Zell am See & Kaprun in Summer: Lake, Glacier and a Local’s Best Tips
© Zell am See-Kaprun Tourismus Lake in the morning. Glacier by lunch. Dinner on the water.
Zell am See and Kaprun in summer is the place I send people when they ask me for “the” Austria. A turquoise lake you can swim in. A glacier with snow in July. A pretty old town, grand old hotels and mountain views from your breakfast table. And all of it within twenty minutes. This is our home valley. We live just over the hill in Saalbach, so this is how we’d show it to you.
In the Austrian Alps, summer feels different from the moment you arrive.
Not louder. Not busier. Just better.The air is cooler. The days are long. You move from lake to mountain without effort, and nothing feels crowded or rushed. Couples, families, three generations together: everyone finds their own rhythm here.
An old town with old-world charm
Zell am See has been a summer address since the days of the emperors. Belle Époque villas line the lake. The small old town has cafés, boutiques and an ice cream on every corner. And on the promenade, the evening walk is a ritual. In summer, the Seezauber water show dances on the lake right in front of town. It’s elegant without being stiff. That’s why families from all over the world come back every summer.
The Grand Hotel Zell am See on its little peninsula has seen it all. It first opened in 1878 and reopened as the “Grand Hotel am See” in 1896. After the war, it hosted American soldiers. Then, in 1955, a Tyrolean ski instructor bought it for one shilling. Today it is one of the places we trust most. Even if you don’t stay there, have breakfast or a coffee on the terrace. That view is the postcard.
The lake that makes people come back
Lake Zell is just under four kilometres long, ringed by mountains, and so clean it has drinking water quality. In high summer it warms up to around 22 degrees, perfect for a swim off a wooden jetty.
Take the panorama boat around the lake. Or hire a small electric boat and find your own quiet bay. For something special, ask about a private boat for sunset. Empress Sisi crossed this lake by steamboat. You can do it with a glass of something cold.
On a few mornings each summer, there’s an organic rose breakfast on board the MS Schmittenhöhe. Homemade food from local farms is served on the upper deck. The dates sell out fast, so we book it the moment we know you’re coming.
Dinner with your feet almost in the water
Evenings here belong to the lake. Picture a table on a lakeside terrace. The light turns gold on the mountains. You order fresh fish or a proper Wiener Schnitzel, and there is nowhere you need to be. We’ll tell you which terraces catch the last sun and where to book a week ahead.
Sisi’s mountain
Straight from town, the cable car takes you up Zell am See’s own mountain. At the top you find meadows, easy panorama trails and mountain huts. On a clear day, you see more than 30 peaks over 3,000 metres, with the lake below you.
Then step out onto the Kaiserblick, a panorama platform opened in 2024. Its walkway reaches out over the edge of the mountain, partly on a glass floor. Afterwards, walk the easy Sisi trail to the little Elisabeth Chapel.
In 1885 Empress Sisi decided to climb the Schmittenhöhe on foot. Her court gave up and took the mules. She kept walking and reached the summit at sunrise. The mountain guide never quite got over it. Today the cable car does the hard work for you. Want to follow her across Austria? Here is our Imperial Austria itinerary in the footsteps of Sisi.
Snow in July. Really.
Twenty minutes from the lake, the cable cars above Kaprun float you up to 3,029 metres on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier. Step out onto the Top of Salzburg platform and look at Austria’s highest mountains. Meanwhile, there is snow under your feet in the middle of summer. Snowball fight in the morning, swim in the afternoon.
On another day, take the bus and the open-air inclined lift up to the Kaprun high mountain reservoirs. These are two turquoise lakes at over 2,000 metres. Or walk the Sigmund-Thun gorge, where the water thunders right under the wooden walkways.
Go up first thing. The views are usually clearest in the morning, before the clouds build. Bring a warm jacket, even if it’s 30 degrees down at the lake.
The best view isn’t on the postcards
On the quiet side of the lake, above Thumersbach, a small road winds up to the Mitterberg. Stop at the third hairpin bend, just below the Gasthof Mitterberg. From there you see the whole lake, the town and the glacier in one frame. Then go up for a coffee and a slice of cake on the terrace.
Come in the early evening, when the sun is behind you and the lake goes silver. Bring the camera. You’ll take the same photo twenty times.
Green lake shore, white peaks
I took this one myself. In early summer, there is still snow on the peaks. At the same time, the meadows by the lake are already green and the jetties are warm in the sun. For me, that’s Zell am See at its most beautiful, and it’s quieter than August too.
