Saalbach-Hinterglemm is a fantastic vacation destination with kids, both in winter and summer. It is located in the Austrian state of Salzburg, in the district of Zell am See. In winter, this is a large ski resort. Saalbach-Hinterglemm is also a very family-friendly summer destination with plenty of children’s activities. From special themed children’s walks in the forest or in the mountains, swimming in the Kapt’n Hook pool to playing in the many playgrounds at gondola stations or at the end of the valley. As a family, we thoroughly enjoyed this active vacation in this beautiful area. In this blog you will find the best children’s activities in Saalbach-Hinterglemm in summer.
Saalbach-Hinterglemm
#1 Kids Hiking Challange
For the summer, the Kids Hiking Challenge was created, consisting of 6 children’s hikes for families with kids. At the tourist office you can get the “Kids Hiking Challenge” pass which lists all the hikes.
Each walk has its own theme and three checkpoints where you punch holes with a peg on the Challenge pass. Kids receive a medal upon completing at least 3 of these walks, which you also pick up at the tourist office upon presentation of the pass.
The 6 walks are:
Educational hiking trail: a 1 to 1.5-hour hike from the valley at Lindingalm. You follow the Austrian flag for the correct route past the checkpoints. The hike goes over footpaths, grass, water, stones and up among beautiful nature and cows.
Treetop Trail: Europe’s highest treetop trail (see below for detailed explanation).
Fairytale Forest: a 1.4-km walk through the forest, passing different fairytale stories told along the way.
Summit Victor Zwölferkogel: a 1.5 – 2 hour hike to the top of the Hohe Penhab mountain. You will be rewarded with an insane view. It is a fairly steep climb and descent, but well marked.
Summit Victory Schattberg: a 1 – 2 hour hike across the top of Schattberg with 360 degree views. The start is a steep climb, after which you hike toward the next gondola station.
Motor Skills Path: a hike along the road between Jausern and Saalbach. You will pass 24 stations with balance and fitness activities.
#2 Treetop Trail & Golden gate
Our kids’ favorite activity was the Treetop Trail hike. At the end of the valley in Saalbach-Hinterglemm you will find the highest treetop hike in Europe. From the parking lot you can walk or take the little train to the start of the hike at Lindlingalm.
This little train the kids already loved; you ride up among the mountains and cows. At the start we all receive a green gnome hat from the friendly staff. The hike is 1 kilometer long in total. Our daughter liked that she could determine her own route by following the gnome signs.
First you walk across the “Alpine Golden Gate Bridge,” a 200-meter-long bridge that crosses the valley at a height of 42 meters. From this bridge you have a magnificent view of the mountains. Then you will go up the treetop trail: a wooden structure with stairs, towers, platforms and bridges 30 meters high.
Along the route you will find do and play tasks such as memory, four in a row and making music with cowbells. At the end there is another wooden climbing and scrambling course.
#3 Kapt’n Hook adventures pool
Always fun with kids in Saalbach-Hinterglemm when the weather is nice: a day at the Kapt’n Hook adventure pool. This outdoor pool is open from mid-May to mid-September. It is a partner of the Joker Card, which means you can enjoy a day of water fun at a discount.
The 1000 m2 pool has a large pool with a whitewater rapids. You can enter this large pool via a “bump slide,” as our kids call it. There is a paddling pool with a small slide. In addition, there are two other slides:
- The yellow slide, which opens into the main pool and is suitable for kids ages 4 and up.
- The blue slide, where you grab an inflatable tire at the bottom and take it up with you. It is convenient for smaller kids to go with it, because it goes pretty fast and the tires are large.
On the grassy meadows surrounding the pool you will find nice places to sit or lie down. You can eat and drink on the panoramic deck of the pirate ship.
#4 The ‘End of the Valley’
We really enjoyed taking the kids to Teufelswasser, at the “end of the valley” of Saalbach. You park at the large parking lot Hinterlengau. From there, you can hike a few kilometers or take the little train (which our son loved!).
This little train leaves every hour. With the Joker Card it is free. Without the Joker Card, kids under 6 years old can ride for free, kids 6-15 years old pay €5 and adults €7 round trip.
Teufelswasser, in Dutch “the Devil’s Water,” is free to visit daily. It is a water playground with a stream full of obstacles, a water wheel, locks, islands, wooden figures and more. The perfect place to cool off on hot days. Our kids climbed through the water, played with the wheel and wooden obstacles and stood among the cows who came to drink water.
If you have older kids (from 130 cm), you can go to the High Rope Park: the largest climbing park in Europe with 8 km of routes, 200 stations and 30 ziplines. There are 9 different routes (3 to 40 meters high). Prices start at €35 for a day pass. For kids 100-130 cm tall, there is a Mini Kids Parcours.
#5 Kobold Kodok
Adventurous children’s activities can also be found on Mount Kodok. Here there are two hiking trails suitable for different ages. Both start at the mountain station of the Reiteralm gondola (free with the Joker Card).
