The popular ski resort in Tauplitz is also a great place to visit in the summer. It’s about 1.4 hours from Graz by car. Tauplitzalm on top of the mountain is a very pretty alpine pasture with small lakes and family friendly hikes. You can either drive with your car up the Alpenstraße (10 Km) €14 from Bad Mitterndorf . Or you can take the chairlift from Tauplitz village (€16 one way / €20 return). They can also transport prams, wheelchairs, bikes or dogs.

There are numerous hiking options around Tauplitzalm. The most popular is the 6 lake hike. There is a stroller, wheelchair friendly path that runs a lot of the way on bottom side (yellow path) and quite a few restaurants and huts to stop for a drink or meal. My favourite is to walk on the top blue hiking path as it’s more of a hiking trail and interesting terrain, still very accessible just too rough for pushchairs. The Marchensee is tiny but a lovely place for a quick dip in the water and just beyond are streams which are popular for kids to play in.

You can see the whole map here and pick up a hard copy in Tauplitz.

Also don’t miss the scenic lookout ‘Steirerseebankerl’ with a pretty view over the Steirersee (yellow eye symbol on map) also with useful benches for a picnic or a rest.

For a more strenuous hike with stunning views over the area, head up to the Lawinenstein cross, either on the right path 271 (very steep but shorter, I wouldn’t attempt this going down) or left path 274 climbing steadily up hill alongside the ski slope. At the very end you have a great view over Grundlsee and the mountains beyond. On the way back down, I can recommend stopping at Hollhaus Gasthaus (#1 on the map) for refreshment.

If you have parked in Tauplitz and taken the chair lift up, you can do a lovely walk back down the mountain which takes about 2 hours (I took the 275 path).

Visiting in July is a very pretty time as the pink Alpen Roses (short rhododendron bushes) are blooming everywhere.

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