sunflower2

Hi,

Has anybody heard of the Hotel Interstar in Saalbach? It's officially called "LTH Resort at Alpin- & Golfhotel Interstar".

We have 2 girls ages 10 and 14. Are there plenty of fun things to do in the Saalbach area?

Day Trips from Saalbach that our kids would enjoy?

Is Salzburg a day trip? Things to do at Zell am See?

Thanks very much!

Sunflower2

lotje

hello,
we have never been to the hotel you mention, but have been to another nice hotel in Saalbach.
generally speaking, austrian hotels are childfriendly, and offer a lot of things to do for children & youth.
it is a nice area, and i read on the hotels website that they have a "beach" at the lake in Zell - so that is a plus as well.
Salzburg is a day trip, Zell is lovely, and there are plenty of activities that the children will enjoy - if they like nature (in Summer), and skiing in Winter ...
check with the hotel for their program.
if you go right now, the hotel is right next to the ski-slopes, so no transfer needed !
Salzburg can be done in a day trip. Zell am See is on the lake - so there are all water sports, you can go parasailing, doubles if you never did it before, ...

sunflower2

Thanks Lotje, it does sound nice. The hotel website was in german, so we weren't exactly sure what it all said. Is there anything else that the hotel mentions in their program that we should know about? THANKS!

We'll be coming in the summer, so Zell am See with the watersports will be lovely.

Are day trips possible to Grossglockner Road, the Krimmerei Wasserfaelle, & Innsbruck?

What other towns are fun to explore near Saalbach?

Thank you so much for your suggestions!

Sunflower2

DavidD

sunflower,

While I'm not familiar with Saalbach, I can tell you that viamichelin.com estimates the driving distance from there to Salzburg is about 50 miles or a 1.5 hour drive. With that in mind, do make an effort to see Salzburg, as there is much to offer. The city has an Old World elegance that is quite appealing.

Another consideration is a drive to Hallstatt. While very touristry, it's a nonetheless beautifully situated village, featuring lovely lakeside scenery, and the chance to tour a salt mine (the girls will enjoy this). Nearby is Dachstein, offering a spectacular cable car ride to a stop-worthy series of ice caves, another real draw for the young and not so young.

Have a wonderful trip.

sunflower2

David, THanks so much. We don't know the area, so your comments are quite helpful. I checked the michelin website, which was great. Thanks.

Hallstatt, Dachstein, & old Salzburg all sound great. I'll look into all of them. Please let me know if you have any other great ideas---THANKS!

Sunflower2

lotje

oops... i had another look at the hotels' website, and they don't have their own beach in Zell.
on the website, the hotel management is especcially paying attention to the wellness & fitness center, as well as the possibilities to play golf & tennis but isn't going in detail on any program.
you may also want to have a look at the website of Saalbach itself (www.saalbach.com). when we were there, we participated in some activities the commune was organizing (the hotel staff was very nice and informed the hotel guests on the program of some of the hotels, as well as of those of the commune).
it included walks, pick nicks in the mountains, wake up call for an early sunrise view, being taken their by a horse drawn coach ...
i'm sure you'll have a good time

sunflower2

Lotje, THe things the community organizes sounds lovely, and I'll also check the saalbach website.

What do you think girls ages 10 and 14 would enjoy doing in the area?

Swimming, sunrises, hikes, beautiful scenery, Zell am See, anything else you can think of in the Saalbach, Zell, or the other towns?

Thanks!

