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Austria

Tauern Valleys

Self-Guided Family Bike Tour

Grade

1
2
3
4
5

Duration

7 days

Prices from

$940 P.P.
Child Discount Applies
Austria

Tauern Valleys

Self-Guided Family Bike Tour

Grade

1
2
3
4
5

Duration

7 days

Prices from

$940 P.P.
Child Discount Applies
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1
Join us in 2020 on our center-based family vacation in Austria. If packing and re-packing isn’t your cup of tea, this tour could be just the ticket! Staying the whole week in a lovely castle hotel set in peaceful Maishofen near Zell am See, you’ll be able to meander your way along river valleys and below snow-covered peaks by day, and enjoy delicious regional cuisine at the hotel restaurant by night.
Throughout the week you’ll be riding predominantly on flat cycle paths, which allows you to explore the region around Lake Zell, enjoying magnificent views of the surrounding Tauern Mountains. The routes offer up the chance to discover unique and natural wonders, like the Krimml waterfalls (Europe’s highest!).
You can also visit the highest mountain in Austria (the Großglockner reaching 3,798 meters.) Don’t worry though, we won’t make you cycle this part! A bus journey will take you up the Großglockner High Alpine Road, reaching 2,500 meters. Keep your eyes peeled for castles on the way up.
Your hotel offers plenty of options for a break from your cycling trip, with many of the leisure facilities available to use; with tasty breakfasts and evening meals included in the vacation cost.
If you're planning on doing this trip without children, do take a look at the leisure version of this tour where you may find the information more relevant to your needs.
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Highlights

  • Taking in beautiful panoramic mountain views
  • Visiting Europe’s highest waterfall in Krimml
  • Swimming in Lake Zell and Lake Ritzen
  • Playing bike golf with the family
  • Spending a week in the relaxing Schloss Kammer Hotel
  • Riding the river valleys of the Salzach and Saalach rivers

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Beautiful scenery, loads to do in the area and the hotel was perfect for our young children with wonderful grounds.

Amy, UK

Itinerary

Day 1
Arrival in Maishofen
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  • Meals: Dinner

Today you will arrive in Maishofen. Take some time to settle in and relax after your journey. Unwind in the Alpine sauna, complete with a hot-stone steam room, take a stroll in the private gardens (Herrengarten), or take a dip in the hotel’s natural swimming pond.

You can then join the welcome meeting later on in the evening to learn about your upcoming week of cycling.

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Day 2
Mini Golf by Bike
12 Miles / 20 Kms
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  • Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Today you’ll start your cycling holiday with a bit of competition! A game of mini golf by bike? Go on then. A circular tour of around 15 Kms will take you around a mini-golf course (map, scorecard and golf clubs all included).

Cycling from hole to hole, and making your way past inventive obstacles, will make your hole-in-one far from easy! A brilliant way to explore the country side and great fun for the whole family.

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Day 3
Around Lake Zell
12 Miles / 20 Kms
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  • Meals: Breakfast, dinner

After a delicious breakfast, your first ride will take you past Castle Prielau to the banks of Lake Zell. From here you’ll continue along the shores of the lake towards the lovely Zell am Zee, boasting a beautiful old town centre. Then you’ll ride further into the Schüttdorf moor.

You’ll follow a loop around the lake, enjoying views of the surrounding mountains, including the imposing Schmittenhöhe, before heading back to your hotel. A relaxing start to the week with a gentle 20 kms to warm up the legs!

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Day 4
Oberpinzgau Loop and the Krimml Waterfalls
12 - 43 Miles / 20 - 70 Kms
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  • Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Today you’ll again make your way by bike to Zell am See, in order to catch the Krimml train (excl. bicycle ticket, approx. €2.50/bike) up into the Oberpinzgau region to the Krimml waterfalls; the highest in Europe. Relax in the refreshing mist of the waterfalls, while taking in the awe-inspiring vistas of the Hohe Tauern National Park.

Your ride today will see you making your way steadily downhill back to Maishofen. You can jump on the train at various points along the way if you want to make your ride shorter.

