Established by monks around the middle of the eighth century, the old part of Zell am See is situated on the shore of the Zeller See (Lake Zell), under a backdrop of mountains. The Lake Zell is a deep glacial lake with clear alpine waters. The town now is one of the most popular resorts in the Middle Pinzgau. It is crowded and fashionable in every season.
Zell am See Skiing Holidays
For winter visitors, snow conditions in the Zell area are usually ideal from December to the end of April. Zell am See attracts beginner and intermediate skiers, plus many non-skiers - people who like the bustling life of the winter resort even if they never take to the slopes. Even if skiing isn't your thing, take the chairlift for the alpine scenery. Skiing is possible at elevations ranging from 915 to 2,745 meters.
There is a Zell/Kaprun Ski Pass that covers both Zell am See and Kaprun. This can be bought from the Zell am See tourist office (located on Bruckner Bundesstrasse 1a
A-5700) and often at the lifts. A free shuttle bus runs between the two resorts during the day from December 20 to April 13 every fifteen minutes. If you are coming to Land Salzburg to ski, we recommend purchasing a ski package. A package will include the cost of all lifts and ski passes, and will be more economical than paying for each activity separately.
Sports fans gravitate to the Kur-und-Sportzentrum, an arena northwest of the resort housing a mammoth indoor swimming pool as well as saunas and an ice rink. Sometimes in cold weather the lake is frozen over.
Zell am See Summer Lakeside Holidays
Zell am See also attracts visitors in the peak summer months. Lake Zell, which has been called the cleanest lake in Europe, is warm, maintaining an average temperature of some 21°C in summer. The lake is four kilometers long and two kilometers wide. Motorboats can be rented. Also one can go along a footpath from the town to the bathing station at Seespitz.
Unlike most resorts in Land Salzburg, Zell am See has some old buildings worth exploring. These include the Kastnerturm, or Constable's Tower, the oldest building in town, dating from the twelfth century. It was once used as a grain silo. The town's Pfarrkirche (Parish Church) is an eleventh century Romanesque structure. Inside is a late-Gothic choir from the sixteenth century. Castle Rosenberg, also from the sixteenth century, was once an elegant residence of the free state of Salzburg, built in the southern Bavarian style. Today it houses the Rathaus (town hall), with a gallery.
The folklore museum is in the old tower, the Vogtturm, near the town square. The tower itself is about 1,200 years old. In the museum, old costumes are displayed, and exhibited artifacts show the traditional way of life in old Land Salzburg. From June to October, the museum is open Monday to Friday 1 to 5pm.
Schmittenhöhe rises 1967 meters above the sea level, west of Zell am See. You have 4 ways of getting up in the mountain and even more of getting down. There are people who have climbed it in the summer for four hours. But the not so tough ones could use the cableway. When you are up there, you get one of the most perfect views of the Kitzbühel Alps and the Grossglockner glacial range. There is the Berghotel at the upper station, where you can dine and rest. From the west part of Zell am See you can use a cableway to the middle station. And by several lifts from there you can reach the upper one. A popular place at the top is the sun terrace, gorgeous in summer and winter. It is located around 1,5 kilometers up Schmittenhöhe.
From the Schmittenhöhe you can also take the Sonnalm cableway to Sonnalm – 1385 meters above the sea level. There is also a restaurant there. From there you can use a chairlift to reach Sonnkogel – 1 836 meters elevation or a surface lift to Hochmais – 1728 meters. You can also reach Ronachkopf (1 487 meters) from the eastern end of Lake Zell.
From the resort itself you can go to Kaprun by a funicular railway. Kaprun is another resort at the foot of the Kitzteinhorn, which offers glacier skiing throughout the whole year, plus numerous great excursions.
Zell am See Transportation
Zell am See is one of the most important stops astride the rail lines carrying passengers between Salzburg and Innsbruck. Consequently, express trains arrive from Innsbruck about once an hour, after the under-2-hour trip. Trains from Salzburg take about 90 minutes and depart about once an hour as well. Frequent connections are also possible to and from Klagenfurt, although a transfer is required at the nearby railway junction of Schwarzach-St. Veit, about 34 kilometers to the east. Zell am See is the junction for several bus routes heading upward into the surrounding mountains. Because of the many transfers required for passengers coming from outside the immediate region, however, most visitors arrive by train. If driving from Salzburg, head south on the A10 to the junction with Route 311, at which point you cut west.
|
