Seven adventure worlds, seven lifts, one child with short legs. Which is worth it for whom, and which you can happily skip with a three-year-old.
We have lived above Ellmau for many years, and our grandchildren have been to each of the seven worlds at least twice. What follows is what we tell friends on the phone, not a brochure list: for which age, how much walking, what to do when it rains, and what it costs, so that nobody gets a surprise at the ticket office.
First: what the Guest Card does and doesn't do
The Wilder Kaiser Guest Card is on your table on the day you arrive. It is free and gives you all buses between Going, Ellmau, Scheffau and Söll free of charge, the KaiserJet to the lifts free of charge, plus discounts on lifts, the KaiserBad pool and toboggan hire. Admission to the adventure worlds themselves costs nothing. What you pay for is the lift: a return trip for adults from about €25–30, children about half, the youngest free (as of 2026, please check). If you are planning three or more days on the mountain, do the sums once for the lift company's summer card (Bergbahn-Erlebnis-Card): for two adults and two school-age children it saves a noticeable amount from the third day.
1. Ellmi's Magic World, Hartkaiser (Ellmau)
Age: 2–10 · Walking: flat, under 1 km, fine for a pushchair · Rain: no
Our local lift. The valley station of the Hartkaiserbahn gondola is ten minutes' walk from the chalet, and at the top the Magic World starts right at the mountain station: a dwarf village, a water playground, small climbing stations and Ellmi's puzzle trail with a stamp card. The big advantage is how close it is: if your child has had enough at eleven, you are home by half past. The drawback is that it is crowded at midday on Sundays. Take the first gondola, or go after 2 pm.
2. Hexenwasser, Hochsöll (Söll)
Age: 4–12 · Walking: circuit of a good 2 hours, steep in places, pushchair only on the lower part · Rain: partly
The best known of the seven, and rightly so. More than 60 stations all about water: a barefoot path, a sundial, a bee house, and the witches' bakery where children bake bread. The full circuit is too long for four-year-olds; plan the lower half and the barefoot path, which is enough for a morning. Getting there: 12 minutes by car, or by bus (free with the Guest Card). Take a change of clothes, because wet children are guaranteed. Don't forget a towel. Half the parents don't have one with them.
3. KaiserWelt, Brandstadl (Scheffau)
Age: 5–12 · Walking: moderate, circuit of about 1.5 hours · Rain: no
A pirate ship, the Kaiser castle with slides, a giant swing, and the gemstone hunt, where children dig for real semi-precious stones with a sieve and water. The bag for it costs a few euros extra (as of 2026, please check) and is worth the money: our grandchildren kept the stones on a shelf for a year. Scheffau is 8 minutes from the chalet. For children under five the site is laid out on too big a scale, and the paths are stony in places.
4. Astberg Pony-Alm (Going)
Age: 2–8 · Walking: flat, 30 minutes round the Astbergsee lake · Rain: no
The quietest of the seven. Ponies to stroke and lead, a small lake with a raft, a meadow for doing nothing. The Astbergbahn in Going is 5 minutes away by car, and the lift itself is a chairlift: fine for two-year-olds on a parent's lap, less so for parents with a fear of heights. A good half-day after a tiring one.
5. Hohe Salve (Söll / Hopfgarten)
Age: 6+ · Walking: summit circuit easy, descent to the middle station 1–1.5 hours · Rain: no
The viewing mountain at 1,829 m, looking out over the Kaiser, the Kitzbühel Alps and the Hohe Tauern. For children there are play stations at the summit and a turntable that explains the view; the main argument is the panorama, though, and six-year-olds don't appreciate that yet. For parents who want to see a really long way for once, and for school-age children who can count mountains. From Söll by two lifts, about 25 minutes' drive plus the lift.
6. RiesenWelt (Hopfgarten)
Age: 4–10 · Walking: flat to easy, 1 hour · Rain: no
Everything is too big: giant swings, a huge nest, oversized furniture to climb on. The story of the giant of the Hohe Salve is told at stations along the way, which children between four and eight enjoy. At around 25 minutes by car, Hopfgarten is the longest drive from Ellmau, so we combine the RiesenWelt with the swimming lake in Hopfgarten in the afternoon.
7. Alpinolino (Westendorf)
Age: 5–11 · Walking: circuit of about 2.5 km with a climb, not suitable for pushchairs · Rain: no
The most educational of the worlds: stations about the marmot, the ibex and the eagle, a viewing platform, climbing towers. Alpinolino is a proper hiking trail with things to do along it, and it suits children who already like walking; with a three-year-old you will be carrying. Westendorf is about 30 minutes away and is the classic for the last day of the holiday, when the children have found their legs.
Our order for a week
- Day 1: Ellmi's Magic World. Short, close, an early success.
- Day 2: Lake Hintersteiner See or the KaiserBad pool, no lift.
- Day 3: Hexenwasser, lower half, change of clothes.
- Day 4: The Pony-Alm in the morning, the terrace in the afternoon.
- Day 5: KaiserWelt with the gemstone hunt.
- Day 6: Alpinolino or Hohe Salve, depending on age.
- Day 7: Nothing. Really nothing.
We save the RiesenWelt for the second holiday, or for the day when the rush on the lifts in Ellmau is at its worst. We once tried all seven in one week. Never again.
“I'll tell you how it is: the best station in any adventure world is the bench with a view of the Kaiser where the parents are allowed to sit for ten minutes. Plan it in.”Grizzly, the house bear
