Advertisements for winter holidays in the Austrian mountains are full of beautiful images: mountain silhouettes softened by a light mist, snow-covered fir trees, pointed church spires, and cosy streets of holiday villages, with happy parents and children on skis in the background.
What is more important, the advertising does not exaggerate. Tourists who visit the Austrian Alps in winter are happy with everything. And for families with children who are about to discover Austria's ski resorts, Kidpassage has prepared an overview of the regions that offer the best conditions for family holidays.
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Austria's ski resorts
The descriptions of Austria's ski resorts are pleasantly monotonous: long ski seasons, quality slopes of varying degrees of difficulty, professional ski instructors, a high level of service, and a well-thought-out après-ski programme.
But not every resort is suitable for families with children, simply because a family holiday in the mountains has unique features. How to choose a holiday destination that the whole family can enjoy?
The first thing to do is decide what you want to do. For example, if you're just a beginner, choose a resort with a good ski school and plenty of easy runs.
If your child is ready to ski, look for children's schools with good snow parks. Experienced skiers will want access to challenging slopes, while snowboarders and free-riders should look for resorts with a dedicated area. If skiing is not your main focus, look for alternatives with an active entertainment or leisure programme.
Think about your budget too. Skiing holidays in Austria are not cheap, but if you compare the country's regions, you can find reasonably priced options by Austrian standards.
The age of the children is also essential when choosing a holiday destination. Families with preschool and primary school children are advised to select regions with kid-friendly hotels and good winter amusement parks. Older school-age children will appreciate lively, party places.
Austrian ski resorts with thermal springs
Skiing is all about sport, relaxation, courage, and the chance to make a splash... And then there's the tiredness, the cold and the free time you have after skiing. To relax and warm up after conquering the slopes, choose not just any ski resort but the thermal spas of Austria.
Say, Bad Kleinkirchheim is where the phrase "take a dip in pleasure" can be taken literally. You can dip in the outdoor pool, in the snow-covered forest at the foot of the mountain, or in the indoor Römerbad.
While parents are more likely to relax in the hydromassage or sauna, children are more likely to splash around in the play pools.
The spa also boasts the St. Kathrein Thermae, which offers warmth and a pleasant view on a winter's day. The good news is that the thermal baths are close to the ski slopes. The Gastein Valley was first famous for its thermal springs, and only then did it attract skiers. It is the place to go for radon water treatment, but healthy people can enjoy the warm pools.
The valley is home to Austria's two famous spa resorts, Bad Gastein and Bad Hofgstein.
The first is the Felsentherme Health and leisure centre, with swimming pools and saunas for adults and a well-designed water playground for children. The second is famous for the Alpentherme centre, which offers everything you need to relax and even has a water cinema.
No review of Austria's thermal ski resorts would be complete without mentioning two other places to combine business with pleasure. Skiers in Zell am See can warm up in the pools of the Kaprun spa complex. It has an excellent children's area with waterslides and several different pools.
And visitors to Sölden praise AkvaDom, the thermal spa in Längenfeld, Tyrol. Here the outdoor pools are shaped like bowls. When the silvery steam hangs over them on a winter's day, it's easy to believe that the bowls are filled with fairytale, living water.
The best ski resorts for adult and young beginner skiers
Can parents take their first steps together with their children? Yes, they can — if the whole family learns to ski simultaneously. And the best place to learn is in Austria's beginners' ski resorts.
That's where you start conquering the peaks on the easy training slopes, where the instructors first teach you how to deal with your fears, and where they will be sympathetic to the fact that you will have a delayed onset muscle soreness after you put on your skis. After all, the saying "If you can't do it, don't do it" doesn't apply here.
The main indicator of a resort's suitability for beginners is the number of easy (blue) runs. The record holder is Ski Welt, with 124 km of blue runs. Second, is the Ski Circus complex with 90 km of easy slopes. On the other hand, the Zell-Am-See-Kaprun complex (Kitzsteinhorn glacier) has the Maiskogel ski area, which is suitable for the whole family.
