With a terrific blend of top class skiing, a lively après scene and a beautiful location, Zell am See offers a lot more than you might expect from a small Austrian resort. The 15th Century village hides a fantastic array of bars and restaurants and the lakeside location is sure to dazzle even the most seasoned ski bums.
With its gorgeous lakeside location and buildings harking back to the Middle Ages, Zell am See brilliantly balances traditional charm with modern efficiency.
The town is easily accessible from anywhere in Europe - it's only an hour from Salzburg by train which takes you to the station right in Zell's centre. The drive is only half an hour longer, making it perfect for last-minute breaks and long weekends. With chic hotels and boutique-lined promenades, the pedestrianised town centre is incredibly family-friendly. You can always judge a resort's authenticity by its clientele and frequented by well-heeled Salzburgers; you're in for a first-class treat in Zell am See.
The area is one of outstanding natural beauty, with local Lake Zell the piece de la resistance. Mid-winter sees it freeze over completely, allowing for ice skating and curling - nearer the end of the season its vivid blue provides a spectacular contrast with the surrounding mountains. The lake water is reportedly clean enough to drink, and the town has been awarded 'climatic spa' status, representing outstanding air purity and environmental cleanliness.
At 2000m, the peak of the Schmittenhohe - the imposing mountain overlooking the village - gives staggering views of over thirty local mountains higher than 3000m. It's accessible through various routes from the village centre, so peak season crowds can be easily avoided. Designed by the Porsche Design Studio, the Schmittenhöhebahn gondola itself is almost as much of an attraction as some of the fine runs it whisks you to, and ensures you at least start your day on the mountain in impeccable style.
The Alpin Card lift pass gives skiers and snowboarders access to 3 incrediable refions: Zell am See, Kitzsteinhorn Glacier in Kaprun and the Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn. This totals 408 km of piste with just one pass!
The nearest airport to Zell Am See is Salzburg at 90 km or about 1 hour by car
The nearest ski resorts to Zell Am See include Kaprun, Salbaach, Dienten am Hochkönig, Hinterthal.
The Cabrio is often the next port of call, where you can watch the footage of your earlier attempts at the SkiMovie slalom accompanied by a jagertee - a local speciality. They say variety is the spice of life and that has never been truer than amongst streets of Zell. Traditional fare can be enjoyed at the Hotel & Brasserie Traube and family-run Deins und Meins. Mayers Auf Schloss Prielau, top chef Andreas Mayer has been a guarantee for outstanding cuisine for years. With flavours from Salzburg (Pinzgau lamb) and the world (goose liver variations), he puts his palate in the limelight. Salzburgerstube im Hotel Salzburgerhof, The Holleis family is a benchmark for the very best hospitality. Classic regional cuisine ("Schotten") are combined with seasonal delicacies to create creative cuisine with taste. Great patisserie!
Mayer's Restaurant Overseen by the Michelin starred Andreas Mayer, this restaurant is a taste sensation for the gastronomically adventurous. The perfect setting to celebrate a special occasion, the menus are based upon traditional (yet gourmet) Austrian food but with a distinctly French twist. A modestly priced children’s menu was also available last season, so the whole family can enjoy an evening out together in the utmost style.
Schmiedhofalm Schmiedhofalm afford you an easy way of self service or service this winter. You will get a wide variety of drinks and traditional austrian food. Our skiing hut is situated at the sunny side, the Sonnenalm, a picturesque place for skiing. The fastest way to get to our hut is with the Sonnenalmbahn and with the Hochmaisbahn, a heated chairlift with bubbles.
With plenty of opportunity for a quick bite or drink on the mountain, the après ski gets going long before the last skiers leave the slopes. The Pinzgauer Hut is a hidden gem on the mountain, serving delicious local fare and offers a complimentary snowmobile service to return you to town. At the top of the Schmittenhohe, you can dance the afternoon away at the Schnaps-Hans bar, before making your way down to the town to carry on the party. The Ginhouse, as its name suggests, stocks over 60 different varieties of gin alongside an extensive cocktail list. The wooden interior and leather furniture provide a quiet and cosy place to relax after a day on the slopes, and a measure of sloe gin is sure to keep the winter chills at bay for the rest of the evening. OFF PISTE BAR on the main bar street has a buzzy atmosphere with live music for aprés ski and a nightclub later on (if you're not dancing on the tables in your ski boots before the night's out, you haven't properly partied here). This place later turns into a night club with DJs playing daily. Villa Crazy Daisy is another good choice for a raucous afternoon or evening of apres fun, as the name suggests. There's an outdoor terrace complete with heaters, blankets and the Austrian staple, the nail game or head inside DJ sets and live music until the early hours. Those seeking a more homely feel will be heartened by a visit to Murray's Irish Bar - meet friendly locals, a lot of British tourists and catch up on the latest live sports.
