Go on a real adventure and discover amazing wildlife, beautiful play castles and high mountains. Austria is not for nothing one of my favourite Travel destinations. Brilliantly designed playgrounds are hiding behind every corner, Austrians love children and Treasures are everywhere in nature, ready to be found. You will certainly not get bored, There is plenty To experience for children. Ready for my Top pics, here you go:
Fichtenschloss castle
Are you ready for The eight world wonder for kids? YES! Then you are ready for The Fichtenschloss castle. I Took The Rosenalmbahn Cablecar from Zell am Ziller To second base station and entered The place of True magic.
The story is That The castle was build for a princily couple by hard working pruce gnomes. It is made entirely out of wood, with four Towers That look out over The beautiful scenery. The four Towers are all connected with bridges so you can immaging The fun I had running up and down between The Towers. But even more fun is guaranteed at The magic mountain playground. I went swinging with a view and it truly felt like flying. I got hooked at The water play facilities, where I created plenty active play ideas of my own. So I gave my mum and dad a hard Time when we had To go for lunch.
Sadly my parents didn’t know That in summer, This amazing on mountain playground also has a beautiful gnome style BBQ where you can grill your own food. Instead we had lunch at The restaurant next door. This is what I call bad preparation.
Krimml waterfalls and waterworld
I Take water for granted every day, without knowing how important access To clean and fresh water really is. At The Krimml waterfalls I discovered how powerfull water can be and what a refreshhing coolness it can bring on a hot summer day and hot is was. Somehow I felt a little sorry for my dad who looked like a mountain goat draging me all The way To The top.
On our path we discovered great lookout platforms with amazing wiews on The falls and The valley. Sometimes it felt like a gateway To another world. After all This fun and discoveries its was Time for some welcome refreshments at The rooftop Terrace.
The panoramic view you have while grabbing some lunch is a real hit. On The way down, look out for some beautiful rainbows. The pot gold at The end I cannot guarantee … at least I haven’t found it.
Then it was Time for a visit To The Krimml wasser welten, an interactive water discovery center where countless adventures were waiting for me. Off into The cold water I went. Golly gosh There was so much To discover.
Grossglockner and Ferleiten Wild and Adventure park
As Salzburg is so close To Tirol we visited The Grossglockner where I learned how The Romans crossed The Alps and where I was a witness of The effects of global warming. Shocking I must say! My dad showed me where he saw The glacier back in The 80s. Well now The glacier is far far away from This place. Nevertheless I did not see much of The glacier, I was impressed by The scenery. Remember To pack warm clothing as The Temperature drop at The Top can be significant.
At The start of The Grossglockner Strasse you will find The Ferleiten Wild & Erlebenispark.
The nature you will find There is ruled by animals. I have visited over 200 different animals and had great fun at The petting zoo. Ok I admit I cried when Two bucks started a fight and one of Them lost big. Poor Thing. I gave hime some extra food, so all was well at The end.
Don’t forget To buy some animal food at The entrance, you are not allowed To feed all animals, but Those you may, will be grateful for life. I made a lot of new furry friends. From The many observation Towers I have spotted bears, wolves, bisons, deers and The lynx. I cuddled goats, alpacas, easels and rabbits. The owls and marmots who tried To play hide and seek, got them as well. The Ferleiten wild park is The perfect destination for Toddlers with a passions for wildlife but There is more. Next To the wildpark There is an adventure park with fun games and attractions. If it is a sunny day Take a sunhat with you and some sunscreen as There is not much shadow in The adventure park. For sure you will enjoy The bumper cars, water games and jet scooters.
Hintertux glacier and Tux world
If you want To chill and Touch some real snow in Tyrol during The summer, The hintertux glacier is The ideal place for That. At The hintertux glacier you can ski all year round at an altitude of 3250 meters. Being there felt like being in one of The Ice age movies.
Buckle up Sid, Manfred and Diego its is Time To play. There is a nature ice palace hidden under The glacier, which you may visit when you are old enough. Unfortunately I was still too young but next Time I will put on my snow boots and enter The enchanted icy world beneath The slopes. At The top of The glacier you must eat a traditional apfelstrudel at The Tuxer Fernerhous at 2660 meter while watching The snow groomers. It made my heart beat faster.
While you are at The glacier do not forget To visit The glacierfloh park (open during high season from 1st July till 31st August), which is The highest playground in Europe, at 3250 meter. There is plenty To do in This world of eternal ice. Try out The snow carousel, Tubing run, grant gandola and The photo station. It is The perfect place To have a snowball fight. If you ‘re traveling outside high season, don’t panic There is plenty of more To do at Tux world, just follow one of The fascinated Themed routes.
Inssbruck, The place where nature meets culture
At a certain point in Time I had seen enough bees and Trees. So I organised an escape Tour to Innsbruck, The capital of The Alps. I visited The stunning old Town, where I noticed lots and lots of gelato bars next To some of The famous landmarks. I discovered The golden dach, a building with a balcony Tbat features 2657 copper tiles grilled with six kilos of gold. Why, why oh why did I forgot my hammer and chisel. Visit the emperial palace and stroll To The famous emperial gardens. There you can enjoy great wooden play grounds, including many water play area’s. Feed The ducks, play giant chess, There are lots of options To choose from.
With a temperature of 34 degrees celcius in The shade, I didn’t feel like doing much, but here are some suggestions if you visit The city on cooler days or in case you are braver Than I was:
- The hungerburg funicular
- Alpenzoo
- Swarovski crystal word
- Horse and cart ride through The old city
The Erlebnisreichweg in Gmünd
One of The summer hikes I always enjoy The most is The Erlebnisreichweg, a one hour Thematic hike along The Gerlosbach, which guides you Through an interplay between man and ecology. The 3 km walk is easy and very feasible for Toddlers. The purpose of The path is for children and adults To collect educational, sensory experiences at over 40 stations along The path. Little by little nature will unfold its True magic. I spotted many art pieces along The path.
The insect hotel and a water wheel make The path relaxing and motivate even The smallest hiker like me To continue along The path. Become one with nature and listen to The rippling of The stream, built “stonemen” with your children or enjoy The fresh smell of The mountain forest with closed eyes. The eventful path is a special natural experience and work of art for The whole family!
Hiking
Did I already mention That I did a lot of hiking while I was visiting all These amazing places? Well To be more precise, my mum and dad did ;-), I was buckeled up in a Toddler carrier. We went up and down The mountains and discovered some amazing places. With The right gear it is easy peasy.
Unfortunately all good Things must come To an end, which was also The case for our holiday. Lets meet again lovely Tyrol!
Cheerio,
Little T