Zell am See Attractions: Highlights and Practical Tips

I'm Ursula Auer from Hotel Latini. My personal highlight: a few runs on the Schmittenhöhe, with the glorious view over Zell am See and the surrounding mountains.

Hotel Latini itself is closed from 26 October to 26 November 2026. Bus times start at Schüttdorf ÖBB-Postbus Garage, 5 minutes on foot from the hotel. Walking times start at Hotel Latini.

Bus times are from the 2026 timetables, which change in December; check your own travel date before you go.

Is Zell am See worth visiting, and for how many days?

Yes, if you want a lake and a proper mountain in the same place without driving between them. Zell am See is a small town in the heart of the Pinzgau, 96 km from the city of Salzburg. It is famous for three things: Lake Zell, the Schmittenhöhe rising straight above the town, and, in the next town of Kaprun, the Kitzsteinhorn, whose lifts reach 3,029 m. You can swim in the morning and stand on a glacier in the afternoon, and you can do most of it by bus.

How many days? Our suggestion: two days for the lake, the old town and the Schmittenhöhe; four if you add Kaprun (the glacier, the reservoirs and the gorge) and a day trip to the Krimml Waterfalls. A week leaves room for the Grossglockner road and for doing nothing by the water.

How to spend one day. Start in the old town while it is quiet, with the church of St Hippolyt on the Stadtplatz; bus 70 takes you there from Schüttdorf. Then walk down to the lakeshore for the panorama cruise. In the afternoon, between May and early November, ride up the Schmittenhöhe for the view back over the lake.

Lake Zell: swimming, boats and the ride round it

Lake Zell, the Zeller See, is about 15 minutes on foot from Hotel Latini in Schüttdorf. In summer you can swim at the lidos, take the panorama cruise or cycle all the way round it.

Can you swim in Lake Zell? Yes, at the lidos, and in summer the water reaches up to 23 degrees. There are four lidos around the lake, among them:

• Seespitz lido, Schüttdorf. The nearest to the hotel, with a small playground, a bathing jetty with a ladder and a nature reserve next door.
• Erlberg lido ("Haus Gabi"). Free to enter; the car park is paid, by card or app only.

The lidos closed for the 2026 season on 20 September; check the opening times for summer 2027.

The panorama cruise. The MS Schmittenhöhe takes about 45 minutes to cruise the lake. Summer 2026 fares were €24.00 for adults, €22.00 reduced and €12.00 for children. Late in the season it sails hourly from 11 am to 4 pm until 24 October 2026, then hourly from 11 am to 3 pm from 25 October to 1 November 2026, the last sailing of the year (Zeller See boat tours). The cruise is included with the Summer Card.

Round the lake by bike. The bike route round Lake Zell is 11.19 km long and passes Schloss Prielau with its Trinity Chapel, today a hotel and restaurant. Hotel Latini has a bike room where e-bikes can be charged.

The old town

Zell am See's old centre is compact: a square with the church of St Hippolyt and the Vogtturm, a tower that houses a museum, close to the lakeshore. From Schüttdorf it is about 10 minutes on bus 70 (2026 timetable) to the Postplatz stop.

St Hippolyt. The town church dates back to the 10th century. Of that first building only the Ottonian crypt survives; the west tower and the west gallery are late Gothic, and uncovered frescoes from the 14th and 17th centuries complete the picture. It stands at Stadtplatz 5b.

Museum Vogtturm. A six-storey tower at Stadtplatz 8 with the town's regional history and culture, a special exhibition on Porsche Design and interactive discovery stations that make it work for the whole family. There is no lift. Opening times, all 1 to 6 pm:

• 2 September to 31 October 2026: Wednesday to Sunday
• November 2026: closed
• 8 to 19 December 2026: Tuesday to Saturday
• 22 December 2026 to 3 January 2027: Tuesday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday
• 5 January to 27 March 2027: Tuesday to Saturday (opening times)
• April 2027: closed

Admission is €10 for adults, €5 for young people aged 10 to 18 and €22 for families; children under 10 go in free (as published by the operator, October 2026). It is included with the Summer Card, and a Zell am See or Kaprun guest card gives 10% off.

For lunch or dinner in town, see our guide to restaurants in Zell am See.

The Schmittenhöhe, Zell am See's own mountain

The Schmittenhöhe is the 2,000 m mountain directly above the town. From Hotel Latini the way up is short: the valley station of the areitXpress, the gondola from Schüttdorf up to the mountain, is about 5 to 7 minutes on foot.

