Salzburg Airport to Zell am See: a resort that works in both seasons

Zell am See is about 90km south of Salzburg, and unlike St Anton further west, it's a resort with a genuine second life outside ski season — the lake it sits on, the Zeller See, draws hikers and cyclists through summer, so this is one of the few Alpine routes on this site that gets real traffic year-round rather than just in winter.

The drive takes an hour to an hour and a half depending on the route and, in winter, the weather — broadly similar to the time it takes to reach St Anton, even though the distance on paper is shorter.

There's a decent train option. Salzburg's airport doesn't have its own rail link, so it's a short bus or taxi to the main station first, but from there the Pinzgau line runs a scenic route down to Zell am See. It's a popular choice with summer visitors travelling light, less so with anyone hauling ski gear through a station change.

A pre-booked transfer solves the luggage problem outright — one load, one vehicle, door to door — and in winter it also means someone else is dealing with the driving conditions instead of you working out whether your hire car has the right tyres.

Rule of thumb: visiting in summer without ski bags, the train is a genuinely pleasant way to arrive. Travelling with gear, as a group, or in the depths of winter, book a transfer — the extra certainty is worth more here than on a pure summer route.