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Krimml Waterfalls, Austria: How to Visit the Largest Waterfall in Europe

The Krimml Waterfalls are the largest in all of Europe at 380 metres high, and visiting them to witness the power of their water is an astounding experience. This natural wonder is a highlight of the Salzburg region and shouldn’t be missed on your trip to Austria.

Located near the town of Krimml in the High Tauern National Park, the Krimml waterfalls were largely unrecognised until the end of the eighteenth-century due to their remote location. By the nineteenth-century, however, Krimml had been discovered by the new wave of Romantic artists seeking beautiful and powerful natural environments as inspiration for their work. From this point on, tourists began to flock to this stunning location and today the waterfalls receive over 350,000 visitors each year between their opening months of April-October.

In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to know before visiting the Krimml falls, including information about how to get to Krimml, parking at the area, and which trail to take to view the waterfalls. I'll also provide suggestions on where to camp before or after your visit if you’re road-tripping around Austria, as I found it easy to park overnight for an early morning walk to the falls.


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The hike from the Krimml Waterfalls ticket booth to the highest lookout point is of moderate difficulty. Whilst the path is wide and paved the whole way with a clearly signposted route, the incline is steep as it zigzags up the side of the falls and therefore a decent amount of fitness is required. Whilst the elevation gain is actually only 432 metres, the walk is fairly short and thus you climb this amount over a short period of time (making it feel like a greater exertion).

The hike is 4 km one way to get up to the highest falls, and should take no more than 2 hours factoring in time to admire the views from the many stunning lookout areas. Once you reach the highest point of the trail, with the best view of the entire falls rushing down beneath you, most hikers choose to turn back and walk down the way they came. Whilst this does increase the hike to an 8km round-trip, the descent is far faster due to the ease of pacing downhill.

There are many benches and other seating areas located along the trail which provide the opportunity for a well deserved rest, and you’ll find an alpine restaurant half way up where you can stop for refreshments if desired.


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Wasserfallweg, Krimml, Austria

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The Krimml waterfall trail begins from the small town of Krimml in High Tauern National Park in Austria. As the main reason to visit Krimml is to see the falls, the town contains 5 different car parks designated specifically for visitors to the falls, some of which are closer to the start of the trail than others.

The closest car parks to the beginning of the waterfall trail are P4 and P5, though P1, P2, and P3 are also less than a 10 minute walk to the ticket booth and trailhead. Whilst the parking fee varies, with the closest car parks being the most expensive, the general fee comes to roughly 2 EUR per hour.

From any of the designated car parks, it’s an easy signposted stroll down through the town, past restaurants and tourist shops, to the ticket booth where you must pay an entrance fee of 8 EUR before entering the main waterfall trail.

Krimml Waterfalls parking and ticket information | Wasserfaelle-krimml.at

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The easiest way to access the Krimml Waterfalls is by car as it isn’t too far from some of Austria’s main cities and airports, the drive into Krimml is scenic, and there are numerous parking options available at the site. Here is a list of driving distances to Krimml from some popular locations:

Innsbruck - Krimml: 1hr 40 mins

Salzburg - Krimml: 2hr 15 mins

Munich - Krimml: 2hr 35 mins

I chose to visit the Krimml Waterfalls after completing the Olpererhütte hike from Mayrhofen (1 hour drive from Krimml), which I recommend as a perfect weekend in Tyrol for those that love the outdoors and hiking in nature.

The quickest way to reach the Krimml Waterfalls by car is via the Gerlos Alpine Road, one of the most popular panoramic roads in the East Alps which passes between Salzburg & Tyrol. Driving along the Gerlos Alpine Road is not free, however, and you will have to pay a toll of 12 EUR per car to reach Krimml via this stunning mountain pass.

If you’d rather avoid paying a toll, you can bypass the Gerlos Alpine Road by diverting onto the Krimmler Landesstraße before the toll booth, which takes a slightly longer route to Krimml via Wald im Pinzgau. It’s important to note, however, that this road is narrow in areas and I felt fairly nervous driving along there in my van.

