What to see and do in 5 days in Kaprun/Zell am See in Austria
“Austria in a Nutshell” – This is how the area around the small city of “Zell am See” should be described.
It offers everything, which you usually think of, when picturing Austria:
Green Meadows, grazing cows in idyllic landscapes, crystal-clear lakes and snow-covered mountains with glaciers reaching out to the valleys below.
Table of Content
- Hiking the Sigmund Thun Klamm
- Visiting the Kapruner Hochgebirgsstauseen
- Driving the Großglockner Hochgebirgsstraße
- Hiking the ridge between Kitzsteinhorn and Maiskogel
- Visiting the Krimmler Waterfalls
Day I: Hiking the Sigmund Thun Klamm
Start your day with an early hike through the Sigmund Thun Klamm. Enjoy the refreshing spray of the raging waters and walk around the bright blue Klammsee. Grab yourself a cold drink or a small snak at the Almwirtschaft Schneckenreith before heading back to Kaprun.
Stroll through the small city or spend some time at the Tauern Spa before heading out for dinner at the Restaurant Auhof.
Day II: Visiting the Kapruner Hochgebirgsstauseen
Plan a full day to explore the famous Kapruner Hochgebirgsstauseen. Do not miss to include a hike to the Glacier View Point or to the Karlinger Waterfall to your itinerary. Grab yourself a lunch at the Restaurant at the upper lake and enjoy the majestics views while walking (or climbing) the dam.
Plan to visit the Restaurant Baumbar in the evening inorder to fuel up after this exciting day.
Day III: Driving the Großglockner Hochgebirgsstraße
Today you will go car-hiking along the Großglockner Hochgebirgsstraße. The route offers many possibilities to stop and explore. You can either head to the small town of Heiligenblut or to the Kaiser-Franz-Josef-Höhe Visitor Center in order to get the views of the Großglockner – the tallest mountain in Austria.
Plan to head to Zell am See in the evening and enjoy a extra-cheesy burger at the Burger Factory. But do not miss to do a reservation upfront!
Day IV: Hiking the ridge between Kitzsteinhorn and Maiskogel
Get ready for one of the most amazing hikes at Kaprun/Zell am See. Today you hike the ridge between the Kitzsteinhorn and the Maiskogel mountain top. Plan enough to fully take in and enjoy those yaw-dropping views!
Take the 3K-Konnection to the Kitzsteinhorn and start your hike from here in order to make the most of it. The best thing: treat yourself with an early dinner and an Apfelstrudel at the Maiskogel Alm Ranch.
Day V: Visiting the Krimmler Waterfalls
Take a day-trip to the Krimmler Waterfalls and hike up the trail right next to the three stages of the waterfall. Do not miss to take your rain-jacket and hiking boots!
Do not stop at the top of the waterfall, but keep on walking straight down into the alm valley. Here you will find not just a dreamy mountain panorama with many cows and green meadows, but also one of the best Kaiserschmarrn at the Hölzlahneralm.
Back in Kaprun: end your day with a traditional dinner at the Gastwirtschaft Tafern.
Where to stay
We stay at the small Hotel called “Guggenbichl”. It is a traditional and family owned small farmhouse.
It is located above the small city of Kaprun and offers amazing views of the city – all the way to “Zell am See” and the Zeller See.
The family-run hotel has only a few rooms. In summertime, they only offer breakfast. While in wintertime, they also offer dinner. Nevertheless, they organize a huge barbecue every Friday, which you can book for about 25€ per Person – which we highly recommend (if you are not a vegetarian).
The Guggenbichl offers great add-ons (Status 2021) such as the “Kapruner Sommerkarte”, which provides many discounts and another card, which provides access to the “Tauern Spa” – a huge water and sauna world.
Where to eat
Schnitzel, Apfelstrudel, Knödel, Kaiserschmarrn. The Austrian kitchen is first of all: traditional. You will find many great dishes from classics as the “Wiener Schnitzel” and “Kaiserschmarrn”, but also other great culinary delights. Find following an overview of some restaurants and dishes, which you should not miss! Be prepared to gain the one or the other kilogram while visiting Austria.
