Ski Resort Guide: Zell am See and Kaprun
Zell am See is not a rustic Austrian village, but a lakeside summer resort town with a charming old centre. Zell am See is one of Austria's most significant ski resorts. Its three parts: the all year glacial resort Kitsteinhorn in Kaprun, the Maiskogel in Kaprun and the Schmittenhöhe in Zell am See, together make up the Europa Sports Region. Zell am See's slopes have a lot of variety and some slightly challenging terrain, but not enough to keep a keen intermediate or expert happy for long.
Zell am See has a lovely town centre on the edge of the frozen lake. It is a year-round holiday destination that doesn't rely entirely on skiers; in fact, hiking is its chief activity and marked paths are kept open through the winter, even at high altitudes, with the 2,000m Schmittenhöhe mountain having the best views.
The views are even better if you take off from there attached to a paraglider. Or you can head below sea level - into a 40km limestone cave system. There is of course skating on the lake, along with cross-country skiing, ice sailing and snowkiting (kitesurfing on snow), horseriding, ice driving, tobogganing and even try the rifle range, before relaxing in the spa centre.