Gosau and Dachstein Krippenstein: glacier views & ice caves

Two destinations, one exceptional day

The eastern Salzkammergut holds the two most dramatic alpine experiences accessible from Salzburg: the Gosausee, a pair of lakes reflecting the last working glacier north of the Alps, and the Dachstein Krippenstein plateau, where the 5fingers viewing platform hangs over a 400-metre void and an ice cave preserves a world that existed before the last ice age retreated.

Neither Gosau nor Dachstein appears on the standard Salzburg tourist map as prominently as Hallstatt or St. Wolfgang. This is partly because they require more commitment — 1h45 by car from Salzburg, with no direct train connection — and partly because the Hallstatt machine dominates attention in the area. That neglect works in your favour. The Gosausee in autumn, with the Dachstein glacier mirrored in the lower lake and larches turning gold, is among the finest landscape scenes in Austria. The 5fingers platform on a clear day is one of the most vertiginous structures in Europe. Both deserve the detour.

Gosau and the Gosausee: what you are coming to see

The Gosau valley runs south from the village of Gosau into the Dachstein massif. The two Gosauseen (upper and lower lakes) occupy the valley floor at different elevations, connected by a hiking path.

The lower Gosausee

The lower Gosausee (Vorderer Gosausee) is the more accessible and the one most photographs show. It sits at 933m elevation, reached by a short drive from Gosau village through increasingly narrow forested valley. There is a car park at the lake’s northern end with a small information post and seasonal food stands.

The circumference walk around the lower lake takes approximately 45 minutes at a relaxed pace and is entirely flat, on a well-maintained gravel path. The lake is roughly 1.3km long and 400m wide. What makes it exceptional is what faces you from the southern end: the Dachstein massif, and on its flanks, the Gosau glacier — the most accessible visible glacier in the eastern Alps. The reflection of the glacier and the serrated rock faces on the lake surface on a still morning is the image that appears on every Austrian tourism brochure and has done for over a century.

The reflection works best from late morning in summer (sun angle strikes the glacier face directly) and from early morning in autumn. September and October add a third layer to the scene: the larches on the surrounding slopes turn a vivid amber-gold, making the combination of blue lake, white glacier, green conifers, and gold deciduous trees simultaneously improbable and real.

Autumn is genuinely the best season. The crowds of July and August (the lake can be busy on weekends) are absent, the air is clear, and the colours are extraordinary. The water remains swimmable into early September.

The upper Gosausee

The upper lake (Hinterer Gosausee) sits 300m higher than the lower lake and requires a 1-hour climb along a marked trail from the lower car park. The path ascends through forest initially, then through increasingly alpine terrain. The upper lake is smaller, wilder, and surrounded by rockfall-scarred slopes that make it feel more remote than the lower lake, despite being only 45 minutes of walking away.

The upper lake also has glacier views, at closer range and from a different angle. The Gosau glacier creeps noticeably closer. In summer, marmots are visible on the slopes above the lake. Reaching the upper lake is worth the climb if you have time and reasonable footwear — but it rules out combining with the full Krippenstein experience in the same day unless you are efficient with time.

Dachstein Krippenstein: the cable car and what is at the top

The Dachstein Krippenstein Seilbahn departs from Obertraun, on the eastern shore of the Hallstättersee, approximately 30-35 minutes by car from Gosau. This is a different valley from Gosau — you drive back through the Gosau valley, pass through Bad Goisern, and arrive at Obertraun from the north. The cable car station is clearly signed in Obertraun village.

The cable car operates in three stages, rising from 511m at the bottom station to 2109m at the top Krippenstein station. Each stage takes approximately 8 minutes. You can exit at the second stage (Schönbergalm) where there is a restaurant and the entrance to the Dachstein Mammut Cave — but most visitors continue to the top for the 5fingers and ice cave.

Return cable car ticket: approximately €35 adult (covering all three stages to Krippenstein and back). Children prices are lower. Combination tickets including the ice cave and 5fingers can be purchased at the bottom station or online at krippenstein.at.

The 5fingers platform

The 5fingers viewing platform is the headline attraction at Krippenstein. Completed in 2011, it consists of five cantilevered steel-and-glass walkways extending from the cliff edge of the Krippenstein plateau, each shaped like a finger of a hand. The longest extends approximately 25 metres out over the void, with a glass-floored section showing the valley and lake directly below your feet.

The platform sits at approximately 2060m. Below you, 400 metres down the cliff face, is the Hallstättersee and the village of Hallstatt visible as white dots on the lakeshore. On a clear day, the Dachstein glacier fills the frame above and behind you. The Salzkammergut lake landscape stretches north, a series of blue-grey surfaces between forested ridges.

The glass floor section is genuinely vertiginous. Most people spend a moment on it, feel the effect, and step back. It does not move; the steel construction is solid. But knowing intellectually that 100mm of glass is between your feet and a 400-metre drop produces a visceral response in most visitors regardless of logic.

