Anyone been to Achensee or Wilder Kaiser (Austria)

[SimoneSpeaksSoftly]

We've been to the Austrian alps but only in winter, to the Zillertal area. We'd like to go in the summer and I know that region has a lot to offer in the summer, but we'd also fancy seeing somewhere new and not super corwded (I get the impression Mayrhofen is quite busy in summer?).. We'd want to do all the usual things I suppose- hiking to vistas and huts, alpine playgrounds, other activities like ropes courses. We'll have a car but would love to stay in a somewhat walkable area or with good bus connections so we aren't driving every day. The WIlder Kaiser area is appealing because there seems to be a lot of that available in a fairly compact area (e.g., lifts from every town) and a range of hike difficulties. But I'm totally basing this on their great tourism website, haha, I have no familiarity with it at all! Has anyone been? Is it a good summer destination for families?

Also keep getting drawn to the Achensee area as my kids love the water but don't know if it's worth staying for a whole week? Seems like we could also do as a daytrip if we did stay in Wilder Kaiser. But again, I've never been so woud love to hear from others who have. TIA!

Both areas will have what you're looking for, as would many other places such as Zell am See, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Mayrhofen, KItzbuhel.

One thing to look out for is the resorts that offer summer cards to their guests. For example, both Saalbach-Hinterglemm (Joker Card) and Zell am See (Sommercard) give their guests cards that give free access to the local cable cars, outdoor pools, museums, local buses, minigolf etc. For a family of four, these cards represent a saving of over £400 for a week compared with having to pay for the various attractions.

With regard to buses and public transport, in Salzburgerland all public transport (trains, buses, trolleybuses) is free for tourists if they stay in registered accommodation, which includes hotels, B&Bs and apartments and ask the hosts for the Salzburgerland Guest Mobility Card.

We have been twice to Achensee, we had to go back having loved it so much the first time. It's a gorgeous lake (if a little cold, as I'm sure you're aware is typical of Alpine lakes), you can go paddle boarding, swimming, biking, hiking, kayaking etc... the landscape is just staggeringly gorgeous and had me wondering why I live somewhere else the whole time. We camped both times and the second time rented bikes and cycled the entire length of the lake. There's also a fun walk where you take a postcard and have to stamp it at little stations along the way, the kids loved it. We were there for 4 days each time but could have stayed longer. I'm pretty sure there are lots of places you can go on day trips too, it's only 20 or so minutes from the German border so loads of pretty little towns to visit, but we were taking it easy and were content to stay at the lake.