Exploring Salzburg with kids: itineraries and fun

For an active family vacation in nature, it’s hard to find a place better than Austria. The postcard-worthy dramatic landscapes, abundance and variety of attractions, and the high level of infrastructure and service—what more could you ask for?

One of the most popular destinations for such trips is the Salzburg area. We visited in October, and without the crowds of tourists, it was pure bliss. There is so much to do—even though we stayed for quite a while and some sites were already closed, we still had a whole list of things we didn’t manage to do.

Most of the attractions there are not cheap, especially for a family. So we got the two-week SalzburgerLand Card. It cost us over two hundred euros for five people, but saved us about 900. The card includes many cable cars, thermal spas, museums, access to hiking trails, and much more. There are some limitations, but you can work around them.

We really liked the farm where we stayed near Eben – Windbachgut. We rented a three-room apartment on the second floor. It was clean, cozy, with a good breakfast, and the hostess was caring and pleasant, ready to help with any question.

The children enjoyed herding, feeding, and milking the cows, chasing the chickens, and petting the rabbits, pigs, and sheep.

The yard was full of toys, a large trampoline, bikes and go-karts, a playhouse, ponds with and without fish, and a sitting area where you could see the Milky Way clearly on clear nights. Above the ponds, about 10 meters high, was a 200-meter long rope. I asked the owner what it was for. He looked at me carefully and asked which day we planned to return early. We agreed on the next day, and after herding the cows, he brought a box of gear. It turned out that it was a zipline, and he spent the whole evening sending our kids across it while I caught them on the other side. So, these people have their own private zipline at home!

The weather was great – only two rainy days the entire time. It was quite cold when we arrived, but it got much warmer later. We didn’t swim in the lakes, but we did climb some already snow-covered peaks a few times. We didn’t ski, though we could have, but we did play in the snow and went sledding.

We did many hikes with the kids – most of them are located on mountain peaks. To get the kids to join the hikes, they are scattered with various children’s attractions. Each mountain has its own theme and character – physical challenges, a park of senses, puzzles and collecting letters to solve riddles, metal slides down the slopes, etc. Naturally, all of this is accompanied by breathtaking views for the adults…

Additionally, we did several short hikes along streams and waterfalls. There are special walkways and steps everywhere, sometimes suspended right above the water.

We rode down 5 alpine coasters – for those unfamiliar, they are something like bobsleds, sometimes inside a trough, but usually on a metal track. It’s fast and fun, even for adults.

We visited several lakes at different altitudes and of different sizes. Speechless, just emotions.

We visited Salzburg, mostly the museums, especially the ones for kids. They are amazing; we couldn’t get the kids to leave. We also climbed castles both in the city and elsewhere.

We conquered two peaks over 3,000 meters (not on foot, by lifts) and drove around two more on scenic roads.

We also visited salt mines, 2 amusement parks, several zoos and wildlife parks, walked among treetops, climbed rope parks, rode down mountains on tricycles, zipped down on ziplines, and played soccerball…

In the evenings, we mostly went to thermal baths. Since almost everything in Austria closes by 6 pm, and the thermal baths are open late, it was a great option for us. The kids enjoyed the slides and trampolines while we relaxed in the jacuzzis and saunas, which deserve a separate post. I’ll just say that each thermal bath has a dozen different saunas for every taste, plus various treatments.

I’ll summarize briefly by day:

On the way from Vienna, we passed through Gmunden and took a cable car up Traunstein Mountain above Lake Traunsee.

We walked along the treetop trail, climbed and descended the spiral tower at Baumwipfelpfad Salzkammergut, rode down on alpine coasters, explored the rope park, and enjoyed an excellent Kaiserschmarrn at the restaurant on the summit. The place is fantastic!

Day 1

We ascended to an altitude of 2,995 meters above sea level to the glacier Dachstein-Gletscher. The tickets for the ascent are not cheap, and you need to book a time slot in advance, but that doesn’t save you from the queue, even off-season. The view from the top is breathtaking, and you can ski and sled there.

The main attractions are the suspension bridge, the stairs to nowhere, and the ice sculptures in the cave. It’s an unforgettable experience.
From there, we descended to the restaurant near the lift, rested, and had a snack while the kids played on a playground of an illogical size, and then we headed to Mountain Gokart – three-wheeled bikes used to descend the mountain on a several-kilometer trail, each at their own pace. If you don’t press the brakes too hard, it can get pretty extreme. And if you wear gloves, it’s even comfortable) We had to thaw out our fingers afterward…

Day 2

Lake Gosau. One of the most beautiful landscapes I’ve ever seen. There is a trail around it that can be leisurely completed in a couple of hours with stops.

