Visiting Dachstein-Krippenstein and the Dachstein Giant Ice Cave
Perched high above Austria’s stunning Salzkammergut region, Dachstein-Krippenstein is truly one of Austria’s most awe-inspiring alpine destinations. As someone who lives in Austria and has explored Dachstein-Krippenstein many times, I can confidently say it’s one of the most breathtaking and rewarding adventures in the Salzkammergut region — an absolute must for any visitor.
Rising to 2,100 metres (around 6,890 feet), Dachstein-Krippenstein is a vast and dramatic karst landscape of limestone and dolomite, stretching across the northern slopes of the majestic Hoher Dachstein (2,995 m / 9,826 feet), the highest peak in the Salzkammergut. This unique terrain offers more than just stunning views — it’s a playground for outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers alike.
One of the highlights of the Dachstein-Krippenstein is the Dachstein Giant Ice Caves (Rieseneishöhle), a frozen wonderland of surreal ice formations. But the adventure doesn’t stop there. From the iconic 5fingers viewing platform, the World Heritage Spiral and the Dachstein Shark to the Mammut and Koppenbrüller Caves and scenic hikes across the plateau, Dachstein-Krippenstein offers something for everyone.
Whether you’re visiting Hallstatt or exploring the broader Salzkammergut region, adding Dachstein-Krippenstein to your itinerary promises an unforgettable mix of natural beauty, alpine adventure, and truly magical moments.
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Essential Information for visiting Dachstein-Krippenstein
Summer Hours
The mountain and cave world are open from May 1 to November 11.
Please check the website for the opening times.
The first ascent is at 8:40 am
Check onsite the times for the last descent of the cable cars (between 16:50 and 19:00- depending on when you visit)
Note: You cannot visit the Caves in the winter
In winter, the Dachstein-Krippenstein is a ski resort from mid-December to early April (check the website for opening dates). Hiking to the 5fingers lookout is possible.
How long do you need to visit Dachstein-Krippenstein?
We recommend visiting the Dachstein-Krippenstein as a Full-Day trip.
It is advisable to get an early start and to check the weather conditions before setting out.
It is recommended:
- For a visit to the Giant Ice Caves, allow 2 hours minimum.
- For a visit to the Mammoth Cave, allow 2 hours.
- You should plan at least 6 hours to visit the Dachstein Giant Ice Cave, the Mammoth Cave, and the Five Fingers.
How to get to Dachstein Krippenstein
Dachstein Krippenstein is located in Obertraun in Upper Austria
IMPORTANT : Do not confuse OBERTRAUN, the village in the state of Upper Austria at the base of the Dachstein-Krippenstein, with OBERTAUERN in the Rädstadter Tauern in the State of Salzburg, which is located ~90 minutes drive, 87 km south!
By Car:
From Salzburg, it is approximately a 75-minute drive to Obertraun. You can drive either south via Golling and Pass Gshütt or east via the Austria Romatikstraße/B158
From Vienna, it is approximately a 3.5-hour drive to Obertraun. You can drive either west via the Westautobahn or south via the S6
It is an approximate 10-minute drive (8km) from Hallstatt.
There is a large car park at the valley station.
By Train: Take the train to Obertraun – Train stop “Obertraun Dachsteinhöhlen Bahnhof” and continue by bus line no 542
By bus: # 542 + 543 from Bad Ischl, Hallstatt, Gosau to Obertraun to the valley station of the Dachstein Krippenstein cable cars.
The bus stop “Obertraun Dachsteinseilbahn” is located in front of the entrance area of the valley station of the Dachstein Krippenstein cable cars.
The village of Obertaun
Our Recommendations | Where we Stay in Hallstatt
♥ The first time we visited with our family we stayed at the fabulous Seehotel Grüner Baum, in a suite with a lakeside balcony.
♥ I also like Gasthof Simony, located next door to the Seehotel Grüner Baum. This is the most economical place to stay, lakeside, in the centre of Hallstatt. There are rooms with shared bathroom, but I stay in the Double Room with Balcony, Lake View and private bathroom.
Check out some other recommendations
Romantic Hotels | Family-Friendly Hotels | Guest Houses and Pensions
Tickets
Tickets can be purchased online or at the cash desk at the Valley Station.
There are different tickets depending on what activities and sights you are planning on doing.
There are three stations:
Station 1 : Mittelstation Schönbergalm
Station 2: Bergstation Krippenstein
Station 3: Gjaid
The Ice Cave and Mammut Cave are located at the middle station Schönbergalm (1350m), you need a cable car ticket for section 1.
The 5finger viewing platform, Dachstein Shark and World Heritage Spiral require the cable car to section 2- the Bergstation Krippenstein (2100 m).
