WOW pretty much sums up how we felt about the Stubai Valley in the Austrian Alps (Tyrol mountains). As ever with me I had done extensive research before coming and I was certainly excited, however, it surpassed all expectations I had.
We wanted somewhere where we could itch our "hiking on mountains" bug while also keeping the kids happy and boy did this place deliver!
The place is just so child friendly from the simplest things like really good changing facilities (IYKYK) to the most amazing playgrounds at the top of mountains! See below for our highlights, info on where we stayed, ate and other recommendations/top tips.
Schlick 2000 - after getting off the second cable car at the top of the Schlick 2000 at the Kreuzjoch top station we were absolutely blown away with the view of the Seven Summits - it was incredible- I'd definitely recommend going on a clear day (or at least when the clouds are high) as the views are spectacular!
The ‘Stubaiblick’ viewing platform, is a short easy walk from the top cable car station and is definitely worth a stop for the views before setting off on your hike. We actually saw lots of people just coming up on the cable car to do this and then head back down.
We decided on the downhill family friendly Naturlehrweg (nature trail) hike. This is an easy hike with beautiful views and child activities along the way. You pass a mountain hut Schlickeralm (hotel and restaurant) if you want to stop to refresh before reaching a lovely mountain lake Panoramasee. You then follow the Scheibenweg (disk trail) down to the middle cable car station. Make sure you pick up a wooden disk for €4 from the valley station - O had the time of his life rolling the disk down the wooden tracks the whole way down. The whole walk took us around 3-4 hours with a quick drink stop and a bit of O walking when he wasn't in the backpack carrier.
If you're going to do a hike then make sure it's this one!
Also at the Schlick 2000 from the middle station there is the Treehouse Trail which is amazing for kids. This is a hike including a visit to 7 treehouses which are all unique and extremely well made! The hike to the end and back is around 2 hours but you need to add on time for stopping and playing. Remember to pick up your stamp pass which can be exchanged for a small gift at the ticket office. https://www.stubai.at/en/activities/hiking/stubai-tree-house-trail/
Serles - we got the cable car up from Mieders and were met with a kids playground beyond our expectations (the photos really can't do it justice)! First we did a short hike to a mountain hut, Ochsenhütte, and then headed back via the little train to the playground. We had intended on a longer hike (King Serlis Nature Trail) but opted not to bother in favour of some water play for O.
Tip - Buy a small ball for €2 from the machine at the top of the water play and run it down the wooden runs for hours of kids entertainment. There is also a pull along raft on one of the lakes which is great fun and a sand pit with toys and play structure.
A and O then finished the day with a ride on the Sommerrodelbahn (Alpine Slide). M was too small to go on so I took the cable car back down and filmed them on the way down. The toboggan is fantastic and totals 2.8 km of track! You control of how fast you go and O absolutely loved the ride sitting on A's knee.
We went back to Serles twice more for the water play and the toboggan (so I could have a go and a second time for A to try and beat his speed). We also got the little train to and from the Maris Waldrast chapel - mainly for O who love trains!
Good to know: One ride on the toboggan is included in the Stubai Super Card. If you want to go on it again it was €13.50 for an adult (O was free).
Elfer - we went up here on the first day as it was the closet to us. Whilst there wasn't that much for kids in this area (there is still a playground) it's still worth a trip. We spent ages watching all of the paragliders taking off and the views are wonderful. We also did a short hike on another day (2a on the map) to a wonderful little mountain hut, Autenalm, which turned out to be directly above where we were staying in Milders. We were sad that we'd not timed it around lunch as it was the best menu we'd send for A the entire holiday (as he cannot eat gluten) and it was such a lovely little place.
Stubai Glacier - unfortunately for us the cable car was closed for the majority of our trip, however, it opened on the day we left and we had time to go up before getting our flight. The cable car to the very top ("top of Tyrol") wasn't open but we were only 200m shy of it anyway and it was a hazy day. It was lovely to go up to the glacier and there was a great vibe at the top as it was the day of the Stubai Ultra Trail (look this up it is insane). If you can go on a clear day I would highly recommend that as the views would be amazing.
At the middle station (the top one for us) there is a great kids play area inside a Mammoth structure. I read that they've also added some new play equipment however we didn't see this when we were up there - perhaps due to the Ultra Trail.
