After a long winter, you want bright colours and experiences. For example, you can take inspiration from your travels and look for bright colours in Vienna. The parks in the Austrian capital may not be green yet, but the joy is in the air — spring is here!
Or maybe you want a little more winter after a long winter? Then head to the ski resorts in the Alps, where the ski season continues. Check out the sports shops along the way for discounts on ski equipment. Read about the top reasons to come to Austria with kids in spring and the best holiday options in the Kidpassage review.
Contents
- Pros and cons of travelling to Austria in March
- The weather in Austria in March
- Air and water temperature
- Austria tours
- Alpine skiing
- Serfaus
- Ski Welt
- Zell am See-Kaprun - Where to go and what to see with children
- Holidays, events, festivals
- Cost of vacation
- Shopping
- Helpful tips for travelling with children
Photo: pixabay.com
Pros and cons of traveling to Austria in March
If you look hard enough, you can find negative reviews of holidays in Austria in March. There are many more positive reviews, mainly because Austria has a wealth of excursions, modern ski resorts and impeccable service. And a trip in March has some extraordinary advantages:
- There is still snow in the mountains, which makes skiers very happy;
- There are relatively few tourists in Vienna, and it is safe to walk around the capital;
- Amusement parks open, including Vienna's famous Prater;
- The day gets noticeably longer — a plus for any holiday;
- Prices are falling slightly in the winter resorts, but not yet in Vienna.
Austria's only downside in March is the unstable weather. It is particularly noticeable in Vienna, where warm and sunny days alternate with cold and rainy ones. In the mountains, the weather is less variable.
The downside is that ski resorts tend to be overcrowded, and prices could be faster to fall. The period up to mid-March is still considered high season, and only after that does the number of tourists decrease and prices fall.
Most importantly, where to go on holiday in Austria in March should be decided a few months in advance. Early spring may seem to be the low season, but there is always demand for good hotels and tours.
The weather in Austria in March
What is the weather like in Vienna in March-April? It can be hot or cold, sunny or rainy. In March, the temperature difference is still very noticeable, and the wind is often blowing, so windproof clothing is best for walking. An umbrella and waterproof shoes will also come in handy.
In the ski resorts, the weather at the beginning of March doesn't even feel like spring. There is no hard frost during the day, thick snow, and occasional snow showers.
The weather in Austria at the end of March varies from resort to resort. In some resorts, the season has to end because the slopes have been ruined by rain, while in other resorts, there is no sign of spring, and skiing continues until May. If you're travelling to Austria with a child to ski in March, check how long the season lasts at the resort of your choice.
Air and water temperature
Vienna does not have the same climate as Salzburg, and the weather in the flat eastern part of Austria is unlike in the mountainous western region. March is, therefore, a spring month in Vienna and a distinct winter month in the ski resorts.
| Daily t | Night t | |
|---|---|---|
| Vienna | +10,1°С | +3,7°С |
| Salzburg | +8,5°С | -0,4°С |
| Sefaus | -0,9°С | -9,5°С |
| Ski Welt | +6,6°С | -2,4°С |
| Zell am See-Kaprun | +3,2°С | -7,5°С |
The temperature difference in Austria in March can be up to 20°C. When the thermometer reads +15°C in the capital during the day, it's -5°C in the mountains. Night-time temperatures range from +3-7°C in Vienna to -10-15°C in the ski resorts. However, severe frost is rare in March; it's only at higher altitudes that it gets freezing.
Austria tours
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No matter what month is on the calendar, Austria is always full of things to do. And where do you go in Austria in March if you're prepared to visit museums all day? Vienna, of course. If you buy the Vienna City Card, you can save a lot of money on excursions. Children and teens under 18 can visit many museums for free.
The list of museums in the capital is extensive. Vienna's must-sees include Schönbrunn Palace, the Hofburg, the Habsburg Armoury, the Belvedere Palace and the Kunsthistorisches Museum. Of these sights, children might like Schönbrunn best, as it has a children's museum dedicated to the lives of young princes and princesses.