After that, we went to the world-famous Hallstatt. Yes, it’s very beautiful, with the town, a chapel by the lake, swans, a cable car, and a salt mine. To say that it’s the cherry on top – in my opinion, no.

Day 3

Alpine sleds at Rodelbahn Lucky Flitzer, with a mini amusement park nearby. The kids had a lot of fun.

Flori’s Erlebnispfad – a trail at the summit with many puzzles and attractions. The kids were thrilled with the three-hour hike, and that means something.

We descended to Soccerpark Wagrain-Kleinarl and played soccer golf. It’s like golf, but with a soccer ball. A great family activity for a couple of hours.

Day 4

Game and Leisure Park Untertauern – somewhat like a zoo, but with animals roaming freely. Lots of children’s attractions, a hike to a waterfall, and a lake where you can fish. Atmospheric, we got stuck there for a long time.

Erlebnis-Therme Amadé – thermal baths for adults, pools and slides for children. Everyone had a fantastic time.

Day 5

Lammerklamm – a peaceful path above a mountain stream
Karkogel Rodelberg Abtenauer – alpine sledding, playground

Gollinger Wasserfall – a very beautiful and easy trail to an amazing waterfall.
AQUA SALZA GOLLING – a small pool, but it has everything. Saunas, slides, a warm outdoor pool with the air temperature at 7 degrees… Beautiful.

Day 6

Geisterberg Alpendorf – the mountain of ghosts. A trail with puzzles around the mountain and lots of children’s attractions. It’s done on a grand scale, with several stations on the mountain and a tractor that runs between them.

The rest of the day was spent in the charming St Johann im Pongau, where we accidentally found a small free rope park Baumparcours.

Day 7

Crossed the border into Germany to visit the salt mine Salzbergwerk Berchtesgaden. A very interesting tour. You wear miner’s gear, enter by train, go down a long slide, visit an underground lake, enjoy a laser show, and learn a lot of interesting information. The town itself is also atmospheric.

Almbachklamm – a trail through a gorge along a stream. It started to rain, so we had to turn back midway.

Rossfeld Panorama Strasse – a panoramic road in the mountains with unreal views.

Watzmann Therme – cozy themed thermal baths dedicated to salt miners. The saunas designed like salt mines left a strong impression.

Day 8

Toni’s Almspielplatz & gokart – another mountain with a trail and games for children. It was very cold and windy. When we came down, the tired kids fell asleep in the car, and we took them to a different area to the Felsentherme Bad Gastein, where we spent the rest of the day in warmth and comfort.

Day 9

Liechtensteinklamm – an incredible path along a mountain stream in a gorge to a waterfall, featuring a long spiral staircase.

Sommerrodelbahn “Keltenblitz” – extreme alpine slides. A 20-minute ride up an open lift, and a very steep and long descent on a single-track.

Hohenwerfen Castle – a castle on a mountain with a bird show.

Day 10

It was raining, so we decided to spend the day in Salzburg. The city is charming, with a fortress on a hill and a promenade in the center with a view of it …

Spielzeug Museum – a multi-floor toy museum. Well, more like a toy playground; most of the exhibits are meant for hands-on play. It’s impossible to get the kids out of there. Across the street, there’s a cool kiosk with coffee in waffle cones.

Haus der Natur – actually, it’s two large museums – science and nature. You could easily spend a couple of days there.

Stiegl-Brauwelt – a brewery-museum-restaurant of the well-known Austrian beer producer.

Hangar-7 – a free museum-office of Red Bull. Sports cars, airplanes, helicopters, boats. Cool.

Day 11

Filzmoos – a charming and well-hidden village away from tourist eyes. We walked the short family trail Bärtl’s family hiking trail,

and drove along the toll road (6 euros) to Almsee. The road leads to a parking area with a restaurant and a playground, from where trails through the forest ascend to the mountain lake.

We also wanted to hike up to the marmot mountain there, but the road was blocked.

From there, our journey took us towards Kaprun, but that will be covered separately.

More reports and other useful information can be found in the group