family travel guide
Jewel – the symbol of the new Ski Juwel ski area – is rightly featured on the lifts and maps of the new resort in the heart of the Kitzbühel Alps. Since the merger of the two well-known ski resorts of Alpbachtal and Wildschönau in December 2012, Ski Juwel has become one of Tyrol's most popular and attractive family holiday destinations.
This dramatic change is due to the opening of a modern 8-seater gondola lift that connects the previously independent ski areas. You can find all the helpful information about holidays with children in Alpbach-Wildschenau in the Kidpassage article.
Alpbach-Wildschönau is a ski resort in the western part of Austria, in the state of Tyrol. It is part of the district of Kufstein (administrative centre - the city of Kufstein). The distance from the resort to Innsbruck – is 51 km, to Salzburg – 153 km, to Kufstein – 40 km, and to Munich (Germany) – 131 km.
The part of the Alps where Alpbach-Wildschönau is located is not characterised by extreme heights. However, the mountains are not low: most of the ski slopes are at an altitude of 1500-2000 metres. Thanks to this, the snow stays on the slopes from December to April.
The resort includes the villages of Alpbachtal (Inneralpbach, Alpbach, Reith im Alpbachtal) and Wildschönau (Niederau, Oberau, Auffach and Thierbach).
Skiing in Austria is always top of the list, as is the price of a holiday. If you want to save money without sacrificing quality, choose the Alpbach-Wildschenau ski resort.
Ski passes and hotels are cheaper here than in the neighbouring big resorts, and the skiing promises to be no less attractive.
Recreation in Alpbach-Wildschönau is equally suitable for beginners and those close to the top. There are ski schools for the former; there are challenging slopes and freeride for the latter.
The Alpbach-Wildschönau ski schools have special children's parks where learning becomes fun with excellent results. After skiing in the Ski Juwel, you and your child can relax. Winter fun is a given, but Alpbach's unique value is the opportunity to rest in quiet.
There are comfortable hotels with a wide range of children's activities (and even an all-inclusive concept) and more modest guesthouses and apartments to suit all tastes and budgets. Come to Alpbach-Wildschönau with children in summer: the summer programme is almost more varied than in winter. You will have a good time here if you like active recreation, but in general, you can come to a quiet resort with a small child.
The disadvantage of the resort is a certain monotony of leisure activities. Fortunately, there are good transport links, and you can plan a trip to Innsbruck, Salzburg and other cities.
The ski season in Alpbach-Wildschönau starts at the beginning of December. However, the best skiing conditions come a little later, towards the end of the month. Due to the low altitude, it doesn't always snow in Alpbach-Wildschönau before the season starts. It is worth waiting a little longer to enjoy good snow conditions.
When is the best time to travel to Alpbach-Wildschönau to avoid elbow jostling on the slopes? The resort tends to be relatively quiet in January and the second half of March.
It is better to go on holiday with a child in spring, as there can be severe frost in winter.
In any case, try to avoid planning to ski in April: it is impossible to predict the snow cover's thickness (and availability) in mid-spring. Summer and early autumn are more suitable for a trip to Alpbach-Wildschönau with a toddler. The resort has no heat; rainy weather alternates with sunny days so that you can walk a lot.
The climate of Alpbach-Wildschönau is typical of the Kitzbühel Alps: winters with snowfall and moderate frost, a short spring, a rainy, mild summer and clear but relatively calm autumn. Winter arrives in the resort at the beginning of December. Temperatures range from -5°C to +5°C during the day and drop to -6-12°C at night. It snows often, and there is a perfect snow cover by the end of the month.
In January-February, the weather is unchanged, except that the night frosts can become stronger. January is the snowiest month in the resort, so many people plan a holiday in Alpbach-Wildschenau in the middle of winter.
There are no biting frosts in March, and temperatures rise to +2-4°C during the day. The snow cover on the slopes does not suffer, and March is considered the best time for a holiday with children in Alpbach-Wildschönau.
In April, the air warms to +9°C; the ski season ends. May brings the rains — they irrigate the resort until autumn. In summer, the thermometer shows +17-24°C; at night, the temperature drops to +8-16°C. The temperature starts to fall in September, but the sun shines more often than in summer. In October, the air cools to +10°C and in November to +5°C. The mountains are usually covered with snow in late autumn.
Public transport in Alpbach-Wildschönau is designed to meet the needs of skiers. During the winter season, there are ski buses between all the villages, but it is essential to check the timetable: in some towns, the ski bus only runs two or three times a day.
During the summer, regional buses 4074 and 4064 connect Ski Juwel with the nearest railway stations. A single journey costs around €2, and children's tickets are half-price.
