Breakfast on the terrace in the morning, barefoot by the lake at midday, sauna in the evening.
In summer the Wilder Kaiser is a mountain for families: seven mountain adventure worlds around the gondolas, two swimming lakes, alpine huts a 30-minute walk away, and a chalet at 820 m with a terrace, a meadow and a view of the Kaiser.
Our own drone video above shows where you sit in summer: above the village, below the Kaiser. The summer dates for 2027 have been bookable since the autumn; the May half-term week and Whitsun are the first to go.The Wilder Kaiser Guest Card is on the table the day you arrive. With it, buses and the KaiserJet are free, and the car can stay in the car park all week if you like.
Seven play mountains around the SkiWelt gondolas, each for a different age. Short and honest: who for, how long, what it costs. The ride up is included in the lift company's summer card (Bergbahn-Erlebnis-Card); the adventure worlds themselves are free.
Right above the chalet: up on the Hartkaiserbahn gondola, and at the top there are water games, Ellmi's marble run and farm animals. No walking needed, fine with a pushchair. Admission is free; the ride up is paid for. The classic for the first day.
A barefoot path, water stations and witches' games on Hochsöll: enough for a whole day, so bring a change of clothes. Between 5 and 20 minutes' walk from one station to the next. Ride up with the lift company's summer card.
On the Brandstadl: a gemstone hunt in the sand, climbing stations, and the Kaiser circular walk, which takes 30 minutes. The stones the children find go home with them, of course.
The smallest adventure world: ponies, goats, rabbits and a playground at the top station of the Astbergbahn. The circular walk to the Astbergsee lake takes 30 minutes and is flat. Good for the afternoon after the lake.
1,829 m, a 360-degree view of the Kaiser, the Kitzbühel Alps and the Hohe Tauern, and at the top the highest pilgrimage church in Austria. To be honest: for small children it is a mountain for the view, not for playing. But it is the finest view.
At the middle station of the Salvenbahn: a giant swing, a giant slide, a giant bed, everything on the scale of a giant. Only a few minutes' walk between the stations, and easy to combine with the Hohe Salve.
A discovery park on the Talkaser in Westendorf: an animal-tracks trail, wobbly bridges, a viewing platform. The circular walk takes 1.5 hours with breaks. The furthest of the seven, for a day with a picnic.
Three adventure worlds, one lake, one rainy day, one day on the terrace: that is a good week with children under ten. Which three depends on their age; the blog has the honest order.
Lake Hintersteiner See is drinking-quality water with a lido: 20 to 22 degrees, crystal clear, a lawn with a view of the Kaiser. And when it rains, the slide at the KaiserBad is 92 metres long.
Lake Hintersteiner See is about 15 minutes away by car, 30 by bus (free with the Guest Card). On Sundays the car park is full from eleven, so go early or take the bus. The KaiserBad in Ellmau is 1.6 km from the chalet: outdoor and indoor pools, a 92 m slide, a children's area, and the Kaiseroase saunas for the parents. Pool admission €13 for adults, €6.60 for children, €28 for a family.
Alpine huts you can reach with a four-year-old before the mood turns, with Kaiserschmarrn pancakes as the goal.
Ellmau is the village where the German TV series “Der Bergdoktor” is filmed: the surgery, the village square, the huts are all within walking distance or a bus ride away.
In summer the Wilder Kaiser tourist board offers a weekly guided walk to the film locations, free with the Guest Card. If you'd rather go alone: the round from the chalet past the surgery to the Bergdoktor farmhouse and back takes about two and a half hours. For couples in Sissi and Andreas Hofer, and for grandparents who tell the grandchildren in the evening where they have been.
Sometimes the best adventure world is the meadow outside the door. You order the Kaiserbäckerei bakery's roll service directly from the bakery; from 7 am the fresh rolls are in the bread box at the driveway.
The summer prices for 2027 are fixed. If you book in winter, you secure the May half-term week and Whitsun, the weeks that go first, with free cancellation up to three months before arrival.Prices are for the whole Grizzly Suite per night, for up to eight guests, plus €110 final cleaning and local tourist tax. Booked direct: best price and free cancellation up to three months before arrival.
7 nights in the Grizzly Suite for two families, with Guest Card, sauna and ski room. The adventure worlds open in mid-May; before that, the lake and the terrace are yours alone.
Seven nights from 1 July at the summer price, in the suite or in an apartment. September and October: empty paths, warm lakes, room at the huts. Arrival on any day.
Grizzly Suite per night: €280 from 1 July to 18 December, €400 from 19 December to 30 June, for the whole suite with up to 8 guests, plus €110 final cleaning and local tourist tax of €3.50 per person per day from age 15. Minimum stay 3 nights. Apartments from €75 per night: The apartments.
In summer the thunderstorms mostly come after three, so set off early.
“In summer my favourite thing is to sit on the terrace and count gondolas. If you've been up at Ellmi's Magic World, tell me all about it in the evening, every detail. I'm not allowed in the gondola myself. Bear rules.”Grizzly, the house bear
Short, honest answers — just as we'd give them on the phone. Is your question missing? Write to us
Choose your dates and book online direct, with live availability and instant confirmation. Elfi and Alois will tell you on arrival which three adventure worlds suit your children.
