We've made it to the top of the Kitzsteinhorn mountain in Austria, specifically in Zell am See. It involved no less than three (!) cable cars and a mountain railway. At the top we got to enjoy a fantastic view of the alpine peaks around us. In addition, we got a surprising and completely crazy experience in the sledding hill, at the top of the Kitzsteinhorn.
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From Werfen to Zell am See
After the visit to the exciting The ice cave in Werfen we continued to Zell am See. This place is mainly known as a ski resort, but we realised that it also has a lot to offer in the summer. So we decided to explore it! We started by visiting the top of the mountain Kitzsteinhorn.
Three lifts to the top of the Kitzsteinhorn
To get to the top of the mountain Kitzsteinhorn you have to ride three (!) cable cars and then a small mountain railway. You who follow the blog know that I (Helena) am terrified of cable cars, but now I think I'm actually getting used to it!
On the way down, I even dared to look out of the windows, which is a great progress for me. On the other hand, I can say that these lifts were relatively gentle, i.e. they go quite close to the ground, compared to the high and scary Untersberg cable car in Saltzburg.
View from the Kitzsteinhorn in Austria
Finally, we were at the top, at an altitude of 3029 metres. Well, this is not really the top. The very highest point on the mountain is just over 3200 metres, but we were quite happy to reach the top station at 3029 metres. So, what a view! It feels almost unreal to stand here. The air is clear and cold and all you can 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!
Pulka slope at the top
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!
Watching the sledding was a great experience! In summer, Zell am See attracts people from all over the world. Europeans, Arabs, Indians and South East Asians meet here. The Europeans are happy to wear hiking clothes, the Arabs are traditionally dressed as Muslims, and many of the younger Southeast Asians have put on their best outfits to take cool selfies at the top of the mountain. But on the sledding hill, it doesn't matter where you're from or how you're dressed. Everyone has the same amount of fun and the slopes are alive with laughter.
Some were probably sledding, tailgating or snow racing for the first time in their lives, and there were plenty of crashes and falls on the slopes. At the same time, everyone was clutching their mobile phones and filming themselves right into the twists and turns. Impressive! We watched for a long time and laughed along with those who almost drove straight into us, or whom we had to help back on their feet. It's been a long time since we had this much fun! What a great atmosphere!
Good to know for your visit to the Kitzsteinhorn
If you are in Zell am See in the summer, we definitely recommend going up to the top of the Kitzsteinhorn. It's a wonderful experience and the views are amazing!
You can easily reach the mountain by taking the bus towards Kitzsteinhorn in Kaprun. The peak is open all year round 8:15 - 16:30 and the price up and down for an adult (2018) is 42 euros. If you get a Zell am See-Kaprun Summer Card (only available by booking accommodation through certain accommodation providers) the lifts are included at no extra cost. It is advisable to allow about half a day for the visit. Dress for the weather, but keep in mind that it is much colder at the top than on the ground. You can also read more on Zell am See Kapruns website.
Have you been to Zell am See, or anywhere else in the Alps in the summer? What is your favourite thing to do during a summer holiday in the Alps?
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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