Zell am See in Winter with Kids: a Family Holiday at Hotel Latini

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.

Christmas with children at Hotel Latini: the "Weihnachten in Zell am See" package is 7 nights from 19 to 26 December, from €1,144 per person for two in a Standard Alpenrose double or from €973 per person for three in a Superior Enzian double, with breakfast, dinner and the Gold Spa with its indoor pool; on 24 December Father Christmas brings presents for everyone. See the Christmas programme day by day. Children up to 2 stay free in their parents' room, aged 3 to 5 it costs €189 and aged 6 to 11 €303. Only a few rooms are left for Christmas. Book the Christmas package

A family winter holiday in Zell am See at Hotel Latini

Hotel Latini is a family-run four-star hotel in Zell am See-Schüttdorf.

Hotel Latini has a ski room and ski hire on site, and sells lift passes at reception (more on winter at Hotel Latini). The ski hire, shared with Hotel Der Schütthof next door, opens for winter 2026/27 on 1 December 2026. It is between the two hotels: a staircase leads down from the terrace, and everything is clearly signposted. Guests usually collect their equipment the afternoon before the first ski day, normally the day they arrive, so the children can ski straight away the next morning. It goes back after the last ski day, or the following morning if you are back at the hotel after 6 pm. Hire prices are in Hotel Der Schütthof's guide to ski hire in Zell am See.

For lessons, Jürgen, the hotels' ski instructor from the Skischule Zell am See (the Ski & Snowboard School Zell am See), is at Hotel Latini's main reception for any questions, and you can book lessons with him, in English too. Hotel Latini is a family-friendly hotel with a spa rather than a specialist kids' hotel: on ski days, children are looked after in the ski school's courses, such as the MINI CLUB, and at its lunch supervision. For anything beyond that, please ask the hotel on +43 6542 5425 before you book.

The breakfast buffet runs from 7 am to 10.30 am. With half board, dinner is either a five-course menu with a choice of dishes or a themed buffet, served from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm, with children's dishes and high chairs in the restaurant; which meals are included depends on the rate you book. Papa Rudolfo, the hotel's à la carte restaurant and pizzeria, reopens on 10 December 2026 and is then open daily from 11.30 am to 10 pm, with the kitchen (pizza included) open until 9.30 pm.

Hotel Latini's 'Enzian' family rooms have a sofa bed for two children, and the 'Edelweiß' junior suite has a bedroom and a separate living area where the pull-out sofa is made up for the children. A family room takes at most 4 people, the junior suite can take a cot as an extra, and cots are available on request, subject to availability. Hotel Latini guests may use the playroom at Hotel Der Schütthof next door, and there is a playground. For the rooms in detail, and for summer with children, see Family Hotel in Zell am See.

The Salzburg Mobility Ticket is included for every Hotel Latini guest: public transport across the whole province of Salzburg, on arrival and departure days too.

Is Zell am See good for families in winter?

Yes, above all for children who are learning to ski. The Schmittenhöhebahn, which runs the lifts, describes the Schmittenhöhe as one of Austria's top family ski areas, and the Zell am See-Kaprun tourism board calls the Schmittenhöhe, Zell's own mountain, the ideal place to learn to ski through play.

The Schmittenhöhe plans to open for the 2026/27 winter season on 4 December 2026, snow and weather permitting. Snow in the valley is not guaranteed. For the snow month by month, see Is Zell am See snow sure?.

Where do children learn to ski in Zell am See?

On practice slopes in the valley first, then on the gentle runs at the top of the areitXpress gondola. The Schmittenhöhe's valley lifts start right in the valley, so you don't need a cable car to reach them, which the lift company says makes them perfect for beginners.

At the areitXpress valley station, Schmidolin's Magic Carpet gives beginners an extra-wide, gentle practice slope with a covered conveyor belt; ski schools, hire and places to eat are close by. The areitXpress is planned to run from 4 December 2026 to 4 April 2027, from 8.30 am to 4.30 pm. Office A of the Skischule Zell am See is at the valley station too, open daily from 8.30 am to 5 pm from December to April, and the school recommends this meeting point for families with children and complete beginners. Parents can watch the first attempts without putting on skis or taking the gondola themselves, and children booked into the MINI CLUB are looked after by the ski school during the course. Hotel Der Schütthof next door has a guide for first-timers, Zell am See for beginners.

Once children have mastered the practice slope, the areitXpress gondola takes them straight up to the Glocknerwiese, where wide, gentle blue runs start at the top station. The pistes for the rest of the family are in Hotel Der Schütthof's guide to skiing in Zell am See.

