A Family Adventure in Austria

Kim Liu Leach, along with husband Marcus and their two children, discovers the perfect spring family holiday in Austria.

"Austria? What’s in Austria?" asked my 9-year-old son, eyebrows raised with mild suspicion, as we told him we’d be spending our Easter holiday there. It was an understandable question as Austria had never featured on our travel radar before. We hadn’t hyped it up like we had France’s patisseries. But we were in search of mountain air with a side of adventure, and we fancied a quieter corner of Europe. Austria delivered all that and more, in the most wonderful way.

We set off from the UK in our motorhome, crossing the Channel via LeShuttle to Calais, at which point the adventure really felt like it was underway. Once on European soil we opted for the motorways through France and into Germany and, after a couple of long-ish driving days, we rolled into Austria’s Salzburg region, just in time for spring to bloom.

Our first stop was the multi-award-winning Camping Grubhof, an hour south of Salzburg, situated in a valley where the mountains lean in as if they’re sharing secrets. It’s the type of place where you visit once and return to again and again, because an ordinary holiday is turned into an extraordinary adventure based on the delights of the surrounding landscape.

Camping Grubhof was a nature lover’s delight. The pitches were the most generous we’ve encountered and ours, right on the riverside, was simply perfect. We parked our motorhome with the habitation door facing the water and every morning, with a steaming cup of coffee, we’d sit and watch the river babbling past. Harrison loved skimming stones right at the water’s edge, and our daughter collected wooden sticks like they were precious treasures. Marcus and I sat and read, lulled into stillness by the gentle sound of the water coming down from the snow capped mountains in the distance.

Grubhof’s facilities were equally incredible, the shower block felt more like a boutique spa than a campsite, the private luxury bathrooms complete with large lit mirrors and hot rainfall showers. There was no need to traipse the children from one area to another simply to get the morning rituals done, which was a real blessing. As for the dish washing room, it had one of the best views of the mountains anywhere on the site. No wonder Marcus was always happy to volunteer to wash up each day.

Across a bridge that arched over the river we found a selection of beautiful walks. Short ones perfect for post-dinner strolls, and a series of longer ones, the highlight being a loop that meanders past wildlife and ancient trees, eventually leading to a waterfall with sturdy wooden steps heading up alongside it, before it took us back to the campsite.

One particular highlight was sighting a spotted salamander, with Dorothy proudly announcing she had spotted it while running ahead on one walk. It was slick black with yellow spots and lay perfectly still as we approached, clearly worried we were some sort of predator. We later learned that its skin is toxic, so thankfully we were admiring it from a distance.

We met and became friends with another family here, conveniently camped next to us and the children quickly formed a loose friendship group, dashing about barefoot and creating dams in the river. It’s the kind of carefree childhood moment you hope your children will remember one day.

A week later, we packed up and drove to Woferlgut Sportcamp in Zell am See, an hour or so away. Where Grubhof felt serene and calm, Woferlgut was a whirlwind of fun. It has the feel of a miniature village, bustling with life but never feeling overwhelming or overcrowded, even in the height of the Easter school holidays.

The kids were beside themselves when they saw the pool complex with its various heated indoor pools and a big twisty slide they rode until they were dizzy. We spent afternoons exploring the wooden outdoor activity course on the other side of the site. Wobbly bridges, climbing ropes, wooden beams and monkey bars all set beside an outdoor lake that was still too cold to swim in but teeming with tadpoles, which delighted the kids no end.

One particularly memorable day saw us taking the local bus (it stops right at the campsite entrance) to Kaprun, home to the Kitzsteinhorn Glacier. We ascended via cable cars and gondolas, each lift taking us higher above the treeline, our motorhome life disappearing behind us in a blur. At over 3,000 metres the glacier felt like another world. Skiers and snowboarders buzzed with end-of-season joy, while we took in the views from the Gipfelwelt 3000 platform. From there you can see the Großglockner, Austria’s highest peak, standing tall at 3,798 metres and flanked by endless snowy ridgelines. It was breathtaking, literally. The altitude had me gasping on more than one occasion.

There’s a panoramic cinema hidden in the mountain, where we warmed up and watched a mesmerising short film about the forces that shaped the Alps and the abundance of wildlife to be found there. Children and adults alike were mesmerised by the film.

We didn’t know what to expect from Austria, but we left with hearts full and a whole host of wonderful memories. The natural beauty, the superb campsites and the moments of connection as a family, they all wove together into a tapestry of joy.

Both Camping Grubhof and Woferlgut Sportcamp are part of the Caravan and Motorhome Club European campsite network, and booking online is simple. If you’re dreaming of an Austrian escape that feeds the soul and sparks the imagination, I can’t recommend this region enough.

Published May 2025