And what will children be doing while their parents stomp around the slopes hoping to find their centre of gravity? Children will do the same thing, particularly in children's schools where the instructors love to play with the little ones.
Training is organised so that your child doesn't get too tired and lose interest in skating.
And it's impossible to lose interest: the learning slopes have been turned into amusement parks, and skiing skills are learnt without anyone noticing. A ski carousel or a children's lift called the Magic Carpet will enchant even three-year-old skiers — the age at which children can join most ski schools.
The best winter parks can be found in the ski resorts of Scheffau, Söll and Westendorf, and there are even clubs for children who have not yet learned to ski. The playground in Hinterglemm (ski circus resort) is its only rival.
Sometimes beginners need an inspiring example. An excellent place to look is Kirchberg in Kitzbühel, where the Alpine Ski World Cup is held annually. You can use the inspiration you get here in the beginners' schools. And even if you don't feel like skiing, you won't be bored in a hotel or bar with a glass of glüwein.
Austria's famous ski resorts offer an extensive après-ski programme. For example, the Kaiserbad slide pool complex and the Alpeniglu ice village near Ski Welt. And what about ice skating on the frozen mountain lake Moorsee? Zell-Am-See has a health centre and indoor swimming pool.
The Aquarena water leisure centre in Kitzbühel could well become a family favourite. There are also sledging and inflatable tubing slides in every resort, an activity no one considers purely for children.
Budget holidays
The Austrian Alps are by no means a cheap holiday destination. But if you look at the different resorts, you'll find some affordable places in Austria that still offer decent accommodation, skiing and entertainment. It is important to note that budget ski resorts in Austria have the same quality slopes and modern lifts as the best, most prestigious and most expensive resorts.
And budget hotels, guesthouses and apartments allow you to save money on your holiday (the level of service remains high, Austrian style, regardless of price). In addition, some resorts offer special deals just for families with children.
An excellent example of this is Ski Welt. Here, children under the age of 5 ski for free, and at the beginning and end of the season, parents can buy a ski pass for 3 days or more, and their children under the age of 15 can also ski for free.
The Ski Amade resort is attractive for its low-cost accommodation. Conveniently, the villages have their ski areas, allowing holidaymakers to save time and money. In addition, the tourist infrastructure of each village makes it possible to get the necessary services right on the spot. The region offers discounts on children's season tickets (usually valid at weekends). Adult ski passes, for 2 days or more, are valid on all the region's slopes, with a total length of 860 km.
One of Ski Amade's resorts, Schladming, deserves a special mention. Despite being one of Austria's cheaper holiday destinations, the slopes here are top-class.
It is because the downhill and slalom World Cup events are held in Schladming. A pleasant surprise: children can have fun in the ski resort even if not in ski school. And that's a considerable saving without compromising on leisure time.
Top 5 children's ski resorts in Austria according to Kidpassage
It is almost an exaggeration to say that all Austria's ski resorts are suitable for families. And yet some places are not only suitable but ideal for a holiday with a child. Several factors come into play:
- Ease of transfer
- Availability of child-friendly hotels
- Possibility of arranging meals for the child
- The professionalism of children's ski instructors
- Tourist infrastructure
- Variety of family entertainment
And then there's that special something that makes these resorts stand out. So what do the best ski resorts in Austria offer for a family holiday? Let's take a look at what are the top five.
Serfaus
Austria's leading children's ski resort is Serfaus. It is recommended for those who want to take their children skiing and those who are confident on the slopes. Beginners get a good start at the Serfaus Ski School, and the instructors can get to know children as young as three. Even children with skiing experience can learn to ski at one of the 11 levels available.
But the children's favourite place is the Serfaus Snow Parks. All kinds of winter fun, plus a touch of magic — kids are entertained, and parents are free to go skiing themselves. Many hotels offer babysitting services for the little ones.
