Zell Am See and its bus-linked neighbour, Kaprun, are located southwest of Salzburg and make up the Europa Sport region. There is excellent skiing for intermediates and snow is guaranteed in the vast snowfields of the nearby Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, Kaprun, but due to Zell's strict conservation rules there is a total ban on any off-piste skiing.

Set on a picturesque lake, Zell Am See is an appealing 8th century town with a pedestrian centre resembling a mini-Kitzbühel. Even more popular in the summer than the winter, Zell also has many activities for those not on skis or a board, as well as extensive shopping opportunities.

There is a full range of accommodation in Zell Am See/Kaprun, with some delightful guesthouses and slope-side lodging as well as other quality hotels and pensions, totalling 13,500 beds. There is a huge range of cafés and restaurants, and the nightlife is lively and exciting, with many bars and discos. The resort kindergarten usually takes children from age one upwards.

Zell Am See/Kaprun ski resort has a total of 130kms (80kms in Zell) of prepared runs, including 50kms in the glacier area, mainly suited to beginners and intermediate skiers; the longest run is six kilometres. Fifty-seven lifts, including one standard cable car, 11 large cabin and circular cable cars, 15 chairlifts, and 30 surface lifts (T-bars), are able to transport 79,268 skiers per hour.

A cogwheel railway, the Gletscherbahn, runs from the village of Kaprun along a glacier bed to the peak of the Kitzsteinhorn (3,203m). If you're here in the summer, the beautiful Kaprun and upper Saalbach Valleys have superb hiking trails. Other skiing options in the area with excellent terrain include: Saalbach, Bad Gastein and Schladming.

The ski season runs from November to April with year round skiing on the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier, above Kaprun. The best rates are offered early and late in the season: January 4 to February 8, March 8 to 23, and April 5 to 13. The best way to get to Zell Am See/Kaprun is to fly to Salzburg and take the train from the city to the resort.