How I would spend 5 days in Zell am See & Kaprun
Arrive and slow down
Check in, walk the lake promenade, coffee at the Grand Hotel, dinner on the water.The glacier
Kitzsteinhorn first thing, Top of Salzburg, back down for a swim and an early evening on the lake.Sisi’s mountain
Schmittenhöhe, the Kaiserblick and the Sisi trail. Afternoon on a small electric boat.Roof of Austria
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road, starting half an hour away. Or the Kaprun reservoirs and the gorge.Do nothing
A lazy breakfast, the jetty, a book. Sunset from the Mitterberg.Day trips
Krimml Waterfalls about an hour away, Saalbach’s mountains in 25 minutes, Salzburg in about an hour by car.Easy to combine
Most of our guests don’t come for Zell am See alone. They fly into a big city and add the lake as the heart of the trip. Then they combine it with what they love: cities, lakes, mountains or a grand European tour. This is where we come in.
Good to know before you go
Why plan it with us?
Planning a trip to Austria from abroad should feel exciting, not overwhelming. You can find Zell am See on a map. However, a map can’t tell you how many nights you need, or whether to stay in Zell or Kaprun. It doesn’t know which hotel includes the Summer Card. And it won’t tell you how to get here from Vienna, Munich or Milan, or where to have dinner on the water.
We live here. We know this valley inside out.
This could be just the beginning
Most people who spend a summer at Lake Zell come back. Some for the lake, some for the glacier, some for the skiing in winter. Not because there’s more to do, but because everything here feels exactly as it should.
Debora · Travel Sorted, Saalbach
Questions we get asked
How many days do I need in Zell am See and Kaprun in summer?
Four to five nights is ideal. That way you enjoy the lake, the glacier, the Schmittenhöhe and the Grossglockner without rushing. Three nights works if Zell am See is one stop on a longer trip.
Can you swim in Lake Zell?
Yes. The water is very clean and warms up to around 22 degrees in high summer. There are lidos and wooden jetties all around the lake.
Is there really snow in summer?
Yes, on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier above Kaprun, at over 3,000 metres. Bring a warm jacket and sunglasses, even in July.
Should I stay in Zell am See or Kaprun?
Zell am See if you want the lake, the old town and restaurants on your doorstep. Kaprun if you prefer a quieter village closer to the glacier. They’re ten minutes apart, so you won’t miss anything either way.
How do I get to Zell am See?
Salzburg is the nearest airport, about an hour away. Munich and Vienna are also easy, by car or by train. Zell am See has its own train station right by the lake.
Is Zell am See good for families?
Very. Short distances, safe swimming, cable cars, snow in summer, boats and easy walks. Kids love it, and so do grandparents.
How much does the planning cost?
Our planning fee depends on what you need — from a focused day recommendation or one destination to a complex multi-country itinerary. Planning for a single destination starts from €79, and journeys across several countries start from €279. Before we begin, you receive one clear fixed fee from us, so you know exactly what the planning service will cost. No hidden planning charges. Once you approve the fee, we start building your itinerary around your trip, your priorities and your budget.
Want to explore more of the region? Read my local’s guide to summer in SalzburgerLand.
Every great journey starts somewhere. Let’s find yours.
Coffee in Vienna. A sunset over the Danube in Budapest. Wine in the Tuscan hills while the bells ring out across the valley. In Europe, two hours on a train changes the language, the food and the light. We live right in the middle of it. We know which trains to take, which squares to linger in and which tables are worth the wait. You bring the curiosity. We’ll connect the dots.
Rail · Alps to ItalyBreakfast in Bavaria. Dinner on a canal.
Over the Brenner Pass, through South Tyrol’s vineyards, and the light turns Italian. You just watch the Alps turn into Italy.
Night train · RomeFall asleep in Munich. Wake up in Rome.
A cabin with a real bed, the Alps in the dark, Tuscany at sunrise. One night saved, one day gained, one story for life.
Rail · 3 capitalsThree capitals, one window seat.
Palaces, coffee houses and music, each a few hours apart. Watch the Danube appear and Prague’s spires rise on the horizon.
7 nights · Italy to AustriaIt starts with Prada. It ends with cowbells.
Milan’s style, Lake Garda’s lemons, South Tyrol’s wine, then the Alps open up and everything becomes quiet.
5 nights · by seaYou came for Venice. The Adriatic kept you.
Water taxi into Venice, the bacaro trail, Murano glass, then the catamaran to Istria and Rovinj at sunset.
8 nights · one coastlineFive cities. Every version of Croatia.
Dubrovnik’s walls, Split’s fish market, Plitvice’s lakes and the sunset Hitchcock never forgot.