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TOP trips in Schladming area

července 11, 2024
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července 11, 2024


Austria is our faithful constant, where we always like to return. Even with children, our opinion hasn't changed, perhaps on the contrary, because it's really hard to find a more babyfriendly destination within easy driving distance. This year our main destination was Slovenia (article here), but to make the trip a bit more challenging, we spent 2 days in Austria on the way there + 2 days on the way back. And the choice for 2024? SCHLADMING!



Accommodation in the Schladming area

This time I was looking for apartment type accommodation with a bedroom as a separate room. After all, we didn't want to go straight to bed with the kids. There are countless apartments offered in the area, but the prices vary quite a bit. I would recommend starting your search early, as the best and cheapest deals are of course gone very quickly. You should also find out if the accommodation you choose also offers the Schladming-Dachstein Sommercard, which can save you tens of euros on cable cars, entrance fees or parking fees.


Specifically I booked TOM's Appartment and Appartements Basti, both I would say comparable. Nice apartments with a full kitchen (incl. microwave and coffee maker), balcony and parking. The price was also comparable - about €108/night. At TOM's Appartment, the price included the aforementioned Sommercard, and there was a playground with a sandpit in the backyard. Other accommodation tips for me are as follows:





Tips for trips


1. Planai

I'll start with the biggest highlight, especially if you have arrived in Schladming with your kids. But there's something for every age group on this 1906m hill, because hiking trails and great views are a given here. However, Planai also stands out for its perfect downhill bikes + two bike trails leading up as well.


As I have already hinted, children will be the most excited here... followed closely by their parents, who will be patting themselves on the back for how nicely they've done it. Upstairs is the so-called Hopsiland, in short, the area where Hopsi the rabbit reigns supreme and where you will not be bored for literally a minute. You can think of it as a whole circuit with various stations to make sure you don't miss anything :) Right at the top station of the cable car there is one playground with a swing and slide as well as an indoor sandpit, and in the shade of the trees there is another activity in the form of rope climbing. A little further on, I recommend picking up a wooden ball (€2) from the vending machine, which will guarantee you another batch of fun - after all, the Planai is ruled by ball-racing! There are also themed playgrounds such as a western or farm. The water mills, the barefoot trail and the adjacent pond as a paddling pool are also great. It's no exaggeration to say that you can spend a complete day here, I really haven't been that excited about a playground in a long time!


TIP: if you run out of energy in the lower section, you can use the Hopsi Express = a short toboggan ride that will bring you back to the main trail.


And now for some more of that grown-up fun... walking. Right from the top station you can climb to the very top of Planai, the walk is not long or difficult, it's just uphill. From here you can turn back and continue along the Planai Rundweg circular route, or continue past the second cable car, past the lookout with the cross, and join the Rundweg later. Of course, without children you can continue along any of the hiking trails.


With children, I recommend completing the marked circuit (you can see it very nicely on the maps.cz), because in the final part you will find newly installed wooden animal statues. After pressing the button, the sound of the creature + its short description (in German) is triggered, but just pressing the trigger was a great motivation for Nina :) All in all, the Planai Rundweg is less than 3 km long, which can be walked with a stroller and the 3 year old can do it on his own. At the end you can have a snack at the Planai Hof (playground, sandpit, trampoline) or Onkel Willi's (small bouncy castle). There are two more huts right by the cable car station and one more in the children's section below.


Accessibility - the funny thing is, if you are a Sommercard holder, Planai doesn't have to cost you a single euro. In fact, the parking lot at the Schladming cable car is free for all and card holders don't even pay for the cable car ride. If you want to transport your bike, you only pay €8 extra, and the stroller is free. You scan the Sommercard or QR code directly at the turnstiles when you go to the cabins, you don't even have to go to the ticket office. Two things to watch out for: 1) there is a distinction between the pedestrian and bicycle cabins - they have holders + plastic on the seats, 2) the cable car goes through an intermediate station, so no panic in the middle, sit comfortably and let yourself be transported to the top :)


Now the prices, unless you have a magic card. Return for both sections will cost an adult €29, children from 6 years old €15,50 (or an extra €7 for a dog). I won't list one-way trips or trips only to/from an intermediate station, check out the official website here instead .




2. Johanneswasserfall

Have you ever walked behind a waterfall? No? Then here you can fix it! Half an hour's drive from Schladming is this beautiful waterfall, which you should not miss at any cost. There is a viewing platform, but you can't see the waterfall itself very well from here. However, you can zigzag down the staircase to this 60-metre-high gem, where you can feel the water droplets falling on your own. It's a good way down, and it's a bit of a slog up, but not too extreme, just be sure to choose appropriate footwear - not flip-flops!


If you have more time, it is also possible to take the Johanneswasserfall Rundweg, where you will cover about 2 km including the route from the nearby car park. From the more distant one count plus about 800 metres extra.


Accessibility: parking is available on the main road, but spaces are limited, about 10 cars can fit. If you are not lucky, drive to Felseralmstrasse (again, clearly visible on the map), where the parking is much larger and you can reach the waterfall from the other side. There is no parking or entrance fee within the Johanneswasserfall.




