St. Johann in Tirol, Austria | Family Travel Guide
The slogan of St. Johann in Tirol is “Mein Yapadu” which translates roughly as a place that brings happiness and joy. It’s not hard to see why… here the valleys are vast and sun-filled, the wildflower bloom in Alpine meadows, there are play areas around every corner, and the food is warming and delicious.
In late May, we flew to Austria and spent a couple of days exploring St. Johann in Tirol, a Baroque town in the middle of the Leukental Valley and nestled between the Wilder Kaiser and Kitzbüheler mountain ranges. If you're looking for a family-friendly Alpine holiday with traditional food, an abundance of walking and cycling trails and activities for children, then this is the place for you.
There is a real heart and soul about St. Johann in Tirol that we could feel during our time there. In this blog, I'll share everything we did from exploring adventure trails, riding gondolas, hiking mountains, drinking hot chocolate, and swimming in the incredible community pool.
Useful Information
Getting there
We flew from Manchester to Munich with Lufthansa and then had a 1.5 hour transfer to St. Johann in Tirol with Four Seasons Travel. You could also fly to Innsbruck (around 1 hour 20 minutes away) or Salzburg (1 hour away). We didn't bring a car seat as the transfer had one for us which meant we could travel a little lighter.
When to visit
We visited St. Johann in Tirol in late May to early June which was a fantastic time as all the lifts were open but it was still relatively quiet before the summer holidays. The wildflower was beautiful at this time of year and the temperatures were very warm but not too hot. It would also be beautiful to visit during summer, when it would of course be a little busier but have a real buzz with lots of families. This is also a popular area for skiing in winter.
Where to stay
We stayed in the Familienhotel Central which was a fantastic family-focused hotel, just a 5 minute walk from the centre of town. It had loads of play areas for children with toys in our room, cots provided, Thule buggies available to borrow free of charge, bikes with bike seats, high chairs and children’s cutlery, trampolines, a sandpit and playground outside. The breakfast was really good and there was free drinks and cake throughout the day.
How long to stay
I'd recommend staying for a week to really immerse yourself in the area.
Getting around
You don't need a car when visiting this area as there are good public transport links and plenty to do right from the town itself. Having a car would allow you more freedom to travel a little further afield, especially with children.
Travel Tip
If you’re staying in the St. Johann in Tirol region, you will get access to a complimentary guest card which offers you free bus and train travel in the region, as well as discounts on things like the cable car and other partner companies. With the card, we also got 3 hours free use of the swimming pool each day which was a fantastic bonus! You get the card directly from your hotel. Find more information here.
What to do in St. Johann in Tirol
Explore the trails at Moor and More Adventure World
The Moor and More Adventure World in St. Johann in Tirol is two different woodland and moor trails with play stations along the way, ideal for little explorers. It is situated in the Wilder Kaiser nature reserve and contains incredible scenery, unique flora and flora and lots of information boards to allow you to learn about the local environment. There are two trails to choose from: the Rocky Way which is 8km and the Törfchen Loop which is 4.3km. We opted to do the Törfchen Loop as we had other plans for later that day, but if you were happy to spend the whole day here then the Rocky Way would be ideal. Moor and More Adventure World is located a little outside the town so you will need to drive to start the trail or take a taxi, like we did. There is a car park, toilet and forest playground at the start of the walk and the trail is well-signposted the whole way, while you can also pick up a free map from the information centre in St. Johann in Tirol.
The Moor and More trail is great activity to do with kids, allowing them to immerse in nature but also enjoy the play stations which included slides and a zip wire. We’d say it would be best suited for children aged 5+ who would be happy to walk the whole way, but for us with our daughter — who was 19 months a the time — we did a mixture of letting her walk and carrying her in the hiking backpack which was great for all the family. The Törfchen loop is also suitable for buggies.
Do note that Moor and More Adventure World is open from May to October. More information can be found here.
Ride the harschbichl gondola to the top station for lunch
The Harschbichlbahn is the cable car in St. Johann in Tirol that gently soars up and into the Kitzbüheler mountains, from where you can enjoy spectacular views of the Wilder Kaiser mountains, delicious, traditional food and plenty of hiking and mountain biking trails, suitable for all the family. Our toddler absolutely loved the cable car and kept asking to go on the ‘gondola’ over and over again — and still since we have returned home! We’d recommend taking the gondola up to the top station, which is the Harschbichl Mountain Station, where there is a great restaurant and a fantastic play area for kids with a trampoline, slack line, climbing tower, goats, bunnies and chickens and even an old tractor.
Enjoy a leisurely lunch at Harschbichlalm before going hiking; from here, you can hike the Kitbüheler Horn mountain trail as a 6km round trip route from early June, when the snowfields are gone. Unfortunately we couldn’t hike the trail when we were visiting as it was too early in the season but we would love to come back to do it another time. You can see all the prices for the Harschbichlbahn here and further information on what you can do from the top station here.
Hike from Harschbichl mountain station to the middle station
From the Harschbichl top station, it’s a lovely and easy-going hike down the wide, dirt track to the middle station. Along the way, you can grab a hot chocolate and cake at the Angerer Alm refuge which has spectacular views and another lovely children’s play area, before continuing for another 15 minutes down to the middle station to take the gondola back down the mountain. This is a really accessible hike to do with kids and would also be all-terrain buggy or wheelchair friendly as you can follow the mountain road (dirt track) down. Spot wildflower, Alpine cows and mountain views along the way!
Go swimming at Panorama Badewelt
Panorama Badewelt is a large leisure centre right in the centre of St. Johann in Tirol with so much on offer for families. There are indoor pools and a sauna, as well as a children’s pool with fun water activities. In the summer, head straight outside to relax in the grass or on a lounge chair surrounding the incredible outdoor pools. There is a fantastic toddler pool as well as water slides for little kids and big kids alike. The view of the mountains from the outdoor pool is spectacular meaning you still get that Alpine feel while relaxing in town. There is also a snack bar open during the summer months.
If you’re seeking a bit of relaxation and wellness at Panorama Badewelt, then the sauna area includes an outdoor sauna room, aromatherapy bath, salt water bath and ice bath area, along with a café for a mid-sauna refreshment. We loved spending the morning having fun and relaxing at Panorama Badewelt. As we were staying in St. Johann in Tirol, we got the St. Johann in Tirol card which meant that we got 3 hours free per day in the pool.
Wander around St. Johann in Tirol and have dinner at Hotel and Wirsthaus Post
St. Johann in Tirol town itself has cobbled streets, traditional Baroque buildings and a beautiful church, as well as plenty of shops and cafés to wander in and out of. We’d recommend having dinner at Hotel & Wirsthaus Post which is in a beautiful Baroque building just off the main square in St. Johann in Tirol. The food is traditional and delicious and there is outside seating and a great children’s menu too.
Other places we’d recommend are BOMBA Coffee for a delicious coffee, Villa Masianco for an Italian-style dinner and the Huber Bräu brewery which is in a tower building with beautiful views and serves home-brewed beers and small dishes like cheese, bread and cold meats.
St. Johann in Tirol is a fantastic, family-friendly location for an active holiday’ with views of the Wilder Kaiser and Kitzbüheler moutains around every corner, as well as traditional food and Baroque architecture. The valley is wide and open, meaning it gets sunlight all year round and gives this area a really unique landscape. With mountain hikes and bike riding, adventure trails, swimming pools and delicious food, there’ll be plenty to keep you and your family busy during your time here.
Find lots more tips for what you can do in the St. Johann in Tirol region on their website here. We hope you love it as much as we did!
Athena, Harvey & Aífe