Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
LIECHTENSTEINKLAMM
One of the deepest and longest ravines in the Alps, the
Liechtensteinklamm
(Liechtenstein Gorge;
www.liechtensteinklamm.at
; adult/child €4/3; 8am-6pm May-Sep, 9am-4pm Oct; ) is well worth a de-
tour. The jaw-dropping chasm was carved out during the last ice age and takes its name from Johann II, Prince
of Liechtenstein, who dipped into the royal coffers to render the gorge accessible in the 19th century.
Today, a footpath burrows into the gorge, past swirling ultramarine waters, glistening boulders and 300m-high
cliffs, and through tunnels gouged into slate cliffs veined with white granite. The ravine is at its loveliest in the
late afternoon when the light turns the water opal-blue. The trail culminates at a 50m-high waterfall. Allow at
least an hour to explore the ravine.
Trains run frequently between Werfen and St Johann im Pongau (€3.80, 18 minutes), a 4km walk from the
gorge, where free parking is available.
Sights & Activities
CAVE
Eisriesenwelt
(
www.eisriesenwelt.at
;
adult/child €9/4.50, incl cable car €20/10; 9am-3.45pm May-Oct, to 4.45pm Jul & Aug)
Billed as the world's largest accessible ice caves, Eisriesenwelt is a glittering ice empire
spanning 30,000 sq metres and 42km of narrow passages burrowing deep into the heart
of the mountains. Even if it's hot outside, entering the caves is like stepping into a deep
freeze - bring warm clothing and sturdy footwear year-round. Photography is not permit-
ted inside the caves.
A 75-minute tour through these Narnia-esque chambers of blue ice is a unique experi-
ence. As you climb up wooden steps and down pitch-black passages, with carbide lamps
aglow, otherworldly ice sculptures shaped like polar bears and elephants, frozen columns
and lakes emerge from the shadows. A highlight is the cavernous
Eispalast
(Ice Palace),
where the frost crystals twinkle when a magnesium flare is held up to them. A womblike
tunnel leads to a flight of 700 steps, which descends back to the entrance. The last guided
tour leaves at 3.45pm.
In summer, minibuses (adult/child return €6.10/4.50) operate every 25 minutes
between Gries car park in Werfen and the Eisriesenwelt car park, which is a 20-minute
walk from the bottom station of the cable car, as well as every two hours from Werfen
station from 8.20am to 2.20pm. The last bus down is at 5.34pm. Allow roughly three
hours for the return trip (including tour). You can walk the whole route, but it's a challen-
ging four-hour ascent, rising 1100m above the village.
