Sponsored – The hidden gem of Europe, less than ten hours away

Those snowy peaks are of course beautiful, but Austria is just as beautiful in the summer. Let’s face it: green meadows and blue lakes give you an instant Sound of Musicfeeling? In addition, Austria is also easy to travel – with an average of ten hours’ drive you are there and you are in a completely different world. Furthermore, hotels, campsites and restaurants are often aimed at families and there are plenty of great activities to do, even in the summer.

Undiscovered Austria

Where exactly should you be to experience the real undiscovered Austria? We list the most beautiful regions for you – and immediately tip what you can do there.

Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis

They are three different mountain villages, but you pronounce them in the same breath because they are right next to each other. The Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis region is certainly child-friendly, because thanks to the subway in Serfaus, the many cable cars and the hiking bus you don’t need a car. Oh, and of course there is plenty to do. Take the summer fun park Fiss, with all kinds of different play stations, a summer toboggan run and a huge sandbox. Another recommendation: Erlebnispark Hög in Serfaus, where your children learn about alpine agriculture and forestry. Sounds a bit vague, but in practice it means playing with gigantic milk cans, a cow pie trampoline and a wooden ball track. Prefer a quieter activity? Then visit the Wolfsee in Fiss, a beautiful water reservoir in the middle of the mountains where you can walk beautifully and there is a special animal route for children.

Prefer an educational and fun activity? Georama Lassida in Serfaus is all about stones, minerals and fossils. Upon arrival you will be given a shovel and then you can look for hidden treasures in the excavation area. Because that gives you quite an appetite, you can then relax on the panoramic terrace of Lassida, where they serve delicious pizzas, among other things.

Alpbach valley

Austria is pre-eminently a hiking country, but for a really nice hike you have to be in the Alpbachtal. We recommend the trip to the top on the Wiedersberger Horn. Also possible if you have small children, because with the Alpbachtal Card you can go to the mountain station for free and from there the summit is easily accessible. You can also visit the Alpbachtaler Lauserland (a great children’s adventure park) at the mountain station on your return.

Admittedly a three-hour walk (so better if your children are a bit older), but wow: what a view over this clear blue lake you get in return. In any case, you can swim to the fullest in the summer, because the warmest swimming lakes (up to 25°C!) in Tyrol are located in the Alpbachtal. You can swim in the Reintalersee, the Reither Badesee and the Berglsteinersee. Sailing with motor and sailing boats is also prohibited there, so it is wonderfully quiet. In short: a paradise for the necessary water fun.
If you prefer to put on your hiking boots, you should definitely visit the three well-known gorges in this region: the Kundler Klamm, the Tiefenbachklamm and the Steinberger Achental.

Do you also want to teach your children something culturally? Can be quite a challenge, but not if you go to Rattenberg – with four hundred inhabitants and only one shopping street, the smallest town in Austria. Or is there nothing to do? On the contrary. Marvel at the most colorful birds, eggs and flowers made of glass in the Kisslinger glassworks – a household name in Austria, visit the Nagelschmiedhäuser handicraft art museum or eat a delicious cake in the local konditorei.
Also worth a visit: the Museum Tiroler Bauernhöfe, where you can experience how the rural population used to live and work. For example, you will find out how to milk a cow or how to build a wooden house – nice to know and educational.

Pitztal

We can of course tell you a hundred about the eight different areas in Murau, the rolling green mountains and the crystal blue lakes. It’s all like that and you want to see it anyway. But even more interesting is that the playgrounds in the Murau region each have a special theme. That’s how everything in the wood-water playground of HolzWelt Murau revolves around, you guessed it, wood. On the Turracher Höhe, children and adults can whiz into the valley on the Nocky Flitzer, an alpine roller coaster, or learn more about the theme of time at Nocky’s AlmZeit.
Also nice: a ride with a real, old-fashioned steam train through the alpine meadows of Murau.

