26th October – 2nd November 2024
Given that Autumn in Europe can be very hit-or-miss in terms of the weather; when we were searching for somewhere to go for the October Half-Term Holiday, we wanted somewhere that had outdoor activities for if the weather was good but also facilities that we could enjoy if it was wet and miserable outside. After lots of searching across Europe and beyond, we came across Hotel Das Alpenhaus in Kaprun, Austria. This hotel would normally be beyond our budget, but due to it being in-between seasons they were offering packages that included half-board; use of their pool and wellness facilities; a ‘Summer Card‘ that ran until the end of October and included transport, cable-car use and some attraction entrances in the area; and a 6-day ski pass for the neighbouring Kitzsteinhorn Ski Resort. Whilst still not cheap, the price was more manageable and was potentially very good value given what you could get if the weather was favourable. It was also just about a drivable distance from our base in Luxembourg (around 10 hours, including 3 charging stops), meaning we didn’t have to fly. So we took a bit of a gamble, but it more than paid off…
Contents
Accommodation
The main reason for going to Kaprun for this holiday was the package offered by Hotel Das Alpenhaus. Whilst certainly still not cheap even with the deal, we more than got our moneys worth due to being very fortunate and having lovely weather for the extent of our visit. We were thus able to take advantage of the outdoor perks of being in this area. However, even if the weather had been poor we would still have had a nice time. The room itself was really nice. We went for the larger option, as it was not that much more expensive and, if we had been stuck inside for most of the week, it would have made the stay more pleasant. As well as being spacious and having views over the town to the mountains, this was my first experience of having a large ‘Water Vapour Fireplace’, and I was totally entranced! The wellness facilities were also impressive, with both outdoor and indoor swimming pools and a range of saunas on-site. The indoor pool and jacuzzi were sometimes quite crowded, but if you timed it right (early morning or during mealtimes) then it was still very accessible. The outdoor pool, in contrast, was always empty for those brave enough to step into the cold at that time of the year, and we really enjoyed our bracing early morning swims before heading out. The saunas were also pleasant to relax tired muscles after a day of hiking or being on the slopes. Lastly, having half-board made our lives much easier and the food at the hotel was excellent. So, we would definitely come back here again – if we can afford it that is…
Activities
Due to the amazing weather we were lucky enough to have, we were able to try out a range of activities, from skiing at the Kitzsteinhorn Ski Resort, little walks nearer to the town, to longer hikes higher in the surrounding mountains…
Sigmund Thun Gorge
Given that we’d been driving for ten hours and arrived quite late the day before, we wanted to take our first proper day in Kaprun reasonably easily, but we were too excited to be there to do absolutely nothing. So, the compromise was to walk to and visit the Sigmund Thun Gorge. This attraction is walking distance from Kaprun – you basically just go to the river that runs through Kaprun and follow it up the valley for about three kilometres to get to the entrance. The walk itself is pleasant enough, with the river being a beautiful glacial blue.
The entrance to the gorge doubles as the ticket office, but given that we had the Summer Card as part of our package, it was free for us to enter. The walk follows a pathway to a picturesque bridge before continuing on a wooden walkway up the gorge. There are lots of steps, so this activity will not be suitable for those with mobility issues.
The gorge itself is really beautiful, with the river cascading down over multiple steps and the colour of the water contrasting with those of the stone and lichen. Given the time of year we went, there wasn’t too much sunlight, and that created its own charm, but I’d imagine the colours would be even better in the summer when there would be a bit more direct light getting into the gorge itself.
Even when you leave the gorge and pass through the exit gate, the visit is not yet complete. As now you are at the end of the Klammsee, a reservoir formed by the 19 metre high dam that you walk up to get pretty views over the water. It’s pleasant to walk around the lake, but it’s not permitted to swim in it (not that it was really the season for it anyway!).