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Day 5
Lake Ritzen Loop Ride
12 Miles / 20 Kms
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  • Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Your ride today will take you first along a more undulating route, as you make your way along a tranquil country route to the town of Saalfelden; a true Alpine gem! Continuing on your route, you’ll make your way to the glistening Lake Ritzen. Don’t forget your swimming costume – the lake is known for its pleasant water temperatures, making it a great place for a dip! There’s also a children’s play area, and the opportunity to play mini golf (not included in trip cost).

If you’ve a little extra pedal power, you can cycle on to Biberg toboggan run. You’ll have a small climb to reach the toboggan, but the journey down is sure to be speedy!

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Day 6
Mount Großglockner Activity Day
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  • Meals: Breakfast, dinner

Today you can head up Austria’s highest mountain; Mount Großglockner. The tour bus will take you approx. 2500 metres high, to the peak of the mountain. The bus ride along the Großglockner Straße is a fantastic experience, as you wind your way up the High Alpine Road! Once at the top, you’ll enjoy breathtaking views and a national park ranger will be on board to answer any questions you may have.

The bus tour runs from May to the end of September, at least twice weekly. On arrival at your hotel, please ask reception for information on bus departure days and times. The bus tour must be reserved in advance (again, please ask the hotel), and costs approx. €29 per person (not included in tour price). The tour lasts the whole day.

Alternatively, if you fancy a day of relaxation you can spend today with your feet up, as you enjoy the facilities your hotel has to offer. The Alpine sauna, the private gardens or find a shady spot by the natural swimming pool and grab that holiday book you’ve been having too much fun to read!

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Day 7
Departure from Maishofen
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  • Meals: Breakfast

Take your time having a leisurely breakfast at the hotel, and reminisce about your fantastic week, as today you unfortunately have to say goodbye to your gorgeous hotel and the Tauern valleys.

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The Cycling

Terrain

You’ll be riding on predominantly flat routes in the river valleys of the Salzaach and Saalach rivers. The terrain gets hillier as you leave the riverbanks going to and from your hotel (and day 5 will pose the biggest challenge in terms of ups and downs!) but generally it’s a relaxed route. You’ll find yourself mostly on paved bike paths and quiet side streets, with only around 45% of the route on roads shared with traffic (although these are usually pretty quiet). We recommend a hybrid bike for this tour. (Due to some short stretches on hard packed gravel / dirt roads, the route is not suitable for road bikes).

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Family Cycling Grade

1
2
3
4
5
Grade 1 - 2 : Easy/Gentle

Aspects of both our grade 1 and 2 trips

Suitable for those looking for a relaxed ride

Occasional ups and downs

Our grading guidelines have been carefully created based on our many years of cycling experience, as well as customer feedback from our trips. Of course, if you're still struggling to figure out where you fit on the scale, do feel free to give us a quick call and we'll be more than happy to help!

For more information about our grading system click here.

Is this suitable for you?

Trips that are graded as a 1-2, will have aspects of both our grade 1 and grade 2 trips. These tours are still suitable for those looking for an accessible cycling holiday with manageable daily distances, along predominately flat terrain, however there will be some days / sections where we’d expect you to be up for a slightly cheeky challenge. It might be that the distances are a little longer on some days or that the terrain is slightly more undulating, but the rides are still relaxed and manageable for families who are generally fit and healthy.

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Dates & Prices

2021 Daily departures available between 24 Apr and 09 Oct.

Season 1 For trips starting between (and inclusive of) the 24 Apr and the 07 May or the 01 Oct and the 09 Oct: $940 per adult.

Season 2 For trips starting between (and inclusive of) the 08 May and the 18 Jun or the 11 Sep and the 30 Sep: $1010 per adult.

Season 3 For trips starting between (and inclusive of) the 19 Jun and the 10 Sep: $1055 per adult.

Following kid’s discounts available on the land only price: 0 – 5: Free Place (please note costs such as child’s beds/cots and meals are to be paid locally), 6 – 11: 40%, 12 – 14: 20%, 15 and above: 10%. Available when the child is sharing a room with 2 fully-paying passengers (dependent on availability).