If we can give you a tip about the beautiful nature in Murau, then it is the Günster Wasserfall in Steiermark. Beautiful route with ditto views – for that reason it is also an important natural monument. The water falls no less than 65 meters, so quite a distance.

The Pitztal is located in Tyrol and has the highest glacier in Austria (at 3,570 meters!). You will also find the highest mountain lift and the highest café in Austria. But there is of course more that makes this place worth visiting, even in the summer months. You will make your children happy with a visit to the Pitz Park in the municipality of Wenns. It has a swimming pond, a large playground, a heated paddling pool and a beach volleyball and football field. Rain? Not bad, because there is also a large covered area with an indoor mini golf course. Also recommended: ZirbenPark adventure park in the Hochzeiger area. You can take a one kilometer walk through a beautiful pine forest and have views over the villages of Jerzens and Wenns. For your children there is, among other things, a twelve-metre high tower with a sixteen-metre-long tunnel slide.
Those who prefer something more educational can join a glacier adventure with a mountain guide – who will playfully explain the secrets of the eternal ice.

Okay, that time with your family is of course fantastic, but as a mother, some me-time is also quite nice. And then the Kneipp complex in Stillebach is exactly where you need to be. There is a special hand, foot and tread bath that will make your body tingle and afterwards you can relax optimally on the quiet sunbathing lawn.

Another treat: Grab a raft on Austria’s highest alpine lake, the Rifflsee. The view is great, but the fantastic wines (from the Neururer house) with cheese board are also a feast.

Need we say more?

Wildschönau

The villages of Niederau, Oberau, Auffach and Thierbach are part of the Hochdal Wildschönau and it may be said: it looks like you are stepping into a postcard. Sounds idyllic, it is, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing adventurous to experience. On the contrary: in Oberau there is a real dragon amusement park with thrilling attractions. Think of a go-kart track, a play pond with rafts and an Alpine Coaster – a thirteen hundred meter long descent with bends, bridges and three roundabouts. If you want something quieter, move to Niederau: there you can reach a deer park via an easy walk and imagine yourself in that postcard again.

Another recommendation is a ride with the gondola to the Holzalm in Niederau, and especially the local cheese dairy (reservation required). Not only nice to see the making process, also delicious to taste. Of course there is a playground and the view over the Brixental is never boring.

Murau

We can of course tell you a hundred about the eight different areas in Murau, the rolling green mountains and the crystal blue lakes. It’s all like that and you want to see it anyway. But even more interesting is that the playgrounds in the Murau region each have a special theme. That’s how everything in the wood-water playground of HolzWelt Murau revolves around, you guessed it, wood. On the Turracher Höhe, children and adults can whiz into the valley on the Nocky Flitzer, an alpine roller coaster, or learn more about the theme of time at Nocky’s AlmZeit. Also nice: a ride with a real, old-fashioned steam train through the alpine meadows of Murau.

If we can give you a tip about the beautiful nature in Murau, then it is the Günster Wasserfall in Steiermark. Beautiful route with ditto views – for that reason it is also an important natural monument. The water falls no less than 65 meters, so quite a distance.

Off to Austria: these are the most important essentials

Okay, packing may not be the nicest job before you go on vacation (because it’s stressful), but with this handy list you already have a few essentials that you can tick off in no time.

• Sturdy walking boots
• Good hiking socks
• Clothing in several layers: a T-shirt, cardigan, but also a thick sweater – especially in the evenings it can be a bit chilly in the mountains
• Water bottle for long walks
• Good, sturdy backpack for extra clothing, lunch, drinks and sandwiches – for a nice picnic in the mountains.
• First aid kit (if your child falls or gets a blister, you have a zipper of plasters at hand in no time)
• Sunglasses and cap
• Sunscreen
• Swimwear

call

Have you ever been to one of these beautiful regions in Austria with your family? Mail us (planning@familyblend.nl) your story with photos (note: this must be in one of the above 5 regions)! If you are selected, you will soon find your story in an article on kekmama.nl!