Sunflower2

lotje

sunflower,
of course I don't know your children, so I'm not sure what they are interested in !
I would definitely take them to Salzburg, it takes about 1.30h to get there by car. In Salzburg, you should taste the Salzburger Nockerl... a kind of warm soufflé (and you may want to ask for the recipe or try it yourself !)
When you say Salzburg, you say Mozart, and if they are into music, there are small short concerts going on everywhere (including free ones in the streets). Buy some Mozartkugeln (which is a chocolate), have some coffee and cake (schwarzwaldkirchentorte is my favorite), ...
Now; there are nice shopping streets - like the Judengasse, there is a castle, you could take them to the opera or an operetta (if they really want to get the "austrian feel" and watch how the austrian people still dress very formally & traditionally to go there), or go to the Salzburg Festspiele (depending if you are around then), or you take them into a shop and have them try on those dirndl' dresses - no need to buy but good for some pictures & fun afterwards !
if they have handicraft lessons, you could buy some of the cottons dirndl's are made of to use in a patchwork project later on.
There are also tours - among others by horse drawn carriages in Salzburg.
Now driving to Hallstatt, is for a day trip, a bit far... It takes more than 2.5 hours to get there through winding roads. I think they'll be bored, if not car sick ! However, a day trip to the grossglockner glacier should be a possibility.
If you don't like to drive yourself, I remember that you could take a day trip by bus or mini-bus from Saalbach.
Also you can go rafting ... I think the youngest would be too young, but you might want to split up if your elder one likes to do it.

I'm sure Zell offers everything.... from mountainclimbing to parasailing, paragliding, ...to sailing on the lake, you can rent small boats, and larger ones... you can take a gondola up onto the mountains (if they don't like to walk uphill) and come down by foot...
sit near the lake, sunbath, ...
also most hotels organize activities in the evenings...
of course, saalbach is not a city - it is a village in a valley... zell is a little town and neither of them offers the amusement you would find in a large city !

abbekit

We stayed for a week in Lofer, a small village just a few miles north of Saalbach and it was a great base for the week.

Easy drive to Salzburg. Also a nice daytrip to the Salzkammergut lakes area, be sure to visit Hallstatt. You will be near several salt mines which give tours that the kids will also enjoy. There is also an ice cave tour near here. Your kids will also enjoy riding a luge and there are several tracks near here.

The Grossglockner road is one of the most beautiful drives in the world. We took a leisurely day driving down to Heiligenblut and back. Pack a picnic and stop at one of the many roadside picnic tables for lunch with an incredible view.

You will also be very near Berchtesgaden where the Eagles Nest is, pretty lakes around here (this is where we took the salt mine tour).

There are hiking trails everywhere and walking trails between the small towns wandering through farmland. It is an absolutely beautiful area with wonderful friendly people.

sunflower2

Hi, Thanks for your very excellent suggestions about things to do in the Saalbach area. It sounds like it'll be great fun for our family, and the areas that you've suggested sound great.

Thanks, too, for the suggestions on things to eat & experience in Salzburg---Schwartzwaldkirschtorte sounds lovely! And the Salzburg Nocherl sounds excellent. Plus Mozartkogel and Mozart Music!! And trying on drindals & getting some drindal cotton would be fun! So, Lotje, thanks for these wonderful suggestions.

We like the small town experience so I think from what Lotje & Abbekit have said, there will be plenty to do in our day trips. Thanks for your ideas.

Any suggestions for where it's best to rent a car? We'll probably be flying into Zurich or Frankfurt....

We are thinking about spending 1 week in Switzerland, and then a week in Saalbach.

Thanks so much for all of your help!

Sunflower2

abbekit

We flew into Munich, spent 3 nights there, took the train to Salzburg and rented the car there. Used Kemwel via the internet (actual car rental agency in Salzburg was Europecar) a few blocks from the train station. Pre-paid car rental, the best rate around after lots of research.

However, it was just the two of us so we only had to buy 2 train tickets. Family weekend train tickets in Germany are very cheap so that might still be the best option, especially since you might fly into Frankfurt.

If you rent the car in Frankfurt the drive to Munich via the Romantic Road is wonderful. It would take all day to get to Saalbach so you might want to overnight somewhere along the way.

Be sure an look on the Austria tourism website for Saalbach and the nearby towns for festivals during your visit. We found a local festival via the internet in Saalbach while we were there that was wonderful. It was their autumn farmer's festival when they parade the cows down from the summer mountain pastures. We were the only Americans there, in fact I never heard anyone speaking English. But the local people were so welcoming and friendly.

sunflower2

Thanks so much. Very helpful. I'll check those resources now---THANKS!

If you all think of anything else that'd be helpful, please let me know.

Again, THANKS!

Sunflower2