Choose your date
Start Date
End Date
Duration
Price p.p.
Start Date
Return Date
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Duration
7 days
Price
$940.00
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Whats Included Tick

A) Accommodation (shared twin / double en suite rooms) in 4* Hotel Schloss Kammer

B) Breakfast and evening meals

C) Local representative (with welcome meeting)

D) Detailed route notes and maps (1 set per room)

E) Entrance to the Krimml waterfalls

F) Salzburger Land Card (discounted admissions for various attractions in Salzburg)

G) Train journey from Zell am See to Krimml (Excl.bike) – Day 3 – (Using Salzburger Land Card)

H) Free admission to the public swimming area Maishofen / Lake Zell

I) Maishofen bicycle golf (incl. map, scorecard, and golf clubs)

J) Use of all hotel facilities (swimming pond, sauna, hot stone steam room)

What's not Included Cross

A) Bike hire (available if required)

B) Flights and charges for travelling with your bike (if applicable)

C) Lunch

D) Single room (available if required)

E) Travel insurance

F) Personal clothing and equipment

G) Personal expenditure (souvenirs, bar bills, hotel facilities)

H) Entrance fees to museums and other attractions en route

I) Tourist tax (payable locally)

J) Travel to/from first hotel on arrival day and final hotel on departure day

K) Bus fare to Mount Großglockner (to be booked and paid locally)

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The Essentials

Travel Options

For this tour we ask that you make your own way to your hotel in Maishofen on arrival and onwards from here at the end of the trip. We ask that you aim to arrive before 18.00. The most convenient airport for this trip is Salzburg airport (SZG). Most flights from North America require overnight travel, and a stop over in an intermediary airport, with Norwegian combining with another airline being a common combination for this trip. Please note that flying from North America may involve multiple travel days. From Salzburg airport you can make your way to Salzburg Hauptbahnhof (around 4 kms from the city centre. Bus service 2 runs between the airport and the Hauptbahnhof every 10-20 minutes; the journey takes approximately 20 minutes and a single ticket costs €2.50). You can then jump on the train to Zell am See (approx. 2 hours). Please check with Skedaddle before booking any flights so that we can ensure they fit in with the trip schedule.

Accommodation

Your trip is centre-based and you’ll be spending the week at the 4* Hotel Schloss Kammer in Maishofen: http://www.schlosskammer.at/en/.

This family-run hotel oozes Alpine charm. The Neumayer family have been running, and living, in and around the hotel for 8 generations and the family feel really comes across when you stay in this lovely accommodation. The castle, which was fully renovated in 1994 and again in 2007, will take you back to ancient times, whilst still offering you all the mod cons.

Complete with a spa and natural swimming pond, this is the perfect spot to relax after your days out on the bike.

Please note that a twin bedded room may be a typical Austrian Twin, which comprises two mattresses and two sets of bedding in the same large bed frame; it may not be possible to separate the mattresses. Family rooms are available on request, please contact us for details. The hotel does not offer interconnecting rooms, but rooms next to each other can be requested.

Bike Hire

If you don’t own a suitable bike or would prefer to avoid bringing your own we have bikes available to hire. These bikes are typically hybrids with semi slick tyres and a relaxed riding position. For this trip we provide comfortable unisex bikes in various frame heights. (Men´s frames are available on request, but cannot always be guaranteed). We also have e-bikes available to hire. (We only have a small number however and so these are always on request). Please note, e-bikes will have pedal brakes rather than hand brakes.

Bikes come equipped with a handlebar bag and odometer. Also provided (one per couple) are a pannier bag, a puncture repair kit and spare inner tubes. You will need to bring along your own helmets.

For children we can provide a child’s bike, trailer, tag-along or child seat. We can also provide a child’s bike equipped with a FollowMe; this is an attachment that is fixed to the adult’s bike which allows the child to clip their bike onto the adult’s, should they feel tired during the cycling.

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News, Reviews & Stories

Reviews

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