THE HILLS ARE ALIVE
The perfect Austrian family holiday with zipwire adventures – and flights from just £28
Donning overalls, we board a small train to whizz 650m below ground, just like the miners did 500 years ago
THE SKID of wheels on gravel behind me makes me jump and I glance back to see another rider fast approaching.
Despite taking the hairpin turns at speed, I’ve been caught up on the exhilarating descent down Austria’s Harschbichl mountain.
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Welcome to mountain carting – where the three-wheel off-road trikes have no gears or pedals, just brakes.
Because that’s all you need when the only way is down.
Of course, my five year old, Poppy, can’t get enough.
Speeding past luscious alpine meadows and towering pine trees, she squeals with delight from my lap the whole way down the 3.8km track – helmet safely on.
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Sadly, our son Raffy, three, is too young for the £16 ride – but luckily he won’t have to sit out on other adventures.
We’re in St Johann in Tirol, nestled between two mountain ranges and just over one hour’s drive south-west of Salzburg airport.
Tucked away within the town’s charming streets are stylish boutiques, excellent eateries and buzzing bars, so on our return from the mountain, I pop into recently opened Juice + Jewelry (@juice.jewelry), which has cute trinkets galore, before buying a blouse from Pircher Moden ().
Sound of the underground
A few days earlier, our drive from the airport takes us through Bavaria, so we make a tiny detour to the German salt mine in Berchtesgaden, set beside a stunning turquoise river.
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Donning overalls, we board a small train to whizz 650m below ground, just like the miners did 500 years ago.
Once inside, two long slides drop us further down into the caverns – much to the kids’ glee.
The terrifying European tourist attraction that people say they ‘wouldn’t try for millions of pounds’
We learn all about the salt extraction process before boating across an underground lake to a dazzling light show, jumping on a funicular and boarding the tiny train once again.
For transport-mad Raffy, all his Christmases have come at once. Adult entry costs £21, kids over four cost £10.50 ().
I’m soon to lose count of the number of times the kids whisper “wow” on this adventure.
One night, it’s as violinist Benjamin Bow plays tracks like Pharrell Williams’ Lucky alongside a DJ and performers on stilts in animal costumes parading the cobbles.
We’ve joined the kids’ festival Lang & Klang, which runs every Wednesday in summer, where a whole street is filled with all kinds of bouncy castles, including Gladiators-style duel sticks, Velcro walls and Raffy’s favourite – an inflatable fire station with a slide.
Dumpling delight
An evening drive up the mountain to Alpengasthof Hirschberg, a family-run restaurant for over 37 years, also proves a highlight.
The kids play on the verdant grass, feeding the pet rabbits as the sun sets gloriously behind the rocky peaks and my husband Andy and I sip Hugo cocktails – sparkling wine, elderflower liqueur and soda, £5.90.
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I wasn’t a fan of dumplings before – but now I’m in the town with an annual festival dedicated to them, I realise I’ve just never had a good one.
Here, the venison stew with dumpling, croquettes and cranberries, £22, is divine.
Owner Katrin’s home-made bakes – including slabs of shortbread-topped plum cake, £4.80 – are a knockout, too ().
I’m also many apple strudels down when we hit the Moor & More Adventure World at the foot of the Kaiser mountains.
The 4.3km Törfchen elf trail has play stations along the route, including a treehouse, zipwire and bowling game.
Despite it being Austrian school holidays, we have the wildflower-lined paths mostly to ourselves.
The real crowds appear on Friday, when the weekly market packs out St Johann’s Baroque streets with foodie treats, stylish threads and traditional crafts, and locals glug sparkling wine for brekkie.
Our lodgings are Hotel Post, which is as central as you can get – just a few paces from the main square – and home to a brilliant bistro.
Family rooms are spacious, with rain showers, and the breakfast buffet offers treats such as chia-seed puddings, among an array of ham, cheese and bread.
Rooms cost from £160 B&B, and guests get free access to nearby public baths, Panorama Badewelt ().
The outdoor pools with slides and diving boards are set in lush gardens and there are more flumes inside ().
Climb every mountain
Back up Harschbichl mountain, Raffy is thrilled to join Poppy on the mini high ropes course at Hornpark.
Then we hop in the cable car to the top station to lunch at Harschbichlalm, 1,604m high, feasting on beef broth with sliced pancake, £4.50, and steaks with fried bread, dips and salad, £16.50 ().
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A trampoline keeps the kids occupied as Andy and I soak up the breathtaking vistas, before he climbs Hornpark’s hardest courses at a nerve-tingling height, and with challenges including a hairy skateboard crossing.
A zipwire across the lake completes his kid-free mission.
Adult tickets cost from £26, and children from £10 (). Last – but by no means least – we spend a day of pure joy at Badesee Going, a swimming lake 15 minutes’ drive away with a terrific toboggan-like flume set into the hillside and an undulating slide that locals bring bodyboards to ride.
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There’s plenty of chilling space on the grassy banks, a big sandpit and play equipment, plus beach-volleyball courts.
As we squeeze in one last ride for Team GB, we all agree that we bagged gold with this trip.
FYI
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Car hire costs from £33 a day.
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Return flights from the UK to Salzburg cost from £28.
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