Two weeks in Austria

[FrequentFlyer96]

I’m planning two weeks in Austria this summer with young children and wondered if anyone has itinerary ideas. Flying in and out of Vienna and will hire a car. Willing to drive around a lot. Looking to see Hallstatt and lake/mountain scenery as well as a few days in Vienna. Ideally staying in self catering/holiday rentals or hotels where we can have two separate rooms connected together. I’ve read about Kinderhotels and planning to incorporate for a few nights.
All tips and recommendations for locations in Austria would be most appreciated!

We loved exploring the Tyrol. This might be helpful and give you a few ideas.

This summer is tight for finding decent 2 bed accommodation imo. You have left it quite late. Usually booked up by September/ October for the following summer as there’s not so many 2 bedroom options at good value.

The lakes are predominantly in the south rather than Vienna way, but you could drive down to Wörthersee for a few days, it’s near Klagenfurt. They have minimindus which is nice for kids after a day at the lake.

Also if your driving through Graz, a recommend staying 1-2 nights at bad blumau spa www.blumau.com/. It’s really nice with children as well.

Austria has so much to see. What sort of things does your family enjoy doing?

Re Kinderhotels, they are great - look for ones with five Smileys as they will have the best facilities for children. Almost all Austrian hotels will be clean with good food so it’s the childcare you’re looking for!

One weird tip is the Swarovski Crystal World in the Tyrol, not far outside Innsbruck. It is part art installation, part amazing play ground (with a bit of flogging of jewellery but not much). Children adore it and it’s indoors and outdoors so a good all weather option.

Great suggestions, thanks!
On Air BnB there seems to be a fair amount of availability for holiday lets around Hallstatt and Tyrol etc - although I guess maybe the pricing is higher (I’m not sure what counts as reasonable in these areas!).

Salzburg is beautiful.

Try finding a Rodelbahn, they're mini roller coasters/toboggans. Lots have been built up mountains so you get stunning views.

If you do go to Salzburg area, Schloß Hellabrunn is really good with kids. The house itself meh, but the water gardens are fab and really funny. Great on a hot day!

Thanks - this is so useful!

The Haus der Natur museum in Salzburg is really interactive, and fun - natural history/science museum. Has an aquarium and loads of hands on fun stuff to do. We put in hours there (older kids) but I think would suit any age. I’d go again even if I had no kids!

Just to add, I’m not sure how far west you want to go if you are going to be based between Vienna and Hallstatt. We split our time between Salzburg/Zell am See areas. Highlights for us were:
The Grossglockner-high-alpine road - only opens in summer and you have to pay to do it- twisty high mountain roads, with stopping off places - cafes etc. Saw marmuts and went as far as the glacier (sadly receding fast).

Sigmund-Thumm Klamm- walk through gorge - on safe raised wooden paths. Worth taking the extra looped walk at the other end.
Kaprun Dam - www.zellamsee-kaprun.com/en/experience/attractions/high-mountain-reservoirs. This was a bit of an adventure - only you will know if it’s too much for your young kids- you had to drive up the mountain to a multi-story car park, then take a bus, then take a strange very large lift on the side of the hill, and then another bus. The scenery was incredible. You are basically going past three reservoirs stepped up the mountains to the main dam at the top. restaurant etc up top.

Saalbach-Hinterglemm - just over an hour from Salzburg - has almost all of the things listed in @Fivemoreminutes1 Tyrol post either in the immediate area or nearby: A suspension bridge, a high-level climbing park and activity park, adventure/treasure hunt trails, an open-air pool, roller coasters at nearby Kaprun, Leogang and Saalfalden, cable cars, archery, numerous hiking trails in the mountains, cafes, mountain huts and playgrounds at the top of every lift and cable car, cake etc ... Stay in Tourist Office approved accommodation (B&B, hotel or apartment) and you get a Joker Card that gives free access to the cable cars, pool and many other activities.

Nearby Zell am See/Kaprun, 15km from Saalbach, has a breathtaking lake (with boat tours and rowing boats and pedalos to rent), a veteran steam train, a veteran car museum, and access to the stunning views from the Kitzsteinhorn glacier at 3,000m. See the post from @GetOffYourPhone for more activities in and around Zell.

Vienna, Hallstatt and Salzburg are sightseeing destinations, whereas getting into the mountains is all about actively doing stuff - hiking, climbing, biking etc.

For Austria in general, the Tourist Office websites (e.g. Saalbach.com) have a wealth of local information and usually also an accommodation booking service.

