Zell am See - A Winter Treat - Skiing or not !
The resort or small town of Zell am See is located on the shores of Lake Zell – this location I would imagine would be a photographer’s dream destination with snowy mountains that meet the frozen lake, and traditional Austrian Houses with their snowy pitch roofs, and ornate wooden balconies also capped in snow.
Zell am See is great for winter-sports and would suit complete beginners through to experienced skiers who enjoy the thrill of a black run. There are plenty of different runs to choose from – and an excellent ski school & instructors to guide you and ensure that you get the best out of your time on the mountain.
Non skiers will also enjoy this resort. There is a wellness centre and Spa with a beautiful 25 meter sports swimming pool and state of the art changing facilities. Also an array of walking – including across the frozen lake to Thumersbach (took about an hour) and also there are excellent train links to nearby Salzburg. (The train station for Zell am See is located in the heart of town, and the journey to Salzburg is about 1.5 hours.)
This resort has a very friendly and family feel about it. My family and I were made to feel very welcome in the local restaurants – there are many types of eateries to choose from - including traditional Austrian fare – to Italian or Chinese. I would highly recommend a restaurant in the heart of Zell called The Steinerwirt. Delicious traditional cuisine – served in very traditional surroundings. With even childcare activities laid on in the evenings between 6 and 9pm which our children enjoyed on the evening that we dined there, meaning that the adults can relax after the meal with a coffee!
Most of the week, I must admit that we enjoyed self-catering – again the town can provide you with plenty of shops and we found food to be pretty much priced on a par with home. We bought basics such as tea-bags with us from the UK.
All in all a successful and very relaxing holiday. My eldest son learnt to snow-board this year, and was coming down the ‘black-runs’ by the end of his week of tuition. The snow was pretty relentless during our stay here – I think it snowed without a break for 3 days non-stop! …but this made the skiing conditions with powdery snow on the mountain just amazing.