4 Day Itinerary for Wilder Kaiser Tirol with family
We have been living in Tirol since 2023 officially, and it seems in that time we have barely scratched the surface on the wealth of activities available for families.
Discovering the Wilder Kaiser region in Tirol with family can be overwhelming if you don’t know the language or just how engaging each adventure playground can be. So to help you - and to have an easy post I can send my friends who visit haha - here is exactly what we would recommend to do in Tirol for a long weekend with the family.
This itinerary for the Wilder Kaiser for families will cover the period between April to October, so mostly summer activities, though weather results may vary when you visit. This year we had the rainiest July on record and were in hoodies the whole time, last year we were still in the local pools until the end of September so know that your mileage may vary slightly depending on the weather when you visit.
With those disclaimers given, here is what we tell our friends to do when they come.
Day 1
Normally an arrival day, so lets assume you are getting here by about lunchtime or mid afternoon. If you have been cooped up in the car for a few hours with kids, you will want to burn some energy, so here’s a few easy activity options.
Afternoon
Söll Pump Park
A conveniently located bike park, that works for ages between 3-15 years old. No fee for entrance, just unload your bikes in the carpark and let the kids go wild. With views up to the Hohe Salve and a couple of wooden benches and tables, you can easily BYO snacks and drinks (pick them up from nearby Mpreis if you need a restock) and setup for an hour or so while the kids do laps and braver once attempt the jumps into bowls.
Major disclaimer - there are no toilets nearby. Allegedly the council is looking into this, but as it stands today, no public toilets in walking distance so kids will need to stick to bush pees in case of emergency!
Scheffau Spielplatz
If you are staying closer to Scheffau, the playground hidden down some stairs beside the school comes with absolutely stunning panoramic views and a really excellent range of climbing walls, flying fox, slides, trampolines and fun things for the kids. Toilets are right nearby and as an energy burner with a view it cannot be beaten!
Evening
In the summer season, just about every weeknight you can find a small Dörffest celebration in one of the local villages.
What this means is the main road into the heart of the village gets closed off to traffic, little market stalls are setup selling local artisan souvenirs, sometimes clothing, jewellery and regional knick knacks that are basically irresistible when you are visiting.
But the real highlight are the food and drink stands. You can try local Brodakrapfen - hot pockets of dough filled with cheesy herby deliciousness - or get your hands on some Kaiserschmarrn if you are lucky. T
here are also typical regional snacks like Jausenplatter, a spread of cheese, meats and spreads to combine on bread or straight up Wurstel and pommes (Sausage and chips) if the kids aren’t feeling adventurous culinarily.
Alongside all the stands you will see beer banks and tables setup so you can sit anywhere you please and enjoy the live music and entertainment that is scattered throughout the village. Some villages host a Platzkonzert, where the local brass band plays, or some villages have roaming musicians playing Blasmusik which is the traditional fun wind instrument music you will hear throughout your stay.
Historically, Ellmau hosts Sommernacht on Tuesday, Söll has Zàmmkemma on Wednesday, Scheffau hosts their Dörffest on Thursday and on Fridays Söll has the Söller Freitag which is a bit more chic and modern music, but still ideal for sipping an Aperol spritz as the sunsets over the mountain. Each village has their own flavour of Dorffest, but its a great way to soak up the energy of the region on your first day in town.
Day 2
Adeventure activity day! To make the most of family things to do in the Wilder Kaiser,Tirol, you have to dedicate a day or two to the mountain top playgrounds.
This is the time to get up the mountain in a gondola and explore one of the multiple adventure playground immersive experiences. That may sound like word salad, but it is the only way to describe these incredible places. They work for kids from age 2 til probably 12 - but tbh I still love going up there as an adult so you can judge for yourself what the cap would be!
Each mountain has their own twist on the adventure theme - Söll has Hexenwasser, which is a witchy theme, Ellmau has Elmi the frog and Going focusses on their cute pony rides, but each offers almost a full days entertainment on its own. Pick and Mix from the options below to suit your schedule, and rest assured if you get the Mountain Experience Pass - be sure to say you want it for the Wilder Kaiser Region - then you can visit all the different playgrounds to get more bang for your buck.
Pricing for Mountain Experience Cards in Summer here
Söll - Hexenwasser
For my full survival guide of what to pack, how to get there and what each station includes, see my Hexenwasser How To Guide here.
Hexenwasser or `Witches Water`is a gorgeous, massive collection of interactive installations dotted across the Hohe Salve mountain, mostly at the middle station, for kids and families to explore and play. The loose storyline idea is that when you purchase your gondola ticket, you also get given a small card to collect the raven stamps at each play station.
This will guide you to explore the multiple different activities available up top.
The main thing to do is play and splash in water installations - by far the most popular option for kids between 2-8 years old. The witches water flows from the middle station down into a full set of lochs and funnels that kiddos can climb in, walk down the rocky water paths, and follow the water trail to the next play area. It`s tricky to explain but really fun wholesome activity to do.
I like to think of Hexenwasser as an Alpine mini Disneyland, where the theme is fully embraced, the details are executed immaculately, and the kids can explore at their own pace. There is even witches dressed up and walking around throughout the stations, sometimes making giant bubbles, sometimes helping kids with activities or offering popcorn snacks and fun.
Hexenwasser also know exactly how to get you the perfect family photos on your adventure day - with cute panoramic photo locations and giant witches brooms the kids can sit on and embrace the theme. Of course, there is a gift shop beside the gondola on your way out so if a witches hat or carved wooden boat is needed, you can nab one for the kiddos.
You will easily spend an entire day up here, just pack some sunscreen and a jumper depending on the weather!
Ellmau - Ellmi`s Zauberwelt
An equally immersive adventure playground, Ellmi`s Zauberwelt (magic world) is a bit more spread out than Hexenwasser, so you can get some very light hiking in and discover parts of the forest on your way to the next playstation.
Ellmau has the advantage of a giant actual playground on arrival at the top of the Gondola, including ride on trucks and tractors for young kids. It then opens out into trampolines, sandpit with buckets and pulleys and shade, flying fox and even a vintage ski lift soft play that can keep kids busy for ages.
The theme at Ellmi`s is similar in that you get a coin on arrival from the gondola station and the coin activates different installations along the pathways of Zauberwelt. We found this summer a lot of the coin things didn’t work, so the kids were riled up to put the coins in and then….nothing happened. So maybe proceed with caution before talking up the coins activity and test it for yourself before the kids try!
Nevertheless, the installations here are wild - dragons spit water from a pond, climbing ropes courses wind their way down a hill and up on top of the mountain there is an abandoned ship that kids can climb with a huge panorama across the Wilder Kaiser. Most times we visit our son doesn’t get further than the ride on tractors but if you can get the kids up into the forest there are some really fun installations.
Pro tip - there is an easier, flat walking path to the top, the Panoramaweg, that could be a better option if you are visiting with Grandparents or kids not yet energetic enough for hiking a little bit upwards.