the start where we visit the “Top Of Salzburg”. You will be back at the hotel around 5.30pm. The rewards are high: The gorgeous views, the sense of achievement and a cool refreshing beer at the Glocknerblick mountain restaurant.

This is my favourite hike every year and I look forward to it immensely but it is a test and not to be taken lightly.

Hiking shoes or boots, a pole, a light rucksack with extra clothing, food and drinks are absolutely essential