Dachstein Ice Cave World in Obertraun
If you spend your vacation around Hallstatt or Obertraun and you have an extra day off, here is a great tip for an unforgettable trip! Visit the Dachstein Ice Cave World in Obertraun on foot of the Krippenstein. It offers you a breathtaking adventure through rock and ice.
The guided cave tours will introduce you the fantastic under world of the Dachstein with it´s spectacular highlights and explain the findings of scientists who have tried to unravel the secrets of the earth’s history. Are you ready to experience one of the greatest wonders of the Alps created by nature itself?
Dachstein ice cave world – introduction
Dachstein Ice Cave World ranks among the most significant natural monuments of Austria. It is just below the top of the Krippenstein mountain (2108 m). The whole ice cave world consists of 3 caves, in which regular tours for tourists take place. Namely it is the Giant Ice Cave, the Mammut Cave and the Koppenbrüller cave. Each of the caves represents a kind of historical document – a record of how the world has changed over time…
The entrance to the Giant Ice and Mammut caves is at an altitude of about 1450 meters, on the Obertraun – Krippenstein cable car route, at the Schönbergalm stop. Koppenbrüller Cave is in the valley and you can access it via a short walk along a secure trail by the charming Koppentraun river.
Massive cave glaciers, ice mountains and ice chapels are a welcome contrast to the outside temperatures on hot summer days. Even on cold, rainy days, these caves are a safe haven for people and animals – as they were thousands of years ago.
How to get there?
Koppenbrüller Cave is nestled in the peaceful valley, just a short walk away along a secure trail by the picturesque Koppentraun river. Enjoy the tranquil beauty of the valley on your journey to this incredible cave, and marvel at the fascinating geological formations it contains.
The entrance to the Giant Ice Cave and Mammut caves is at an altitude of about 1450m. You can hike up there from the parking lot – it is about 3km, but quite steep hike. You gain almost 800m (2400ft).
The other and faster way is to take cable car. You can buy combine ticket for caves and cable car to the top of mountain Krippenstein and after couple hours in caves you can also see Five fingers, Dachstein Shark or Welterbespirale.
Parking Dachstein Ice Cave World in Obertraun
If you’re visiting Obertraun by car, you can leave your vehicle in a free parking lot located conveniently at the bottom station of the Dachstein-Krippenstein cable car. With 300 parking spaces available, you won’t have to worry about finding a spot.
Tickets to Dachstein Ice Cave World in Obertraun
Discover the perfect combination of tickets for your plans at the Dachstein Cave ticket counter! With a single ticket, you can access the Dachstein Caves, the viewing platform “5 Fingers,” and the “Dachstein-Shark” – or you can explore even more with the many other combinations available. Visit the ticket counter at the middle station of Dachstein-Krippenstein cable car route, near the entrance of Schönbergalm Nature Park, to get the exact time of your guided tour!
- 1. Panorama Ticket – Enjoy the spectacular views as you ascend and descend the mountain on the cable car, taking in all three sections.
- 2. Ice or Mammut Cave Ticket – Ride the cable car up and down the mountain (section 1) and explore the wonders of the Ice or Mammut Cave with an included entrance and guided tour.
- 3. Combined Cave Ticket – Ride the cable car up and down the mountain (section 1) and explore the wonders of both the Ice and Mammut Caves with an included entrance and guided tour.
- 4. Dachstein Salzkammergut Ticket – Explore the beauty of the mountain with the cable car ascent and descent in section 1 and 2, plus enjoy one entrance and guided tour in the Ice or Mammut Cave.
- 5. All Inclusive Ticket – Enjoy the scenery of the mountain with the cable car ascent and descent in sections 1, 2 and 3 as often as you like in one day and explore the wonders of the Ice and Mammut Caves with an included entrance and guided tour.
- 6. Koppenbrüller Cave – Explore the wonders of the Koppenbrüller Cave with an included entrance and guided tour.
Please see pricing.
Dachstein ice cave world – guided tours
You can explore the caves and learn lots of very interesting facts about their history and mysterious legends during the well-managed guided tours.