Hotels in Serfaus also offer other useful services for families with children. The only disadvantage of this resort is the difficulty of transport. The nearest airport is 100km from the resort; from there, you have to take a taxi or train and then a bus.
Kitzbühel - Kirchberg
The Kitzbühel-Kirchberg ski area does not have this disadvantage. There are two airports nearby from which you can take a train to Kitzbühel. The fact that the train station is in the town itself can significantly expand your leisure activities, for example, taking your children to other cities in Austria or to Munich. However, the main activity in the region is still alpine skiing.
Beginners can learn the ropes at one of the 10 professional ski schools. Some of them have a play park for teaching children. There's an almost even split between easy and challenging slopes, and experienced skiers can indulge in a ski safari — a 120km circuit of interconnected slopes.
Accommodation in Kitzbühel is not cheap, and children's playrooms, clubs and entertainment can be hard to find. However, the Mercedes-Benz Sports Park and Aquarena water park are accessible places to entertain the kids. Kirchberg is the place to be if you're looking for a quiet and inexpensive holiday.
- Family-friendly hotels in Kitzbühel-Kirchberg
- What to do in Kitzbühel-Kirchberg with children
- Kitzbühel-Kirchberg: Family Travel Guide
Ski Circus (Saalbach - Hinterglemm - Leogang)
Austria's excellent ski resorts for children are part of the Ski Circus region. The vast ski area offers slopes suitable for beginners and advanced skiers. A unique feature of the Ski Circus is that the slopes are interconnected, so you can leave the learning area and ski around the entire Ski Circus one day, skiing only on the blue slopes. There are ski schools to put the kids on their skis, and the facilities and decorations are the envy of the area.
The tourist infrastructure is well-developed in all the towns in the region. When choosing a resort, it's a good idea to consider the age of the children. Schoolchildren will feel at home in lively Saalbach. Hotels in Hinterglemm offer complete services for families with young children. And Leogang will delight those who enjoy learning about the folk traditions of other countries.
- Family-friendly hotels in Ski Circus
- What to do in Ski Circus with children
- Ski Circus: Family Travel Guide
Stubai
The Stubai region boasts the most extended ski season, from October to June. The resort is located on a glacier, which ensures good snow cover for a long time. The German ADAC ski guide traditionally lists Stubai as one of the best family resorts. And that makes sense. The wide, clearly marked slopes are easy for beginners to find their way around.
Second, children are taught in one of the best schools in the area, and kindergarten teachers work with the kids while parents enjoy skiing. Thirdly, there's a Daunferner slope specially designed for family skiing. Fourthly, the infrastructure of the resorts in the region is conducive to a good holiday, and the après-ski programme is very varied.
Finally, Stubai is only 20 minutes from Innsbruck — use our special children's itinarary to visit the city's most exciting museums.
Bramberg - Neukirchen (Wildkogel Arena)
Last but not least on our list of recommendations is the Bramberg-Neukirchen region (Wildkogel Arena). There is something for everyone, from skiers to those who just want to enjoy the mountain scenery and good food.
Keen skier parents can ski all day and leave their children at the ski school or kindergarten. But the children's instructors are so good at what they do that they don't stay in the school but get young skiers out on the slopes. There are four particular ski areas for kids. The Wildkogel Arena also boasts the world's longest toboggan run. Here, even adults remember how fun it is to go down the hill on a sledge.
The resort has a child-friendly infrastructure but not much in the way of entertainment. However, some hotels offer a children's programme and other services for families with children.
- Family-friendly hotels in Bramberg-Neukirchen
- What to do in Bramberg-Neukirchen with children
- Bramberg-Neukirchen: Family Travel Guide
Finally, remember one skiing quote: 'A person should have wings to carry them where their dreams go, but sometimes a pair of skis makes a good substitute'. Enjoy skiing as a family on the beautiful slopes of the Austrian Alps!
