Excursion destinations in the Zillertal

Located on a total area of 45,000 m², you will find every imaginable form of recreational opportunity at the Recreation Park in Zell: outdoor pool and lap pool, whirlpool ring, giant slide, kiddie pool, adventure playground, the first beach-volleyball courts in the Ziller Valley, in- and outdoor tennis courts, mini golf, football, a Fun Court (for volley-, street- and basketball) and lastly, but not least, the Garden of the Senses. When it comes time for a little sustenance, the “Reiter im Park” restaurant & café serves up delicious treats accompanied by panoramic views of the mountains which flank the Ziller Valley!

A step back into history. A trip on the Zillertal Railway’s steam train is also about finding greatness in seemingly small things. The Zillertal Railway leads from Jenbach and through the Ziller Valley to Mayrhofen. It is a private narrow-gauge (760 mm ) railway. Aside from its fleet of modern diesel locomotives and railway cars, the Zillertal Railway also operates several steam locomotives for relaxing excursions through the Zillertal countryside.

Feel how alive the inside of a mountain is and enjoy a truly impressive multi-media presentation inside a mine gallery of the historic Gold Mine in Zell, providing insights into the almost 350-year history of this now almost forgotten piece of the region’s economy. Gain an idea of the working conditions below ground, of the not particularly conservative lifestyle of the miners of old and their social circle. In the process, you will also learn about the political conflicts between Salzburg and Tyrol, the economic background and the strong influence of the church.

With one of the world’s highest cable cars – known as Gletscherbus3 – you will soar up over the shimmering blue of glacial ice to the Hintertuxer Glacier and gaze from a safe distance into the deep abysses of glacial crevasses. Your flight across this glacial world leads to the Panorama Terrace at an elevation of 3,250 metres, revealing vistas which extend from the Grossglockner, to the Dolomites and the Zugspitze.

Seminars and conferences, art and culture, galas and special events, along with tours through today’s most modern and most efficient biomass heating plant, combined with the SichtBAR - the Binderholz FeuerWerk’s very own restaurant. A superlatively efficient operation, it is on the one hand an exceptional architectural achievement housing the necessary technologies to create products in the form of heat, power, pellets and briquettes, while also representing a model for sustainable energy production in a region which boasts an abundance of wood. And on the other hand, it serves as a cultural venue with an on-going cultural programme in the form of exhibitions, concerts, theatrical performances, readings, seminars and much more. Stop by and experience the fascination of wood!

The observatory in Königsleiten, which opened its doors to public tours in 1996, was enhanced yet further in April 1997 by the addition of the Zeiss Planetarium (in the Guinness Book of Records as the highest planetarium in Europe). With a dome measuring 7 metres in diameter, it is able to present a realistic star-filled sky to as many as fifty people at a time. With the use of slide and video projectors, astronomical objects are effectively projected on the planetarium dome, appearing just as they would if you were looking through a telescope.

Take a day trip to discover our provincial capital, Innsbruck, with its great theatres (the Landestheater, Stadt Theater, Innsbrucker Kallertheater, Ritterspiele, ...) and museums (giant cyclorama, Schloss Ambras, Provincial Museum of Tyrol, Tyrol Folk-Art Museum, Stadtmuseum, Zeughaus, Tyrol Train Museum, Tyrolean Imperial Hunting Museum, Museum of the Alpinist Association, ...).

The Maximilianeum served as the official residence for Tyrol’s princes Friedrich IV and Sigmund “The Rich in Coin” from 1420 to about 1460. The splendid front oriel, which is covered with 2657 fire-gilded tiles, has become very much the emblem of this city, constructed by Niclas Türing (The Elder) under a commission from Emperor Maximilian I, with the work completed, according to an inscription, in the year 1500.

The Olympic ski jump, which was renovated an upgraded in 2001, as well as the Bergisel leg of the International Four-Hills Tournament, have made the Bergisel a sporting and tourist attraction of the highest order. And with its new funicular and the visitor lift in the tower itself, you now have a convenient means to reach the tower café and restaurant and to enjoy the panoramic lookout terrace. The lookout terrace is perched 50 metres above the ground. Offering 360° views, you will be able to gaze in awe at the Tyrolean mountains, out across the city of Innsbruck and over the surrounding area.

The giant spouts forth water and magically entices the observer into its interior, where chambers of wonder spark the fires of the imagination. Within just 12 years, the Crystal Worlds has managed to become an icon recognised world-wide, already having drawn more than 7 million visitors - the Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens.