Zell am Ziller:Ski resort guide

What is Zell am Ziller like?

Zell am Ziller is the village at the entry to the Zillertal Arena. The Arena's own site calls it an entrance to the Arena and puts the village at 575 m above sea level. Most of what draws visitors sits around it: the Arena's lifts above the village, the leisure park and the BrauKunstHaus beer experience in the village, and, in summer, the Durlassboden reservoir, via ferratas and climbing routes.

The Zillertal Arena is the thing to know before you choose the village. It runs from Zell am Ziller up through Gerlos, Königsleiten, Wald and Hochkrimml, and it crosses from Tyrol into Salzburg's Pinzgau. The Arena's own site describes it as the largest ski area in the Zillertal, with 150 km of pistes and 52 lifts.

Zell am Ziller is not the same ski area as Mayrhofen. The two villages share a valley, but not a lift network. The detail is in the section on Mayrhofen below.

Skiing in Zell am Ziller

The Arena's own lifts page gives its count as 150 km of slopes and 52 lifts. Its lift map shows Zell am Ziller, Gerlos, Königsleiten, Hochkrimml and Gerlostein / Hainzenberg as separate sectors, joined by connections.

The ski area

The Arena lists a connection between Zell am Ziller and Gerlos, along with connections between Königsleiten, Hochkrimml and Gerlos. On the snow report dated 11 October 2026, the Zell am Ziller to Gerlos connection was shown as closed. The snow report is the place to check the state of each connection on the day.

At the time of writing, the Arena's 2026/27 lift times list the Rosenalmbahn at Zell am Ziller from 4 December 2026 to 11 April 2027, and the Gerlossteinbahn from 18 December 2026 to 29 March 2027. The Arena says these times are subject to weather, operating conditions and demand.

Piste map

The Arena publishes an interactive ski map that shows lift and slope status for each sector. It is the place to check which lifts are open on a given day.

Lift passes

The Arena sells day, multi-day and season passes that are valid on all its lifts. Its 2026/27 price list is on the Arena's ticket page, and the link is below rather than the figures, since prices change.

The Zillertal Superskipass covers four large ski areas, the Arena and Mayrhofner Bergbahnen among them. The tourist office says it can be used on most of the valley's public transport and ski buses free of charge. It is sold for 1 to 21 days.

Ski hire

The Arena's ski hire directory filters shops by place, and includes Zell am Ziller and Rohrberg. Some shops also offer ski storage at the entrance to the ski area, so you can start the day with pre-warmed boots and no skis to carry.

Ski schools

The Arena's ski school directory lists schools based in Zell am Ziller, including Aktivzentrum Zillertal. Other schools in the directory are in Gerlos, Königsleiten and Krimml. Each entry has its own contact details.

Where to stay

The valley's tourist office says accommodation ranges from cosy private rooms to five-star hotels. The Arena's own site takes bookings for its villages, Zell am Ziller among them.

Gerlos sits above the valley village, and the Arena's page describes the valley route as going up to Gerlos. The Arena gives 575 m for Zell am Ziller. Compare altitudes before you book.

Zell am Ziller for families

The Arena describes Zell am Ziller as a children's paradise in the snow. The Zell leisure park covers over 45,000 m², according to the Arena's village page. The Arena also lists the Action Park Kreuzwiese, with a weekly ShredSchool, in the Zell area.

Children get reduced Superskipass fares by birth year, and the bands differ between the official pages. Check the ticket page for the current bands and ID rules before you buy.

The Arena lists a 7 km floodlit natural toboggan run in Zell am Ziller. The Arena Coaster is also in the village.

Things to do in Zell am Ziller

In winter the Arena has the Arena Coaster, snowtubing at Gerlosstein and a toboggan run at Gerlosstein that is lit until midnight. The Arena also runs moonlight skiing with dinner and Good Morning Skiing on selected dates in March.

Off the slopes, the Zell-Gerlos area has the BrauKunstHaus, the regional museum, the Maria Rast pilgrimage church and the Zillertal gold mine. The tourist office lists them as worth seeing.

