Saalbach: paradise for kids and parents

Austria and children, it's just such a perfect combo that you'll be recovering from it for a long time. We left our ambitions of longer and more challenging treks at home this year and planned this holiday so that Jony and Nina would enjoy it the most. Specifically, we hiked the Saalbach area, which I'll cover in this article + the Flachau area, more on that next time.

I'll tell you right away that both met our expectations 100%: mountain cinemas, water play in streams, themed trails full of challenges, awesome playgrounds at every turn and everything passable with a carriage... what more could you ask for? In short, an absolute paradise for children... and thus for parents, who don't have to do much to come up with activities. Or at least for us, with children of less than two and less than five years, it was true...

Where to stay?

Pay special attention to this paragraph, because if you choose correctly in the Saalbach-Hinterglemm area, you will save thousands of crowns. You've probably already heard that there are special summer discount cards in Austria... Well, here the JOKER CARD is such a magical phrase. A card that unlocks access to 8 cable cars, Captain Hook's swimming pool, mini golf and other free admissions or discounts. You can find the complete list here. Then when you compare the prices of the lifts without the Joker Card = plus or minus € 30 for an adult, you'll quickly realize that you need this amenity plain and simple :)

On our behalf I can recommend Pension Lederergutl, where we had a comfortable newly renovated family room with private bathroom, two double beds, parking space and Joker Card. One night with breakfast and a super dinner (including dessert) cost us € 140, and we can recommend this accommodation with a clear conscience. If you fancy something different, check out these tips - plus I'll save you the search and list only those that offer the Joker Card, you're welcome :)

• cheaper: Hotel Herzblut, König, Gasthof Alpensport, Hotel Bärenbachhof
• more expensive: Hotel Astrid, LH Suites Aparthotel, AlpenParks Hotel & Apartment Sonnleiten, Hotel VIEW

6 tips for kid's activities in the Saalbach area

1. Montelino´s trail

One of the top children's activities in the area is certainly this themed route leading from the top station of the Kohlmais cable car (1794 m above sea level). As you climb it, you'll descend gently for 3km towards the intermediate station, and along the way the children help Montelino the clown find his lost toys. In total, they will pass through 14 stations where they can use a pair of pliers to punch holes in their notebook in exchange for completing the tasks. In addition to playing guide, there are plenty of playgrounds, a game preserve with deer and other animals on Panorama Alm + a pond with various water features at the end of Montelino's journey. Spare clothing is therefore more than recommended :)

Accessibility: you can leave your car in the car park right next to the cable car - if you buy a ticket (or show your Joker Card at the counter), you can park for free. Joker Card holders don't pay for the Kohlmais Gondola, but if you don't have a card, be prepared to pay € 36 per adult. Also, don't forget to pick up a competition card for the kids at the ticket office - if they return it completed, they'll get a prize (e.g. a puzzle in 2025). Also, make sure you don't miss the last cable car, which leaves the summit at 4pm.

2. Schattberg

Do you want a cool playground at 2020 m above sea level? Right at the exit of the cable car, children can play on pedal quad bikes and then you won't hear from them for a while... at least until they try out all the climbing frames, swings and hammocks. We had the biggest success with the bobsleigh track, which is easy for the whole family to have fun on. Even grandmas and grandpas put their backpacks down to ride :)

Accessibility: this time you are interested in the Schattberg X-press cable car, where parking is just as easy as on the previous Kohlmais. With the Joker Card you get a free ride up, without it you pay € 36 per adult. After the practically obligatory stay on the children's rides, we decided to at least take a short walk.

The destination was the Westgipfelhütte, 1.5km away, where the kids can pet the rabbits and play in the playground while waiting for lunch. If we hadn't had the carriage with us, I would have been tempted to go to the Mittelgipfel lookout (2097 m) with its summit cross, but maybe next time. We also considered taking a short ride on the Schattberg Sprinter to get a circuit out of it and not have to go back the same way, but this cable car only ran (probably because of the bikers) in the direction from the bottom to the top, so tough luck.

3. Asitz Leogang

And let's get back to the children's trails. In the case of this hill, you'll ride up to 1762 m above sea level and go straight into the footsteps of Leos the lion cub, with adults taking a pleasant 5 km circular walk without having to deal with the kids' fun. In fact, children have clear motivation here in the form of all sorts of trampolines, monkey bars, swings, ropes etc + they will record the correct answers on their cards and then collect their well-deserved reward (a jump rope in 2025) at the bottom station.