Even without the Summer Card, the Sigmund Thun Gorge is definitely worth a visit! To see the route we took and some extra photos of the gorge, please follow the link below:
https://www.relive.com/view/vwq1gX1ryBO
Gipfelwelt 3000 Viewing Platform
After stopping and having our lunch at the Klammsee, we still had the whole afternoon, so decided to carry on walking up the valley to the Kitzsteinhorn Cablecar Station. The walk was less than one hour but in hindsight, it would have been better to get the bus. The cablecar takes you up to the Kitzsteinhorn Ski Resort, but the top station also has viewing platforms, small exhibits and a restaurant that can be accessed by non-skiers. The reason for us to go there at this point was to get our bearings regarding the ski slopes but also to visit the viewing platforms unencumbered by all of our skiing gear. Also, we had six days of ski passes included in our package but the Summer Card only ran until the end of October. Use of this cablecar was included once in the Summer Card, meaning we could access the cablecar on that first day whilst only starting our ski pass access on the second day, meaning that we had access to the cablecars on every day of our trip, allowing for more flexibility regarding the weather. In the end, this level of planning was not needed given that the weather was so good throughout the week.
The first cablecar takes you to a midway station and you need to change to get up to the Gipfelwelt 3000 viewing platform. The views from the top were pretty spectacular and seeing the slopes made us even more excited to go skiing the following day. What we didn’t realise until too late, however, was that there was a second viewing platform accessed via a tunnel through the rock face, which began at the lowest level of the station. This tunnel closes early to make sure everyone is back prior to get the last cablecar down, and it had just closed by the time we realised where it was! But never mind, things like that were why we wanted to go and check out the location in the first place. And we would be back…
Zell am See to Schmittenhöhe Hike
I had visited Zell am See with my parents when I was 12 during a holiday to Austria, which included my first flight. I had a vague memory of it being such a beautiful lake that I definitely wanted to go back there when we were going to be so close. So, for our first hike of the trip we decided to walk from the village of Zell am See up the Schmittenhöhe mountain.
The bus to Zell am See was included with the Summer Card (as would be the cablecar down at the end of the day) and didn’t take that long – about half an hour. The trail started behind a gondola station and wound its way through the trees and then fields. You started getting nice views over the village, the lake and the mountains beyond.
The route did get quite steep at times, as you zig-zag up the slope that would be used as a piste during the winter. At one point you can make a detour to the first lake / reservoir. It’s not far out of the way and given the conditions we had, there were beautiful reflections of the surroundings in the water. There were also seats where you could relax, have a snack and enjoy the views. So, it was worth adding a bit extra onto your walk.
The route carries on in much the same fashion, sometimes going through patches of forrest, but as you get higher it shifts to predominantly open hillside. You pass a few other little lakes / reservoirs, which are worth a pause but probably weren’t as good as the first one. The views around, however, do get batter and better the higher you get.
As you get towards the end of the hike you start getting views of the cablecar station, which marks the final destination. Next to it is a very pretty little church that is sometimes still used for services and which is worth a brief look inside. The cablecar station had a restaurant and was a nice place to relax and have a drink at the end of the hike, surrounded by the views of the mountains. We stayed there for a while before getting the cablecar down to where we started, and then the bus back to Kaprun.
Whilst there are more spectacular and interesting hikes in the area, this hike was just what we needed in terms of getting our legs going again after months of not being in the mountains. The paths were also very good and the only slight issue was that there was a bit of a maze of interconnected trails at some points, especially lower down the mountain. But given that many of them end up at the same point anyway, so long as you’re going in the correct general direction you should end up being okay. The views over the Zell am See were also very nice and it was very convenient having a cablecar station at the end of the hike, as we like walking up the mountains but aren’t too keen at walking back down again! If you want more detail on the route we took and some extra photos, then please click on the link below:
https://www.relive.com/view/vwq1g848pBO
Kitzsteinhorn Ski Resort
We had never skied so early in the season before, but the advantage of having a resort on a glacier is that there is always likely to be some slopes open during the season. And even though the lower slopes were not ready yet, there was still enough at the top to have a couple of very enjoyable days of skiing. I say days, but by the afternoons the snow, even at the top, was pretty slushy, so we got there as early as possible, had a prolonged morning session to get the best of the conditions and then didn’t do much after a late lunch. But given that we weren’t sure that we’d be able to ski at all, the time we had with good conditions was much more than we had expected. We also took advantage of the easy afternoons to go along the tunnel to access the other viewing platform. The first time, we went in our ski boots as we didn’t realise just how long the tunnel was and also that it has a quite an incline, so I’d definitely advise changing into normal shoes if you carry them in your bag. The views of the mountains were probably even better from this new angle, so it is definitely worth doing.
