Football Training Camp in Austria: Tyrol, Salzburg and What to Check Before You Book

For a football training camp, Austria is not one destination but a set of valleys, and the valley decides most of the plan. The airport you land at, who owns the pitch and how high you train all follow from it. In summer 2026, Werder Bremen spent a week in the Zillertal and Schalke 04 in the Stubai valley. Two Turkish Süper Lig clubs went further east: Galatasaray to Windischgarsten in Upper Austria, Trabzonspor to Schladming in Styria.

Why clubs head to the Austrian Alps in July

The first reason is the weather. We worked out July averages for 1991 to 2020 from GeoSphere Austria's monthly station data:

Mornings in Seefeld start at around 9°C. The other side of the table is rain: afternoon storms are common in July, so plan an indoor hall or a back-up pitch from the start.

The second reason is opponents. Several clubs share the same valley in the same week, so a friendly rarely means a long drive.

Tyrol: Innsbruck, Seefeld, Zillertal and Stubai

Seefeld in Tirol sits on a plateau at about 1,200 metres, north-west of Innsbruck. The local tourist board lists two natural grass pitches in the village reserved for clubs and national teams. Its press office reported FC Basel, Real Betis, Slaven Belupo and Holstein Kiel training there in summer 2024. Innsbruck Airport is 19 km away.

Fügen stands at the mouth of the Zillertal, 53 km from Innsbruck Airport. Further up the valley, Werder Bremen trained in Zell am Ziller from 20 to 26 July 2026, which the Weser-Kurier counted as the club's fifteenth summer preparation in Austria.

The Stubai valley starts just south of Innsbruck. Schalke 04 announced that their squad would spend 19 to 26 July 2026 there, around Neustift, Fulpmes, Telfes, Mieders and Schönberg, on pitches built to UEFA standards. Fulpmes is 22 km from the airport.

Salzburg and Kaprun

Salzburg state offers the area around the city and, further south, Zell am See-Kaprun. From Salzburg Airport to Kaprun is 101 km, about 1 hour 25 minutes without traffic. Bayer 04 Leverkusen came to this area for ten summers from 2013 to 2022. According to the club, the squad stayed at a hotel in Kaprun and trained at the Alois Latini Stadium in neighbouring Zell am See.

Pitches: who owns them and what to ask

The Leverkusen arrangement is typical. In Austria the hotel and the pitch are often in different places, and the pitch usually belongs to the municipality or the local club. Werder's pitches in Zell am Ziller are provided by the local club, SK Zell am Ziller. Before you book, get these points in writing:

• Which hours the pitch is yours alone, and when the local club trains
• Who mows and waters it, and which pitch you use when it rains
• Changing rooms, a gym and ice baths
• Distance from the hotel and transfer time

Flights, airports and transfers

Turkish Airlines flies direct from Istanbul to Salzburg and Vienna, and several times a day to Munich. We found no scheduled direct flight from Istanbul to Innsbruck. Frequencies change with the season.

Drive times come from OSRM and will be longer at busy times. Weigh a two-hour coach ride from Munich against a connection into Innsbruck. How we plan flights and airport transfers as part of a camp is on our travel and transfers page.

Finding friendlies when every valley has a team

The summer 2026 programmes show how wide the pool is. In Schladming, Trabzonspor played Eintracht Frankfurt, Al Sadd of Qatar and Udinese. Galatasaray met Monza and Venezia. Werder Bremen hosted Fagiano Okayama from Japan and VfL Bochum in Zell am Ziller. How many friendlies to schedule and how to grade opponents is covered in our guide to arranging friendlies on camp, and what we arrange is on the friendly matches page.

Visas for the travelling squad

Visa rules depend on each player's passport. Turkish citizens need a Schengen visa. Citizens of the United Arab Emirates can visit visa-free for short stays. As of November 2026, citizens of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman still need a visa, although the EU has said it intends to start visa waiver procedures for them. Check the current list before applying.

We check visa needs player by player against each passport. For applications, see the visa services page of Seda Turizm, our group company.

Frequently asked questions

When is the best time for a training camp in Austria?

Every 2026 camp mentioned above took place in July. Other clubs want the same weeks, so hotels and pitches should be secured early.

Which airport is closest to Tyrol's camp villages?

Innsbruck. With no scheduled direct flight from Istanbul, squads coming from Türkiye usually land in Munich or Salzburg and continue by road.

Can we play friendlies against other teams on camp?

Yes. In summer 2026, German, Italian, Qatari and Japanese clubs were in camp in Austria in the same weeks.

Does the squad need a Schengen visa?

It depends on nationality, as set out in the visa section above.

How warm is it in the Alps in July?

Mild and often wet: a July average of 19.6°C in Innsbruck and 14.8°C in Seefeld.

Is Slovenia an alternative to Austria?

Yes. Across Austria's southern border are Kranjska Gora in the Julian Alps, the capital Ljubljana and Maribor in the east, and Ljubljana has direct flights from Istanbul. We compare the two countries on weather, flights and recovery in our guide to a football training camp in Slovenia.

Can a camp in Austria be combined with a second stage in Türkiye?

Yes. From Salzburg or Munich the squad can fly to Istanbul and continue to a cooler summer region such as Erzurum or Bolu. The options are on our camp locations page, and building the calendar is covered in how to plan a pre-season training camp.

Where you can land will largely pick the valley. Send us your flight plan and the friendlies you want, and we will compare Tyrol and Salzburg with real distances.