There's so much to discover: These excursion and activity tips for your next family holiday in the mountains of Austria are sure to excite parents and children alike!
Mountains are a source of (family) happiness.
Running, climbing, relaxing. Fresh air and pristine countryside as far as the eye can see: mountains mean endless adventures for parents and children. Nature relaxes us and keeps us fully occupied, with no need for a tablet or smartphone. Whether on the ski slopes in winter or the hiking paths in summer – in Austria's mountains, you will be able to spend the quality time with your family that occasionally falls a little short in your daily routine.
5 Benefits of a Holiday in the Mountains with Kids
- Close to nature and activities in the open air: hiking, biking, skiing … Activities in the mountains are great fun and allow your children to explore nature first-hand during your family holiday.
- Family ties: Bathing your feet in a mountain lake or exploring the forest brings the family closer together and creates lasting memories.
- The urge to learn and explore: Mountains are full of fascinating flora and fauna, and a great opportunity for children to learn and satisfy their natural urge to explore.
- Fresh air and good health: The clean mountain air is both refreshing and healthy. Activities in the mountains promote physical fitness and general wellbeing.
- Relaxation and deceleration: The peaceful mountain setting provides a welcome break from the hectic daily routine – for kids and their parents alike.
Adventures in the Mountains: Vacation Days filled with Excitement
Forget the grey daily routine and let the adventure begin! The many mountain attractions, alpine theme parks and interactive paths in Austria skillfully unite family-friendly hiking with all kinds of fun & games. At these 10 exciting excursion destinations in the mountains, vacation days with your children will fly by in next to no time:
Witches and Spirits
- Witches' Water in Söll, Hohe Salve, Wilder Kaiser in Tyrol: Here, curious hikers never cease to marvel. The many interactive stations – ranging from experiments with water to natural playgrounds – are inspired by witches and magic, allowing you to explore nature with all your senses (including on your bare feet). The adventure begins as you hop onto the gondola for the ride up.
- Ghost Mountain in St. Johann / Alpendorf, Salzburger Land: A gigantic ghost ship, water playgrounds, climbing features, and numerous other attractions await you inside the 4 worlds of adventure on Ghost Mountain in Alpendorf. A slightly spooky, but absolutely marvelous excursion destination for your family holiday in the mountains!
Dinosaurs
- Triassic Park, Waidringer Steinplatte, Kitzbühel Alps, Tyrol: Here, you will hunt for fossils in a sandy playground, clamber and teeter your way around a low-ropes course, and learn all kinds of interesting facts about the life-sized prehistoric giants.
- Dino Park, Kreischberg, Styria: Pay a visit to stegosaurs and their pals as you enjoy a short hike through this dinosaur park on the Kreischberg near Murau (Kreischi Lift).
Treasure Hunts
- Pan for gold in Raurisertal, Salzburger Land: After a short intro to sluicing techniques, you will be able to pan in the water for fine slivers of gold at two locations in Raurisertal. We checked it out personally, and we were successful! Here you can read more about panning for gold in Rauris.
- Hunting for emeralds in Habachtal, Hohe Tauern National Park Holiday Region, Salzburger Land: Due to its extensive natural mineral deposits, Habachtal near Bramberg has made quite a name for itself as "the valley of emeralds". The Emerald Path, an interactive theme path, leads into this National Park valley, and past the site of a historic landslide next to Gasthof Alpenrose. Here, treasure hunters, big and small, can see if they'll strike it rich prospecting for precious stones.
Goblins and Gnomes
- Fichten Schloss on the Rosenalm, Zillertal, Tyrol: The goblins and gnomes are busily doing their thing at this location in Zillertal! This beautiful adventure playground featuring a play fort and slide, treetop path, marble track and more, is easily reached by taking a ride on the Rosenalmbahn from Zell am Ziller. In Fichtensee lake meanwhile, you can splash and paddle, or even rent a boat or stand-up paddle board.
- Kodok on the Reiterkogel, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Salzburger Land: On the Reiterkogel, children can try to solve puzzles at 11 different interactive stations in a quest to return magical ingredients to the goblin Kodok – which had been stolen from him by a mean ogre! The ride up is included with the local Joker Card.
Slides and Swings
- Slide Path on the Wildkogel, Neukirchen, Salzburger Land: Let out a yell of joy, then away you go: 10 different slides (including tube slides) lead on an adventure from the mid-station of the Wildkogel lifts in Neukirchen down to Gasthof Stockenbaum. The Slide Path is included with the National Park Summer Card.
- Gabühel Swing Park, Dienten am Hochkönig, Salzburger Land: 2 waterfall swings, 4 giant swings, and a big playground: The first swing park in Austria can be reached using the summer lifts of the Hochmaisbahn and Gabühel.
Playful Learning in the Mountains: Themed Paths and Museums
Nature is far and away the world's coolest classroom. During a holiday in the mountains, hiking gives children a perfect opportunity to learn all kinds of fascinating things about the environment, flora and fauna: How can you tell the age of a tree, how high do anthills get, which animal left these tracks …? Austria is also home to countless themed paths and museums that playfully give children greater insights into nature.
Nassfeld Geotrails & Geopark, Carinthia: Fossilized squids and plants, traces of dinosaurs: The Geotrails and Geopark in the Nassfeld holiday region promise an exciting journey back in time.
Rauris Virgin Forest, Rauris, Salzburger Land: How old can pine trees get and what sounds to the different inhabitants of the forest make? The themed path at the Rauris valley head leads you past dark moorland ponds and the trunks of ancient fallen pines.
