It can be harder than expected to successfully merge the kids’ half-term break with great snow. What’s more, you’ll need to find a teen-friendly resort that also has enough variety when it comes to activities and food opportunities that will keep the adults happy. Kaprun, in Austria, is a fantastic resort for those planning on taking their ski holidays earlier than most.
The Atmosphere
The picturesque Tyrolean village is lively and welcoming, with friendly locals and delightful eateries where you can enjoy traditional Austrian cuisine. Furthermore, it doesn’t have the sort of après ski scene that might put you off letting your teenage children wander around on their own. This makes it perfect for both skiing and peace of mind!
For more ski-related facts about Kaprun, read up about Kaprun’s Amazing Ski-Lifts.
What Are the Skiing Opportunities Like?
Situated right at the foot of the Kitzsteinhorn glacier, Kaprun has a guaranteed long snow season, from late September or early October until the middle of July. Moreover, it’s wonderfully serviced by over 20 different lifts, making all the slopes on the glacier easily accessible.
Beginners and intermediates are best served in Kaprun, so even teenagers who may be relatively new to skiing holidays will be able to hone in their skills while still having fun and exploring the resort’s stunning surroundings.
Freeriding Off-Piste: A Remarkable Experience
On the other hand, if you are travelling with older children who are confident on the snow, you might want to venture off-piste and encourage your family’s adventurous side. With fresh powder snow on the ground, plenty of ungroomed areas in between lifts to explore, and useful information boards spread throughout, you are free to wander around the glacier and its surroundings – a lovely way to spend an afternoon or two as a family.
In fact, if you try it out and discover a new family-wide passion, you should look into skiing Kaprun’s so-called Freeride XXL Routes. These five off-piste paths vary in length and difficulty, so you can choose the one that suits your family’s skills best before setting off. Just remember to follow all the safety measures recommended when you leave the pistes: read the weather and avalanche report for the day, carry basic safety equipment with you, and be aware of your and your family’s limits.
What About Other Winter Sports?
You will be happy to know that there is an amazing snowpark in the Kitzsteinhorn glacier’s plateau, where both skiers and snowboarders can find an impressive range of obstacles, plenty of space to practice new moves, and Austria’s biggest superpipe. The snowpark itself is divided into different areas: the Easy Park, where you can test the waters of what you are comfortable doing; the Central Park, which is ideal for intermediates and experts and has special features such as an A-frame box and a wallride; and the Superpipe, which has both an easy and a medium entry line.
Furthermore, Kaprun’s pistes and visitors are very snowboarder friendly.
Travelling with your snowboard? Take in these insider tips on taking your snowboard on a plane.
Kaprun After Sunset
What happens in a ski resort after skiers leave the slopes can be as important as the quality of the slopes themselves. Especially if you are travelling with older children who might want some free reign over how they spend their afternoons and evenings, making sure that town’s streets don’t become rivers of beer by the end of the day is essential. Thankfully, Kaprun couldn’t be further away from that outcome.
This charming old village is not renowned for its rowdy après ski scene. On the contrary: it has a good selection of nice restaurants, a decent number of bars (mostly found inside hotels, which helps to keep them reputable), and a reassuring lack of nightclubs. One locale sure to be a crowd-pleaser is Hilberger’s Beisl, which serves superbly cooked typical Austrian fare (including steak and burgers, much beloved by growing teens) and has a great variety of excellent local beers on the menu. Guggenbichl, another great alternative, is a cosy, family-run restaurant with stunning views of the mountains. It is incredibly popular with the locals thanks to traditional dishes cooked to perfection.
For something more informal where you can send the children for an afternoon snack while you enjoy a walk around town, remember Kennidi Café Bistro. This is a lovely, modern café where you can stop by for a coffee and some ice cream. It also has a great lunch menu including amazing burgers and excellent pizzas to fill those hungry stomachs.
How to Get to Kaprun
You can reach Kaprun by flying to three different airports. Munich airport is the furthest away, clocking at just over two hours and a half, but depending on where you are flying from may have the most varied flight schedule. Innsbruck airport is a bit closer, just over two hours away by car, but the most convenient airport is Salzburg, which is less 100 kilometres away. The easiest way to get to Kaprun from any of these three arrival airports is by booking a Shuttle Direct airport transfer – a convenient and comfortable way of getting the whole family (and what may seem like a ridiculous number of suitcases) to resort as quickly as possible.
If you would rather make your journey by train, Zell am See is Kaprun’s closest railway station and it is connected to both Salzburg and Innsbruck thanks to regular train services. You may not have known that you can actually travel from London to Salzburg in just one day thanks to high-speed trains! You can also arrange for a Shuttle Direct driver to pick you up from Zell am See station, so you don’t have to worry about complicated logistics once you arrive.
Where to Stay:
JUFA Hotel Kaprun – A nice, budget-friendly place for families with older children, JUFA Hotel Kaprun offers spacious rooms, bright and airy communal areas where you can all relax together reading a book or playing some board games. But most importantly, perhaps, the hotel offers great access to the slopes thanks to being right next to a ski bus stop.
Hotel Sonnblick – Amazingly convenient just 200 yards away from the slopes, Hotel Sonnblick is wonderful for a more upscale stay. It has free Wi-Fi; a heated outdoor pool in case you want to take a break from the cold outside; a nice spa with hot tubs and saunas – perfect to relax away from the kids – and a great onsite restaurant serving delicious local specialties.
Sonnenheim Kaprun – If self-catering your holiday suits your family better, Sonnenheim Kaprun has some great apartments just 10 minutes away from the Kitzsteinhorn glacier area. With free Wi-Fi and plenty of space for everyone, the whole family can enjoy having their own space and still come together in the evenings out on the balcony (if the weather allows it) or in the cosy lounge next to the fireplace.
About Shuttle Direct
Shuttle Direct provides premium quality airport shuttles and taxis at competitive rates. With years of experience, these transit veterans pride themselves on a fast, pleasant and professional service, operating from airports all over the globe.
