Guide to Zell am See, Austrian Alps

Zell am See is a charming lakeside town in the Europa Sport region in Austria. Here you'll find 2 ski areas: The Schmittenhöhe mountain behind the town has 80 km of piste, much of which is tree lined, with some excellent terrain for the advanced skier. The Kitzsteinhorn glacier, further down the valley past Kaprun, has a good range of runs and all-year skiing for the intermediate and beginner. Zell am See and Kaprun are about 10 minutes apart by bus, and one ski pass covers both plus bus transfers. Bruck and Schuttdorf are smaller and quieter skiing hamlets nearby. Zell has a pretty medieval traffic-free centre and a wide range of shops, restaurants, cosy pavement cafes and off-slope activities.

Mountain Information Zell am See

	Resort Altitude	760 m
	Vertical Drop	1220 m
	Top Lift	1950 m and 3029 m
	Lifts	58
	Total Runs	59
	Longest Run	8 km
	Advanced Runs	9
	Intermediate Runs	19
	Beginner	31
	Cross Country	200 km

Getting to Zell am See

The cheapest way to travel to Zell am See ski resort is to find one of the many cheap flights to Salzburg or Munich airports.
Zell am See and Kaprun are located in central Austria, 50 miles from Salzburg and 150 miles from Munich, Germany. Zell is well served by train and a there is a 10 min.bus service to Kaprun. The quickest public transport route to Zell am See and Kaprun is to fly into the nearest airport at Salzburg, get a shuttle transfer to the Salzburg train station and catch a train to the resort.
Driving time is about 90 minutes from Salzburg and 3 hours from Munich. By car from Salzburg airport, head south on autobahns A1 and A10, then take the B311 for Zell am See, Kaprun is another 15 mins. further on. By car from Munich, drive to Salzburg by autobahn, and head toward Bischofshofen. Rental cars are available in Salzburg or Munich.

Accommodation in Zell am See

Accommodation consists of self-catering studio apartments, chalets and luxury hotels. A 24-hour booking service is available via an acommodation information board for those without reservations. The best rates tend to be offered from January 4 to February 8, from March 8 to 23, and from April 5 to 13. Many of Zell’s hotels and pensions are near the lifts. For those who want to be closer to the Kaprun glacier, there is plenty of accommodation in Kaprun.
Some nice hotels are Hotel Tirolerhof, Hotel Sonnenhof with swimming pool and sauna, Hotel Stadt Wien, or the well located Hotel Neue Post. For Bed and Breakfast acommodation you could try the Alpenrose, Landhaus Buchner, the Hubertus or Penzion Klothilde.

Bars, restaurants and après ski

Zell am See has many shops, cafes and restaurants. The après-ski is lively and typically Austrian, there are many bars to choose from and several discos or tea dances. Popular party venues are Crazy Daisy, Ampere, Sugar Shake, Viva Club, Sunrise Disco and the Diele. The Baum Bar has a huge dance floor, The Bierstadl offers 33 different beers, the Hirschenkeller is for blues, rock and reggae. There are over 40 restaurants in the area and you can try some excellent hearty Austrian cuisine. Try the Muhle or Cafe Konditorei for delicious pastries in Kaprun. For inexpensive meals try Pizzeria Giuseppe, Zum Casar or Crazy Restaurant above the Crazy Daisy pub. Traditional Tyrolean fare can also be enjoyed in the mountain restaurants.

Off slope Activities

Take your pick from sleigh rides, tobogganing, snowshoeing, parapenting, walking trails, skidoo, a leisure centre and cinema, and shopping. In midwinter, the lake freezes over and can be used for some marvellous ice skating and curling. Snowboarders will not be disappointed with the terrain park on Kitzsteinhorn and half pipe on Schmittenhohe. Competitive snowboarders should head to the Gipfelbahn for the boarder cross race course.
A highlight is the Gletscherbahn, a cogwheel railway which runs from Kaprun along a glacier bed to the peak of Kitzsteinhorn. There are sightseeing excursions to the Grossglockner Pass and the lovely town of Salzburg. For summer visitors there is a sailing school in Prielau, and at Thumersbach you’ll find a beach and a water-ski school, which also offers parasailing, windsurfing, sailing, tube-rafting and banana boats on the lake.