Summer 2026. The Schmittenhöhebahn ran from 18 May to 4 October 2026, 9 am to 5 pm, and runs from 5 October to 1 November 2026, 9 am to 4 pm. The areitXpress from Schüttdorf ran from 23 May to 13 September 2026 (Schmittenhöhebahn opening hours).

Summer 2026 tickets:

• Up and down to the summit, with the Kaiserblick panorama platform: €45.00 adults, €22.50 children.
• Up and down to 1,400 m on the areitXpress, cityXpress or Sonnenalmbahn: €33.00 adults, €16.50 children.
• The child price applies to children born 2011 to 2020; children born 2021 or later ride free with their parents.

All of it is included with the Summer Card.

Winter, and for non-skiers. The winter season is planned from 4 December 2026, snow permitting. The areitXpress and trassXpress are planned from 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027, the cityXpress from 10 December 2026 to 4 April 2027 and the Schmittenhöhebahn from 11 December 2026 to 29 March 2027. You do not need to ski to go up: a winter up-and-down ticket for walkers costs €39.00 for adults and young people, €35.00 with a guest card or online, and €19.50 for children (winter prices as published by the Schmittenhöhebahn, October 2026). In winter, bus 70 also stops at the cityXpress valley station. If you do ski, our sister hotel's guide to skiing in Zell am See is the place to start.

Kaprun: the glacier, the reservoirs and the gorge

Kaprun is the neighbouring town, and its three big sights all lie on the line of bus 660, which stops at Schüttdorf ÖBB-Postbus Garage. It is about 20 minutes on bus 660 to the Sigmund Thun Gorge and about 25 minutes to the Kitzsteinhorn valley station (2026 timetable).

Kitzsteinhorn: TOP OF SALZBURG. The lifts take you to 3,029 m, Salzburg's highest attraction, with two panoramic platforms, the Nationalpark Gallery and Cinema 3000, Austria's highest cinema. For sightseeing visitors the lifts run all year (hours of operation). It is open daily from 9 am to 3.30 pm, and the last suggested ascent from the valley is at 1 pm (as published by the operator, October 2026).

TOP OF SALZBURG tickets:

• 7 April to 26 November 2026: €61.00 adults, €45.50 youth, €30.50 children. The ticket covers the round trip, the platforms, the gallery and the cinema, and the ICE ARENA in July and August.
• 27 November 2026 to 4 April 2027: the same prices, for guests without ski equipment only (TOP OF SALZBURG prices).

With the Summer Card the Kitzsteinhorn lifts are included, except the 3K K-ONNECTION, the lift from Kaprun via the Maiskogel to the glacier. The 3K K-ONNECTION is back from December 2026, according to the operator. Until then, take the Gletscherjet 1 and 2 from the Kitzsteinhorn valley station.

The high mountain reservoirs. The reservoirs sit high above Kaprun, with the Mooserboden at 2,040 m. Allow about 45 minutes for the ascent. 2026 season: 22 May to 11 October. 2026 prices: €39.50 adults up and down, €22 for children born 2011 to 2020, free for children born 2021 to 2026, €101 for a family card, and €12 for an adult dam wall tour (season and prices). Summer Card holders need no extra ticket. Bus 660 serves the Kesselfall stop for the reservoirs only during their season.

Sigmund Thun Gorge. A gorge over 30 metres deep and 320 metres long, walked on footbridges in about 30 minutes. It is not suitable for prams or wheelchairs, and part of the footbridge is taken down every winter. In autumn 2026 it is open daily from 9 am to 3.30 pm until 2 November. 2026 prices: €8.50 adults (€7.70 with a guest card), €6.00 children aged 6 to 15 (€5.00), €20.00 families (€18.00) (prices and opening times). Included with the Summer Card.

Further afield: the Krimml Waterfalls and the Grossglockner road

Both are full-day trips. For more outings from the hotel, see things to do in Zell am See.

Krimml Waterfalls. The falls drop 380 metres. It is about an hour and a quarter on bus 670 (2026 timetable; not every run is daily) from Schüttdorf ÖBB-Postbus Garage. The fee-paying waterfall path opens in mid-April and is open throughout from 1 May to the end of October, according to the operator. The path fee is €9.00 for adults and €4.50 for children aged 6 to 15, according to the operator's price list (no year given). With the Zell am See-Kaprun card the fee is €2 less for adults and €0.50 less for children; entry itself is not included (tickets).