The Ginhouse As the name suggests, this popular local haunt specialises in gin. With over 60 varieties of gin, as well as a healthy selection of sloe gins and an extensive cocktail list, there’s something for everyone on the menu. The traditional furnishings and leather seating provide the perfect ambience for relaxing after a day on the slopes.
Greens Bar Opening: Everyday from 7pm - 4 am Entrance: over 18 year The best Cocktail bar in Zell am See Cocktail Happy Hour from 8-10pm all Cocktails 4,50 Bartends make Flair Shows Tuesday Karaoke Night Friday or Saturday Live Music and DJ`s
Schnaps-Hans Bar The atmosphere at the Schnaps Hans Bar is always buzzing, come snow or shine. Enjoy a drink on the outside terrace overlooking the neighbouring mountains, then get your dance on as its transformed into a giant outside dance floor! With music to appeal to everyone, and a huge variety of drinks, there’s no better place to get your apres party started.
Villa Crazy Daisy Villa Crazy Daisy have a great out and indoor apres ski, a cosy, a popular restaurant with great food (breakfast, daytime and evenings) and amazing live music and guest DJ‘s in the evenings. This is also probably the only place that says "don't eat yellow snow - drink it" – you can’t come to Zell am See without trying this famous house speciality!
OFF PISTE BAR Want to dance on tables in ski boots? Welcome to OFF PISTE BAR, the go-to place for skiers and boarders looking for the ultimate aprés ski party. With their taglines ‘Always Live’ and ‘For Skiers – By Skiers’ OFF PISTE BAR promises an aprés ski with live music entertainment every day throughout the whole winter in a modern, mountain-inspired environment. The bar turns into a night club at 10 PM which hosts DJ until 3 AM daily. You don't want to miss this! Aprés ski 4 PM-8 PM Night Club 10 PM-03 AM
Freizeit Zell am See With an incredible array of activities, this is a great location for a day off the slopes. With options including relaxing in a spa or sauna, zipping around an ice rink, enjoying the water slides and diving boards in the pool, everyone will be kept entertained. And if it all gets too much, there’s a bar and a restaurant to boot.
Glemmy Offroad Park Offering adrenaline packed activities for all ages, the Glemmy off-road park is located a mere 10 minutes from Zell by car. Their specially designed off road courses cater for every ability, and the range of vehicles on offer assure a thrilling time will be had by all. Detailed safety briefings are given before all sessions and their friendly members of staff are always on hand if something goes awry.
Adventure Service Outdoorsports The wide array of activities on offer here will be enough to keep everyone entertained, regardless of how they fancy spending their summer. The more sedate amongst you will be tempted by a Sedgeway tour, a new addition to the company’s portfolio last year, whilst adrenaline junkies will be in heaven, with rafting, canyoning, paragliding, climbing and mountain biking also offered.
Climbing Hall Saalfelden Split into vorstieg and bouldering sections, the 1,700 m² total climbing surface at Saalfelden Climbing Hall offers an enticing selection of routes and challenges. There’s a diverse range of courses on offer, starting with childrens, youth or refreshers all the way to advanced and technology lessons. The hall can be booked for parties and is often open during the evenings.
Golfclub Zell am see – Kaprun The visually stunning Golfclub Zell am see - Kaprun club is laden with top class facilities. The two courses at the club are named after the local mountains, the “Schmittenhöhe“ and “Kitzsteinhorn“ and with immaculate greens, perfectly primed fairways and unmatched lake vistas are a pleasure to play. The club’s annual highlight is the "Ski & Golf World Cup", an event where pro skiers and golfers are pitted against each other.
Sport Achleitner Situated in the middle of the Alps, Lake Zell is one of the clearest lakes in Austria. There’s an abundance of fish in the Lake, with whitefish, pike, perch, lake char, zander and lake trouts all inhabiting the clear water. Fishing licenses can be purchased from Sport Achleitner, giving you the right to fish in Lake Zell.
Porsche Reitclub Zell am See Located just to the east of Zell am See, the friendly staff at the stables offers facilities for beginners and advanced riders in training, jumping and acrobatics. Established in 1969, it’s not just the horses who have pedigree at the Porsche Riding School!
A lively historic market town for many centuries before skiing came along, Zell has a lovely mixed of shops. They supply everything needed by the domestic population within a wide radius, ranging from convenience stores, sporting goods shops to the boutiques and Souvenir shops around which well heeled (and less well heeled) visitors choose to browse after a hard day on the slopes. Not to be missed are the markets in the run up to Christmas, which transform the centre into a magical wonderland.
