Writer: Helena Bergström
Updated: September 2026 | Kitzsteinhorn at Zell am See-Kaprun offers a real high-altitude experience, with cable cars all the way up to 3,029 meters above sea level. We went up on a summer day and were greeted by fantastic views of the Alps, snow in the middle of summer and a sledding hill that turned out to be one of the most fun surprises of the trip.
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Where is Kitzsteinhorn located?
The Kitzsteinhorn is located near Kaprun, just south of Zell am See in the Austrian state of Salzburg. The mountain is part of the Glockner Group in the Hohe Tauern and reaches 3,203 meters above sea level. Cable cars take you all the way up to the TOP OF SALZBURG at 3,029 meters, where you are greeted by magnificent views of the surrounding Alps.
To the top by cable car
When we visited Kitzsteinhorn we took three different cable cars and then a short funicular up. Today there are several different routes up the mountain, including the modern K-ONNECTION from Kaprun.
Those of you who follow the blog know that I (Helena) am terrified of cable cars, but somewhere along the way I actually started to get used to them. On the way down I even dared to look out the windows, which was a big step forward for me! These lifts also felt relatively gentle compared to the much more terrifying ones. cable car up to Untersberg.
View from the Kitzsteinhorn in Austria
Finally we were at an altitude of 3,029 meters. It is not the highest point of the Kitzsteinhorn, which is at 3,203 meters, but it is the highest point in Salzburger Land that can be reached by cable car. What a view! It feels almost unreal to stand here. The air is clear and cold and all you see are alpine peaks and more alpine peaks.
Incidentally, the top station is a large centre with several viewpoints, a restaurant, a cinema (!) showing great films of skiers and eagles, and a tunnel down to the sledding hill. In the tunnel you can also see various exhibitions about the nature at this altitude.
We first looked at the sledding hill and the ski slope from above. Then we made our way down to the sledding hill via the tunnel. Getting here was an experience beyond what we expected!
We started by celebrating that we were on the highest peak so far, and that I had the courage to ride all the cable cars. How did we celebrate? With bubbles of course!
Go sledding in the ICE Arena
In the summer, there is the ICE ARENA at an altitude of around 3,000 meters, where you can ski in the snow and borrow equipment at no extra cost. The area is usually open during July and August, depending on snow and weather conditions.
Watching the sledding was almost an experience in itself. People from all over the world met here, of all ages and with very different snow habits. But on the sledding hill it didn't matter where you came from. Everyone seemed to have the same fun and there was a roar of laughter on the hill.
Some people were probably sledding, sledding or snow racing for the first time in their lives and there were plenty of both crashes and crashes. At the same time, everyone was filming with their mobile phones, sometimes right up to the crashes. Impressive!
Good to know before visiting Kitzsteinhorn
Kitzsteinhorn is open all year round, but the cable cars and activities that are open vary depending on the season, weather and snow conditions. In summer it is a fantastic excursion even for those who do not intend to hike far.
Allow about half a day for your visit. Even though it is warm down in the valley, it can be considerably colder at over 3,000 meters, so bring warm clothes and good shoes.
If you stay at an accommodation that is affiliated with the Zell am See-Kaprun Summer Card, several of the region's cable cars and attractions are included, including trips on the Kitzsteinhorn with certain conditions. The card cannot be purchased separately but is included with participating accommodation. Always check the current lifts, opening times and conditions before your visit.
More to see and do in the neighbourhood
Of course, there is more to see and do near Kitzsteinhorn. Here you will find several suggestions and tips:
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Visiting Robberg Nature Reserve in South Africa - at Plettenberg Bay
Visiting Gorropu Canyon in Sardinia - hiking with dramatic views
Hike to the Gerolimni waterfall on Andros Island - a hidden gem
English (UK) 
Svenska
Kenneth Risberg says:
Breathtaking heights.
You are always on top!!!
21 July 2018 - 8:24
Helena says:
This was more on top than usual 🙂
21 July 2018 - 10:49
Ama de casa says:
So... Travelling in a cable car is okay, but going out on one of those hanging bridges immediately makes your legs and stomach tingle....
What do you mean "watch the sledding"? Why didn't you go??? 😉 ?
We have been to the Alps many times in the summer. They are - as you can see from your fantastic photos - incredible views!
We tried summer skiing outside Innsbruck in 1989. A fun experience although Anders got a lot of pain in his feet as the biggest boots available he had to use a polygrip to get them on 😉.
You really find a lot of fun things on your ongoing trip - keep it up! 🙂
21 July 2018 - 8:59
Helena says:
Surely it looks great with the summer skiing!!! (But preferably with the right size of boots then ;)) And yes, of course we continue like this! 🙂
21 July 2018 - 10:50
Matts Torebring says:
Wow, what an experience! Now I'm almost jealous of you!
One summer when we were in Rubicone, Italy, we were told that there were two metres of snow in Sölden after a heavy snowfall in early July. I wanted to go there! Unfortunately, we took the wrong road in Brenner and never got there.
What you are experiencing now, I also hope to experience on a sunny day. When we went to the top in Kitzbühel on a summer day, which is around 2000 metres above sea level, I could feel the lack of oxygen. How did it feel for you?
21 July 2018 - 9:25
Helena says:
Sorry you got on the wrong road that time in Sölden! Hope you find the snow and sun another summer! 🙂 We did not directly feel lack of oxygen, but it may feel if you do something strenuous. However, the air felt very fresh and clear!
