A family holiday in the Oberpinzgau: honest tips from someone who's out here with a child

There are those holiday regions that spoon-feed you the family programme down to the last detail — with plastic adventure worlds, queues at the turnstiles and entertainers. The Oberpinzgau is different, and I say that as a father who lives here: with us, nature is the programme. A mountain lake where the children sink stones for hours. An alpine hut with home-baked cake and a petting zoo. Sliding down the mountain, panning for emeralds in the stream, walking off the planets on foot.

A typical family day with us looks like this: up the mountain in the morning with a bit of action, an ice cream at midday, down to the water in the afternoon — and in the evening everyone falls into bed tired and happy. No rushing from highlight to highlight, but real days. It's nothing for extreme party animals — but for families looking for exactly this, it's a stroke of luck. Here are my honest recommendations, sorted by what children really love.

Three outings that always work

If I'm to give guests with children a safe bet, it's these three:

• The Blausee in the Sulzau (Neukirchen): A small, crystal-clear mountain lake with unreal blue water, comfortable to reach — and the path there is pram-friendly. Perfect for a relaxed morning.
• The Gasthof Finkau (Krimml / Wildgerlos valley): Playground, lake, petting zoo and ice-cream sundaes, all easily reachable by car. The playground works even with the very little ones, while the older ones stroll around the reservoir. My insider tip for getting there: via the old pass road from Wald towards Königsleiten you can drive up toll-free.
• The WasserWunderWelt Krimml: A waterfall centre, the interactive "House of Water" with a Water Cinema and a Swarovski telescope, and the outdoor aqua park — a whole day for the family. Open from early May to the end of October, daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; the combined ticket (with the waterfall trail and parking) is around 16 euros for adults, a good 33 euros for the family.

Bathing & splashing

Water draws children magically, and of that we have plenty. For carefree splashing with smaller children, the Krimml open-air pool is ideal. The Durlassboden reservoir above Krimml is a different league: a beautiful but cold mountain reservoir — wonderful for swimming, but nothing for non-swimmers and small children. In return you can go dinghy boating there, and there's even a small surf school. My personal insider tip for hot days is the Kneipp facility near the Krimml Waterfalls, right by the therapy area: cold mountain water over the calves wakes tired children's legs up surprisingly quickly — and costs nothing. For me, that was part of every hot summer day as a child, and the mix of ice-cold water, fresh air and the roar of the falls in the background works on children like a natural reset button.

And because the most important question after bathing is always the same: the best ice cream, in my opinion, is at Brugger in Neukirchen, right next to the middle school.

Action on the mountain: sliding, carting, marvelling

The Wildkogel Arena between Neukirchen and Bramberg is the action heart for families — and the lovely thing: you ride up by cable car and come back down playfully.

• Slide Trail on the Wildkogel: From the Panorama Trail to the mid-station, then ten stainless-steel slides (22 to 53 metres, one with a free-fall effect) down — walking and sliding in turn. From age 6 and 130 cm.
• Mountaincart in Bramberg: Up with the Smaragdbahn, then four kilometres on three-wheeled off-road karts winding down to the mid-station. Huge fun for somewhat bigger children.
• For the smaller ones there's the flat, pram-friendly lakes loop around two reservoirs up at the summit station — just under three kilometres, with views to the Großvenediger.

What I like about the Wildkogel Arena: you never queue as in an amusement park, and yet the children beam as if they'd had the day of their lives. The gondola ride alone is an adventure for the little ones — at the top the world is vast, the air cool, and the way down becomes the main attraction.