Discount Rental Enjoy your ski vacation in our nicest ski region in Zell am See - Kaprun How reasonable price with completed packages of the ski equipment offers with ski school, and to preserve your ski or snowboard at the highest level for your ski vacation Discuss with us from our training team
Intersport Bründl It doesn’t get easier than booking your equipment with Intersport Bruendl for your holiday in Zell am See! Just reserve what you need online, and it will be ready for you when you reach the resort. They even offer ski hire and lift pass packages and ski hire and ski school packages, so you can book everything without leaving your sofa and have it all sorted before you reach the resort – more time on the slopes! You will find 3 Intersport stores in Zell am See: Areit Valley Base Station (Schuttdorf), Cityxpress in the resort centre and one at Schmittental valley station. www.bruendl.at Base station Areitbahn 43 6542 53099 $areit@bruendl.at$ Salzachtal Bundesstraße 22, 5700 Zell am See Base station City XPress 43 6542 70350 $cityxpress@bruendl.at$ Schmittenstraße 7, 5700 Zell am See Base station Schmittenhoehebahn 43 6542 47552 $schmittental@bruendl.at$ Schmittenstrasse 119, 5700 Zell am See
View our detailed Zell Am See snow report to see skiing confitions now. Our Zell Am See snow history shows you what snow depths have been in recent years month-by-month. If you're visiting soon, use the Zell Am See snow forecast to see predicted snowfall over the coming days.
We have 9539 ski holidays in Zell Am See. Search all Zell Am See ski deals or pick your preferred accommodation type below:
Maximum and minimum adult Zell Am See lift pass prices ranged from €222 to €252 for 6 days access to the Zell Am See ski lift system at the start of the 2025 winter season. Our lift passes are part of a packaged Zell Am See holiday with accommodation, so prices vary depending on chalet or hotel suppliers. Confirm price for the lift ticket before booking your holiday.
Lift Tickets | Child | Adult | Senior |
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1 Day Price | €23 - €25 | €46 - €51 | N / A |
6 Day Price | €111 - €126 | €222 - €252 | N / A |
Age Range | 6 - 15 | N / A | N / A |
Most of our ski holidays to Zell Am See packaged with flights include airport transfers. We can also arrange private transfers to Zell Am See from nearby airports
Flights from London take about 2 hours to Innsbruck, Salzburg. This table shows approximate transfer times to Zell Am See from the nearest airports, smaller airports can be more prone to delays.
Airport | Distance to Zell Am See | Transfer Time |
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Salzburg | 90 km | 1 hour |
Munich / München | 250 km | 3 hours |
Browse our self-drive ski holidays which include your car channel crossing, or go choose accom-only and book your car ferry or tunnel later.
The transfer time from alpine train stations are generally shorter than from airports, Call us for details of Zell Am See transfers.
Station | Distance to Zell Am See | Transfer Time |
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Zell am See | 0 km | 0 minute |
Zell am See Tourism Office The Zell am resort offers a variety of fin from on the piste to off the piste all year round. For any help with your holiday, information on the region - the tourism office is there to help! Which hiking routes will lead you to the most beautiful panoramic views? Which cycling routes promise action and fun? And how can you find comfortable accommodation? The team here will reliably advise you on excursion destinations and events around Lake Zell and the Kitzsteinhorn glacier! You can either ask your questions in person on site, but you can also call or send an email. Zell am has a great reputation for its alpine charm with a modern skiing twist. Its location near the picturesque Lake Zell and the historic architecture make it an attractive base and a draw for non-skiers too. Services offered by the Tourism offices: - Contact Information for all important numbers - Webcams - Summer Cable Cars and tickets - Transport, train and busses - Weather and snow forecast - Brochures - Newsletters - Pet Friendly Opening Times: Daily 08:00 - 17:00 Times may differ depending on season.
Hospital Zell am See The Tauernklinikum in Zell am See is a medical center offering state-of-the-art health care in the midst of breathtaking Alpine scenery. The clinic is characterized by highly qualified professionals, innovative technology and patient focus. Operating Times: Open 24hrs a day/ 7 Days a week
Seeapotheke pharmacy Zell am See Good for your health and beauty: At the Seeapotheke pharmacy in Zell am See, you will get expert advice on all aspects of your recovery. You can also have a health check on request. You will also find high-quality natural cosmetics and care products at the in-house perfume shop. Opening Times: Mon - Fri: 08:00 - 18:00 Sat: 08:00 - 12:00
Need help choose your Zell Am See ski holiday? Call us on 020 7770 6888 or click Enquire - we love to help!