Kuhbidu on the Grafenberg, Wagrain, Salzburger Land: Where does milk actually come from? At 10 stations close to the top station of the Grafenbergbahn lift, children playfully learn all about cows and dairy farming.
Moosle's Exploration Path in Lermoos, Tiroler Zugspitz Arena, Tyrol: At the top station of the Grubigsteinbahn I lift, you will find the start of an easy hiking path with 7 interactive stations inviting you to investigate and discover.
Wörschachklamm & Wolkenstein Ruins, Schladming-Dachstein, Styria: Along this hiking loop, you will learn how water forged its path through the rock and stone in the course of thousands of years, also passing a sulfur spring as well as the ruins of Wolkenstein Castle.
National Park Center Mittersill, Hohe Tauern National Park Holiday Region, Salzburger Land: What does a marmot burrow look like on the inside, what does a golden eagle see as it soars overhead, and how does life differ at 3000 meters above sea level from life in the valley? Interactive and exciting, for the whole family!
Discover Regional Treasures
Snow in summer, gigantic waterfalls, and enormous trees: These excursion destinations and natural treasures in the mountains of Austria are a source of excitement for young and old!
Krimml Waterfalls, Hohe Tauern National Park Holiday Region, Salzburger Land
A visit to Krimml Waterfalls isn't just fascinating: The fine mists of nebulized water also do wonders for your respiratory passages! Via a four kilometers-long waterfall path and a viewing platform, you will be able to appreciate the biggest falls in Austria up close. At WaterWorlds, meanwhile, an interactive exhibition close to the entrance of the waterfalls, children get to know this precious natural resource even better.
Lammertal Virgin Forest, St. Martin im Tennengebirge, Salzburger Land
Come face to face with a real-life giant in the Lammertal Virgin Forest: The "Lammertal Sentinel" is 48 meters high and about 300 years old. You can also visit this gigantic fir tree in summer as part of a guided tour. The firs, spruces and beech trees in this roughly 10 ha nature preserve grow particularly well because of favorable soil conditions, and are, in fact, some of the tallest trees in Austria. On the topic of forests: Have you ever tried forest bathing?
Grossglockner High-Alpine Road and Ferleiten Wildlife Park, Salzburger Land
The 48 kilometers-long scenic road is one of Austria's most popular excursion destinations. And rightly so: From the toll station in Ferleiten, this high-mountain road - which first opened back in 1935 - makes its way, flanked by imposing peaks, through a series of 36 switchbacks all the way to the pilgrimage destination of Heiligenblut in Carinthia and via the Kaiser Franz-Josefs-Höhe. Along the road, you will discover countless photo opportunities, eleven info points, as well as short walks where you can stretch your legs as needed. With a little bit of luck, you might even catch sight of marmots or ibex! More than 200 wild animals, including bears and wolves, can also be seen inside Ferleiten Wildlife Park next to the toll station.
Dachstein Glacier, Schladming, Styria
By panorama gondola up to a glacier: With an elevation of 2995 meters, the Dachstein is the highest mountain in Styria and, with a suspension footbridge, an Ice Palace, Skywalk and the Stairway to Nothingness, promises a truly exhilarating glacier experience. Good to know: Make your reservations for the gondola well in advance! Visits to the Dachstein glacier are included for free with the Schladming-Dachstein Sommercard.
Family Resorts in the Mountains
Our holiday homes and holiday apartments are ideal for a relaxed vacation in the mountains: They offer lots of space, maximum flexibility, and complete privacy. At ALPS RESORTS, the choice is yours: What do you prefer, an apartment resort with pool and wellness area, a glamping resort with playground, or a holiday home with private SPA area? Our ALPS RESORTS are located at some of the most beautiful locations in all of Austria – in a National Park region, next to a piste or valley station of a mountain lift, always surrounded by mountains. Awaiting you right outside your front door are exciting excursion opportunities and nature in abundance. Our tip: Thanks to guest cards such as the Schladming-Dachstein Sommercard, the National Park Summer Card and the Joker Card, which are automatically included, you will be able to save yourself some real money during your holidays as well! Take a closer look at our ALPS RESORTS that are especially family-friendly.
Relaxation for Parents in the Wellness Area
In addition to all that adventure, a holiday in the mountains is also about slowing things down a bit as well. For added recuperation during your holiday, our ALPS RESORTS feature various wellness facilities, spa areas with sauna or pool at apartment resorts, or even a private wellness area in a chalet. Check out our ALPS RESORTS with wellness area and family-friendly accommodations with pool.
Book now: Your holiday in the mountains with children
Let your adventure begin, the mountains are calling! Click here to browse our resort overview including all of our holiday homes and holiday apartments - for your family holiday in Austria.
Photo materials © Titel photo: saalbach.com; Panning for Gold, Rauris Virgin Forest: TVB Rauris; Slide Path: Wildkogel-Arena; Resting by a Forest Pond, Krimml Waterfalls and Grossglockner High-Alpine Road: Salzburger Land Tourismus; Dachstein Bridge: Schladming-Dachstein / Mathäus Gartner; Berg Kodok: saalbach.com; Fichtenschloss: Zillertal Arena
Verena Junger
Marketing Specialist bei ALPS RESORTS
Frühaufsteherin mit einer Leidenschaft für einsame Berge und gute Geschichten, immer auf der Suche nach spannenden Ausflugszielen und Erlebnissen.
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