Learning without it tasting of school

This is where the Oberpinzgau really shines — nature you can grasp:

• Planet Trail Königsleiten (Wald): A 6-kilometre, free circular trail around the observatory that paces out our solar system at a scale of 1:1 billion — nine granite monuments mark the planets, with forests, alpine meadows and high moors in between. Pram-friendly, and for children a great aha-moment when they "travel" on foot from the Sun to Neptune. If you fancy an evening out: the Königsleiten Observatory is the highest-altitude planetarium in Europe.
• Bee Trail & herb garden (Hollersbach): 2.3 kilometres with 22 stations about honey and wild bees, plus the herb garden with over 500 plants. "Grasping nature" in the literal sense.
• Emerald hunting in the Habach valley (Bramberg): On the easy valley path into Europe's only emerald deposit, children may search for the green stones themselves at the digging sites. There's hardly anything that makes children's eyes light up like the moment something green really glitters in the wet gravel — and even if in the end it's "only" a pretty rock crystal, the treasure proudly travels into the trouser pocket. Along the way the Enzianhütte, Alpenrose and Moa-Alm invite you to rest; they're staffed roughly from mid-June to September, and the car park costs a small fee.

A bite to eat that children (and parents) enjoy

For me, stopping for food is part of the family day — and the alpine hosts here are remarkably fond of children. My favourite is the Gletscherblickalm on the Plattenkogel above Krimml (Hochkrimml): their own dairy, their own beer for the parents and a petting zoo where the children disappear while we enjoy the view of the glaciers of the Wildgerlos valley. The cheese comes from the hut kitchen, and the hosts Erich and Gabi have a smile for every child. If you prefer it cosy without a mountain ride, sit at the Gasthof Siggen over a slice of cake that's second to none. Generally in the Oberpinzgau: in most huts they still cook themselves, almost everywhere there's a meadow to romp on, and nobody frowns when a child laughs a little louder.

When it rains

Bad weather is no lost day in the Oberpinzgau. My rainy-day programme:

• The Nationalparkwelten in Mittersill — an interactive experience museum about the Hohe Tauern National Park (eagle-flight simulation, glaciers, wildlife), dry and open all year, adults 13 euros, children 6.50 euros, under 5s free.
• The Kristallbad in Wald — indoor-pool refreshment when everything outside is grey.
• A stroll through Mittersill with its shops — and, for technology and star fans, of course the Königsleiten Observatory.

With very young children

Even with a toddler and pram you won't get bored here. Pram-friendly are the path to the Blausee, the Planet Trail, the lakes loop at the Wildkogel summit station and the playground at the Gasthof Finkau. And for a stop with children I warmly recommend the Gasthof Siggen — the cakes there are a delight, and families are welcome.

When is best?

July and August offer the full programme — all cable cars, alpine huts and attractions are running. If you have smaller children and aren't tied to school holidays, June and September are often the nicer choice: quieter, and considerably more attractive on price. In early summer the alpine meadows bloom, in early autumn the larches glow — and you have trails and playgrounds almost to yourselves.

A practical piece of advice for families with school-age children: book early — the nice holiday apartments are quickly gone, especially for July and August. And don't fill every day — the best memories here often arise on the slow days, when you decide spontaneously in the morning whether it's down to the water or up the mountain.

Honestly: who it's NOT for

So that nobody arrives disappointed: the Oberpinzgau is nothing for extreme party animals and nothing for families looking for the big, artificial theme-park spectacle. We deliberately rely on the natural, authentic surroundings rather than on plastic worlds. But anyone with children who should build dams in the stream, romp around on alpine pastures and fall into bed tired and happy in the evening — they're spot on here.

Your base camp

The practical thing about the Oberpinzgau: from a holiday apartment in the region you're everywhere within 20 minutes — to the Blausee in the morning, ice cream at Brugger at midday, sliding on the Wildkogel in the afternoon, into the museum when it rains. A flat of your own with a kitchen is worth its weight in gold with children anyway: your own rhythm, your own snacks, no rigid mealtimes, and after a long day outside you cook something familiar in peace in the evening while the children are already splashing in the bath. Anyone travelling with a toddler will also appreciate the space and the second bedroom that a hotel room rarely offers. Pick the place that suits you best: Krimml for the waterfalls and the WasserWunderWelt, Neukirchen and Bramberg for the action of the Wildkogel Arena and the emerald hunt, Hollersbach for the bee and herb trails, Mittersill for the Nationalparkwelten and the Hintersee, Wald and Königsleiten for the observatory and the planet trail.

Price and opening details as of: summer 2026. Please check current times and rates briefly before setting off.