Dachstein Caves

Take the road from Hallstatt to Obertraun (514m/1,686ft) and in 4km/2.5mi turn right into a side road which in 2.5km/1.5mi reaches the lower station (608m/1,995ft) of a cableway. This runs up in a few minutes to an intermediate station (1,350m/4,430ft) on the Schönbergalm, with the Schönberghaus. From here it is a 15-minute walk to the Dachstein Caves (up to 1,174m/3,853ft deep), on the northern rim of the Dachstein plateau, which rank with the Eisriesenwelt at Werfen as the most impressive caves in the Eastern Alps. They are open only from May to October. The Giant Ice Cave (Rieseneishöhle), with a temperature in summer of minus 1 degree C/30 degree F, has great caverns with magnificent frozen waterfalls and other features. The Mammoth Cave (Mammuthöhle) consists of huge pipe-shaped galleries formed by an ancient underground river. The conducted tours take 1.5 and 1.25 hours respectively.