Untersberg

The Untersberg is a limestone block rising to just under two thousand metres directly south of Salzburg, straddling the Austrian-German border, and it dominates the view from the city. It is heavily karstified - the plateau is bare limestone pavement, sinkholes and shafts, and the cave systems inside are among the deepest in the region, with the Kolowrat and Riesending systems drawing serious cave exploration and one of the largest cave rescues in European history in 2014. The Untersbergbahn from Grödig lifts you to 1,776 metres in a few minutes, from where the Geiereck and Salzburger Hochthron are short walks. Legend holds that Charlemagne, or Friedrich Barbarossa depending on the telling, sleeps inside the mountain and will wake when needed, which is the story every Salzburg guide tells.

What you actually see

• A karst plateau - bare limestone pavement, sinkholes and shafts on top.
• Deep cave systems - among the deepest in the region, still being explored.
• A cable car to 1,776 metres - minutes from the valley to the plateau.
• The sleeping emperor legend - Charlemagne or Barbarossa inside the mountain.

When to go

May to October for walking; the cable car runs most of the year. A day.

Honest expectations

The plateau is exposed karst - navigation is hard in fog and there are unmarked shafts off the paths. Weather closes the cable car. The summit area is crowded near the top station.

Nearby

Salzburg is twenty minutes away; Berchtesgaden is over the German border.