With the Alpbachtal Seenland Card, which all resort guests receive free, you don't have to pay for local transport in Alpbach-Wildschenau.
The best way to get around Alpbach-Wildschönau is by car. There are plenty of free parking spaces near the bottom stations of the lifts, and many hotels also have car parks.
In the resort of Alpbach-Wildschönau, you can ski from morning to night and then relax in the bars and restaurants. It is a popular option, but not for families. Spending time with children is desirable in a different way.
For example, every child will love tobogganing — there is a 5 km toboggan run in Auffach, 6 km in Reit and several shorter runs. If the weather is fine, you can go skating: the Reintaler See in Kramsach is transformed into an ice rink in winter. If the weather doesn't allow you to go outdoors, spend some time at the Kundl indoor ice rink.
Another option for doing things in Alpbach-Wildschönau with a child is skiing or snowshoeing. The most accessible routes, with little difference in altitude, can be completed in 1-1.5 hours.
Or you can walk with your child through the town or village where you are staying. The old colourful buildings are organically intertwined with the modern, and from the cafes and pastry shops, you can smell the delicious aromas of freshly baked pastries.
Skiing in Alpbach-Wildschenau is unforgettable: diverse pistes, night skiing, freeriding, and the 800-metre children's slope in Wiedersbergerhoren — it doesn't sound boring.
The most significant number of slopes is concentrated in the Gmahkopf ski area. One of the snow parks is also located here. The blue pistes are ideal for children, while the red and black pistes - including a two-kilometre FIS-certified black piste — are challenging for experienced skiers.
The second snowpark is located on the slopes of the Schatzberg area. Schatzberg has red and black slopes.
Niederau and Reith now have their ski areas. Lifts connect both areas to Innerlpbach and Auffach. From Niederau, Oberau, Alpbach, Reith and Kramsach, you must take a ski bus to the slopes.
There is another reason to visit Wright on a family holiday in Alpbach-Wildschönau: A 6 km toboggan run starts at the top of the Reither Kogel. For those who have never skied before, the best place to start is with lessons at a ski school, courtesy of having one in every ski resort.
All the ski schools in Alpbach-Wildschönau have children's classes, and there are plenty of areas with gentle slopes, lifts and unique simulators for lessons. Lessons for 3-4-year-olds last 2 hours, from 5 years — 4 hours.
While the older kids learn to ski, 2 to 4-year-olds will have a great time at the Kid's Centre at the top of the Wiedersbergerhorn lift in Alpbach. There are also kindergartens at the Oberau and Niederau ski schools.
| General season | early December to mid-April |
| Elevation difference | 600 m-2100 m |
| Ski slopes |
145 km — total |
| Ski lifts |
46 total, including |
| Ski routes | 17 km |
| Floodlit slope | 3 |
| Snowpark | 2 |
| The longest ski run | 7000 m |
| Interactive scheme of ski slopes and lifts | http://skimap.skijuwel.com |
The season at Ski Juwel is divided into high season (22 December to 15 March) and low season (7 to 21 December and 16 March to 22 April).
Ski passes for 3-7 days cost around €135-265, €108-212 and €68-133. In the low season, a day ticket costs approximately €43 for adults, €35 for young people and €22 for children.
Ski hire in Alpbach-Wildschönau is available at all ski resorts. A day's skiing or snowboarding for one adult costs around €25, depending on the equipment class. The approximate cost of renting skis and boots is €30 per day. Skis or snowboards for children aged 7-12 can be hired for €10, and skis for preschool children cost at least €7. A set of skis and boots costs €15. Cross-country skis and sledges are also available for hire.
Summer holidays in Alpbach-Wildschönau are genuinely idyllic. The mountains are exceptionally picturesque in summer — but the village of Alpbach officially voted the most beautiful town in Austria and, in 1993, Europe, is magnificent at this time of year.
The neat houses buried in flowers, the flower beds, the paths, the clean mountain air, the cows grazing on the lawns - the best place to relax!
In summer, children can enjoy an exciting and informative programme of mountain walks, museum visits, themed games and quests. From the end of June to the beginning of September, children between the ages of 5 and 14 are greeted by a friendly dragon from the Wildschönau Dragon Club.
Parents can leave their children at the club most of the day and have fun in the fresh air. A visit to the large Yuppi Zauberwald recreation area in the village of Reith is just as much fun for the whole family.
The Reiterkogel cable car offers a huge outdoor area with trampolines, slides, recreational facilities, a water station, swings and a giant hammock for the whole family to relax. For those who cannot imagine a summer holiday without water fun, between the villages of Oberau and Niderau, there is a 1000 square metre water complex with three pools, a water slide, a sunbathing lawn and a playground.