The first route is a scavenger hunt for younger kids ages 4 to 10. During this walk of about 3 km you will follow the fantasy world of Kobold Kodok, who stole a hat. You will pass ten playgrounds where kids have to climb, solve puzzles and show courage. You get the adventure pass for free at the valley or mountain station. On the pass you enter the character code to return the hat to the clown.
The second route is “Expedition Kodok,” also about 3 km (round trip), fun for older kids. You get a GPS receiver at the gondola (or use your own). Using GPS, you search for treasures. At each location, you’ll find a clue or task. Once you find the treasure, you get the coordinates for the next location. The route is also marked with arrows, so you can also do it without GPS.
#6 Montelino’s adventure trail on the Kohlmais
A fun hike to do in Saalbach-Hinterglemm with kids is Montelino’s Adventure Trail. For this hike, get an adventure pass at the valley station of the Kohlmais gondola (this gondola is also free to use with the Joker Card).
You step into the story of the little clown Montelino, who could no longer laugh. Montelino neglected his friends and toys, causing everything to disappear. During the walk, your kids follow the wise owl who helps them find Montelino’s friends and toys again.
The trail is about 3 kilometers and takes you past 15 activity stations (from the spider web to the snake “Paula” and the squirrel with the golden nut) where agility and climbing and scrambling are the focus. If at the end you have found the friends and toys, you can collect a small reward at the valley station. Allow at least 2 hours for the hike; it may take longer depending on how long you want to stay with the different activities.
At the end of Montelino’s Adventure Trail you will find Montelino’s water playground. Here kids can have a great time with water pumps, wooden channels, buckets and a large climbing web/net over the water. A fun activity with kids that can easily keep you entertained for half a day.
Other children’s activities Saalbach-Hinterglemm
In addition to all the fun activities described above, you can do much more with kids in Saalbach-Hinterglemm:
Playgrounds/activities on the mountain: at almost every gondola station we visited, there are restaurants where you can get something to eat and drink, but especially many playgrounds for kids. From large play equipment to mini golf courses and tractor courses.
Zell am See: during our stay, we drove another morning to nearby Zell am See. Here you will find a nice little market, many restaurants and, of course, the beautiful lake.
Mini golf: with the Joker Card you can play mini golf for free at Adventure Golf Hinterglemm.
Cycling: in Saalbach-Hinterglemm there are many mountain bike routes you can do. There is also a Learn to Ride park for cyclists of all ages to practice.
Family-friendly hotel Saalbach-Hinterglemm
You can find great accommodation in Saalbach-Hinterglemm with kids. We list below some of the best rated family-friendly accommodations in Saalbach-Hinterglemm.
Budget accommodation: Hotel Valerie
Mid-range accommodation: Boutique Hotel ANYBODY
Luxury accommodation: Hotel Glemmtalerhof
Also check out the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Saalbach-Hinterglemm.
Tips Saalbach-Hinterglemm with kids
Family-friendly restaurant Saalbach-Hinterglemm
You can eat well in Saalbach-Hinterglemm with kids in several nice restaurants. We list some of them:
Del Rossi: Del Rossi is a nice little restaurant in the center of Saalbach. You can eat anything here: from steaks to pasta and from Wiener Schnitzel to pizza. Something for everyone and plenty of choice for kids, too.
Restaurant Lindlingalm: In the valley is restaurant Lindlingalm, a cozy restaurant with a large terrace in the sun. Here you can have an excellent meal or drink. There are also some playground equipment, suitable for kids of different ages.
Best Travel Time Saalbach-Hinterglemm
In Saalbach-Hinterglemm you can go both in winter and summer with kids, depending on what you are looking for. In the winter months from December to March, you have a vast ski area here. The best time for a summer vacation with kids is from June to August. With an average afternoon temperature of 20-25 degrees, you can perfectly have an active vacation here.
TIP! Keep in mind that on top of the mountains it can be colder or the weather can turn quickly with rain. Bringing long pants and (rain) jacket is definitely helpful.
Transportation to and in Saalbach-Hinterglemm
There are several ways to travel to Saalbach-Hinterglemm with kids: by plane, by train or by car. If you go by plane, you will be at Salzburg Airport in 1.5 hours. From there, you will travel in about 1.5 hours by cab or bus to your final destination.
You can also travel by train in about 10 hours (counting from Utrecht). With three changes you are at the train station in Zell am See, from where you can get to Saalbach-Hinterglemm in 20 minutes by cab or bus.
If you are going to drive yourself by car, then (from Utrecht) it will take you about 11 hours. Once in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, you can get around by car, bus or cab. Walking is also possible, of course, as long as the distances are not too great.
About the author: I am Kim (34) and together with Karsten (35) and our kids Joy (4) and Skye (3) we form a family. We enjoy undertaking new things such as fun activities on our days off, a day in the snow in Limburg, hiking in the mountains in Austria and a tour of Vietnam. Travel for us is the ultimate time together and always a beautiful adventure, in Europe or far away. Above all, we always want to discover something new. Have we been there yet? No? Then let’s go!