Don´t be afraid to visit all of the Dachstein caves even with your children of any age. Thanks to the fantastic infrastructure, the caves are suitable for everyone!
All of the guided tours are held by the cave guide in German and English. But no worries if you don´t speak these languages… It is possible to download the free audio guide app “Hearonymus” for your smartphone using the QR code via Wifi and you can enjoy the guided tours in 7 languages!
And also if you don´t have the headphones for your phone with you, then buy a disposable headphones for 1€ at the base station.
If you plan to visit the caves with many of your friends and you form a group of more than 20 persons, than making the pre-registration by phone or e-mail will be necessary for you. For individuals and groups up to 20 persons is no pre-registration required. You can register on site at the cave tiket counter by the entrance to the caves.
1. Dachstein giant ice cave
Dachstein Giant Ice Cave is one of the largest ice caves in Europe!
The whole cave is divided into several parts.
- Magnificent giant ice palaces
- King Arthur Dome
- Ice Palace
- Parzival Dome
- Tristana Dome
- Stalactite Dome
- Ice Chapel.
This completely reconstructed ice cave offers you
- the light & sound shows
- cave bears “Ben and Boris”
- 30 meters depth rope bridge
- and so much more…
Starting point: middle station Schönbergalm (section 1)
– walking time to the cave: approx. 15 to 20 minutes
– the meeting point for the cave tours is directly in-front of the cave entrance
Duration of the guided tour: 50 minutes
Plan the mountain ascent 30 minutes before the last guided tour take part.
Opening hours 2023 – daily from 30th of April to 5th of November
– guided tours –> 8:40 – 15:30 hrs.
Reviews
- Very interesting guided tour inside the giant ice cave. The ice forms are magnificent. The length of the tour is 800 meters with cca. 500 stairs. It lasts about 50 minutes, you should not miss it anyway!
- Just skip this part and spend more time on 5 fingers. If you come from a country that snow, the cave won’t wow you. The snowmen I built as a kid were bigger than the ice in the cave. I am giving a 3 because the staffs worked hard and there are efforts on the lights. Overall it’s a great disappointment.
- The ice cave was amazing but unfortunately when I was there they were under renovation and I didn’t see the Eiffel Tower. The price for ice cave is included in the price of the cable car which is 43€ per person.
- Absolutely stunning, but…the walk to the entrance of the ice cave is a very steep path. Going up is hard, but going down is even worse. Also, inside the cave there are approximately 500 steps to navigate, and the temperature drops down to minus 3 degrees on the Celsius scale.
- I liked the cave but I definitely did not like this performance style, just a let us walk through the cave and spare us of the effects and music ! 😀
2. Mammoth cave / Mammut cave
The Mammut Cave is one of the longest and deepest of both Austrian and European caves!
The Mammut Cave is not named after the discovery of mammoth bones (which have never been found here). The name refers to the size and extent of the cave. With over 70 km of underground passageways explored to date. But only 1 km of it can be explored during the guided tour.
This colossal cave has an impressive difference between the lowest and highest points. 1199m and offers an incredible experience with its rotating laser beam highlightings, bringing its objects to life through light and shadow. It’s not just a guided tour – you can go cave trekking or caving accompanied by an experienced cave guide. Plus, recent artistic installations from the Linz University of Art have made the Mammut Cave even more attractive and exciting to explore.
Plenty of surprises are guaranteed in this monumental cave!
Ascent: middle station Schönbergalm (section 1)
–> walking time to the cave: 15 – 20 minutes
Duration of the guided tour: 1 hour
Opening hours 2023: daily from 13th of May to 5th of November
– guided tours: 8:40 – 14:00
Reviews
- The cave is really big and… really cold! Beware! The guided tour was interesting and informative, but can be a bit hard to hear the guide at times. It was a fun trip anyway.
