pinterest pin An Alpine Weekend in Zell am See-Kaprun, Austria

Prologue

In the Easter of 2019, we decided to set off for a marathon road run, An Easter in Eastern Europe | A 6000 km Road Trip across Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Austria from the Netherlands, which was our first marathon road trip across the Eastern European countries before our second road trip A Summer in Eastern Europe | An 8000 km Road Trip across Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia from the Netherlands in summer 2019. So based on our experience, today I’m going to take you along with me across the picturesque Zell am See-Kaprun district of Austria, which is just a 12-hour drive away from the Netherlands and is perfect for a family weekend getaway. Let the journey begin!

Welcome to Zell am See-Kaprun

Even if you don't like skiing, Zell am See and the nearby town of Kaprun, located in the heart of the Salzburger Land, are well-known all over the world. This is undoubtedly owing to the landscape's distinctive beauty: the green mountains, which are part of the Schieferalps, give Zell am See a welcoming feel, while the Hohe Tauern in the background of Kaprun, with its three thousand meter high peaks and glacier plateaus, provide a dramatic backdrop. The Kitzsteinhorn's ski area is almost 3,000 meters long, while Zell am See's is roughly 800 meters long. On the state of Salzburg's lone glacier, skiing is possible virtually all year; on the other slopes, snow is assured starting in December thanks to new snow cannons.

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Zell am See

Zell am See is a quaint alpine town on Lake Zell, around 100 km south of Salzburg. Trails and lifts lead to the ski slopes of Schmittenhöhe mountain and Gipfelwelt 3000 panoramic platform at the top of the Kitzsteinhorn glacier.

Kaprun

Kaprun is an alpine village located in the Zell am See district at an altitude of 786 m. It is home to the popular ski resort of Kitzsteinhorn. When we reached Kaprun, we had the whole day raining alongside a thick blanket of clouds enveloping the mountains. However, even in such circumstances, the beauty of Kaprun was unparalleled.

landscape of alps tyrol valley austria kitzsteinhorn zell am see kaprun fog

The next day, when the fog lifted, clouds cleared and the sun came out, we got the long-awaited opportunity to capture the mesmerizing beauty of Kaprun through our lens.

landscape of alps tyrol valley austria kitzsteinhorn zell am see kaprun

landscape of alps tyrol valley austria kitzsteinhorn zell am see kaprun cows grazing

portrait of lady walking amidst landscape of alps tyrol valley austria kitzsteinhorn zell am see kaprun

Kitzsteinhorn

The Kitzsteinhorn is a mountain in the Central Eastern Alps in Austria. It is part of the Glockner Group and reaches a height of 3,203 m (10,505 feet). The Kitzsteinhorn glacier region is a popular ski resort. From Zell am See we drove to Kaprun Kitzsteinhorn Bergbahn Talstation and parked our car there. From there, we changed 4 cable cars to reach Gipfelwelt 3000 (Kaprun National Park Panoramic Viewing Platform), also known as Top of Salzburg Viewpoint on top of the Kitzsteinhorn mountains with a view of the Kitzsteinhorn glaciers. After that, we spent the whole day on the Kitzsteinhorn mountain and had lunch in the restaurant at the top of the mountain.

portrait of boy standing amidst landscape of alps tyrol valley austria kitzsteinhorn zell am see kaprun

restaurant with view of landscape of alps tyrol valley austria kitzsteinhorn zell am see kaprun man skiing on snowy slopes

Epilogue

So that brings us to the end of our journey across the picturesque Zell am See-Kaprun district of Austria. Please let us know in the comments below if you enjoyed reading this article.

If you wish to read the day-by-day account of our complete 6000 km road run across Eastern Europe during Easter 2019, please visit our article An Easter in Eastern Europe | A 6000 km Road Trip across Poland, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Austria from the Netherlands. And if you want to read the day-by-day account of our 8000 km road run across Eastern Europe during Summer 2019, please visit our article A Summer in Eastern Europe | An 8000 km Road Trip across Slovenia, Albania, North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Romania, and Slovakia from the Netherlands. Until then, merry traveling and happy shooting!