Just a word of warning: there are plenty of places to rest along the route, but you won't come across any huts where you can have lunch. Restaurants = hot food, coffee and beer are only available at the top station of the cable car. There is also the possibility to make the kids (or yourself) happy and ride the bobsled, one ride costs € 4.

TIP: in the middle station you can also have fun with a sensory trail including a children's water world including a kneipp walkway and barefoot play. There are also lots of events and guided tours, check out the official website here for more info.

Accessibility: you will not find the Asitz cable car directly in Saalbach but in Leogang, about half an hour away. For parking, prepare € 9 / day, or € 5 with a Joker Card, payable at the ticket machines and also by card. With the card you get a free ride up and without it for € 36 for an adult.

4. Reiterkogel

The hill is located in the adjacent Hinterglemm, so it won't take you more than 10 minutes to reach it. Again, don't forget to pick up the kid´s answer card and let's get going! This time, you'll walk 4.6 km on the trail of Kodok, the guardian of the mountains, and help him recover the stolen items. Besides 11 official stations with interesting and completely different tasks, there are also cool playgrounds by the water reservoir + wooden ball trails from about halfway through the route, which entertain children of all ages. The ball can be popped out of the machine at the first station for 2 €. Plus you can take a short walk to Rosswaldhutte, where you can still find Montelino's playground.

Accessibility: as I already mentioned, the Reiterkogel (and Reirterkogelbahn) is a short ride from Saalbach. As for parking, you can leave your car in the garage by the cable car, but it's not exactly cheap. With the Joker Card you get 30 % off the parking fee, but we still left € 10 (after discount) for 4 hours. The cable car ride is free with the card though, without it, be prepared for € 25 for an adult.

5. Treetop trail + Teufelswasser

For the last two tips, we'll stick more to the ground, i.e. let's go on trips where you don't have to use the cable car. For the first one, I nominated the Baumzipfelweg, the highest treetop trail in Europe. You'll find it at the end of the Saalbach-Hinterglemm valley and it's even open all year round. Which makes me think that such a winter atmosphere might not be a bad spectacle at all, mmmm...

Adult admission is € 12, discounted at € 9 and children under 4 don't pay at all, more info here. The trail also includes the Golden Gate Bridge, suspended up to 42 metres above the Saalach River, which offers awesome panoramic views.

And next to this bridge, you can see the second local "best" - the largest rope park in Europe. Boasting a total length of more than 8 km, it's fun for all ages. All info on prices and opening times can be found on the official website here.

I can't forget the cascading stream Teufelswasser (Devil's water), where the children can play with various mills, troughs, ponds, pebbles, etc. So if you want to take a quiet dip in the shade and let the little ones run wild, bring a change of clothes, UV shirts or water shoes, in short, whatever you're used to.

Accessibility: type Talschluss car park (big and free) into the sat nav, it won't let you in any further, even if the sat nav pretends it does. All of the above mentioned points are right next to each other and can be reached easily by walking about 2 kilometers. The route is not very interesting for me, so option number two is to take the train. It's not a train in the true sense of the word, a tractor with carriages shuttles from the car park, but it serves its purpose. The tractor-train ride is included with your Joker Card, just watch out for the departures (listed here), because of course we missed the last one and walked. However, it was a pretty quick trip and we've already looked after the return journey.

6. Erlebniswald

At the end I left a less time-consuming stop - the Fairytale Forest. In practical terms, this is a circuit and you can leave your car parked for free at the Sportzentrum Saalbach Hinterglemm. It's a short walk (1.4 km), but you'll meet a variety of carved fairy tale characters from dwarves, to devils, to Little Red Riding Hood. Many of them even talk, sing or retell the whole fairy tale at the touch of a button. It's definitely not an event for the whole day, but more like a nice change for children.

On hot summer days, I would also recommend visiting the Kapt´n Hook Adventure Pool, which is free with a Joker Card. Besides the classic pool, they have a wild water pool + several types of slides for bigger kids and a wading pool for smaller ones, so there's something for everyone. As the very last one, I'll mention the motor skills trail that runs along the Saalach river, which we unfortunately didn't make it to. However, I was impressed by the fact that the trail is beautifully flat and could definitely be ridden with kids on bicycles or as a kind of training ride.

Of course, I also have a lot of info for you on the Flachau area, where we subsequently moved to, but you'll have to wait a bit longer for that. Alternatively, in the meantime, be inspired by other articles from Austria:

• TOP trips in Schladming area
• The charming town of Hallstatt
  
• 10 tips for trips in the Salzkammergut
  
• 3 TOP trips in Tyrol
• TOP trips in Zell am See

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