Hopsiland Planai: a children's paradise above Schladming

Hopsiland on the Planai is the highest playground in Styria. It sits above 1,800 m, right at the top station of the cable car above Schladming. Hopsi the hare leads children along two loops with marble runs, a water world, climbing frames and slides. Here is how to plan the trip, which way to go with a pushchair and what you pay in summer 2026.

Hopsiland at a glance

Who for	children aged roughly 1 to 10, families with pushchairs
Time needed	4 km of loops and about 1.5 hours walking; half to a full day with play
Season 2026	14 May – 1 Nov, cable car 9:00–17:00
Cable car	Planai, 10-seat gondolas, top station at 1,830 m
Family of four without a card	€98 return
With Schladming-Dachstein Card	cable car included (as your daily ride), playground free
Parking	at the valley station by the Planai stadium

The lift runs daily from 20 May to 20 September and from 8 October to 1 November. On 14–17 May and 24 September – 4 October only Thursday to Sunday.

What’s included and what you pay

Hopsiland itself is free; you only pay for the cable car. With the Schladming-Dachstein Card from your partner accommodation it is included. But the card gives one cable car ride per day in total, so a Planai day is a Planai day.

Planai cable car 2026	Adults and youth (born 2010 or earlier)	Children (born 2011–2020)
return, top station	€32.00	€17.00
one way, top station	€24.00	€13.50
return, middle station	€18.50	€10.50

A family of four with children aged 8 and 11 pays €98 without the card. Hopsiland is at the top station, so a middle-station ticket is not enough.

Only small extras: a ball for the competition marble run for €2 (at the info point below or at the Hopsi Express up top) and possibly a rental bike in the Bike Area. The Hopsi Express inclined lift between the two loops is free.

Two loops: Hopsis Heimat and Hopsis Weltreise

About 4 km of paths in total, 1.5 hours of walking and 125 m of ascent. Right at the top station is the first playground with swings, slides and a shaded sandpit, where you start.

Hopsis Heimat (Hopsi’s home), about 2 km

Starts right at the top station. With a pushchair, go clockwise.

• Competition marble run at the very first station.
• Bird world: a motor-skills trail for the youngest and a quiz on alpine birds, obstacle course from age 4.
• Hopsi’s water world: building dams and paddling in a mountain stream.
• Kasalm at the bottom of the Hopsi Express: a little hut with an indoor marble run and slide, a lifesaver in the rain.
• Almmotorik: balancing on milking stools and churns, climbing along a cow.
• BergSportWelt in the Weitmoos area: hare long jump, trampoline, racing slides and alpine golf.
• Hopsis Waldwegerl: a forest path with animals telling stories of mountain life.

Hopsis Weltreise (Hopsi’s world tour), about 2 km

The new loop starts by the Bike Area and the Märchenwiesenhütte. With a pushchair, take the Hopsi Express to get there. With a pushchair, go anticlockwise.

• Rabbit Creek: gold panning.
• Bike Area: three easy tracks with berms, balance bikes welcome. The “Fahr-Long” conveyor belt brings you back to the start; bike rental on site.
• North Pole: an eight-metre tower with a multi-level marble run, slide and viewing platform over the region.
• Deep sea: a giant octopus with climbing nets, slides and wobbly starfish.
• Safari, Europe and Australia: a telescope into the savannah, a giant walk-in hiking boot and a big climbing spider.

With a pushchair and small children

• Both loops are built for pushchairs too. Follow the recommended direction and use the Hopsi Express between the loops.
• Best for toddlers: the playground at the top station, the bird world and the water world. Pack spare clothes for the water play.
• At 1,800 m it is several degrees cooler than in Schladming. A jacket and hat belong in the backpack even in August.

Food and huts

Hopsiland has six huts and restaurants: Planaihof, Schladminger Hütte, Onkel Willy’s Hütte, Schafalm, Märchenwiesenhütte by Rabbit Creek and Lärchkogelhütte. Parents enjoy Styrian food on the terrace while the children play nearby.

Day plan

1. Up at 9:00. Park at the valley station by the Planai stadium.
2. Morning, Hopsis Heimat: marble run, water world, lunch on a terrace.
3. Afternoon, Hopsi Express to the Weltreise: North Pole, octopus and Bike Area.
4. Ride down by 17:00.

With several days you can split the loops into two outings. With the card the lift is included every day; you just don’t get another lift free that day.

Our experience

Our three small children are thrilled with Hopsiland. Each of them finds a favourite, from the water to the marble runs and the slides, and they never want to come down the mountain. For us it proves that you can head to the mountains with small children and everyone can enjoy it. The kids play, and we get to stop, take in the view and breathe.

Summary

Hopsiland is the easiest full-day outing for families with small children in Schladming: a cable car straight from town, a playground at the top station and pushchair-friendly paths. With the Schladming-Dachstein Card you pay at most for the marble. More outings by age are in Schladming with kids in summer, and the neighbouring Rittisberg with its alpine coaster in Rittisberg with kids.

Sources

1. Hopsiland Planai (official, planai.at)
2. Hopsiland Planai – route, length and parking (schladming-dachstein.at)
3. Planai – summer 2026 operating times and prices (Ski amadé)
4. Schladming-Dachstein Card – official page

Information is valid as of the article's last update. Card conditions change every season, so check them with the region or your accommodation before you travel.

Translated from the Czech original. Figures and conditions come from the same verified data.