The school holidays are knocking at the door, the children cannot sit still, and you can hardly wait for a well-earned rest yourself. Best to set off straight away, somewhere out in nature, for some fun and the right kind of active break – one that clears your head and delights your children. 

Head for Schladming-Dachstein. Majestic mountains, dense forests, clean water and clean air, plus attractions made to measure for children, turn your family holiday into an unforgettable experience.

Off into nature for some fun

In summer the mountains Hauser Kaibling, Hochwurzen, Planai and Reiteralm turn from a skiing hub into a paradise for mountain hiking that suits even the smallest walking boots. And their inquisitive owners. The mountain routes here are lined with well-thought-out themed trails that entertain children and teach them plenty of new things. Do you dare saddle the dragon on the fairy-tale trail in Schladming?  Will you take the cable car up Hauser Kaibling to the grazing flocks of sheep? Or find the treasure of Krispini, the forgetful ghost of Riesneralm? 

You have plenty of options, and you can add some seriously entertaining attractions to them. At the top of Riesneralm you will find the special Animal WOODpark with its wooden animals.  Some are as much as 4 metres tall, and children can slide down them or climb up their backs and look out over the surroundings. They may even see as far as Planai, where the rabbit Hopsi and his entertaining Hopsiland will keep you company. One hop and a skip on the cable car and you are in a magical world of slides, swings, ball runs and water squirting from every corner around you. 

You get your fill of water fun in Ramsau am Dachstein too, which the well-known adventure trail from Sattelberg runs through. Along its route you can climb three children’s via ferratas and learn more about the local nature at 15 interactive stations. What delights small adventurers most, though, is the Kali via ferrata. Climbing it takes about 40 minutes, and on the top of the rock tower children get the joy of their own achievement and of the famous tin chamois, which they stroke for luck. 

A drop of the right adrenaline for young and old

If that is not adrenaline enough, clip onto a rope and head for the heights. Schladming-Dachstein can boast several superlatives in the vertical line that will get the blood flowing for you and your  restless offspring. The centre of it all is by the Stoderzinken mountain, where Austria’s largest ropes course lies just outside the small town of Gröbming. Top-class experiences of varying difficulty wait for you a few metres above the ground and high up in the treetops.

Or summon up your courage and try the Zipline Stoderzinken. Austria’s longest zipline descent will captivate you completely. Four cables side by side, safe in your seat, push off from the summit at 1,600 metres above sea level and you are already whooshing down into the valley over mountain forests and pastures. Amid the breathtaking  views, the most you will hear in your ears is the wind, drowned out now and then only by your children’s delighted cheering. 

Splendid descents are waiting in nearby Rittisberg in Ramsau as well, where you have two versions to choose from.  On the winding forest Flyline Rittisberg you sail through the air between the trees and swing at every bend, and there are more than enough of those on its 430 metres of route. The Rittisberg Coaster summer toboggan run, meanwhile, will delight lovers of rollercoasters. Sit down in the seat, your child nicely in front of you, and off you whizz down. Could that last bend have been better? Then try again, and this time swap places!

A rather different kind of descent, but a much more active one, awaits your children on the slopes of Reiteralm at Junior Trails, Austria’s largest bike playground. Just hire the right bike, fit the helmet properly, and downhill training can begin  on routes more than half a kilometre long. On sensible terrain, with wooden bridges and safe jumps, your little cyclists will soon turn into seasoned professionals you will be glad to take out on the celebrated mountain trails that start just round the corner. 

Water for little livewires

Nature is fine, and so are bikes and descents, but let us be honest: summer is mostly about swimming. Cooling off in clear water, letting loose in the waves, letting the warm sun stroke your face with its rays. That is exactly the summer you get at the natural lake Ramsau-Beach, where you and the children jump into the water and into endless fun on the shore. Volleyball, trampolines, a wet version of football – all that is missing is bubbles and a proper bit of water pampering. Do not worry: in the nearby pool complex the water bubbles and swirls at full tilt.

And not only there! The extensive Erlebnisbad Schladming, the hugely entertaining Haus im Ennstal, or the easy-going St. Martin am Grimming – these are all superbly equipped pools with slides, flumes and paddling pools that you will struggle to get your children out of. If you still prefer nature, though, and chlorine is not for you, head for the village of Aich. Neither you nor your little swimmers will resist the turquoise water of the lake at the Aich Lake Resort. Go on then: which of you can swim out to the little island in the middle of the lake first?

Are the children peering impatiently over your shoulder, ready to pack their swimsuits and walking boots? Make them happy and book a stay in Austria’s best holiday area. We will gladly help you plan it.