Zell Am See

Just had a fabulous holiday with Crystal Ski in this delightful mediaeval town just south of Salzburg, and I was delighted to see it so promptly published in the Sunday Post newspaper supplement, PS Magazine, this weekend.

Zell is located at the foot of the Schmittenhöhe Mountain on the shores of Lake Zell. It is situated at the edge of Austria’s largest National Park, the Hohe Tauern, and topped by the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, the guardian of the Zell am See-Kaprun ski region. At the top of the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, 3,029 metres above sea level, you will find the National Park Gallery, the regions highest viewing platform.

Travel up by cable car to the summit terminus and a 360-metre-long tunnel leads through the interior of the mountain to a second viewing platform offering a view of the incredible landscape and from here you can also see Austria's highest mountain - the Grossglockner.

On your way you can stop at Cinema 3000, where a multi-award-winning film about the high alpine mountain world is shown. Non skiers can enjoy the views and a coffee, skiers can take off across the perfectly groomed glacier pistes.

Due to an injury last year Doug could not ski all week, but the combination of its stunning geography and the variety of activities available in the vicinity makes it the perfect destination for a blended holiday for skiers and non-skiers. We have both skied all our lives and enjoyed dozens of holidays together and as a family, we are all ski-mad, so we had never really thought about this issue before, but suddenly affected by it, it was quite amazing the number of couples we met where one partner was not skiing - it is clearly a 'thing' and a very good reason to choose Zell as your destination.

The town itself has a historic pedestrianised centre, with a wide selection of shops and restaurants, plenty of fun sports facilities including an ice rink and a large indoor swimming pool.

Afternoon tea at the Grand Hotel, overlooking the lake, is unmissable. There are several museums and attractions in and around the town and a main line train station, which makes outings further afield very easy.

The Vogtturm Museum is situated in a six-storey tower in the town centre. It has an extensive display of historic artefacts and paintings. The permanent exhibition is currently joined by a very special exhibition "The Porsche Design Principle", which puts the spotlight on the versatile work of F.A. Porsche Design Studio, the infamous German design studio, best known for car design of course, but also responsible for numerous other innovative products, including ski lifts, skyscrapers, airline interiors, wristwatches and numerous high-tech gadgetry. 

In nearby Kaprun you can find a museum housed in an old farmhouse, which chronicles 4,000 years of development of the area from a farming community to the popular holiday destination it is today; plus, Vötter’s Oldtimer Museum, displaying 200 vehicles from the 1950 to the 1970s, including tractors, cars, motorbikes and the world’s largest convertible. 

The luxurious Tauern Spa has several indoor and outdoor pools and enjoys the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, as its backdrop. Do remember that sauna and wellness facilities are usually mixed and have a strictly naked policy in Austria – us Brits can be quite shy about this. Local friends have explained to me that swimsuits are not allowed because people in swimsuits are perceived as voyeurs!

The Audi Experience is located in the Ice Camp in Kaprun. The whole area is sponsored by Audi, the latest model of Audi is displayed in a large igloo with an ice bar, serving vodkas in ice glasses. You can try ice driving with an instructor, preferably before you start on the vodka!

Skiers will be equally entertained by the way, the pistes are extensive and varied.

You can buy a Ski Circus Alpin card which covers three stunning areas: Kaprun, Zell Am See and Saalbach, or for the more adventurous, there is a Super Ski card, not much more expensive and includes 21 resorts, throughout the Salzburg region, most less than an hour’s drive away. This card is incredible value as you can pick and choose your destination for the day according to snow and weather conditions. 

I feel I should point out that in the Saalbach ski area, the colour coding for the pistes is very unexpected, some of the ‘blue’ runs are quite demanding, I would not explore there unless you were a very confident skier, there is more than enough terrain in the Zell Am See, where the ski schools are based, for beginners.

There are several local ski schools, they will assess your ability and quickly put you with a group you are comfortable with.

Zell Am See famously has a unique and inclusive ski school for children with additional needs called Skiing 4 All, they can be found online on Facebook. There are also guided snowshoe walks three times a week, free of charge to all lift pass holders, a different experience and good way to use new muscles.

Me and Nikki – your go-to guide day and evening!

Experienced skiers might want to join the Ski Club of Great Britain, membership is only £70 a year and you will find a guide in all major ski resorts, leading a group of friendly, like-minded people, who want to have fun and explore without the need for instruction. In Zell Am Zee the ski club rep is Nikki Smout, a long-time resident and a total legend: any stories you hear about her – believe them!

Après starts at 4pm in Austria, with thumping tunes and drinks on the slopes.

You can make friends quickly on a skiing holiday by the way - Susie and Clary and I bonded in seconds between our attempts to find the ski school meeting point, perfect our turns without crashing into each other and realising that actually we could just have some beers, a lovely coffee and fabulous night out to get to know each other better. Asking Susie for ideas for things I could do with my husband because he was not skiing really sealed things between her and I to be honest (yep I actually asked her that, completely seriously) and I should probably point out that she, very kindly, took most of the photos for this blog post.

After dinner head to any number of fun bars in Zell: Crazy Daisy, Cabrio or Off Piste and enjoy live music and friendly faces, you will have an unforgettable night - dancing on tables is actively encouraged!

We travelled with Crystal Ski and everything you need to know is on their free Explorer App, please download it when you book your holiday, to ensure you have everything you need in one place.

The app provides easy access to travel information, live lift info and ski tracking, inside information from the team in resort as well as events and activities while away and snow and weather forecasts to plan each day. 

You will be well looked after from the moment you arrive with Crystal, the rep is available every day for any queries, you will be invited on a guided pub crawl early in the week in Zell, starting at Rubiks, and taking in The Gin House, where you can find over a thousand varieties of gin, and ending up at Greens for a game of beer pong and a fun quiz night, with fabulous prizes, later in the week.

We stayed at the Hotel VAYA, a four-star hotel, right on the slopes, beside several gondolas up the mountain and regular buses down to Zell centre.

There is a ski school and ski hire in the basement of the hotel and nursery slopes right outside, so incredibly convenient.

Delicious food, a cosy bar for evenings and a wonderful pool and wellness centre

PS

The stunning city of Salzburg is one and a half hours by train, Mozart’s birthplace, and the backdrop to the ever popular musical, The Sound of Music. Fans (and who isn't?) can enjoy magical horse and carriage rides or a hop on, hop off bus tour that includes the many film locations around the city.

Fact Box

This was a PR trip, I was invited by Crystal and it was absolutely brilliant!

Crystal Ski Holidays (020 8610 3123) offers a week's half board holiday at the four-star VAYA Zell Am See from £1019  per person when booked online (based on two sharing) including flights to Salzburg and transfers

Price given is for departure on 18th March 2023

Direct flights available from all major UK airports.