It's easy to diversify your holiday in Alpbach-Wildschönau with excursions for children. Innsbruck is an hour's drive from the resort, and there are plenty of exciting places for children. Kramsach, for example, is famous for its open-air museum of Tyrolean farming traditions. Rattenberg, the town of Glassblowers, is also a great place to visit with the kids.
The main attraction in Schwaz is the silver mine. The place is grim, but children love trying on a miner's uniform and going underground in a mine car.
In the town of Hall-in-Tyrol, you can take your child to Hasegg Castle, which used to be mint and is now a museum. Kufstein and Trazberg castles are also close by. But the main attraction in Alpbach-Wildschönau and the surrounding area is, of course, old Innsbruck. It has a beautiful court, but children will be interested in other attractions — the Alpine Zoo and the Swarovski Museum.
Where to stay with children in Alpbach-Wildschönau? The only difficulty is the choice — there are hotels and apartments to suit all tastes in the ten villages that make up the resort.
Here is a brief description of the areas of Alpbach-Wildschönau in terms of their amenities for skiers. Regarding infrastructure, there is no difference between the villages: restaurants, supermarkets and grocery stores are everywhere.
Inneralpbach is a small village with ski lifts to the main ski areas. There is a chain of Kinderhotels in the town, next to Bobo's Kinderland. Here children can learn to ski without leaving the resort.
Innerbach is the answer to where best to take the kids: the village has no busy après-ski programme, so the evenings are quiet and peaceful.
Alpbach is a picturesque village on a sunny plateau. Since 1945 it has hosted the European Forum, an annual gathering of leading sociologists, psychologists, politicians, economists and artists. A particular congress centre was built for this event in 1999. In the village itself, there is a small learning area with a ski lift. There is a ski bus service to the main ski area.
Niederau is the largest village in the resort and is located in the Wildschönau Valley. In the town, some lifts take skiers to the beginners' slopes, and several lifts take skiers to the top of the mountains with red and black slopes. The village has a training area for children. The main ski area can be reached by ski bus.
Oberau is a small village with cable cars (two blue and one black run). Near the Hotel Tirolerhof is the Happy Skischule Wildschönau, a children's ski school. The lift to the main ski area is 5 km from the village. It can be reached by ski bus.
Auffach is an excellent option for an independent holiday in Alpbach-Wildschönau with children, as it is the base station for the Schatzberg lift, which takes you to the region's main ski area. As well as the extensive ski area, families with children can also use the toboggan run at the middle station of the Schatzberg lift.
Reith im Alpbachtal is a small, quiet village with a small ski area with a gondola lift, several T-bar lifts, and a toboggan run. A large children's training area is in the village's centre — a good option for a budget holiday. The Wiedersbergerhorn cable car, which takes you to the main ski area, is 9 km from the village.
Looking for accommodation in the towns and villages around Alpbach-Wildschönau is only for the summer. In winter, the ski bus does not serve all the towns, and it isn't easy to get to the lifts.
The nearest airports to Alpbach-Wildschenau are Innsbruck (50km), Salzburg (150km) and Munich (150km). The resort can be reached by taxi, rental car or individual transfer on arrival.
One of the most convenient ways to get to Alpbach-Wildschenau is by train. Express trains (ICE, IC, EC) from cities in Austria and Germany stop at Jenbach or Wörgl (both stations are 10-25 km from the resort).
Regional trains stop at Brixlegg or Rattenberg stations. Taxis can be taken from the station, or you can use the regional VVT buses free of charge on the presentation of booking confirmation (form available on the official Alpbach-Wildschenau website).
You can purchase the tickets on the ÖBB website: https://www.oebb.at/
There are bus connections from Alpbach to Brixlegg (bus no. 4074, 25 minutes) and Wildshenau to Vergle (bus no. 4064, 30 minutes). The train timetable is available on the VVT website: http://www.vvt.at
The options for getting to Alpbach-Wildschenau depend on where you are staying.
Alpbach Valley: Take the Inntalautobahn A12 (toll road). Follow the signs to Kramsach. Accessible route from Munich via Tegernsee/Achenpass.
Wildschönau: Take the A12 motorway to the Wörgl Ost exit from Munich or Vienna. In the centre of Wörgl, drive through the church on the left and at the crossroads, turn towards Wildschönau,
or
Via
Garmisch Partenkirchen - Mittenwald - Scharnitz Pass - Innsbruck (B177)
- Inntal motorway (A12) - direction Wörgl West. In the centre of Wörgl,
turn right into the Wildschönau,
or
Via Arlberg Pass and Zams Motorway (A12) Innsbruck - Salzburg - exit towards Wörgl West. In the centre of Wörgl, turn right into the Wildschönau.
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