Dachstein Krippenstein is a world heritage mountain area in Salzkammergut, Austria. Fun in winter and just as beautiful in summer.
Dachstein Krippenstein is well-known and loved as a skiing destination, but don’t let that fool you: the Dachstein mountains are a great place to visit in summer as well. (And fortunately, ‘summer’ lasts until November opening time-wise).
You can easily spend a day exploring Dachstein Krippenstein. Not only can you take the cable car to the top at 2100 meters for amazing views (of Hallstatt!), but you can also explore a Giant Ice Cave and Mammut Cave hiding in the mountain.
Things to see at Dachstein Krippenstein
Dachstein Giant Ice Cave
Start your journey with a cable car ride to the first cable car station. This is where you can visit the Giant Ice Cave and the Mammut Cave. Before exiting the building at this level, you need to reserve a time slot in advance for one or both caves as you can only visit them with a guided tour of around 45 minutes each.Â
After a fifteen minutes’ walk (they say twenty-five, but you can do it faster) uphill you reach the entrance of the Giant Ice Cave. And with uphill I really mean uphill; only do this when you are fit. The Mammut Cave is a bit further. From the entrance of the Giant Ice Cave, you have a nice view of the valley below and you can see Hallstatt as well.
The Giant Ice Cave is very impressive. I visited an ice cave before and while the view is not new, it always has a way of enchanting me. The colorful light shows the guide turns on at the viewing points help with that. Kids will love the pop-up cave bears.
The ice in the cave is formed by water that seeps from the Dachstein plateau down into the cave through small cracks. Because the air in the cave is cold, the water freezes and forms magnificent, giant ice shapes.
The tour I had was in German (they offer tours in English as well), and fortunately, my German listening skills were up to it. Bring warm(er) clothes as the temperature is a few degrees below zero (Celsius) in the ice part of the cave.Â
Covid-19 visitor measures in October 2020: During the tour, you have to wear a facemask when standing still at the viewing points. In between the stops you can take it off if you observe a 1.5-meter distance from others. This is necessary to prevent a shortage of breath when walking up the stairs in a high alpine environment.Â
The Mammut Cave is one of the largest karst caves in the world. The many passageways in various shapes look just like a labyrinth. As I was pressed for time I didn’t go there this time.
Dachstein 5fingers
Head back to the cable car station to take the cable car to the second stop. You’ll immediately notice how the landscape is rockier at this height. The Lodge Am Krippenstein, a restaurant overlooking the rocky mountain range (and in a late fall evening a beautiful sunset!), is a good place for a drink. I don’t recommend this place for a meal though as it serves the Alpine equivalent of fast food. But do have a drink on the outside terrace and enjoy the view.
5fingers is a twenty minutes’ walk from the cable car station. Simply follow the yellow signs. The path is really easy with only slight height inclines and declines (as far as walks in mountainous areas go). At 5fingers you can take a fun photoshoot with the photographer standing at one of the other fingers or a higher spot.
In the valley below, you can spot Hallstatt lake and town. Do try to visit Dachstein Krippenstein on a day that is not too cloudy or misty for the optimal view.
World Heritage Spiral
On your way to 5fingers, you passed the World Heritage Spiral and a small church. If you have enough time you can take a small side road and visit these two for a 360 degree panoramic World Heritage view of the surrounding area.
Dachstein shark
Back at the cable car station, you can follow the Heilbronn Circular Trail to the shark. This one will appeal a lot to your kids, as you can get inside the shark and view Dachstein’s early sea bed from the jaws of the shark. It is a 30 minutes’ walk, so if you have the time for it, it will be fun to head that way as well. The Heilbronner Circular Trail, an easy hike of approximately three hours, gives a glimpse into the prehistoric past of the Dachstein Massif.
Third cable car station
If you buy an all-inclusive ticket or a panorama ticket, you can then take another cable car to the third cable car station which lies at a lower height than the second. Here you can find lodges, restaurants, and more hiking routes.
How to get to Dachstein Krippenstein?
Dachstein Krippenstein is on the northern side of the Dachstein mountain area in Salzkammergut. You can get there in ten to fifteen minutes from Hallstatt and it is a one and a half hour drive from Salzburg. If you are pressed for time, you can easily visit both Dachstein Krippenstein and Hallstatt on the same day. The only drawback of that is that you won’t have enough time to visit both caves and that you’ll also have to choose between the shark and 5fingers as they are in opposite directions.
You can also access Dachstein from the south (Ramsau am Dachstein area), but then you’ll be seeing Stairway to Nothingness instead of 5fingers.
Location: Winkl 34, 4831 Obertraun, Austria
Opening hours and tickets
The summer season is roughly from May until November each year. After that, the cable cars stop running until the winter season starts half December. Depending on what you want to do you can buy a combi ticket that gives you access to all cable cars and/or all caves. An all-inclusive ticket for adults costs 49.80 EUR (2020 price). Family tickets are available. For more information, check out the website of Dachstein Krippenstein.