Grossglockner High Alpine Road. A 48 km mountain road whose highest point, the Edelweiss Peak, is at 2,571 m. It is usually open from early May to early November; open since 25 April in 2026. Late in the season, check the opening times before you set off. From 1 September the road is open 6 am to 7.30 pm, last entry 6.45 pm. A 2026 day ticket costs €46.50 per car and €36.50 per motorcycle, and the Summer Card does not cover the toll.

Without a car, the Glocknerbus leaves from the indoor pool car park in Zell am See. In 2026 it ran from 26 May to 29 September on Tuesdays, and on Thursdays too in July and August, with adult fares from €45.00 (Glocknerbus). This is the one sight where a car makes the day easier.

Month by month: what is open when

Dates are for 2026 unless a row says otherwise.

On a wet day, the Vogtturm museum, Cinema 3000 at the top of the Kitzsteinhorn and the hotel's indoor pool are the obvious choices.

What Hotel Latini guests get included in summer

Hotel Latini includes the Zell am See-Kaprun Summer Card (Sommerkarte) for the length of your stay. Summer Card (2026 terms): 15 May to 31 October. It covers, among others, the Schmittenhöhe, Kitzsteinhorn (except the 3K K-ONNECTION) and Maiskogel lifts, the Lake Zell boats, the lidos, the indoor pool in Zell am See, the Kaprun reservoirs, the Sigmund Thun Gorge and Museum Vogtturm. The card cannot be bought; you get it only from partner accommodation. Ski lifts and special trips are never included.

You can use the included attractions as often as you like while the card is valid, with two exceptions from 15 July to 15 September (Summer Card):

• Arrival day. The card is valid only from 3 pm on the day you arrive.
• Four attractions from day two. The Schmittenhöhe summit ride, the Kitzsteinhorn summit lifts, the MS Schmittenhöhe round trip and the Kaprun reservoirs can only be used from the second day of your stay, and the round trip only once a day.

The Krimml Waterfalls are only a bonus partner, which means a reduction rather than entry, and the Grossglockner High Alpine Road is not on the card at all. For the full list of partners and how the card works, see everything the Summer Card covers on our sister hotel's site.

Zell am See with children

Most of the big sights work with children, and several are kinder on the budget than they first look:

• Lifts. On the Schmittenhöhe, children born 2021 or later ride free with their parents; the child fare covers those born 2011 to 2020.
• Reservoirs. Children born 2021 to 2026 go free, and a family card cost €101 in 2026.
• Museum Vogtturm. Under-10s go in free, and the discovery stations are built for families. Mind the stairs: there is no lift.
• The gorge. About 30 minutes on foot, but it is no place for a pram.
• The lake. The Seespitz lido, the nearest to the hotel, has a small playground, and children cruise the lake for €12.00 (summer 2026).

In the summer holidays children staying at Hotel Latini can join Cool Kids, the tourism board's free children's programme, and the hotel's indoor pool welcomes children during the day; from 6 pm it is for adults and young people aged 14 and over. More on family holidays at Hotel Latini.

Getting there from the UK, and getting around

Flights. Salzburg Airport is about 80 km from the hotel. According to Salzburg Airport's winter 2026/27 schedule (October 2026), there are flights from London Gatwick (British Airways all year, easyJet from 4 December 2026 to 11 April 2027, Jet2.com on Saturdays), London Heathrow (British Airways, Lufthansa), London Luton and London Southend (easyJet), London Stansted (Ryanair all year, Jet2.com on Saturdays) and from Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Edinburgh, Leeds, Liverpool and Manchester (flight schedule). All flights are subject to change. If you are booking a package with a tour operator, check which airport it uses.

From the airport. Hotel Latini has no airport transfer of its own, but reception will gladly order a taxi for you. If you come on by train, the hotel's free station shuttle collects you from Zell am See station, about 3 km away, daily from 8 am to 6 pm; book it at least 24 hours before you arrive.

Do you need a car? Not unless you want to drive the Grossglockner road. The Salzburg Mobility Ticket, included for every guest, covers public transport across the whole province of Salzburg, on your arrival and departure days too. Three bus lines leave from Schüttdorf ÖBB-Postbus Garage, 5 minutes on foot from the hotel:

• Bus 70 into town, to the Postplatz stop for the old town (2026 timetable).
• Bus 660 to Kaprun, for the Sigmund Thun Gorge, the Kitzsteinhorn and, in season, the reservoirs (2026 timetable).
• Bus 670 to the Krimml Waterfalls (2026 timetable).

The Schüttdorf Areitbahn stop, for the areitXpress, is 8 minutes on foot. If you are still choosing a base, our sister hotel's guide on where to stay in Zell am See helps you decide.

For more ideas through the year, see Hotel Latini's news and tips.