We have booked an apt in kaprun near to zell am see and comes with the summer card giving lots of discounted entry to attractions..we are flying to munich and hiring a car. Its apt auernigg after trawling google maps.lots of apts to hire are 2 room with the kitchen in a bedroom (i kid you not !!) This is reasonable- walkinh distance to restaurants abd there is lots ti do -alpine rollercoaster anyone !! Things are sooo expensive think 2k euro for 8 nights so this was a find . Best of luck

"Things are sooo expensive think 2k euro for 8 nights so this was a find ."

2k for 8 days in Kaprun...! Unless it is in one of the new, luxury apartment blocks this is way more that you need to pay in Zell/Kaprun/Saalbach. I know of plenty of apartments in the area that won't cost more than £200 a night, or even less, including the Joker Card.

Really weird. We are spending a week in a four star full board Kinderhotel in a three bedroom suite for five of us for 4.5k.

Sorry just read my last post
Not v clear. We are paying 1030 for 8 nights in those apts with the summer card
Thats a 2 bedroomed apt. Its at least 2k for any apt/ apt hotel in kaprun/ zell am see - ones that i saw anyway

@Radyward that price makes more sense.

For others following the thread, apartments in the Austrian resorts seem to fall into three distinct categories.

The cheapest are holiday apartments in older, 1980s buildings, which can be a bit hit-and-miss but which can be fine on a budget. Many are privately owned. Look at listings on the usual sites or on the Tourist Office sites - if they are on the Tourist Office site, they will at least be of a certain standard and are guaranteed to be clean and in good condition.

The next group are apartments in older hotels or B&B buildings. Recent problems with finding staff and the increasing number of guests wanting to make their own meal arrangements have meant that many former B&Bs now offer apartment accommodation instead - but these buildings have often not been significantly updated.

The final, and most expensive, group are the older hotels and B&Bs that have been totally refurbished as apartments, as well as the new purpose-built apartment blocks.

@Havanananana - we rent an apartment out in your last category. It’s a large 2 bed apartment ( semi detached house almost as it’s two storey with living downstairs and bedrooms and bathroom upstairs). Fully renovated in the last few years from old b and b. Balcony and private terrace, plus garden. It’s in prime summer location on lake. Approx €200 a night. Sleeps 4. But it’s usually rented out 9-12 months before, ie op would be too late now for 2023 for many similar.

Thanks for all the information, very helpful!
Maybe slightly random question but how much of a tick problem is there in the countryside/mountain meadows etc? Do we need to wear long trousers when we’re out and about in summer?

What an amazing place to visit. Please come back and update us op. I want to know if its possible to drive around Austria without using too many high twisty mountain roads. It's the only only thing that stopped me visiting.

There is usually no problem with ticks at higher altitudes (above about 1500m) but they can occur in lower meadows. If you stick to the marked footpaths (as you should) rather than walking through the long grass, then you probably won't ever encounter them. If you do, the pharmacies sell tick-removal kits (it's worth having one in your backpack) and will advise regarding any treatment required. Watch out for a big, red "bullseye" reaction.

A nastier problem is horse flies - Tabanus sulcifrons - evil fuckers that bite and cause painful wealds that then itch for about 48 hours. Where I live these are usually most active in May/June, but seem to disappear once the temperature gets over 30 deg. in July and August. While they can't be avoided, the bite and after effects can be relieved by immediately using a big blob of Anthisan bite cream - which you should buy in the UK as it costs a fortune in Austria and you need it in your bag for when you get bitten.

@CreoQueTodosHagamos Apart from the spectacular Grossglockner road and a few other mountain passes (that you don't need to go anywhere near), Austria doesn't really have "high twisty mountain roads." The main roads run along the river valleys and through the mountain passes, and the major towns and villages are situated in the valleys, not up on the mountainsides. You access the mountains by cable car from the valley towns.

It very much is! Most major roads are through valleys and then you can easily plan routes that avoid twisty mountain paths. You can get cable cars up mountains if you want to go high but not drive, or you can just admire them from low down. Austria is lakes as well as mountains!

Snap, I see.

Wow, that's great news. Thank you.

We live at 800m. We do make sure Ds doesn’t wear sandals but trainers due to the ticks, but he rolls in the grass all summer and hasn’t had one yet. The cat on the other hand gets them within 30 seconds of going outside, so they definitely are there.

Buy a tick o twister on Amazon, they are about £5 for pack of two. All the others are too complicated and rubbish.

we do have some high windey drives up where we are, but they are drives up to start a certain hike or hut. You can easily avoid them if you wanted. Otherwise the little roads up are a little windey but you would only take these a few minutes really to get to a certain place or accommodation maybe. The main roads are either regular motorways or follow the lakes around here usually.

We loved the Löwe Kinderhotel in Serfaus - admittedly 11 years ago now. DDs were 3 and 4mo at the time.