Kaprun with kids – the Kitzsteinhorn glacier and Maiskogel, the family mountain

Kaprun is a small village in Pinzgau, a few kilometres south of Zell am See. Above the village rises Kitzsteinhorn, a glacier with pistes up to 3,029 metres, and in the middle of the village you'll find the family mountain Maiskogel and the beginners' slope Lechnerberg. That combination makes Kaprun two resorts in one, depending on when you go.

In autumn and spring, it's all about the glacier. In midwinter, a family with small children can spend almost the whole week down in the village and save the glacier for a day trip when the sky is clear. This guide is about exactly that: which part of Kaprun suits which children, and when. For the neighbouring town, the lake and the Schmittenhöhe mountain, there's a separate guide to Zell am See.

Kitzsteinhorn – the glacier that opens in October

The 2026/27 season started on the glacier on 10 October 2026. The autumn day passes are valid until 26 November, after which the winter passes take over. The snow usually lasts into May. The glacier area lies between just under 2,000 and 3,029 metres and has 61 kilometres of pistes and 23 lifts.

Once the children have learned to turn and stop on their own, several wide, gentle pistes are waiting. Kitzsteinhorn itself highlights the Alpincenter piste (number 1) and piste 10 by the Kristallbahn as family pistes. For those still practising, there's the Schneehasenlift, a practice area with a button lift high up on the glacier. A fun extra is the Eagle Line fun slope, with banked turns and rollers.

Warm up and eat at Restaurant Alpincenter, where different counters serve pizza, burgers and strudel. On a clear day it's worth taking the Gipfelbahn to Top of Salzburg at 3,029 metres, home to the viewing platforms and Cinema 3000. It's cold up at the summits and the air is thin, so keep the visit short.

Bear in mind that the glacier is high. Many small children can't manage more than a couple of hours at 2,500 metres in the wind, and some get headaches or are unusually tired during the first few days. Plan short sessions and breaks indoors.

Maiskogel and Lechnerberg – the children's slopes in the village

Maiskogel is Kaprun's family mountain. The pistes run between 768 and 1,730 metres, with around 20 kilometres of piste and three lifts. There's a gentle practice slope with a button lift, a children's practice area by the Maisilift and family piste number 31. For children who like a little jumping, there's Maisi Park with small obstacles and Maisi Line with banked turns.

Lechnerberg is right in the centre of Kaprun and has two button lifts and two easy blue pistes. This is where the ski schools have their children's areas, and where most three- and four-year-olds make their first turns.

Good to know: lift passes for Maiskogel and Lechnerberg are valid from 5 December 2026 to 4 April 2027. During the autumn school holiday, 24 October to 1 November, the Maiskogelbahn runs every day, but it isn't ski season in the village then.

For an afternoon off skis, try Maisi Flitzer, a rail-mounted toboggan run by the Maiskogel valley station that runs all year round. Next door is Maisi Alm, with food children tend to like.

3K K-onnection – and the bus in autumn

Since 2019, the 3K K-onnection cable car has run from the centre of Kaprun via Maiskogel to Langwied on the glacier. This means you can ski from the village all the way up to the glacier and then ski back down to the centre. Taking all six cable cars, it's around twelve kilometres from the village to Top of Salzburg.

But K-onnection doesn't reopen until December 2026. In autumn, you take the bus to the glacier's valley station and then the Gletscherjet up. Bus K is free for everyone and runs every thirty minutes between Burg Kaprun, the Maiskogel valley station, the centre and the glacier. Bus 660 between Zell am See, Kaprun and the glacier is free with a lift pass or guest card. From 25 December, the D shuttle also runs in the village to Maiskogel and Lechnerberg.

Ski school – ages and meeting points

Kaprun has eight ski schools. The biggest children's programme is run by Ski Dome Oberschneider, whose mascot is BOBO the penguin.

• BOBO’s Kindergarten, ages 2–3: play and supervision for two-year-olds, and first attempts on skis for three-year-olds. No more than five children per instructor, right next to the ski school.
• Children's groups, ages 4–15: beginners start on Sunday or Monday, and those who can already ski can start any day except Saturday.
• Autumn (11 October–18 December 2026): three-hour lessons without a lunch break, meeting at 10 am at Ski Dome 2 on the Langwiedboden, at around 2,000 metres, where Gletscherjet 1 and 3K arrive.
• Peak season (20 December 2026–5 March 2027): four hours including lunch. Beginners meet at Lechnerberg in the village, and those who can already ski at the Maiskogel mid-station.
• Spring: from 7 March, the courses move back up to the glacier.

Hartweger ski school runs children's courses from age five. Lunchtime supervision can be added per day at Ski Dome. If this is the children's first time on the slopes, you can prepare with the guide to your family's first ski trip.

Lift passes, Easter bonus and ALPIN CARD

These are the age groups in Kaprun for winter 2026/27:

Group	Born	Good to know
Young children	2021 or later	Free with an adult, their own miniAlpini pass with photo
Children	2011–2020	Their own child pass, cheaper than the adult pass
Youth	2008–2010	Their own youth pass

The Easter bonus is the best deal for families. Between 20 March and 4 April 2027, all the children in the family get a free lift pass when a parent buys a pass for at least four days. The children's passes are collected at the ticket office and are valid for as long as the parent's. On Saturdays there's also a cheaper day pass for children and young people, the Junior XPLORE CARD.

ALPIN CARD is the region's big pass. It's valid on Kitzsteinhorn, Maiskogel and Lechnerberg, on Schmittenhöhe in Zell am See and across the whole Skicircus Saalbach Hinterglemm Leogang Fieberbrunn, 408 kilometres of piste in total. The pass is valid from 27 November 2026 to 4 April 2027, multi-day passes must be used on consecutive days, and the day pass is valid from 3 pm the day before. For a family sticking to Kaprun, Kitzsteinhorn's own passes are often enough, but if you want to try Saalbach Hinterglemm or Schmittenhöhe, ALPIN CARD is the right choice. Current prices are shown when you book.

Getting to Kaprun

• By train: The station in Zell am See is right in the town centre and has good connections from Salzburg and Innsbruck. From there, bus 660 runs to Kaprun and the glacier's valley station, every thirty minutes in autumn and every fifteen minutes in peak season. How to plan the train journey from Sweden down to Austria is described step by step in train to the Alps.
• By air: Salzburg is around 80 kilometres away. Regional bus 260 runs from Salzburg's main station via the airport to Zell am See. Munich is around 180 kilometres away.
• The guest card: anyone staying overnight in the region gets the Guest Mobility Ticket included with their stay, valid on buses and trains throughout the state of Salzburg. Do the online pre-check-in with your accommodation before you leave, and you can use it straight from the airport.
• By car: parking at the glacier's valley station is free. Austrian motorways require a vignette (toll sticker). Which way of travelling suits your family best is weighed up in how to get to the ski resort.

Things to consider before you book

• Autumn half-term or winter? During the autumn school holiday everything is up on the glacier, the ski school included. With children under five, peak season is easier, when Lechnerberg is open.
• Stay close to K-onnection or Lechnerberg. From December, you can then walk to the lift without taking the bus.
• Pack for winter. Start with the ski trip packing list, and add a buff and a couple of extra pairs of gloves for the cold on the glacier.

More glaciers with autumn skiing can be found in Hintertux in the Zillertal and in Mölltaler Gletscher in Carinthia. You'll find the neighbouring resorts in Salzburgerland in the overview of ski holidays in Austria, for example Bad Gastein. To compare Kaprun with more family-friendly resorts across the Alps, see ski holiday in the Alps with children.