Dachstein Ice Cave and Mammoth Cave: Complete Visitor Guide

TLDR

The Dachstein Ice Cave and Mammoth Cave sit on the Schonbergalm terrace above Obertraun, 15 kilometres south of Bad Goisern. You reach them by the Krippenstein cable car to the middle station, then a 15 minute walk. Ice Cave entry is 44 euros combo ticket with cable car, Mammoth Cave is 39 euros, a combined ticket with both caves costs 54 euros. Both tours run from early May to late October. Allow a full day for the trip from Bad Goisern.

The Ice Cave: Ice That Predates the Pyramids

The Dachstein Rieseneishohle (Giant Ice Cave) is a tube of karst limestone that sucks cold air off the plateau year round, turning the interior into a natural freezer. Ice started forming here after the last Ice Age and has been accumulating for roughly 12,000 years. The oldest layers at the back of the cave are estimated at 3,000 years old, which is older than Stonehenge’s final phase. The cave is 440 metres long, open to the public along a 1 kilometre guided loop, and has six named ice halls: the Parzival Dome, the Tristandom, the Konig Arthurs Dom and three smaller chambers.

The tour is guided in German with English sheets on request, runs every 30 minutes from 8:45am to 3pm, and takes 50 minutes inside the cave. You walk on metal gantries above and alongside the ice sheets, some of them 20 metres deep. The acoustic in the larger domes is used for summer classical concerts. The guide lights different sections with coloured LEDs which is slightly theatrical but shows up formations your eyes would miss in the natural dim. Photography is allowed without flash. The cave section on the exit side has a glass floor panel over a 30 metre ice drop.

The ice is shrinking. Cave monitoring since 1910 shows the Parzival Dome has lost about 3 metres of ice thickness, and the retreat has accelerated since 2000. The Austrian Academy of Sciences runs ongoing measurements. For a serious visit, go in May or early June when the ice has the most new formations from the winter. By late August the floor formations are at their smallest. The cave itself is maintained by the Austrian Alpine Club (Osterreichischer Alpenverein), which is the authority on conditions.

The Mammoth Cave: 80 Kilometres of Passages

The Mammoth Cave (Mammuthohle) is a different proposition from the Ice Cave. There is no ice at all. What you get is one of the largest cave systems in Austria with over 80 kilometres of mapped passages, of which 700 metres are open to the public on a guided tour. The cave is named not for mammoth bones (none have been found) but for the sheer size of some of its halls. The Paleotractus hall is 300 metres long, 80 metres wide and up to 50 metres high, which puts it in the top five largest underground spaces in Europe open to tourists.

The Mammoth tour runs 45 minutes and uses LED lighting to show the scale. Where the Ice Cave is theatrical, the Mammoth Cave is atmospheric, with echoes, shadow and a slightly unsettling quietness in the larger halls. The cave sits at around 4 to 5 Celsius year round, which is colder than most people expect. Same layered clothing rules apply. The route is along concrete walkways with handrails, and children over 4 cope fine. Under 4s are not admitted. Guided tours only, no self-guided access.

Most visitors pick one cave. If you have to choose, the Ice Cave wins for visual impact and the Mammoth Cave wins for scale and quiet. Doing both in one day is possible but long: allow 5 hours including cable car and walk. The combined ticket at 54 euros saves 29 euros versus buying them separately. The tour entrance for both caves is on the Schonbergalm terrace, a 15 minute marked walk from the Krippenstein cable car middle station. See our day trips guide for alternative outings that can fill the rest of your day.

Getting There and the Cable Car System

From Bad Goisern, drive to Obertraun Dachsteinseilbahn parking lot (25 minutes via B166 and Obertraun road, free parking). By Postbus 542 it is 35 minutes to Obertraun Dachsteinseilbahn stop, 3.90 euros one way. The Krippenstein cable car runs in three sections: bottom to Schonbergalm (Section 1, 9 minutes), Schonbergalm to Krippenstein summit (Section 2, 11 minutes, 2,100 metres), and Krippenstein to Gjaidalm (Section 3, another 8 minutes). For the caves you only need Section 1, which is the ticket included in the combo fares.

Cable car operating hours are 8:30am to 5pm from late April to early November, with last ascent at 3:30pm if you are doing a cave tour. In peak summer (July and August) the first car runs at 8am. Check dachstein-salzkammergut.com for current operating hours because maintenance closures happen every few years for 2 to 3 weeks in April. No advance booking required for cable car tickets. Cave tours do sell out on peak days, so buy online 1 to 2 days in advance in July and August.

The marked walk from Schonbergalm station to the cave ticket office is 15 minutes along a gravel path with some elevation gain. It is not accessible for wheelchairs or pushchairs. Inside the caves, the Ice Cave has some narrow sections and steep metal steps. The Mammoth Cave is more accessible and easier for anyone with mobility issues, though still not wheelchair-friendly. Children aged 4 and up are the usual minimum. For transport planning see our airport and transport guide.

What to Combine It With

The caves alone will only fill half your day. The obvious add-on is the 5 Fingers viewing platform at the Krippenstein summit, a steel claw that juts 400 metres out over the Hallstattersee with a glass floor at the tip. The ride up takes 11 minutes on Section 2 of the cable car and there is a restaurant, the Schafberghutte, at the top. Add 90 minutes for the detour and photography. On clear days you can see from the Zugspitze west to the Hohe Tauern east. On cloudy days you are inside the cloud, which has its own charm.

The other option is to walk down instead of taking the cable car back. Two marked trails drop from Schonbergalm to Obertraun. The Narzissen trail takes 1 hour 30 minutes with 800 metres of descent and hits the Koppenbruller cave (a third, smaller show cave at the valley floor, which is a separate ticket). The Hirschau trail is 1 hour 45 minutes, gentler, better for a family with kids aged 8 and up. Both are well marked and safe in summer conditions. Do not try either in rain because the limestone gets slippery.

For lunch, Schonbergalm station has a decent self-service restaurant with schnitzel and goulash at 14 to 18 euros. Up at Krippenstein summit, the Lodge am Krippenstein does better food at higher prices. Back in Obertraun, the Gasthof Seevilla does a lakefront Kaiserschmarrn for 11 euros with mountain views. See our restaurants guide for dinner options back in Bad Goisern after your day out.

You might also find these useful: Hallstatt Visitor Guide, Hallstattersee Guide, Things to Do in Bad Goisern.

See Dachstein Ice Cave and Mammoth Cave in Person

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