Here are a few more museums for the whole family:
- Madame Tussauds in the Prater Park. The waxworks are so accurate that you could be forgiven for thinking it was the real Empress Sisi, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart or Sigmund Freud greeting you.
- Technical Museum. The history of technical thinking is vividly illustrated in the museum. Surprisingly, the Archimedean screw is as attractive to children as the most sophisticated modern toys.
- Natural History Museum. One of its halls is dedicated to discovering the mummy of Etzi, who lived more than 5,000 years ago in the Tyrolean Alps. The mummy is on display in a museum in the Italian city of Bolzano.
- Papyrus Museum. The world's largest museum of ancient papyrus displays fragments of the Book of the Dead, personal amulets and other papyri with hieroglyphs and drawings.
The open-air sights are easy to notice. A look at Vienna's architecture usually starts with St Stephen's Cathedral and the Vienna Opera House, but the Hundertwasser House or the Vienna Secession Exhibition Hall are equally fascinating.
Many palaces and castles exist in and around Salzburg — Hellbrunn and Mirabel, Hohensalzburg Fortress, Hohenwerfen and Moosham Castles. Tourists also tend to pay tribute to Mozart by visiting his house museum.
But children prefer the Toy Museum with its old dolls, teddy bears and tin soldiers. A good family day out is the House of Nature, where you can peer into the world of single-celled organisms and step into outer space.
Also worth a visit is the Open Air Museum, a replica of a traditional village where life comes to life.
Innsbruck's main attraction is well known: the Swarovski Museum (in the suburbs), which resembles a treasure-filled dungeon and will appeal to children and adults alike. We also recommend the Hofburg Palace and the beautiful Ambras Castle.
Alpine skiing
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In the Austrian Alps, the arrival of spring is barely noticeable. The mountains are blanketed in snow, with occasional frosts at night, and skiers enjoy their skis. There's not much snowfall in March, but hardly any artificial snow. Almost all of the country's ski resorts are suitable for holidays with children. We've chosen those where there's no problem with snow or entertainment in March.
Serfaus
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The main reason for choosing Serfaus is that it has some of Austria's best children's ski schools. If you dream of your child falling in love with alpine skiing, there's no better place to learn.
March in Serfaus is dull and relatively cold. It snows intermittently, and the wind speed usually does not exceed 2m/s. Daytime temperatures range from -5-10°C to +3-4°C and nighttime temperatures range from -5-15°C.
The resort's slopes range in altitude from 1,200 to 2,820 metres. The total length of the pistes is over 200 km, of which only a fifth are blue pistes. Most easy runs are in the Plansegg area, while the Komperdell area is home to the excellent Kinderschneealm children's park. There's also another children's park in Fiss-Ladis.
Enrolling your children in a ski school to ensure they learn the correct skiing techniques is best. In Serfaus, children learn to ski from age three and snowboard from age 6. The youngest children can be looked after in kindergarten. In the Austrian Alps, the arrival of spring is barely noticeable. The mountains are blanketed in snow, with occasional frosts at night, and skiers enjoy their skis.
There's not much snowfall in March, but hardly any artificial snow. Almost all of the country's ski resorts are suitable for holidays with children. We've chosen those where there's no problem with snow or entertainment in March.
The price of a ski pass in the resort decreases in mid-March, although the difference in price compared to the high season is insignificant.
A unique ski pass is available for families with children under 3, which both parents can use.
What can you do to complement your mountain holiday? Tobogganing, curling, snowmobiling, snowshoeing and ice skating. Those who find sledging boring can try their hand at a ski fox or snow bike.
Another highlight of the resort is the Adventure Night show, which starts with sports acts and ends with fireworks. From Serfaus, you can also take the kids to Innsbruck to visit Ambras Castle, the Swarovski Museum and the Alpine Zoo.
Accommodation in the resort is in the villages of Serfaus, Fisse and Ladis, with the former being slightly more expensive. It is not possible to drive around Serfaus. Some hotels are built close to the ski lifts, and the free village metro to the ski area can reach the rest.
