Anyone stayed in Zell am See or Kaprun during Summer?

[Detta]

Thinking of doing the Austrian lakes/mountains thing for summer holiday this year. Seems to be quite reasonably priced for school hols. Does anyone know anything about this area - where would be the best place to stay, things to do etc?

I stayed in zell am see when I was about 11! Nice, but quiet back them IIRC. Very pretty. We stayed in a nice hotel right on the lake, which was supposed to be very clean. We visited Salzburg from there too.

There is a family friendly hotel in that area, iirc called the Porscherhof - might even be among the Kinderhotels advertised above. Otherwise personally I'd stay in Zell am See , near the lake, as if you want to go to the glacier you need to take a bus from Kaprun anyway and there is a railway from Zell into Salzburg etc. Kaprun is smaller, perhaps more stereotypically Austrian with meadows and chalets, a good sports centre and does have operators like Esprit and Crystal who provide childcare and entertainment, which may appeal to you.

I spent many, many family holidays in the Alps from 9-16ish - best one was Pertisau (lake, steam railway, day trip to Innsbruck by train, waterfalls (I think)) and an overnight hike where we stayed in a youth-hostel-like mountain refuge.

No help for Zell am See though - sorry about that.

thanks all for your replies. has given me a lot more to go on. If I find anything particularly fab will post again!

We stayed in St Johann in the Tirol last summer and had an absolutely fabulous time, would really recommend this town, we'd love to go back one day. Let me know if anyone wants any more info.

K

Detta - spent 5 months working in Zell am See so know the area pretty well. Was looking at taking both boys this summer for a Lakes and Mountains holiday but to be honest the cost was fairly prohibitive. There werent many hotels that would accommodate 4 in a room and for a 10 night holiday it was costing in the region of £3k. There is a campsite in Zell but separated from the lake by a fairly busy road. Euro and key Camp offer places here. As you can imagine, even though Zell is popular with young Dutch people, it mainly attracts a much older clientele who are into sightseeing. Zell itself has quite a lot to offer depending on the age of your children. The lake offers various watersports, there is a 'beach' at the lake and good for swimming. Alternatively you can hire bikes or take the gondola up the mountain and walk down. The views are spectacular, all very Sound of Music'ish but unfortunately you cannot guarantee the weather, even in August. I would love to go back but am probably not being too realistic about how much enjoyment both boys would get. Kaprun is ok, you have the glacier where you can in theory summer ski but which in reality is sheet ice until about 11 am then ok for about 1 hour then a complete slushy mess thereafter. It doesnt have much more to offer and Zell would be a better choice because of the lake.

Trifle - fantastic info, thanks very much. We've been looking on the net at hiring an apartment direct, which should only cost around £400 for a week (some are even cheaper). We'll be driving so that will add to the cost obviously but nowhere near £3K!! DP was really hoping to ski - we'll be going on DDs 10th birthday in July, so the idea of being able to ski on her birthday was quite appealling! We'll just have to get there for 11 am I suppose! Is Zell very far from Kaprun?

Trifle - fantastic info, thanks very much. We've been looking on the net at hiring an apartment direct, which should only cost around £400 for a week (some are even cheaper). We'll be driving so that will add to the cost obviously but nowhere near £3K!! DP was really hoping to ski - we'll be going on DDs 10th birthday in July, so the idea of being able to ski on her birthday was quite appealling! We'll just have to get there for 11 am I suppose! Is Zell very far from Kaprun?

Kiera - any info about St Johann would be most appreciated. thanks

Zell is about 10/15 minutes bus to Kaprun but the base station for the glacier is a further 10 minutes on from there iirc. You then have a ride up the mountain to reach the ski area.