Holidays

Farm Holidays

All across Austria there working farms which also put up guests – B&B, half board or self-catering. This is known as Urlaub am Bauernhof (farm holiday). If you want an escape from the city and endless entertainment for children, this is a great option. There is a website listing all of the baby and child friendly Urlaub am Bauernhof locations in Austria www.farmholidays.com. You can also order a brochure online, select Baby und Kinderfreundliche Bauernhof under Kataloge.

Ruecklhof
The place we went to was called Ruecklhof in Styria, set high up in a valley with stunning views of the Dachstein mountains. The place is amazingly kiddy friendly. First there are the animals – cows, sheep, goats, donkeys, horses, ducks, cat/kittens, pig, chicken. The farmer actively involved the children in the daily feeding of them, taking them to and from the meadow and milking the cows so it is also very educational. There is also all manner of sit-and-ride cars, tractors, go carts etc. and a playground and sandpit. We had half board – the kids get small portions and have their own special plates and cutlery. Just off the dining area is an indoor playground which is perfect for shipping fidgety kids off to between courses. As this is one of the Baby and Child Farms (see below) they have plenty of high-chairs, cots etc and are happy to let you prepare bottles or baby food in their kitchen. Ideal for families with one or more kids aged two or over and fairly reasonable as well.
Recommended by: Kirsty Weston
Address: Hohenbergstrasse 27, 8971 Rohrmoos / Schladming, Styria
Transport: By car, or by train to Schladming

Kinderbauernhof Kurz
Situated in the Waldviertel about 90 minutes drive NW of Vienna towards Zwettel. This farm provides self catering accommodation and 5 camping pitches. We took 2 four year olds here on a 2 night camping trip which was a great success. This is civilised camping in that the pitches are located beside the farm and have the use of a spotlessly clean modern shower, toilet, and kitchen block (including washing machine). If you don't fancy cooking on an open fire there is a fully stocked kitchen (fridge, saucepans, crockery & cutlery) with a TV & seating for 6-8 people. There are two campfire areas beside the tent pitches, a tripod/grill for cooking is provided and you pay a nominal fee for firewood. The main attraction (for 2 boys) were the numerous pedal go-carts, plus a small animal petting area, watching the cows being milked (then buying & drinking the fresh milk), and visiting the trout lake.  There is a small playground across the road (vitually no traffic), a sand pit in the farm yard and an indoor play barn.
Recommended by: Sue Hatton & Jane Spiegel
Address: Kamles 4, 3914 Waldhausen
Transport: Ideally by car

Austrian Tourist Board

Provides a searchable database (in English) of virtually all holiday accommodation in Austria plus lots of resort information and links to resort Web sites.

Family Hotels

There are many hotels in Austria that specifically market themselves as being child-friendly. If you are planning a holiday you might want to consider looking at the following:
KinderHotels
FamilySelectHotels.com
Familotel
Falkensteiner Hotels & Resorts
Italy Family Hotels