The Koppenbrüller cave is located in the valley.
Dachstein-Krippenstein Summer Ticket offers
The Dachstein All-in-One-Ticket
• Ascent and descent to sections 1,2,3,
• Guided tours in the Ice AND Mammut Cave
• You can visit the 5finger viewing platform, Dachstein Shark and World Heritage Spiral.
Summer 2025 Prices: Adult 64.30€ | Youth 57.90€ | Children 35.40€ | Senior 61.10€
Dachstein Cave ticket
• Ascent and descent to section 1 (Schönbergalm)
• Guided Tour of one cave (Giant Ice Cave or Mammut Cave).
Summer 2025 Prices: Adult 48.70€ | Youth 43.80€ | Children 26.80€ | Senior 46.30€
Dachstein Panorama Ticket
• Ascent and descent to sections 1, 2, 3
• This is the ticket if you want to take the cable cars up the mountain and hike, but do not want to visit the caves
• You can visit the 5finger viewing platform, Dachstein Shark and World Heritage Spiral.
Summer 2025 Prices: Adult 45.30€ | Youth 40.80€ | Children 24.90€ | Senior 43.10€
Koppenbrüller Cave Ticket
• Guided tour of the Koppenbrüller Cave in the valley, a short walk along the trail next to the Koppentraun river.
Summer 2025 Prices: Adult 18,30€ | Youth 16.50€ | Children 10.10€ | Senior 17.40€
Visiting the Dachstein Giant Ice Caves (Rieseneishöhle)
© Dachstein Tourismus AG – Mirja Geh
Descending into the Dachstein Giant Ice Cave (Rieseneishöhle) is like stepping into a frozen world sculpted by time. As someone who has explored these caves firsthand, I can tell you — the experience is nothing short of magical.
Located at 1,418 metres (about 4,660 feet) above sea level, this natural wonder winds 2.7 km (1.7 miles) into the heart of the mountain, revealing glistening ice chambers, frozen waterfalls, and stunning formations that have taken centuries to form.
Legend says that the caves were first discovered in 1897 by a farmer searching for lost cattle, though proper exploration didn’t begin until 1910. Since opening to the public in 1912, the Dachstein Giant Ice Cave has captivated generations of visitors — attracting over 150,000 people each year.
The cave is around 200 million years old, carved by ancient water flows. The spectacular ice inside began forming just 500–600 years ago from meltwater that seeped down from the Dachstein plateau through fine cracks in the rock.
Whether you’re fascinated by geology, drawn to dramatic landscapes, or simply curious to explore one of Austria’s most unique attractions, visiting the Dachstein Giant Ice Cave is a truly unforgettable journey beneath the surface of the Alps.
Important Information for visiting the Giant Ice Caves.
You must register for a guided tour of the Giant Ice Cave at the cave ticket counter at the middle station, Schönbergalm. The Caves can only be visited on guided tours.
There are regular tours throughout the day.
From the gondola, you must walk up to the cave entrance. The walk starts through the forest and proceeds along paved paths, and it is recommended to take 15 to 20 minutes.
I recommend allowing ~30 minutes to reach the cave entrance from the cave ticket counter.
Note: As of August 2024, the restaurant at the middle station Schönbergalm only accepted cash (Nur Bargeld)- debit and credit cards were not accepted.
There are fantastic views from the path and benches at various spots, so you can rest.
There is a toilet at the entrance to the Giant Ice Caves.
Level of Fitness to visit the Ice Caves:
Visiting the Ice caves requires a reasonable level of physical fitness.
By Austrian standards, the path to the Giant Ice Cave is considered easy, but it may be steep if you are not used to hiking, so allow extra time to walk up to the cave entrance.
Inside the caves, the walkways are not icy but wet.
There are also a lot of stairs inside the cave.
Clothing required
You must wear sturdy shoes with non-slip soles (running shoes are suitable) and warm clothing.
The temperature inside the Giant Ice Caves is ~ -2 °C (~28°F). My last visit in mid-August 2024, it was warm ~30° C + (86 °F), but was cold in the caves, and I also had gloves.
View of the valley from the entrace of the Dachstein Giant Ice Caves
The Dachstein Giant Ice Cave (Rieseneishöhle) Tour
Experienced guides lead guests through ice-free passageways and a stalactite hall along stairs and passageways where you can view the icy landscape.
The tour takes you along an 800 m (~0.5 mile) long path with a height difference of approx. 80 m (262 feet).
The Giant Ice Cave guided tour lasts approximately 50 minutes.
I recommend downloading the audio guide.
The audio guide is available in 7 languages (English, French, Japanese, Mandarin, Czech, Italian and Hungarian).