3. Riesachfall and Riesachsee

Again, this trip can be approached in several ways depending on your time, fitness, number and age of children, etc. The Reisachfall is very easily accessible from the car park, the walk to the first part of the Kleiner Riesachfall takes only a few minutes and even to the higher viewpoint, the bridge over the Grosser Riesachfall, it is no drama. Count on about 20 minutes of adult walking. At these points you will then have to decide what to do next. Options:


1) you've had enough and return to the car or for a beer - no need to elaborate further


2) you have not had enough, you want to go all the way to the Riesachsee lake, but you have small children or a dog with you - you follow the 777 route along the dirt Untertalstrasse until you reach the Gfolleralm in about half an hour. From there it's only a short walk to the lake, and the best views are right below the cottage.


TIP: this whole option is also passable with a carriage. If you're travelling with two (or more people), go straight from the car park along Untertalstrasse and just take turns to check out the waterfall. It's a really short detour at the bottom and top.



3) it was not enough, you are still energized and some step will not just make you fall down - seriously, there is a warning sign at the beginning of this trek called Alpinsteig Holl, so you should consider your strength and have enough equipment (suitable clothing, shoes, drink). Please also pay attention to the warning that this walk is not suitable for dogs and children under 8 years of age. Why?


Because the trail goes through the river canyon mostly on metal staircases and bridges (one even 50 meters long and hanging) - it's kind of that rough, perforated stuff, so it's really ouch for doggy paws. Also note that there are a lot of stairs and some of them are pretty steep. So if you're having trouble getting up to the second floor of that apartment building over there by Mania, skip it right now and go with option #2 with your families and retirees. If you go for it, the sign says 35 minutes to Gfolleralm, the actual time depends purely on your ability. One last thing I'd like to mention - Alpinsteig Holl is a one-way route. So if you are thinking of a trip to Riesachsee as a circuit, you have to go up through Alpinsteig Holl and back on 777, there is no other option.


Our reality was that I whizzed through Alpinsteig Holl at lightning speed, while Pepa was struggling with Johnny in the carrier and a bouncing Nina in a roundabout way. Arriving at the hut in record time, I ran to meet the rest of the family, and together we reached the finish line at the hut and then the lake after refreshing ourselves. Magorina, but thanks for letting me <3 We were generally up pretty early. I met all of 2 people on the way and we were even the first customers at the hut (try their sandwiches or cakes by the way, yum!). Then on the way back we saw a lot of people coming the harder route, even with small children, even with a baby cross, but I guess that's up to everyone's discretion. For me personally, with two small children in a 1 adult to 1 child split, it would have been too much of a risk. 



Children's activities: right next to the cottage under the waterfall is a nice playground with a slide, swings and sandpit + bunnies. There are also bunnies at the hut above Riesachsee, but unfortunately no playground. Anyway, what you simply CANNOT miss in this area with kids is the Waldhausalm hut when passing through the valley, probably on the way back. It is a classic restaurant plus a large adjacent garden which is one giant playground including attractions on the local pond. Really top! As an added bonus they have lots of pets - ponies, goats, sheep, rabbits, ducks, pigs. And to avoid any questions, there is no entrance fee at the Waldhausalm.


Accessibility - to get to the parking lot at the waterfall, you have to go through a toll gate, because the road here is charged at 13 € or 9.50 € for Sommercard holders for a car (no parking fee). Just be careful, cash only! TIP and some under-the-counter info: if you are only interested in visiting the Waldhausalm, which is just a short distance beyond the tollgate, tell the attendant and they will let you in without paying. I trust that my readers are intelligent and honest enough not to abuse this information :)




4. Worschachklamm and Wolkenstein

Yeah, the gorges, we can do those. Most of them are short and quite fun for Kobliha, because the path contains stairs, so it actually goes pretty well :) Worschachklamm is located (quite surprisingly) near the town of Worschach. I recommend not to enter the name in google maps, because it shows the gorge in a completely different place and the navigation is able to take you somewhere completely nonsensical and unrealistic. If you use google, type in Parkplatz Wörschachklamm & Burgruine Wolkenstein instead. From there, it's about a half-kilometre walk to the entrance of the gorge. If you arrive early in the morning like we did, you can also park right by the ticket office, but there are really few spaces, so the aforementioned parking lot is definitely a better bet.



The advantage of the Worschachklamm is that you can choose whether to go to the end of the gorge (less than a kilometre) and then return the same way, for example if you are short of time. Or you can stretch this hike out a bit and make it a 3.8km circuit, which I recommend, as you include the rather large ruins of Wolkenstein Castle. We took a small detour from the red markings and shortened our route a little via the sulphur spring Schwefelquelle, which Nina liked a lot, and Eselhutte, where you can feed goats and llamas. Both marked only on maps.cz.


You can also use your Sommercard here to enjoy a free visit. In case you don't have a card, you pay €6 for an adult and €3,50 for a child (I think from 5 or 6 years old, I don't know exactly). I found in the outdated info that they only take cash, but it's not true, as of 2024 they also accept cards.



So that's all for today, we'll save Dachstein and of course many other trips in this area for next time :) For more practical info on Austria, check out these articles:


If this information has helped you save some time or money or both, you can "invite me for a coffee" and contribute to the running of Travel with donuts :) account number / QR code: 1257951017/3030






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