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The Krimml Waterfalls are located on the Pinzgauer local railway, and thus it is possible to visit them using public transport.

The train runs hourly between Zell am See and Krimml along one of the most scenic railways in the world. On the 53 kilometres to Krimml, you can enjoy the view of the Pinzgau grass mountains along the Salzach and feel like you've been transported back to a bygone era.

Zell am See is a very popular skiing destination and as such there are many train services to Zell am See from major towns and cities all across Austria, Germany and Switzerland. Additionally, you can get the Regional Bus 260 directly from the Salzburg W.A Mozart Airport to Zell am See, which takes just 1 hr 45 min and costs 14.10 EUR for adult full fare

Transport to Zell am See | Zellamsee-kaprun.com

Pinzgauer Lokalbahn information | Pinzgauerlokalbahn.at


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The hiking path along the Krimml Waterfalls trail is an unforgettable experience which allows you to fully appreciate the full force of this magnificent natural phenomenon. Although the trail itself is quite steep, scaling the height of the falls in just 4 kilometres, it is extremely well paved, accessible, and safe.

Because the trail is split into various stages, this trail is perfect for families with children as it is possible to choose how far you ascend before you return back along the same path. Whether you choose to walk to the lower waterfall, middle falls, or the entire route up to the upper waterfall, the views at every section are breathtaking.

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The first stage of the Krimml hiking trail is just 10 minutes long and leads you to the lower waterfall. Due to the short distance of this section of the hike, and the lack of any steep ascent, this stage is suitable for everybody including those with pushchairs or wheelchairs.

Although it’s the easiest section of the hike, the view of the lower waterfall is one of the most breathtaking and has fantastic photo opportunities.

From the ticket booth, follow the wide paved path down a slight descent towards a gift shop and restaurant, where you will see signs directing you to turn left down a short path to reach the lower falls.

Once you reach the foot of this record-breaking waterfall, there is a large flat viewing area where other hikers will gather to stare at the huge volume of water crashing into the river at its foot. Despite being a safe distance away from the waterfall itself, you can feel the cool spray from the falls at this point so many hikers wear shower-proof jackets or ponchos even in nice weather.

If you’d like to get closer to the falls at this point, it is possible to scramble over an area of large stones towards the foot of the waterfall itself, and you’ll see many other visitors doing this in an attempt to get as close as possible to the gushing cascade. The closer you get, the more you’ll feel the force of wind and water blasting off of the waterfall - just be careful as the stony area around the falls is very damp and slippery. Although you’re likely to get quite wet at this point, the feeling is utterly exhilarating! In fact, a visit to the Krimml waterfalls is known to have positive effects on health and wellbeing, with the water mist providing a healing anti-inflammatory and cleansing effect which is particularly beneficial for those with asthma or allergies.

From the lower falls, retrace your footsteps back up the path towards the gift shop/restaurant. This is a fantastic, though busy, place to stop for refreshment and partake in some of the delicious traditional Austrian delicacies on offer.

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From the souvenir shop and restaurant near the lower falls, continue your hike for a walking time of around half an hour to reach the middle waterfall viewing platforms. This section of the hike is where the trail starts to get pretty steep, but there are many viewpoints and rest locations along the way to take a breather, admire the views and take some fantastic photos.

The trail is very self-explanatory and easy to follow with a paved path winding up alongside the waterfall in a zig-zagging ascent. As the path is concrete and forms a ramp rather than steps, it provides good grip even when wet and some hikers even push strollers or wheelchairs all the way up the trail (though this would take great strength given the path is a challenge for the calves even without this added difficulty.)

As with the Lower falls, you will experience a lot of spray at many of the viewpoints along this section of the trail and therefore it’s best to wear a light jacket if you don’t want to get wet. If you’re lucky, the sun shining through the mist often creates wonderful rainbows which add to the place’s natural beauty.