Ski Welt
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Modern infrastructure, good pistes, children's snow parks, lots of family fun and no rush — that's Ski Welt in the Tyrolean Alps. Come at the beginning of March to get a good snow cover and enjoy the skiing.
In March, temperatures at the resort rise to +3-10°C during the day and drop to -1-10°C at night. Sunny and cloudy days are about evenly distributed, snowfall is rare, and there can be rain towards the end of the month. The average wind speed is 1.8 metres per second. The Ski Welt skiing season ends at the beginning of April, as the altitude is very low, 620-1829 m.
The trails are 261 km long, with almost as many easy tracks as difficult ones. The longest piste stretches for 8 km.
Freeride enthusiasts can ski at Scheffau, with an extensive snow park. The resort is divided into several areas. The main one is Hoe Salve, where there are slopes of varying difficulty, an 8-kilometre slope, night skiing slopes and a children's playground.
As in Serfaus, ski pass prices will be reduced from 15 March. Children are usually enrolled in ski schools to learn the basics of skiing. There are children's clubs in the resorts for the little ones.
There are toboggan runs, an ice rink, a curling rink and ski and snowshoe trails. The Alpeniglu village, where all the houses are made of snow and ice, is worth a visit with the kids. After an active day on the slopes, relax in the indoor pools at the Kaiserbad Centre in Ellmau.
Ski Welt is situated between Innsbruck and Salzburg, so that you can visit museums in both cities during your holiday. The glass-blowing town of Rattenberg and the Schwaz silver mine is also worth a visit.
The area includes several villages. If you want to do a lot of skiing, staying in Zell is best. Ellmau has a good range of family hotels and plenty of entertainment, while Scheffau has a more relaxed atmosphere.
Zell am See – Kaprun
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Zell am See Kaprun is one of the best options if you choose a ski resort based on the number of family-friendly hotels. It is also at the top of the list regarding entertainment. But that is only some of it has to offer.
The first month of spring in the resort promises temperatures from -4°C to +12°C during the day and from 0°C to -15°C at night. There are only ten sunny days, with occasional snowfall and rain at the end of March. The average wind speed is two m/s.
Skiing altitudes in Zell am See - Kaprun, including the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, range from 750 to 3029 metres. The length of the slopes is only 140km, with slightly more difficult slopes than easy ones.
About a third of the pistes are on the glacier so that beginner can ski without disturbing expert skiers. There are also freeride areas and three snowparks on the slopes of the Kitzsteinhorn.
The Schmittenhöhe and Maiskogel ski areas are lower in elevation and are considered the best for family skiing. Schmittenhöhe has the best children's park in the resort.
Ski passes tend to be cheaper after 22 March. As well as skiing, Zell am See - Kaprun offers tobogganing, ice skating, curling, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing. Kaprun has the Spa Tauern World water park, and Zell am See has the Hallenbad Eishalle indoor swimming pool. Many hotels can organise activities for children.
The resort has attractions such as a medieval castle, a local history museum and a vintage car museum. The salt mines of Hallein and Berchtesgaden (Germany) are relatively close by.
The main villages in the resort have excellent infrastructure and are suitable for holidays with children. Some hotels have an all-inclusive system, and a children's menu is available.
Where to go and what to see with kids
Photo: kindermuseum.at
The weather in March could be better for walking. Will there be something for a child to do between museum visits? In Vienna, there is. For example, the Zoom children's museum has themed areas for toddlers, preschoolers and schoolchildren! And what a discovery a visit to the House of Music can be, where sound is not just a background but is experienced as something more than just aural.
Prater Park opens in the second half of March. Not all attractions may be open by then, but the indoor rides should be.
If your children like animals, they will enjoy a visit to Schoenbrunn Palace Zoo. Spend at least a couple of hours at the Haus des Meeres, which has nine floors of exhibitions.
Escape the chill of spring and summer at Therme Wien. And if your child needs to burn off some extra energy, head to the Family Fun indoor playground.