21 July 2018 - 10:53
JoY says:
Grüssgott. What "homesickness" I get with your pictures. Up there I have of course also been hahaha and skied. It is really nice and wonderful weather you had, you can see all the way down to Zell then. Unfortunately, the glacier decreases every year, my friend has it as a view and it becomes so tangible when you get there and compare the photos. They cover well, as you can see in some of your pictures.
The town of Zell itself is so-so nowadays, I think, but the beautiful surroundings remain. Lovely to hike up to Schmittenhöhe or one of the other mountains and then swim in the Zell am See lake.
Now I get so annoying with all my tips hihi!
You can visit the large Kaprun dam.
Zell am See Camping, where you may be staying, has very good food. Pinzgauer Kasnocken, a speciality if you like melted cheese, is served in a frying pan and eaten with a spoon.
Don't know how you plan to go on? A trip over the Grossglockner is almost a must or not. I worked up at 2400m at the Fuschertörl Restaurant, which today is much bigger than it was then. The rest is now run by daughter and husband. Park there and take a walk up to Restaurant Edelweisspitze with a view down to Zell in fine weather. Continue on Grossglocknerstrasse for a few hundred metres, and you will come down to a tiny lake and Gasthof Fuscherlacke. Stop there and say hello to Herbert and his wife. They have tame marmots that you may be able to look at.
If you don't want to drive over the Grossglockner, you can take the car train from Bad Gastein through the Tauern tunnel, it takes 12 minutes to reach Mallintz.
Another option is to drive back towards Werfen, to St Johann (in Pongau) via Radstadt and road 99 via Tweng. Which is also a nice road going up to ski resorts, but not a narrow serpentine road.
These are the roads we drive on as we go through Austria and southwards.
No now I will stop for today, it is your Blog, I have my own hihihi
Hugs
21 July 2018 - 9:59
Helena says:
Ojoj, thanks for this long comment with lots of great tips!!!! 🙂 We did not get a place at the campsite in Zell so it was the campsite in Kaprun instead, but it was also good! We'll see what we have time for. Thank you most humbly for all the tips !!!
21 July 2018 - 10:56
Lena - gott för själen says:
That's how phobias should be taken. On't ba'! 🙂 Great that you are getting used to it. I forced myself to get rid of my bridge phobia that way.
Yes, I have been to Zell am See in the summer, and went skiing. So delicious and such a strange feeling to stand on skis in a bikini 🙂 But the skiing itself was so bad. Quite "sugary".
That moment at the sledding hill looks like so much fun!
Hug Lena
21 July 2018 - 12:17
Helena says:
You can get rid of phobias if you work at it! Glad you managed to get rid of your bridge phobia! 🙂 And what fun that you go bikini skiing! It sounds very cool! 🙂
21 July 2018 - 15:39
Ditte says:
That's great! And fun with powder skiing. I have been up here both in summer and winter several times and in Kaprun I have also skied in the summer. Lovely skiing is here. Maybe you will come back to test it. The snow feels cooling now because here in Stockholm it is +30. Keep well and thank you for the visit.
21 July 2018 - 12:46
Helena says:
Glad you've been here so much Ditte! Extremely nice! And unbelievable that the heat in Sweden continues!!!
21 July 2018 - 15:40
Steve says:
Let me repeat myself and say that you are on a breathtaking adventure.
I think the cable car furore is starting to subside.
21 July 2018 - 13:11
Helena says:
Yes, the fear of cable cars has definitely decreased! (But would rather not ride the scariest ones ;))
21 July 2018 - 15:41
Ann-Louise says:
What a fantastic view! Although I had probably never managed all the cable cars... And the snow looks very lovely, I never thought I would long for snow but it is almost too hot here in Sweden now. 🙂
21 July 2018 - 14:02
Helena says:
The cable cars here were somewhat "nice", and went quite close to the ground. And I understand that it's getting too much with the heat now, and not least with all the fires!
21 July 2018 - 15:43
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
What views and weather you have! And what a wonderful atmosphere with sledding etc.
We have never been to Zell am See.
Otherwise, we have only been to the Alps on a hiking trip in the summer, an incredibly wonderful holiday.
21 July 2018 - 15:54
Helena says:
The views and weather were divine! 🙂 Hiking trip in the Alps in summer sounds great!
21 July 2018 - 22:53
Husisblogg says:
Wonderful experience. But it is important to have some clothes with you, heat when you left Sweden and now a little cooler. But think how nice to go sledding in the middle of the summer, even if it may not feel that way at the top.
21 July 2018 - 18:30
Helena says:
Yes, it is good to have a whole motorhome to pack in! 🙂 But we don't have much thick clothes. A warm windproof jacket and a few sweaters are enough 🙂 .
21 July 2018 - 22:54
Deciree says:
I would also like to ride the cable car...talk about an experience...good for you. Hugs from us
21 July 2018 - 20:25
Helena says:
We have had very wonderful and adventurous experiences here in Austria! Hugs to you from us! 🙂
21 July 2018 - 22:55
BP says:
What a lovely post! Have been to Kaprun and skied there, but not during the summer. Must say that the landscape is at least as fascinating in summer as in winter.
Very funny that you seem to have been able to "work off" your fear of heights. Practice makes perfect;-)
21 July 2018 - 23:32
Helena says:
Glad you were in Kaprun in the winter, understand that it is nice then too! And yes, it seems that exercise helps! 🙂
31 August 2018 - 16:30