- This is an interesting tourist spot. The “Mammoth” is a reference to its vastness. There is nothing related to a mammoth fossil or such. The grains, textures, and fault lines in the rocks and caves are amazing, particularly for people that love rocks. In a lot of places the caves gives a feeling of underground labyrinth, which reminds me of D&D games. But I can totally understand people that do not have much appreciation for rocks will find it boring. And certainly this tour was different from the nearby ice cave, which has a lot of light shows and music effects. All in all I loved this tour. Only thing was that the trip is mostly walking. (The guide did stop at the most beautiful spots to do some briefing, but all of them were brief.) And some parts of the tour was quite slippery due to dripping water. And the room is pretty chill (a few degree celsius above zero). So keep your coats on. Very young kids might get tired from the 45 mins of tour and need carrying. And there were quite some flights of stairs inside.
- Very big cave. But not really special thing. The only thing special is hit is big.
- Super Cool !! Went with friends. Really enjoyed it as there was the guided tour. Got some good clicks 🙂 We went on a rainy day, so felt a bit cold inside, but the inside view and experience was very good. 1 hour went quickly..
- Unique and amazing experience, not-to-miss. The guided tour is great, very informative!
3. Koppenbrüller cave
Do not miss this cave, even when it is not right next to the other two caves. The Koppenbrüller Cave is the youngest of all the Dachstein caves and you should definitelly visit it. It is in Koppental valley near to Obertraun and I can say that this cave is basically an enormous spring. From the restaurant ‘Koppenrast’, a romantic and comfortable path leading along the Koppentraun will soon take you to the cave entrance.
Step into the Koppenbrüller Cave and explore the remarkable water paths that course through the Dachstein mountains. Discover how streams and rivers are constantly in motion and observe the incredible course water can take through these spectacular mountains. Be astounded by the beauty and marvel of this majestic cave.
It´s known that once upon a time, the cave was considered a safe hiding place. And during the guided tour you will get introduced to what events happened here and what legends this mysterious place hides…
The Koppenbrüller Cave also offers an interesting “Rain Drum acoustic installation” created by young artists from the University of Art in Linz. It is at a location where water is dripping from the cave ceiling. And then this majestic piece of art generates a rhytmic beat when the water falls down onto the pelt of the drum!
There are also available exciting cave trekking tours, that will take you away from your comfort zone, suitable for all ages in this cave.
Starting point: 800m from Restaurant „Koppenrast“ (at the end of village Obertraun)
Duration of the guided tour: 50 minutes
Opening hours 2023: daily from May to September
– guided tours: 9:00 – 16:00 (at least one tour available per hour) Payment – cash
Reviews
- It’s one if the 3 caves you can visit in the vicinity of Obertraun. It’s located in the valley and you reach it by foot, walking a very picturesque path from Obertraun. The guide made a very good impression, was well informed and could answer questions at the end of the tour. I liked this cave because it was very raw. Without any flashing lights, music or silly amusement.
- Awesome place for a quick visit. Tour is about 45 mintues. Open year round. Cash only entrance fee. 15 minute walk to the entrance. Great hike when the weather is nice.
- The cave was quite interesting and the guide spoke German and English, worth a visit if you are in the area, but nothing magnificent.
- Everything about this place was great the only thing I was missing was at least printed transcript of the guided tour in English
- Very nice. The duration of guided tour was perfect.
If you have more questions about the caves visit, then don´t forget to check this link, where you can find the most common questions and answers
Dachstein – Krippenstein cable car running times
29.4.2023 – 5.11.2023
– first cable car ascent –> 8:40
– last cable car descent –> 17:10
–> Cable car rides continuously every 15 minutes
Intersting facts about Dachstein Ice Cave World in Obertraun
Due to the Alpine location of the Dachstein, poor weather conditions such as snowfall may result in the closure of one or more attractions for your safety. Please keep this in mind when planning your visit.
We recommended you to wear warm clothing and robust shoes when visiting the caves. The average temperature in the caves is only around 3-4 °C – 38F
The Dachstein Ice Cave World is closed for the Winter each year from late-October until May. Snow levels can often make the 5 Fingers Lookout trail inaccessible for hiking, but you can still experience its breathtaking views in Winter with snowshoes or skis. Make sure to plan your visit accordingly and take the necessary precautions for safe winter exploration. see Dachstein Krippenstein winter skiing