Munich Insider Tips and advice from Munich residents for self-guided tours and trips
© Zell am See-Kaprun Tourismus GmbH / Niki Faistauer
What you need to know before you go: All occupants of the vehicle must have safety signal vests. It is also important not to forget the vignette for the toll highways in Austria. You can buy it at the border gas station.
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Getting to Zell am See from Munich
One can get to Zell am See from Munich by train or car. There are no direct trains, so one has to change in the Austrian station of Wörgl. The train journey takes two and a half hours and costs about 120 euros for two if tickets are booked in advance. The destination station is located almost at the bottom of the ski lift. This is very convenient, especially for those tourists who are short on time and come to Zell am See for one day, without an overnight stay. We also went for one day, but decided to go by car – there were four of us, so it was cheaper than going by train. It took us approximately the same time to drive as would have a train journey because of a few (though brief) traffic jams.
We left Munich at 8 am. First, we took the A8 autobahn in the direction of Salzburg, then turned on the A93 in the direction of Innsbruck. The autobahns in the morning were not very busy, and at first there was no traffic jams. At the Austrian border we bought a vignette: freeways in Austria as well as in other neighboring countries are toll roads. Pretty soon we had to use a GPS navigator. We decided to head straight to the ski lift and the following address took us there: Franz-Wisgrill-Straße, 5700 Zell am See. Eventually, it took us about 2.5 hours driving from Munich because of the traffic jams on country roads.
Skiing
This resort has two possibilities for skiing: the Schmittenhöhe mountain (2000 m = 6560 ft high) or the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, which is at the height of 3200 m (10500 ft). It is next to impossible to try both in one day because to get to Kitzsteinhorn one has to take a bus to the village of Kaprun, which is at the base of the chairlifts to the glacier. We decided to stay in Zell am See and did not regret it. The area of ski slopes in Zell am See is not very big, but it is quite enough for one day of skiing. At least we really enjoyed skiing there. There are quite a few good slopes of various difficulty levels, so both beginners and professionals can have fun. There are also ski schools for beginners, they are located next to the lift bottom station. Those who come with children can take advantage of services of a day care in the village.
We noted that all the ski facilities in Zell an See are of very high quality. We especially liked the stylish cable car, which immediately catches the eye. It was designed by the Porsche Design Studio. The gondola with panoramic windows is so awesome that one gets a feeling as if were really sitting in a Porsche :). At the top station of the Schmittenhöhe lift, there is a viewing platform with a restaurant. Therefore, one can get there even without skis, have a cup of hot coffee and enjoy the stunning views of snow-capped peaks.
For après-ski in Zell am See there are many different restaurants and great bars. Discotheques begin almost immediately after the closing of the ski lifts. In the restaurants, one can find cuisines for every taste and service is very good. In short, this is an excellent resort for skiing and relaxation.
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