Clean air, crystal waters and carefree adventure in the Austrian Alps

The lakeside resort of Zell am See is big on outdoor fun, hearty food and stunning views
Genevieve FoxSun 13 Oct 2024 06.00 EDTShareWe could feel the carefree spirit in the crisp air the moment we stepped off the train at Zell am See. It’s in the town’s DNA. Pleasure seekers have been coming to this lake and mountain resort in search of clean air, crystal waters and Alpine adventures ever since the railway connected what was then a mere village to Salzburg and beyond in 1875. We’d come to walk, bike a little, swim a bit and reward ourselves with Austrian cuisine – at a restorative, schedule-free pace.
View image in fullscreenHigh society: the 3k-Connection cable car. Photograph: Zell am See-Kaprun TourismusWe passed bakeries, hiking shops and the Romanesque church in the old town on the way to our hotel, before joining the 10km tree-lined promenade that rings the lake. Waffle and ice-cream stands, terrace cafés, strollers and couples holding hands, the glistening lake… It felt like we had gone back in time.
Our hotel, the Tirolerhof, also had a timeless feel to it. A vernacular Alpine chalet, the reception lounge has winged armchairs, an open fire for snowy winter nights and a trad bar with stools and a small painted sign saying “Save Water. Drink Champagne”. Upstairs, the flower-filled balcony of our smart, wood-panelled bedroom looked straight on to the Schmittenhöhe mountains. The sun was still high and so we headed straight out to Seespitz lido, one of a handful of public lidos that pepper the lake.
The lido was so perfect, it felt surreal: manicured lawns, teenagers playing frisbee, a café selling apple cake and ice-creams, super-clean changing rooms, a heated, metal-lined swimming pool and steps leading into the cool, clear – and drinkable – lake. The mountains all around us, paddle-boarders ambling past, the MS Schmittenhöhe I Schiffart heading to various drop-off points on the lake, including Thumersbach lido across the water – it’s a dream ticket. The lake’s charms are not lost on tourists from the Gulf States who have been coming to the resort to escape the sun ever since someone from the local tourist board realised that Zell am See’s lake surrounded by snow-capped mountains matched the description of Paradise in the Qur’an – and duly promoted the destination.
View image in fullscreenCome on in: the Strandbad lido. Photograph: Alex Bramwell/AlamyNo holiday is complete without a round of mini golf, at least in my family, but the ersatz Brutalism and brushed steel of the “course” at Zell am See’s Strandbad lido made me feel as though I was in an art installation. I was quite put off my swing, calling for fortification at the lakeside terrace bar Pinzga Bräu, part of the deliciously ostentatious Grand Hotel. But if restraint is your aesthetic, have a sundowner at the lakeside Seevilla Freiberg hotel instead.
I fared better on an e-bike, hired from Bründl Sports, a short bus ride away at the AreitXpress cable car station. We doubled back to the north shore of the lake, turning off at the chapel at Thumersbach for the Mitterberg tour. I love e-bikes: little effort and such rewards. We whizzed up a hairpin section of Schmittenhöhe, our (barely deserved) reward a hearty lunch of Pinzgauer Kasnocken, or Austrian cheese and onion dumplings, strudel and cold beers on the stunning terrace overlooking Lake Zell at Berggasthof Mitterberg. The inn sits at 1,200m between the Kitzsteinhorn and Schmittenhöhe. We devoured the view.
View image in fullscreenMind the gap: Sigmund Thun Gorge. Photograph: Pyty/ShutterstockOn the way back, we stopped for another dip at the Thumersbach lido – Lake Zell really is irresistible. As I swam, I thought of young Wordsworth having his moment of numinous awe as he rowed towards a looming mountain in the Lake District, and of how much more fun it was to be a teenager, or any age, really, if you were in striking distance of a sunny, blue-skied Alpine lake. That evening we had an exceptional dinner on the garden terrace of the Tirolerhof. The chef prepared a three-course dinner especially for the vegan among us, which turned out to be much envied by us pescatarians. It was a very strong contender for best-meal award during our visit to Zell am See, which celebrates its evolving culinary heritage during its annual Festival of Alpine Cuisine.
From early morning, we could hear cow bells jingling through our open shutters – surely the most charming of wake-up calls. After breakfast we nipped on a local bus to walk the 320m path that winds up through the Sigmund Thun Klamm gorge – a short but thrilling experience. Powering down from glaciers and mountains above the Kaprun Valley, the Kapruner Ache river has carved a gorge 30m deep; the wooden path takes you right up through it, past a series of small waterfalls, until you step away to the peace and openness of the Klammsee Reservoir, which itself makes for a lovely stroll. Ever on the look out for culinary pitstops, I spotted a sign off the path, pointing up to Schneckenreith, a family-friendly hiking trail and eponymous farm which, I only later discovered, serves homemade cakes and local dishes.
It took another local bus to the Maiskogel cable car station, and three cable cars, to make the ascent to the highest point of the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, the final one being the James Bond style 3k-Connection – so-named because the summit, or Top of Salzburg, is 3,039m above sea level. From the viewing platform, the Gipfelwelt 3000, you can see the peaks of Hohe Tauern National Park – apparently. Sadly, we had to imagine them: the mist had closed in and we couldn’t see a thing.
View image in fullscreenCreature comforts: the Tirolerhof Hotel.Our eyes feasted that evening, though, as we were taken on a regional culinary tour over five courses at Kraftwerk (kraftwerk-restaurant.at), a local restaurant and wine bar. From a cellar of over 1,200 bottles, dishes are paired with wines from Japan, Lebanon and Uruguay, as well as from Austria. We feasted, but were left wanting more – more of this fine restaurant’s mouth-watering dishes, but more, too, of everything Zell am See has to offer.
Double rooms at Hotel Tirolerhof from £210 B&B (tirolerhof.co.at); Kraftwerk Restaurant and Wine Bar (kraftwerk-restaurant.at) and Restaurant Mitterberg (gasthof-zellamsee.at). For more details on visiting the area, go to Zell Am See Tourism (zellamsee-kaprun.com)