Time Travel 5D, on the other hand, is more than just an entertainment attraction. It is a journey into Vienna's past, a time machine ride that takes you to a Roman settlement and a medieval city, with a grand entrance by an emperor and the terrible aftermath of war.
Travellers often seek out the Vienna Opera, but only some know it includes the Children's Opera, which offers performances for younger audiences. A child can also attend full performances.
In Salzburg, Mozart's birthplace, children can also be introduced to opera. The Puppet Theatre has prepared an abridged version of The Magic Flute for children.
Holidays, events and festivals
The list of public holidays in Austria in March is short, and most are local. In Tyrol, Styria and Carinthia, for example, St Joseph the Bridegroom, the head and patron saint of the Holy Family, is celebrated. Church services are held on this occasion.
Catholic Easter occasionally falls in March. People prepare for the celebration well in advance, and markets open two weeks before to enjoy the smell and good pastries. The resurrection of Jesus is celebrated with a solemn mass, and children spend the morning searching for Easter eggs, which are believed to have been left by the rabbit or hare. In Salzburg, for example, the Easter Bunny always visits an open-air museum.
Cost of vacation
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You can't count on low prices in Austria in March. But mountain holidays are likely cheaper than in February, and a trip to Vienna will cost less than in the summer.
Airfares
After hitting an annual low in February, airfares rose by 3-5% in March. Flights to Innsbruck and Salzburg are cheaper than to Vienna. Prices continued to grow in April, increasing between 5% and 30%.
Accommodation
Accommodation prices in March are only sometimes predictable. In Vienna, they tend to rise by 20-25%; in the mountains, they may rise or fall by 10-15% — it usually depends on when the high season ends in a particular resort. In April, the prices of hotels and apartments in the capital do not change, while in the ski resorts, they gradually decrease.
Tour packages
Package holidays in Austria's ski resorts are only slightly cheaper in the second half of March. Tours to the capital can be 10-25% more expensive than in February.
Food
The cost of food in Austria is considerable, and savings can only be made if you intend to cook for yourself. However, there is a difference between the price of a meal in a tourist establishment and a typical city restaurant. Prices for breakfast in the capital start from 10-15 euros and for lunch or dinner from 25 euros.
By the way, the famous "Sacher" cake can be tasted not only in the café of the same name. It is served in many places in Vienna and is not overpriced.
In the ski resorts, the choice of restaurants is good, but the shops are often small and tend to be closed or have reduced opening hours at weekends. Lunch in a café will cost you €20, twice that in a restaurant.
Shopping
Spring in Austria means the end of the winter sales, but you can still return from your holiday with a bargain. For example, ski equipment prices drop in the spring and reviews of the March holidays in Austria suggest that this is an excellent time to pick up discounted skis and snowboards from the new collections.
Outlets in Vienna and Salzburg offer great discounts regardless of the season.
When it's Catholic Easter in March, there are fairs in the town squares selling Easter decorations, souvenirs and sweets.
Tips for travelling with children
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A trip to Austria is a great experience, but it's a lot of work to prepare! To avoid unnecessary stress, follow our tips and advice.
- The second half of March is a great time to visit Vienna. The weather is warmer, and there is a chance of catching the Easter markets.
- If you're planning a March holiday to Austria with children during the school holidays, choose a ski resort where the season lasts until mid-April.
- Choose a wardrobe that's lighter or warmer, depending on the temperature. Three-in-one jackets are handy, and thermal underwear may also be helpful for city walks.
- Take Upper Respiratory Tract Infection medications with you, as children are prone to respiratory infections in early spring.
- Ski resorts sometimes have activities for children, so it's a good idea to bring toys, colouring books and puzzles. Some hotels have playrooms and board games.
The shorter the trip, the more thoughtful the itinerary needs to be. If you want to spend a few days in Vienna, use the children's itinerary developed by Kidpassage. It includes the most important sights, the best museums and entertainment for the whole family.