We skied on the Tuesday and the Thursday, and on the second of these days we actually took advantage of an early season sale (where they were trying to get rid of last seasons stock) to try out a few pairs of new skis. We’d had our old ones for the best part of ten years, so given the deals that were available, it ended up being a good time for an upgrade. So this was another benefit of coming to a ski resort in October!
Krimml Waterfalls
Our next adventure took us to one of the largest waterfalls in Europe, the Krimml Waterfalls. This is purposefully written as a plural, as it is actually a series of drops and cascades running down into a valley. Whilst we could have gotten public transport from our base in Kaprun, it was much easier and quicker this time to take the car.
Before I describe the waterfall itself I must admit we were underprepared. We hadn’t quite understood the scope of the site and had turned up in jeans and trainers. This was because we were expecting a small path to a viewpoint and that would be it. That was certainly not the case. From our car to the top and back we ended up walking nearly 11 km, and most of the walk was pretty steep. The path itself was good, and it was actually being worked on as we walked up, so we managed without any major problems. But I’d still recommend walking boots, especially when it’s wet and potentially slippy. Plus, whilst it was closed when we were there due to the time of year, there is an alternative path that is on the opposite side of the river. This path is more of a forest track and would be more difficult in trainers, so if you’re wanting to make the walk into a loop rather than a ‘there and back’, then walking boots would probably be a good idea.
The waterfalls themselves were really beautiful. The area was very impressive and went way beyond what we were expecting. We parked in one of the car parks just off the main road and walked along the river to get to the entrance. Whilst technically a paid attraction, due to being in the off-season there was no one there selling tickets and the staff at the shop and restaurants, which were surprisingly open, said it was fine to walk up but that the alternative trail was closed.
Just before the official entrance is the little trail that heads down to the base of the major drop in the waterfall. This would also be the way to go if you were heading to the alternative trail on the other side of the river. It is certainly worth going to see as the view from there is spectacular. Just be aware that you’ll get caught in the spray!
After heading back to the entrance and having a photo next to the Ibex statue (it’s almost compulsory…) it was time to head up.
The path is well maintained but steep and winding. However, there are regular viewing platforms off to the side of the main path so that it is not just one constant slog. We thought we’d get sick of the viewing platforms given how many there were, but actually each one gave a slightly different perspective, either of the waterfalls themselves, or the surrounding views. My favourite parts were the steep drops that produced the best sounds and also meant the view down the valley was often at its most spectacular. We were also treated to a small rainbow caused by the spray at one point.
About half way up, there was a section that was more flat, as the waterfall turned back into a river for a stretch. This gave a nice change of pace and provided nice views of the next steep section. There were also a couple of buildings there where we could normally have bought a drink and snack – but they were closed given that it was the off-season.
The second ‘steep section’ was fairly similar to the first in terms of the path and viewing platforms. But the final one was quite cool in that you were looking out over the edge, right at the start of the cascade, and could see all the way to the bottom of the valley below.
After this last viewing platform, the path does carry on, and I believe it joins up with other walking paths on the mountains, but we decided not to explore any further and just head back. Given that the alternative trail was closed, we had no choice but to walk back the way we had come. Having taken far too many photos coming up, we tried really hard to show restraint on the way down, as then we’d just end up with loads of duplicates, but that doesn’t mean we still didn’t stop off at a few of the viewing platforms just to enjoy the views again.
