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Dachstein Caves & Ramsau in the Salzkammergut
The Dachstein is one of the highest mountains in the Salzkammergut (some 2995 metres high) and a very spectacular sight - especially if viewed from the Lake Vorderer Gosausee. It is also one of the most popular destinations for day-trips, mostly for the sake of hiking and the two famous caves of the mountain: The Mammuthohle ("mammoth cave") and the "Rieseneishohle" ("giant ice cave", not an exaggeration).
Impressions from Mount Dachstein and some of the nearby Salzkammergut Lakes.
The villages of Ramsau-Kulm and Ramsau-Ort will be your starting points if you approach the Dachstein from the Styrian direction. They are pleasant communities worth a stop to have a look around. Three kilometres from Ramsau-Ort towards the mountain, the Dachstein cable car station starts extending towards the 2700 metre high Hunerkogel, from where you can enjoy one of Austria′s finest vista: The mountain ranges of the Alps, the lakes of the Salzkammergut plus the Dachstein glacier.
Among Austria's most Scenic Mountains
If you approach the Dachstein from the Upper-Austrian side, you can go straight to Obertraun to get to the caves. The two caves come with a combination ticket and I recommend to start with the Mammuthohle (the Rieseneishohle is the more spectacular one). The caves are supplemented with a small museum, most creatively named "Hohlenmuseum" ("Cave Museum"). The caves can be visited by guided tours only. They rank among the most impressive sights of Austria.
Approaching the Dachstein from the Upper Austrian side, you will also find cable-cars. If you don′t want to hike up to the cave entrances from Obertraun, you will go by the Dachsteinbahn. Both cable-car and hiking can be pleasant experiences, both offer great vistas on the surroundings of the mountain. There are plenty of hiking opportunities around the Dachstein. The cable car of the Schonbergalm up Mount Krippenstein are a good entrance point to a dense network of hiking paths.
Other attractions nearby include Schladming, Gosau and the Gosausee Lakes, Hallstatt and the cities of the Ausseerland: Bad Aussee, Altaussee and the Lake Grundlsee. Getting around in this area can be a bit tricky - the best option is a car.
Lake Wolfgangsee: Salzkammergut at its Best
Lake Wolfgangsee can be found in the western part of the Salzkammergut region. Most of it can be found on the Salzburg side of the border, only St. Wolfgang and its bay with the bays east of it are part of Upper Austria (Oberosterreich). The Salzburg part of the lake is sometimes called "Abersee".
Tourism is the main business in the area: Local hotels and B&Bs offer some 8,500 beds, around 900,000 over-night arrangements are sold around Lake Wolfgangsee every year. Three quarters of these arrangements are sold during the summer season, only one quarter during the winter. The water quality of Lake Wolfgangsee is remarkably high. This is not unusual for Salzkammergut Lakes (or large Austrian lakes in general) and result of restrictive environmental protection measures. The European Union has made Lake Wolfgangsee a "reference lake", as a model for others.
A very big deal at Lake Wolfgangsee are the boat cruises. The cruising company used to be the national railway OBB until a few years ago the company was privatised. The boat cruises are done frequently between St. Gilgen, Strobl and St. Wolfgang pretty much all year round as long as there is no ice. This means that the highly popular (and quite recommendable, but very, very crowded) Christmas markets of St. Gilgen and St. Wolfgang can be combined with a little cruise. If you take a cruise on the Wolfgangsee, you will get by a large, palatial building on the top of a cliff, which was built in Austrian Imperial, Historicist style.
This is a former naval collage of the Austrian Empire, which now serves as a public boarding school and a summer school. During the warmer period, you can hike from St. Gilgen to St. Wolfgang, a very nice route via the cliffs of the Falkenstein - expect lots of nice views on the lake and the surrounding mountains. There are several key-attractions at the lake: Note the town of St. Gilgen, the biggest on the Salzburg side. It is well-known because Mozart′s sister Nannerl lived there for a good share of her life. There are several nice town-houses, hundreds of souvenir shops and a distinctly touristy atmosphere.
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