Restaurant Auhof, Kaprun
We visited this restaurant two times as the service was absolutely great. The menu offers many typical Austrian dishes for a reasonable price. A big plus: they also have great variety of cakes, which you can also order as a dessert for dinner.
Restaurant Baumbar, Kaprun
I admit: when we first visited this restaurant, we were kind of “desperate” as all other restaurants were already fully booked. BUT, in the end we kept coming back to it even one more time as we were absolutely convinced by the food. The restaurants itself definitely has a lot of “Àpres-Ski”-Flair, but it offers a broad variety of dishes from typical Austrian to Pizza, Pasta and Burgers. We highly recommend the “corn soup”, which is served with a little bit of chili oil and crunchy popcorn.
Gastwirtschaft Tafern, Kaprun
A little bit pricier than the other restaurants but totally worth it! “Tafern” offers many classical Austrian dished – but always with a small modern touch to it. We can recommend the “Wiener Schnitzel” and we would always come back for the “Kalbsleber”, which was absolutely great.
Maiskogel Alm Ranch, Kaprun
The BEST “Apfelstrudel” can be found at the mountain station of the “Maiskogelbahn”. It is served (very) hot and the crispy dough is filled with sweet apples and it literally swims in vanilla sauce. It is an absolute must and I promise you: you will come back for this great “Apfelstrudel”. Order it with a coffee or an espresso and enjoy the views over Kaprun at the outdoor terrace.
Burger Factory, Zell am See
If you like burgers – and who doesn’t? – you will be most happy when visiting “The Burger Factory” at Zell am See. We visit this small restaurant every time when we are in Zell am See and we keep coming back for it – as the burgers are just phenomenal.
Tip I: Order the “Untouchable” Burger if you love cheese! It is covered in melted cheese and is an absolute highlight.
Tip II: Book a table in advance as the restaurant is really small. Ask for a table at the roof top terrace in summer in order to get some nice views over the “Zeller See”.
How to save money, when visiting Kaprun/Zell am See
When visiting the area around Kaprun and Zell am See, you have the possibility to purchase the “Kapruner Sommerkarte”. Sometimes, this card is included in your hotel room – check before booking and try to consider it, when searching for a hotel.
The card offers the full package of holiday experiences in combination with many advantages and discounts . We used the card many times, when we travelled by cable car as they were fully included in the summer card (except the 3K-Konnection). This really saved us a lot of money and enabled us to do many hikes around Kaprun.
Check the official website in order to find out more: Kapruner Sommercard.
The 3K-Konnection Cable Car
There are many cable cars around Kaprun and Zell am See. But there is only one “3K-Konnection-Bahn”. This panoramic cable car offers some of the most stunning views of the Kapruner valley – all the way from the “Zeller See” to the “Hochgebirgsstauseen”.
Unfortunately, it is not included in the Kapruner Summercard, but at least you can get a small discount. Nevertheless, I totally recommend to take it at least once as it is not only the longest continuous gondola ride, but also rises the highest elevation (2261 vertical meters) in the Eastern Alps.
Costs per ride: about 32€ per Person (30€ with the Kaprun Sommerkarte)
Tauern Spa Thermal Bath
Several hotels in the region around Kaprun have a cooperation with the “Tauern Spa” and offer free entrance to the water world and sauna areas. Check, if your preferred hotel is listed as a partner and if you can get the discount. We are actually not sure, if we would recommend visiting the Tauern Spa, if we would not have had the discount card, as it is quite expensive and many things need to be purchased at an extra fee.
Another important hint: the infinity pool, which you can see on many posts of the Tauern Spa is exclusively for the hotel guests of the Tauern Spa – this means, you can only use it if you stay at their own hotel, but not as a day-guest.
Costs
Entrance to the Waterworld excl. the Sauna: 15€ (3 hours), 33€ (full day)
Entrance to the Waterworld incl. the Sauna: entrance to the Waterworld + 17€