Eating and drinking

The BrauKunstHaus in Zell am Ziller is a Tyrolean beer experience, with a multimedia tour through the Zillertal's beer specialities, according to the Arena's village page. The tourist office says Zillertal beer is brewed in Tyrol's oldest private brewery, in the Zell-Gerlos area.

The Arena lists numerous cosy ski huts and sun terraces on its slopes. I did not open a sourced restaurant list, so no restaurants are named here.

Zell am Ziller in summer

The Rosenalmbahn is one of the Arena's summer cable cars. The Arena's ticket page lists the Rosenalm top station at 1,744 m and the Wiesenalm middle station at 1,309 m. Summer tickets are on the same page.

The Zell-Gerlos area has a varied summer. The Durlassboden reservoir offers surfing, swimming, pedal boating and fishing, with barbecue areas on the shore. The Talbach and Gerlossteinwand via ferratas are both listed, and the tourist office also lists the Riederklamm climbing garden and a high ropes course. The Zell leisure park has an outdoor pool, beach volleyball and a fun court.

How to get to Zell am Ziller

The Arena's transport page says Zell am Ziller is in the middle of the Zillertal and that you can reach it by the Zillertalbahn train or a bus from Jenbach. Timetable 4094 runs between Zell, Gerlos and Königsleiten.

By train, the Arena's page describes a route from Germany by ICE to Munich, then the EuroCity to Jenbach, and a change there to the Zillertalbahn. The Austrian and German rail timetables are linked from the same page.

The Arena lists an airport shuttle from Innsbruck and Munich, and names a taxi firm for the valley.

By car, leave the A12 Inntal motorway at the Zillertal exit between Innsbruck and Kufstein, then follow the B169. You need a motorway toll sticker for Austria. The Arena's page also gives routes from Munich, Salzburg and Vienna.

Weather, snow and webcams

The tourist office publishes a snow report for each ski area in the valley, including the Zell-Gerlos-Königsleiten-Hochkrimml sector. Its weather page carries a five-day forecast for the Zillertal, and its webcam page links to the Zell-Gerlos webcams.

When to visit Zell am Ziller

At the time of writing, the Arena's 2026/27 lift times run from early December to the middle of April. The Rosenalmbahn is listed from 4 December 2026 to 11 April 2027. For summer, the Rosenalmbahn and the Arena's other summer cable cars run, and the tourist office's Zell-Gerlos page lists hiking and bike routes.

Check dates with the accommodation you choose.

Zell am Ziller vs Mayrhofen

Both villages are in the Zillertal, and the Superskipass covers both. That is where the similarity ends. Zell am Ziller is the entry to the Zillertal Arena, with the Zell and Gerlos lifts. Mayrhofen is the Mayrhofen-Hippach region, with its own ski area, Mayrhofner Bergbahnen, which includes the Ahorn, Penken and Horberg sectors. The snow report lists the Mayrhofner connections to Finkenberg, Rastkogel and Eggalm, and none to Zell am Ziller or Gerlos.

The tourist office describes Mayrhofen as the valley's secret capital, with boutiques, restaurants, bars and cafés, and it lists the Penken and Ahorn cable cars. Zell am Ziller's appeal is the Arena's lift network and the family facilities in the village.

Choose Zell am Ziller if you want the Zillertal Arena's lifts and villages at the foot of the slopes, with a family leisure park and beer tour in the village.

Choose Mayrhofen if you want the Mayrhofner Bergbahnen ski area, the valley's shops and bars, and the Penken and Ahorn lifts.

What's nearby

• Mayrhofen

  The Mayrhofen-Hippach region, with its own ski area, Mayrhofner Bergbahnen.

• Gerlos

  Inside the Zillertal Arena, linked to Zell am Ziller by a connection the Arena lists.

• Königsleiten

  On the Salzburg side of the Arena, with its own ski school.

• Hochkrimml

  On the Salzburg side of the Arena, with its own cable cars.