Where we stayed - we stayed in a small village called Milders at a farmhouse called Brollerhof http://www.brollerhof.at/?lang=en
We opted for a two bedroom apartment and it was kitted out with two travel cots, two big chairs, a kids bathroom stool and toilet seat for O which was fantastic. They had a large playground with a huge trampoline, a sandpit, slide, tunnels, footballs and table tennis. There is also a small pool which we didn't get a chance to use.
They also have many animals on the farm including goats, guinea pigs and ponies.
Other family friendly accommodation I researched to suit various budgets include:
https://www.elferblick.at/en/home-en/
https://www.bergcristall.at/en/aa6/inside-the-hotel.html
Where we ate - to be honest we did struggle a little bit with this but only because A needs gluten free food. Most menus have something but this was very often the "fitness salad" (chicken salad). I've added the best places below.
Bottega No.13 (Neustift im Stubaital) - this place was great - it had gluten free pasta and pizza, a great kids menu (O had penne bolognese) and everything was delicious. The staff were excellent with the kids and we were made to feel very welcome. They directed me to a nice private spot so I could breastfeed M in peace. Would highly recommend.
Fronebenalm (Near the middle station of the Schlick 2000) - this place was a short walk from the middle station and after the first treehouse on the treehouse trail. They only did the fitness salad for A, however it looked fantastic. I ordered a burger but wish I'd ordered the dumplings as they looked great! O tucked into a nice portion of chicken nuggets and chips - we figured we can sort the veg again once we are home. We sat outside and O enjoyed playing in the water trough with boats. They also have a lovely playground outside that would entertain kids for hours!
Restaurant Koppeneck (at the top of Serles) - again just a fitness salad for A but as we found this was again delicious! Probably one of the most expensive places but the food was good and you tend to find it's more expensive on the mountain.
Other recommendations
- Kids Park Klaus Äuele - a great playground on the way to the glacier
- Grawa waterfall - an amazing powerful waterfall on the way to the glacier - you can see it from the road but it's only a very short hike to the viewing platform which I would recommend
- Stubay - an indoor and outdoor swimming leisure center - it has a dedicated kids area which even had a kids toilet next to it (very handy for our newly potty trained O!). Very handy if it's bad weather or if you just want a break from all the outdoor activities. https://www.stubay.at
- STB - this is a charming little train ride to Innsbruck through the small villages south of the city. We timed it so we could go partway, hop off and then get the return journey home.
- Swarovski Crystal World - a bit of a drive back towards Innsbruck but had heard great things. We didn't manage to fit it in when we went but it looks great for children. https://kristallwelten.swarovski.com
Top Tips
- Whilst we like the flexibility of self catered, it did prove a little difficult with A not being able to eat gluten and we ended up cooking a couple of more times than we would have like so next time we think we would consider somewhere catered. There is a breadth of accommodation options throughout the Stubai - from farm type stays to full blown 5 star all inclusive. The Stubai website (below) and this link are great places to start https://www.urlaubambauernhof.at
- Stubai website has loads of information and would recommend each individual area website as well. You can check out all the activities, the weather and also the webcams to see the visibility at the tops. https://www.stubai.at/en/
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Look for accommodation that participates in the Stubai Super Card. This card gives you free use of all four of the Stubai cable cars, two free admissions to the indoor and outdoor pools in the Stubai, one free ride on the toboggan at Serles, free bus rides plus many other discounts i the area. https://www.stubai.at/en/accommodations/stubai-super-card/
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Look for accommodation that are members of the Big Family Stubai Club, where children guests can participate on a variety of programs. There are two age groups, one from 6 to 10 and one from 11 to 15 with different activities. O and M were too young for this so we couldn't take advantage.
- Look at going in the shoulder season for more temperate weather - but make sure you check the cable cars are up and running for the summer
- Do your research ahead of going so you have an idea of what you want to do - then you can adapt each day depending on the weather
- Pack for all weathers - you’re in the mountains so it can be very changeable
- Hire a car if you have little ones - we did use the free buses but for more flexibility a car was great. We used Sixt who were excellent.
See my blog post Stubai Valley, Austria / Destination Guides for a handy one page guide for the Stubai Valley
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