Dachstein Giant Ice Cave Map
The tour starts with the guide opening the big steel door set into the mountain, and a rush of cold air bursts out. Temperatures in the ice cave rarely exceed freezing point. The tour takes you through one kilometre out of the three-kilometre path, weaving through a labyrinth of dark rooms connected by passageways. Lights have been installed in the rooms only lit when our tour group is inside. As we headed into the mountain at each section, the huge steel doors are closed to keep in the cold.
© Dachstein Tourismus AG – Mirja Geh
The tour takes you to the ‘Hall of Stalactites’ where stalactites and stalagmites hang like icicles.
We descended to ‘King Arthur’s Dome’, now 30 metres below the entrance. King Arthur’s Dome is a giant ice hall where large limestone blocks fell from the roof in ancient times due to water erosion and formed one of the largest chambers in the cave (120m long, 50m wide, and 20 m high).
Here in King Arthur’s Dome, bones of cave bears were found that had evidence of being artistically bored, demonstrating that humans had lived in the caves during the Ice Age.
As you walk deeper into the earth, the temperature cools, and the rock walls generally become ice walls.
An impressive wall of ice with stairs right up its side leads through a frozen tunnel called the keyhole into the ‘Ice Palace’.
Next, the passage ascends into ‘Parsifal’s Dome,’ where the ice is approximately eight metres thick. In August, it is transformed into a unique concert hall!
The next stop is ‘Ice Mountain’.
In 1910, when the cave was discovered, ‘Ice Mountain’ was three-and-a-half metres tall.
Today, it reaches up to nine metres and continues to grow.
Climbing stairs, you reach the massive ice stalagmite resembling castles called ‘Gralsburg’ or ‘Castle of the Holy Grail’, which shimmers in colours from white to dark blue, depending on the lighting. As the lights are dimmed, frozen waterfalls are illuminated.
A passageway runs to ‘Tristan’ Dome’, where the ice floor is 25 m thick.
Finally, we descend to the ‘Large Ice Chapel’ and pass the ice abyss, which was originally an obstacle to exploring the cave, to reach the exit, located approximately 40 m above the entrance.
© Dachstein Tourismus AG – Mirja Geh
© Dachstein Tourismus AG – Mirja Geh
Now slightly chilled from the ice caves, you can walk back to the Schönbergalm station.
You can either:
• Follow the sign to visit the Mammut Cave
• Return to the middle station to take the gondola to the valley
• Take the second segment of the cable car that goes to the Bergstation Krippenstein (2100m).
Visiting the Mammut Caves
The Mammut cave is located at the middle station Schömbergalm (section 1)
*Reservations for the Mammut guided tour must be made at the cave desk at the middle station.
The walk to the cave from the middle station (Schönbergalm) takes approximately 20 minutes, and the guided cave tour takes ~ 50 minutes.
If you are visiting the Mammut cave and the Giant Ice Cave, it is recommended that you book the guided tours 2 hours apart.
The Mammut cave is one of the largest karst caves in the world, with over 70 km (~44 miles) of passageways, of which you can explore ~ 1 km (0.6 mile) of them
© Dachstein Tourismus AG – Mirja Geh
Exploring the 5finger lookout, Dachstein Shark and World Heritage Spiral
View to Hallstättersee
A well-marked mountain paths leads from the Bergstation Krippenstein.
In summer, the paths are lined with alpine flowers, small shrubs, bare rock, and snow fields, which remain throughout the summer. Breathtaking views in all directions are available to the Trauntal valley, Hallstättersee, and the mighty Höher Dachstein.
There are many hiking trails, for all abilities, that start from the Bergstation Krippenstein.
Well-marked path at the summit of Dachstein-Krippenstein.
Snowfield at the summit of the Dachstein-Krippenstein.
TIP: A great place for a break or lunch with a view is the Bergrestaurant Dachstein, located at the summit near the cable car and serving international, vegetarian, and vegan cuisine.
5fingers Lookout
After an easy 20-minute hike, you arrive at the spectacular 5fingers Viewing Platform at ~2100m (~7000 feet) above Hallstatt.
It has to be one of the most spectacular viewing platforms in the Alps. The platform is cantilevered over an edge that reaches out like a hand over the 400 m (~1300 feet) sheer drop. One of the “fingers” is made entirely of glass—not for the faint-hearted.
The World Heritage Spiral
The viewing platform is located a few minutes walk from the summit station.
The Dachstein Shark
The 8-meter-long Dachstein Shark reminds us that the Dachstein massif was covered by sea water millions of years ago. Climb up the Shark by a ladder to get a panoramic view.
The Dachstein Shark is an approximate 30-minute walk on the Heilbronn circular trail.
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