Christmas holiday in Austria with a toddler ~ Advice please!

by **bec239** on Thu Dec 06, 2007 19:50 pm

Hi ~ we are having a Christmas family holiday in Bad Gastein and I wondered if anyone could offer advice. It will be our first holiday abroad with our 2 year old son and my first 'snowy' holiday. Would you recommend I take a pushchair for him to nap in during the day or will it be a nightmare trying to push it around, or indeed, to take on the plane? Is there anything else, from your own experiences, you think I should take that I might have overlooked?? Any advice would be welcome!

by **engelberg** on Sat Dec 08, 2007 19:34 pm

Well a pushchair is handy,but how much snow is there .Also check out tot club prices in resorts.Will you be skiing or sightseeing?

by **bec239** on Sat Dec 08, 2007 19:53 pm

Hi Englberg,

Thanks for your reply. I will be mainly sightseeing but we would like to go on cable cars, if possible. I thought a pushchair would be useful so we could still go out if our son wants a sleep in the afternoon and so we won't be tied to the hotel. But will we look ridiculous trying to push a pushchair around? Many thanks for your advice x

by **anneb** on Sat Jan 12, 2008 19:42 pm

How did you get on I am investigating Xmas 2008 holidya with my 2 kids aged 8 & 5, was there much to do apart from skiing?

by **vanwel** on Fri Apr 25, 2008 09:30 am

Hi Bec239

I too would be interested to know how you got on as we are looking into a holiday in Austria this Christmas with our son (8).

Anneb
Have you got any further with your searches? We are torn between a 4 to 7 day stay in Salzburg or Vienna and a 4 to 7 day stay in the mountains staying in a chalet apartment or chalet type hotel. We don't ski so are not sure it there will be enough else to do at Christmas time. Even Salzburg and Vienna may be quiet at Christmas with all the markets closing shortly before Christmas.

Any advice would be appreciated.

by **bec239** on Fri Apr 25, 2008 19:56 pm

Hi Vanwel,
We really loved Austria and the staff in the hotel were very friendly and accommodating. There was a gala meal on Christmas Eve and there was a visit from Santa who brought a gift for all the children.
We didn't ski but did take a trip on a gondola to the top of the mountain and had a great walk/play in the snow. It didn't actually snow while we were there so the snow was hard but it was still good. The pushchair was definitely a good idea - in fact we would have been lost without it. Our son could sleep when he wanted and because there wasn't fresh snow it was fine to push around.
Most of the shops were closed though over the main Christmas period and this made it very tricky to buy bottled water and milk. Buying the small bottled water in the hotel was very expensive. This may sound strange, but we couldn't get squash or cordial. It seemed to be fizzy drinks, sparkling water or this multivitamin drink.
We made the most of the facilities in the hotel, such as the pool.
On Christmas Day we booked a sleigh ride through the national park and the memory of this will last forever. There was a break half way through and other families (mainly British) swapped presents then. In the hotel itself, Christmas Day was a bit of a non-event s the main celebrations were on Christmas Eve, so if I did it again, I would take my own tradtional touches for the day.
We travelled to Salzburg and had a day there before flying back and I thought it was very beautiful with lots to see.
Sorry this is a bit jumbled and I hope it makes sense!
Hope you have a great holiday, wherever you go!

by **vanwel** on Sat Apr 26, 2008 12:32 pm

Thanks for the reply. Sounds like you had a lovely time. I hope ours is as good. Just something else I forgot to ask - I have heard Austria is quite cheap, but how much to things like a sleigh ride cost?

by **bec239** on Tue Apr 29, 2008 19:23 pm

Hi,
I must admit that we didn't find Austria all that cheap particularly the drinks. Our hotel was a little away from the main places so of course, they had us over a barrel. I think the sleigh ride was about 40 euros each and was worth every penny (cent!). It really was magical, especially listening to our 2 year old singing 'Jingle Bells' while the horses pulled the sleigh. If you do go for this, a word of advice - wrap up warm. We had been advised to do this and were grateful for this advice. We were covered over with 2 very heavy, warm blankets but we still needed our extra layers.

by **weissingergoldsmith** on Thu May 08, 2008 17:35 pm

I have been skiing with my two sons (now 5 and 2) for the past three years. To be honest the only answer is a family friendly hotel which will provide you with EVERY possible piece of baby equipment plus creche facilities & playroom and make everything easy for you. I would recommend the Hotel Amiamo in Zell am Zee which are part of a family friendly group of hotels, just check out what the hotel offers before you book & you should be able to leave all your equipment at home.

by **icoobaby2** on Thu Apr 02, 2009 07:25 am

Hello friends.I think you guys need a suggestion or advice to carry a toddler for a holiday in Austria.Since it is chirismas season I would suggest you to take Mickey Sun Shop 'n Drive travel system to carry your child and protect your child form snow fall and dust.If you are interested then visit the link given below.
http://www.icoobaby.co.uk/mickey_range/mickey_speed_sun_shop_n_drive_set/10115_p.html