The 5fingers area includes an additional structure called the World Heritage Spiral — a cylindrical glass-and-steel monument to the UNESCO World Heritage status of the Hallstatt-Dachstein region. It functions as a panorama viewpoint and information installation. This is free once you are at the top.

Access from the upper cable car station to the 5fingers is a 10-minute walk across the Krippenstein plateau, on a well-marked path. The path is flat and straightforward but exposed — at 2100m, weather changes fast and the wind can be significant. Bring a warm layer regardless of the temperature in Gosau or Obertraun.

The Dachstein Ice Cave

The Dachstein Ice Cave (Dachstein Eishöhle) is accessible from the Schönbergalm middle cable car station, not from the top. You exit at the middle station, walk approximately 10-15 minutes on a signed path, and enter the cave system through a heavy door that keeps the interior at a constant -2°C year-round.

The guided tour lasts approximately 1 hour and covers roughly 700 metres of the cave system. A guide leads the group through chambers of ice formations — stalactites, ice columns, ice floors — formed over thousands of years by meltwater that permeated through the limestone and refroze. The cave contains a reconstruction of a medieval ossuary (the bones of prehistoric cave bears and ancient human remains were discovered here in the 19th century), a light show in the main chamber, and a subterranean lake so still it is nearly invisible until you are standing next to it.

The -2°C temperature is constant and non-negotiable. In summer clothing, you will be cold within 5 minutes. The cable car bottom station has a left-luggage facility if you want to store your warm layers during the Gosausee walk and retrieve them before the cave. Alternatively, pack a fleece in a day bag.

Bring a jacket regardless of outside temperature. This is the most consistent piece of advice given by visitors and staff alike.

Ice cave tickets: approximately €25 adult for the guided tour. A combination ticket with the cable car and 5fingers is better value — check current prices at krippenstein.at at time of booking.

The Mammut Cave

A second cave system, the Mammut Cave (Mammuthöhle), is also accessible from the Schönbergalm station. This is a dry cave rather than an ice cave — a network of passages formed by ancient water erosion, with a particular focus on the karst geology of the Dachstein plateau. It is approximately 40km long in total (one of the largest cave systems in the world), though the tourist section covers only a small fraction of that. Separate ticket (~€18 adult), separate tour time. If you are visiting the ice cave, the Mammut Cave adds another 1.5-2 hours and is worth considering only if you have a specific interest in cave systems.

How to combine Gosau and Krippenstein in one day

This is the essential practical question. The answer depends on how early you leave Salzburg and whether you want the lower Gosausee walk, the upper Gosausee, or both.

Recommended full-day sequence (leave Salzburg 7:00am):

• 7:00 — Depart Salzburg
• 8:45 — Arrive lower Gosausee car park
• 9:00–10:00 — Walk around lower Gosausee (lake circuit, 45min)
• 10:00–10:30 — Drive to Obertraun (30min)
• 11:00 — First cable car to Krippenstein (10:30am departure to allow ticket purchase)
• 11:20 — Walk to 5fingers platform (10min from top station)
• 11:20–12:30 — 5fingers platform and World Heritage Spiral
• 12:30 — Cable car down to Schönbergalm (middle station)
• 13:00 — Ice cave guided tour begins (book a specific time slot when buying tickets)
• 14:15 — Cable car back to Obertraun bottom
• 14:45–17:00 — Optional: drive to Hallstatt (30min) for the afternoon
• 19:00–19:30 — Return to Salzburg

If you want the upper Gosausee, add 2.5 hours to the Gosau section and remove Hallstatt from the afternoon.

The Salzkammergut by car guide covers the full driving route and parking logistics for this corner of the Salzkammergut in more detail.

Autumn at Gosau: why it beats summer

September and October transform the Gosau valley in a way that summer cannot replicate. The larches — deciduous conifers unusual in alpine environments — turn gold on the slopes above both lakes. Combined with the glacier, the rock faces, and the lake reflections, the scene is extraordinary in a way that is genuinely difficult to photograph adequately.

Practical advantages of autumn over summer: significantly fewer visitors (the Gosausee is not yet widely known as an autumn destination outside Austria), water still warm enough for swimming in early September, better air clarity for distant views, and the ice cave and cable car still operating through October.

The single risk in autumn is road conditions. The upper Gosausee road (a narrow forest track above the lower car park) can have snow from mid-October. The main valley road remains open. If you are planning an October visit, check road conditions on the morning of travel.

Getting there without a car

The Gosausee has no direct train connection. By public transport from Salzburg: take the train to Bad Ischl (change at Attnang-Puchheim, approximately 1h40 total), then Postbus towards Gosau village (approximately 30min from Bad Ischl). From Gosau village, the Gosausee car park is a 3km walk or a short taxi ride.

For Krippenstein: train to Obertraun-Dachsteinhöhlen station (on the Salzkammergut line, change at Attnang-Puchheim), 5-minute walk to cable car station.

The journey by public transport is feasible but logistically demanding and makes combining both locations in one day difficult. A car or organised tour is the more practical option for the Gosau-Krippenstein combination.

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