Liechtenstein Gorge

The Liechtensteinklamm is a slot cut by the Grossarler Ache through limestone near St Johann im Pongau, and for much of the visitor route the walls stand only a few metres apart with several hundred metres of rock overhead. Walkways and bridges are bolted to the sides, so you walk above the water rather than beside it, in permanent shade and constant noise. A spiral steel structure carries the path through the tightest section, built when the gorge reopened after a rockfall had closed it for a time. The route ends at a waterfall at the head of the gorge, then returns the same way, which takes about an hour in total.

What you actually see

• The narrows - the section where the walls almost meet overhead and daylight arrives as a thin strip.
• The spiral walkway - a helix of steel added during the rebuild, lifting the path through the tightest part of the slot.
• The waterfall at the head - the fall that closes the route, seen from a platform in permanent spray.
• The water-worn rock - polished flutes, potholes and undercuts carved into the limestone by the stream.

When to go

May to October, with the season and daily hours set by the operator. Early summer gives the most water and the loudest gorge. Midday is when coaches arrive, so first thing or late afternoon is calmer. Take a layer: it is many degrees cooler inside than in the car park, and always damp.

Honest expectations

It is cold, dark and wet, and the boards stay slippery all day. The route is one way in and out on narrow walkways, so a coach group ahead of you sets the pace and there is no way past. Not usable with a pushchair. The whole visit is short for the ticket price, and closed all winter.

Nearby

St Johann im Pongau is minutes away, with the Grossarl valley running south from the gorge.