When planning our trips, we always try to find something especially attractive for children. And this time, we definitely hit the bull’s-eye: a cable car ride, thanks to which we managed to overcome almost a thousand vertical metres and enjoy easy hiking full of fascinating views. A hike with children on the Rax Alpen. And as a bonus, snow was still waiting for the kids in May. So even though we didn’t enjoy much snow in Bratislava this year, the kids made up for its absence on this trip. But in order:
Raichenau an der Rax
We left Bratislava just before eight in the morning. We set the Austrian town of Reichenau an der Rax in our navigation. Since most of the drive was on the motorway, we reached our destination in less than two hours. And then, the signs in town directed us to a cable car just outside town. There were parking areas below the cable car where one could park without problems or fees.
Raxseilbahn
The Raxseilbahn runs every half hour. Tickets can also be purchased online. However, since our trip was outside the tourist season, we purchased our tickets directly from the ticket office without a long wait. Everything went smoothly and quickly, and we rode up at ten o’clock.
The ride took only a few minutes, and we got off at the cable car’s top station at the Raxalm – Berggasthof hut (1 545 m). And we got our first breathtaking views. The start was fantastic, and it was clear that we still had a lot to look forward to. And so we set off to meet our next adventures.
From Berggasthof to Ottohaus
From the hut, a hiking trail marked in red led us to the next hut – Ottohaus – in about half an hour. And here began our planned tour of the Rax plateau.
A little above the hut, there was a small wooden skywalk, to which a hiking trail marked in blue led, and this continued beyond the skywalk. Here we had a short climb, and then we continued along the trail leading through the slash forest (once gently down, once gently up) to the leading destination of our trip – the Preiner wand hill.
Preiner Wand
Of course, the highest point of this circuit (1,783 m), dominated by a high cross, also offered us incredible views.
We continued on from the Preiner Wand and were faced with a somewhat uncomfortable descent (only uncomfortable because I twisted my ankle on the way down. Otherwise, it would have been excellent) to the Neue Seehϋtte hut.
Neue Seehϋtte
The hut may be smaller (compared to the previous two), but they sold us Coca-Cola in glass bottles without any problems here too. Coca-Cola is actually the best in glass bottles.
We rested a bit, freshened up with Coke and headed back.
Returned to the first crossroads from the hut and did not continue on the blue trail we had come here but took the red trail to the Ottohaus hut to complete the circuit.
We assumed this part of the route would be more comfortable than the first. But as the road was still almost entirely covered with snow, our ideas of a comfortable route vanished quickly.
On the snow in May
Snow in May in 12-degree temperatures is no longer pleasant to walk in, and every once in a while, one of us would sink more than knee-deep in the snow. Some of us were slightly tired, but the kids had a great time. They had a blast in the snow like they hadn’t had in a long time.
We all had our boots completely wet (and it didn’t matter if we had low or high boots), but considering the temperature outside, it didn’t matter. We were still walking along the trail marked in red, but suddenly the markings had somehow disappeared.
Lost
We walked through the slash, and the crossing was already quite complex. And the signs were nowhere to be found. Probably lost. But we didn’t panic because we were always walking on the already beaten path. And suddenly, we saw it.
A sign. But a blue one. And suddenly, we were on the trail we had started our journey on in the morning. So we didn’t get lost; we just made our journey a little longer.
The red marker was obscured in the snow, and we’d picked the wrong path. We “knew it” at the blue trail, and in a little while, we were also at the small skywalk where our hike started. And it was only a few meters from the Ottohaus’ hut.
Buns with vanilla and poppy seeds
They had amazing steamed buns at the hut. I definitely recommend them. Buns with vanilla cream and poppy seeds. Hmmmmm. One poem. While the kids finished eating, we took advantage of the time and booked a lift pass down to the terminals at the entrance. Although we had already purchased tickets (we had bought both up and down tickets in the morning), the hut was pretty crowded, and we were starting to worry if we would fit on the cable car anymore.
So we took the opportunity to book the cable car for a specific time instead. However, our fears turned out to be unfounded. When we got from the Ottohaus to the top station of the cable car, it was evident that we could still catch an earlier cable car than the one we had booked entry for. And get on it we did, even without a reservation. So the trip down was already speedy. And we just got in the car and headed for home. We had a wonderful day.
Hiking with children on the Rax Alpen
The Rax plateau tour is a beautiful hike with endless amounts of amazing views. I definitely recommend it for younger children as well. The cable car and steamed buns are enough of an attraction for children.
However, I recommend doing this hike earlier in the summer for more minor children. In May, there was still plenty of snow, and traversing the snow trails was exhausting. But not for bigger kids like ours (11-13 years old). They were really able to enjoy it already. A hike with kids on the Rax Alpen will provide new horizons.