We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to Krimml Waterfalls, it was a really beautiful place. It was also quite a nice a nice time of the year to visit, as it was not as crowded as it would be during the peak months. One of the downsides, however, was the light. The Sun was constantly on the other side of the mountain and thus we were in perpetual shadows. We didn’t really care at the time, but it does mean the photos aren’t quite as nice as they could have been.
You won’t need any help with the route with this walk, but if you’re wanting to see any extra photos then you can watch the video on the following link:
https://www.relive.com/view/vevWmVB58G6
Alexander Enzinger Trail
Radka had found this trail when we’d been looking into the area and it looked spectacular – an alpine ridge walk with beautiful views all around. Our only issue was that all of the online information we found seemed to suggest it would be closed at the time of the year we were visiting. So, we had to wait until we were in Kaprun to visit the tourist information to find out for sure. At first we had checked at the tourist information at the bergstation in the Ski Report, and they told us that all trails at that altitude were closed. We, however, got the impression that the person had never walked the trail in question and was just rolling out the standard caution. So we tried again at the tourist information in Kaprun itself and the lady there was much more helpful. She did say that officially the route was closed, but that she’s been up there the day before and that there were no problems at all with the route apart from a bit of snow right at the top. We took this information and looked in more detail at the route. We found that there were alternative routes at the top that went to an alternative cable car station (the middle station) before reaching the altitude where the snow might be an issue. So, whilst we would not be able to complete the whole route, that wasn’t an issue for us and the majority of the hike was open and thus, we spent our last day on this trail. And we’re so glad that we did.
Whilst most of the information we read suggested starting at the highest point and working your way down the slope, we prefer walking up, so we headed to our starting point at Maiskogel. To get to Maiskogel you could technically walk up from Kaprun, but given that we were slightly restricted by time (we had to make sure we got to the final cablecar station before it closed) and that there would be enough walking on the ridge itself, we decided to take the more sensible option and get the gondola up from Kaprun. This gondola was also included in our package from the hotel.
The trail itself is very well marked – our only issue was actually getting onto it in the first place. Although it was only a minor issue, as you just have to walk up the hill a little bit from the station at Maiskogel to find the start of the signposts. Once there you just have to worry about getting up the steep slopes. But given that you’re already quite high when starting, the views are amazing right from the beginning and this certainly helps.
Whilst steep, the first part of the trail is relatively straightforward. It is only when you get to the central section that the ridge becomes more pronounced and it becomes a bit more exposed. It certainly isn’t too bad if you are used to walking in the mountains, but if you’re new to it or you’re afraid of heights, then this may not be the trail for you.
The ridge itself was a bit challenging, in that it is more exposed and there is a lot of small ups and downs as you pass through little ravines, so it is hard to build up a rhythm. But the views get more impressive as the snow-topped mountains get closer.
Given that we were getting off the trail before it hit the snowline, we needed to be careful not to miss our exit path. Luckily, it ended up being fairly easy to find and soon we were looking down at Talstation Gletscherjet 2, our final destination.
We had thoroughly enjoyed the hike and it had not taken us as long as we had expected, which meant that when we reached the cablecar station we actually still had time to head up to the top station and get our ‘victory beer’ up there with the spectacular views. This turned out to be a really nice way to end our holiday.
If you want some more information on our route, then please click on the following link:
https://www.relive.com/view/v1Ow1RnRyXq
Final Thoughts
We had an amazing week in Kaprun and would certainly recommend it. If the weather is with you, then there are so many outdoor activities that you can enjoy; we barely scratched the surface in our time there. We’re also very happy with the time of year we went. Yes, a large part of that is because we got very lucky with the weather, but it meant that it was less crowded and we didn’t have to chose between hiking and skiing – we were able to do a bit of both. The hotel we stayed in was also very impressive; it is certainly worth looking to see if these types of alpine hotels do special packages for the shoulder seasons, as we ended up more than getting our moneys worth. So, nothing but positives to end the post. Thanks for reading!
Brit and Czech Abroad 