In Kaprun, the Maiskogel is the family and beginner area, where even the youngest skiers and snowboarders can have a first go on wavy tracks in the Maisi Park; lift passes there are valid from 5 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. On the Kitzsteinhorn in Kaprun the ski season starts earlier: the operator planned the start of the 2026/27 season for 10 October 2026.

What age can children start ski lessons in Zell am See?

From the age of 3. At the Skischule Zell am See, the youngest start with a private taster lesson or in the MINI CLUB, the KIDS on Ski group lessons are for ages 4 to 11 and TEENS ON SKI for 12 to 15, and snowboard lessons start at age 10. Lessons are held in German or English.

For the MINI CLUB, a child needs skis, boots and a helmet, but no poles. There is no MINI CLUB from 27 December 2026 to 2 January 2027, from 14 to 27 February 2027 or in the Easter holidays.

From age 4 the school recommends the full-day KIDS on Ski course, four hours a day. Half days, 10 am to 12 noon, are only for beginners up to age 8, at offices A and C. For complete beginners it suggests booking 3, 4 or 5 days. There are no group lessons on Fridays and Saturdays, except over Christmas and New Year.

On the first day, be at the ski school office you chose 45 to 60 minutes before the course starts, to check in; the meeting point is also where you collect your child. The course week builds up to Thursday: in the morning the children ski an end-of-course race, and after the afternoon lesson there is a prize-giving at the meeting point, with a medal and a certificate. At lunchtime the ski school offers lunch supervision with a hot lunch and a drink, €20 a day according to its course page, booked at the ski school offices.

Course prices do not include the lift pass or equipment, and the school recommends booking online so that places are guaranteed. Prices, and the other ski schools in town, are in Hotel Der Schütthof's guide to ski lessons in Zell am See.

Lift passes and helmets for children

In winter 2026/27, children born in 2021 or later ride free with an adult on the Schmittenhöhe, where a photo is required and they get a free lift pass, and on the Kitzsteinhorn and the Maiskogel in Kaprun, with the free miniAlpini Card (photo required). On the Schmittenhöhe, older children pay by year of birth: the child rate is for those born 2011 to 2020, the youth rate for those born 2008 to 2010.

On Saturdays, everyone under 19 (born 2008 to 2020) can ski on the Junior XPLORE CARD at a special Saturday rate. With the Schmittenhöhe's Easter Special, from 20 March to 4 April 2027, every child born in 2011 or later gets a free lift pass as soon as one parent buys a Schmittenhöhe pass for at least four days; it is only sold at the ticket counters on site, with proof of age.

For children who have only just started, there are cheaper tickets valid on the valley lifts only. At the areitXpress and the trassXpress, complete beginners need no lift pass for their first one or two days, says the ski school; the instructor tells you when to buy one. The prices are in Hotel Der Schütthof's guide to lift passes and the Ski ALPIN CARD.

Helmets are compulsory: on the ski slopes across the province of Salzburg, children must wear one until their 15th birthday, and parents or other supervising adults are liable. Children without a helmet of their own can borrow one at ski schools and ski hire shops.

Where can you go tobogganing in Zell am See?

On the Köhlergraben run, which the tourism board recommends as a good start for tobogganing with children. The natural toboggan run through the Schmittental is about one kilometre long, well suited to children, and open and floodlit until 10 pm every day when there is enough snow. It starts on the Köhlergrabenweg; by bus, get off at Postplatz in Zell am See.

For the Köhlergraben run, a toboggan bus (Rodelbus) runs every Wednesday evening from 30 December 2026 to 10 March 2027 when there is enough snow, every 15 minutes from 6.50 pm to 9.50 pm, from the Postplatz to the Schmittenhöhebahn valley station. Fares: children €3.50 a ride or €4 for the evening, adults €4 a ride or €7.50 for the evening.

The toboggan run in Bruck an der Glocknerstraße is longer: three kilometres according to the Gasthof Kohlschnait, and floodlit until 11 pm. You can walk up, or book ahead for the Rodelexpress (12 noon to 8 pm), which takes you up to the Berggasthof Kohlschnait; the inn has 150 sledges to hire, with snow tubing right next to it.

According to the tourism board, several hire points in Zell am See rent out sledges; Hotel Latini does not hire them out itself, so you hire one where you go sledging. In Kaprun, the Maisi Flitzer alpine coaster runs 365 days a year, and for a day trip the neighbouring Wildkogel Arena has a 14-kilometre toboggan run at Bramberg, which the tourism board calls the world's longest floodlit run.

