Waterfalls in Austria

Austria's two waterfalls on this site both lie in Salzburg province, in the Hohe Tauern, the country's highest range, where streams fed by snow and glacier melt tumble off steep valley heads. The Krimml Waterfalls fall 380 metres in three stages down the Krimmler Ache inside Hohe Tauern National Park, the tallest waterfall in Austria and one of the tallest in Europe; around 400,000 people a year climb the switchback path that runs beside them, with viewing platforms at each stage. The Gastein Waterfall is a different kind of experience: it drops some 341 metres in three steps straight through the middle of Bad Gastein, the belle epoque spa town built on the slopes around it, with a road bridge and hotel terraces looking directly into the spray.

When to go

Both falls are fed by snow and glacier melt, so flow builds from May and peaks in June and July, when the Krimmler Ache carries many times its winter volume. September is quieter and still reliable. The staffed Krimml entrance and its paid path operate roughly from April to October; in winter both falls shrink and partly freeze, and the paths can be icy.

Getting around

Bad Gastein is on the main Tauern railway line, about 90 minutes by train from Salzburg, and the waterfall is a short walk from the station. Krimml sits at the head of the Pinzgau valley: take the narrow-gauge Pinzgauer Lokalbahn from Zell am See and bus 670 for the final stretch, or drive in over the Gerlos Pass road from Tyrol. Salzburg airport is closest for both.

Entry requirements

Austria is in the Schengen area; US, Canadian and UK visitors enter visa-free for up to 90 days in any 180. The EU's ETIAS pre-travel authorisation has been repeatedly delayed and was not in operation at the time of writing (September 2026), so check before you travel.

Entry rules checked September 2026. They change without much notice — confirm with the official government source before you travel.