After 30-40 minutes, you’ll reach the alpine hut Schönangerl, which marks the middle falls and is a great place to stop for a well-deserved break or even a swim. Once you reach this location, you be halfway along the trail to the upper falls and have already scaled 50% of the largest waterfall in Europe!

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From the entrance to the Krimml Waterfalls, the hike up to the upper falls is signposted as taking 1 hour 15 minutes, though it’s likely to be a little more than this in reality due to the number of stunning viewpoints to admire along the way. From the Schönangerl hut (the middle falls), it should be another 40 minutes hike up to the upper waterfall. The trail for this final section is again very steep so hikers should keep this in mind before setting out on this last ascent.

Similarly to the middle falls section of the trail, this third stage is very easily followed with the same paved path zig-zagging up alongside the cascades. Again, there are many lovely viewpoints to stop and admire the scenery along the way; a couple of my favourites are the Staubige Reib at 1,330 metres above sea level or the Bergerblick at 1,390 metres.

Once you reach the upper falls, at the top of the trail, there is a bridge spanning the river just before the waterfalls begin their surge down the valley. Although it is a great achievement to climb to this point and reach the full height of the largest European waterfall, the views from this stage, though still beautiful, are not quite as majestic as those lower down at the middle or lower falls in my opinion. Having said that, it’s still well-worth experiencing the full hike.

From the upper Krimml falls, it is possible to extend your hike along multiple trails towards Veitnalm, the Hölzlahneralm, the Söllnalm or Krimmler Tauernhaus. Alternatively, most visitors choose to turn around and walk back down the falls along the route they came up, which is a nice steady descent taking much less time than the hike up!


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The trail up the Krimml Waterfalls is a moderate one as, though it’s well-paved, accessible and easy to follow, it is fairly steep and therefore a sturdy pair of shoes is essential. I would recommend proper hiking boots, though a well made pair of trainers would be appropriate for this hike given the concrete path all the way up.

As always, your clothing will be dependent on the time of year you choose to visit Krimml. The weather in summer (the best time to visit the falls) can often be lovely so if you’re planning to visit the Krimml falls in June, July or August it is often shorts and t-shirt weather. In May, September or October I’d suggest wearing trousers or leggings with a long sleeve top and packing a warm waterproof jacket just in case.

Most importantly for visiting the falls, I’d always recommend packing a light waterproof jacket or plastic poncho whatever time of year it is as the waterfalls give off a lot of spray and you will inevitably get wet whilst standing at the various viewpoints beside the cascade.

The weather can be unpredictable in Austria, so whatever time of year you’re visiting Krimml always check the weather beforehand and adjust your clothing accordingly.

In addition, packing a plentiful supply of water is always a good idea for any hike and I would recommend taking sun-protection in the form of cream, a hat, and sunglasses too if hiking in the warmer months.


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Fortunately for us van lifers, although wild camping around the Krimml falls would be fairly difficult, the town is open to overnight parking and there are paid spots to be found on popular park-up sites such as Park4Night.

The best (and cheapest) authorised overnight park-up is in the P1 car park, just 10-15 minutes walk from the entrance to the Krimml Waterfalls trail. It’s situated in the centre of Krimml and costs just 8 EUR for the night if you buy an overnight ticket from the pay and display machine. The only downside is that you then have to pay an additional charge in the morning if you want to stay in the car park during the day to visit the falls.

The car park has no facilities, but it is a safe and secure place to sleep and is highly convenient for visiting the Krimml waterfalls and surrounding attractions the next day. Additionally, there are free public toilets just a 5 minute walk away in the town of Krimml which is a handy addition to this park-up location.

Alternatively, there is a dedicated campsite in the town, Camping Krimmler Wasserfälle, which is a more costly solution but does have the luxury of facilities including toilets and even a pool! The price of staying here is 35 EUR per night with an extra small fee for using the campsite’s showers.