Top 10 Waterfalls in Austria
Austria is Alpine to its core, and its waterfalls reflect that. Glacier-fed torrents drop off high cirques, snowmelt rivers carve gorges through limestone, and meltwater swells dramatically through the warm months. The country holds one of the tallest waterfalls in Europe and a string of spectacular Alpine gorges threaded with walkways. Most falls peak with the summer melt from June to August and quieten in autumn. The selection below spans Salzburg, Tyrol, Carinthia, and Styria. All ten are on the map.
1. Krimml Falls, Salzburg
The Krimml Falls (Krimmler Wasserfälle) in the Hohe Tauern National Park are the tallest in Austria and among the highest in Europe, dropping a total of 380 metres in three main tiers on the Krimmler Ache. A well-graded path climbs alongside the full height with numerous viewing platforms, gaining about 400 metres over the walk. Glacier-fed, they peak in June and July with enormous spray.
2. Golling Falls, Salzburg
The Golling Falls (Gollinger Wasserfall) near Golling south of Salzburg drop about 76 metres in two main stages, the upper emerging from a cave-like rock cleft. A short walk through forest with bridges reaches both levels. Fed by the Schwarzbach, they flow year round and are most powerful in spring and early summer; the lower fall is a popular long-exposure subject.
3. Stuibenfall, Tyrol
The Stuibenfall near Umhausen in the Ötztal is Tyrol's largest waterfall, dropping about 159 metres on the Horlachbach. A trail with around 700 steps, suspension bridges, and a via ferrata climbs beside it. Glacier and snowmelt fed, it is strongest in early summer. The bridges crossing the spray zone make it one of the most dramatic accessible falls in Tyrol.
4. Liechtensteinklamm, Salzburg
The Liechtensteinklamm near St. Johann im Pongau is one of the deepest and narrowest accessible gorges in the Alps, where the Großarler Ache rushes through a cleft up to 300 metres deep and at points only a few metres wide. Walkways follow the torrent to a waterfall at the head. It is most dramatic during high summer melt.
5. Gastein Waterfall, Salzburg
The Gastein Falls (Gasteiner Wasserfall) drop right through the spa town of Bad Gastein in three stages totalling about 340 metres, an unusual sight of a major Alpine waterfall framed by Belle Époque hotels. Fed by the Gasteiner Ache, it runs year round and is floodlit at night. The middle stage passes directly beneath the town's road bridge.
6. Schleierfall, Tyrol
The Schleierfall in the Kaisertal near Kufstein is a delicate veil fall dropping over an overhanging limestone wall, popular with rock climbers who scale the dry rock beside it. The water disperses into a fine spray — the name means veil fall. Best in spring and after rain; the surrounding Wilder Kaiser scenery is among Tyrol's finest.
7. Dr.-Vogelgesang-Klamm, Upper Austria
The Dr.-Vogelgesang-Klamm near Spital am Pyhrn is the longest gorge in Upper Austria, where a stream descends through a narrow rock cleft via a series of cascades and pools. Walkways and ladders climb roughly 300 metres of elevation. Best in late spring and summer; the gorge can close in winter due to ice.
8. Fallbach, Carinthia
The Fallbach in the Maltatal — the Valley of Falls in Carinthia — is one of Austria's tallest single drops, plunging about 200 metres off a cliff. The Maltatal holds dozens of waterfalls along its length, fed by the glaciers of the Ankogel group, and the Fallbach is the most striking, visible from the valley road. Strongest in summer melt.
9. Riesachfälle, Styria
The Riesachfälle in the Untertal near Schladming drop in stages totalling about 140 metres below the Riesachsee lake. A trail with a suspension bridge crosses the gorge, and the falls are part of the popular walk up to the lake in the Schladminger Tauern. Fed by snow and the lake outflow, they peak in early summer.
10. Umbalfälle, Tyrol
The Umbalfälle in the Virgental of East Tyrol, within the Hohe Tauern, are a series of cascades on the Isel — one of Austria's last free-flowing glacial rivers. A nature trail (the Wasserschaupfad) follows the falls with interpretive viewpoints. Glacier-fed from the Venediger group, they are loudest and most powerful at the height of summer melt.
Planning an Austria waterfall trip
Salzburg province is the richest base, with Krimml, Golling, Gastein, and the Liechtensteinklamm all within a couple of hours. Tyrol (Stuibenfall, Schleierfall, Umbalfälle) rewards a separate trip, as does Carinthia's Maltatal. The Hohe Tauern National Park concentrates the grandest glacial falls. Peak flow is the summer melt, June to August; gorges can be hazardous or closed in winter and early spring when ice and high water make walkways unsafe.
Glacial timing and the daily flow cycle
A detail worth knowing for Austria's glacier-fed falls — Krimml, Umbalfälle, Fallbach — is that their flow follows a daily rhythm as well as a seasonal one. On warm summer days, glacial melt peaks in the afternoon and evening, so a fall can be noticeably fuller at 4pm than at 9am. Photographers chasing maximum volume should visit late in the day in high summer, while those wanting softer light and fewer crowds may prefer the calmer morning flow. This daily cycle is most pronounced in July and August, when melt rates are highest and the difference between morning and evening discharge is greatest.
Explore on the map
Every waterfall above is plotted on the interactive map — filter to plan a Salzburg circuit around Krimml and the Liechtensteinklamm or a Tyrol and Carinthia trip through the glacial valleys.