For the way back to Schüttdorf, the Pinzgauer Lokalbahn, the local railway, stops at Kitzsteinhornstraße (a request stop), about 150 metres from Hotel Latini, and depending on the season there is also an evening and night bus. The current timetables are at reception.

Things to do in Zell am See in winter when the children don't ski

Children who don't ski can skate outdoors or in the ice hall, walk by torchlight on Thursday evenings, go up the Schmittenhöhe for a winter walk, or spend the afternoon in an indoor pool. For a wet day, see what to do in Zell am See when it rains.

Ice skating in Zell am See

The Frozen Daydream outdoor rink in front of the Ferry Porsche Congress Center is open daily from 2 pm to 8 pm from 18 November 2026 to early March 2027; entry is free and skates cost €3 a person to hire. The rink has 300 square metres of ice and a hut selling punch and snacks, and there are events such as ice discos. As the rink is outdoors, opening can be limited in bad weather.

At the Eishalle Zell am See, the ice hall at the town's leisure centre (the Freizeitzentrum), under one roof with the public indoor pool, public skating runs daily, 12.45 pm to 2.45 pm, and on Tuesdays also from 8.15 pm to 10.15 pm. Children born 2011 to 2020 pay €5.60, children born in 2021 or later go free with an adult, and adults pay €10.30; there is skate hire and skate servicing. For Christmas and New Year opening hours, ask the Freizeitzentrum directly. Kaprun has a family-friendly outdoor rink at the entrance to the village, also with skate hire.

Torchlight walks and winter walks

Every Thursday from 7 January to 18 March 2027, a guided torchlight walk sets off at 8 pm in Zell am See. Meet at 7.45 pm at the Zell am See tourist information; the walk takes about 1.5 hours and is free, but you need a ticket to reserve your place. Children can join from age 6, with an adult.

Up the mountain, the winter walking trail on the Schmittenhöhe runs from the trassXpress mountain station over the summit to the Sonnkogel and back the same way, about 2 to 2.5 hours. Guests without ski equipment pay special prices for the lifts, and guided walks are free with a valid lift ticket. In Kaprun, the cable cars to the Kitzsteinhorn are open all year for sightseeing. The guide to Zell am See attractions has more for every season.

Is there an indoor pool for children in Zell am See?

Yes. Children are welcome in Hotel Latini's indoor pool during the day: it is about 5 by 11 metres, about 28 °C and open daily from 7 am to 9 pm, and from 6 pm it is for adults and young people aged 14 and over who follow the spa rules. The pool and the rest of the Gold Spa are included for hotel guests; there is more on the indoor pool and Gold Spa at Hotel Latini.

The public indoor pool at the Freizeitzentrum Zell am See is open from 11 am to 9.30 pm. It has a 74-metre giant slide, a 25-metre main pool at 30 to 32 °C and a baby pool at 32 °C with a pirate ship and a toddler slide. Children born 2011 to 2020 pay €10.90 and children born in 2021 or later go free with an adult; free entry with the Zell am See-Kaprun Summer Card only runs from 15 May to 31 October. For Christmas and New Year opening hours, ask the Freizeitzentrum directly.

At the Tauern Spa in Kaprun, the Kidstein children's spa is separate from the rest of the spa and has a 127-metre tube slide. The water world is open from 9 am to 9 pm, until 4 pm on 24 December 2026 and until 3 pm on 31 December 2026, and child tickets are for ages 3 to 14.

Zell am See in December with children

December brings Star Advent by the lake, festive cruises on Lake Zell and children's ski courses through the Christmas holidays. The market is in the Stadtpark, right on the lake, from 19 November to 31 December 2026, with a children's programme, a vintage carousel and a Sterntaler trail; St Nicholas and the Krampus come to the market on 6 December (St Nicholas does not visit Hotel Latini itself) and the Zell Christkind on 20 December. Winter cruises and St Nicholas cruises run on Lake Zell from 29 November 2026 to 6 January 2027.

Children's group courses start almost every day from 20 to 28 December 2026, and there are no group lessons on 1 and 2 January 2027.

Over Christmas and New Year 2026, Hotel Latini has a full programme: Father Christmas comes on Christmas Eve with a present for every guest, children can join a leather-craft workshop, and New Year's Eve has an aperitif and a gala dinner with live music. Markets, cruises and New Year's Eve in town are in the guide to Christmas and New Year in Zell am See.