Schellenberger Ice Cave: A Unique Attraction in the Untersberg

January 11, 2026, 6:12 am | Read time: 3 minutes

If you can’t get enough of snow and ice in winter, you should visit the Schellenberg Ice Cave. It is Germany’s only show ice cave and is located in the far south of the country. TRAVELBOOK reveals what makes it so special and how you can explore it.

Ice Cave in the Berchtesgaden Alps

The Schellenberg Ice Cave is situated at 1,570 meters above sea level in the Berchtesgaden Alps. The fascinating ice formations are deep inside the Untersberg. It is considered the largest ice cave in Germany and is also the only developed show ice cave. Its ice cover is up to 30 meters thick over an area of about 60,000 square meters.

What sounds incredible has been open to the public since 1925—the Schellenberg Ice Cave was first mentioned in writing in 1826 and then explored from 1874. More than 3.6 kilometers have been explored so far—500 meters of which can be explored as part of a guided tour.

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No Visit Is the Same

If you’re now eager to visit this unique cave in Germany, you should know that it cannot be explored on your own. You can only enter the cave with a guided tour, where you’ll learn how it was formed and how it has been increasingly explored over the years. Miner’s lamps guide the way and offer a view of the ice.

The cave itself offers another special feature for those who have visited before. “The ice changes over the course of the year. Therefore, you will find a ‘new’ ice cave with each visit,” explains Helfried Unterberger from the Schellenberg Cave Research Association upon TRAVELBOOK’s request. Last year, the association celebrated its anniversary: It has been responsible for the maintenance of the Schellenberg Ice Cave for 100 years now.

On a guided tour, you can view the well-formed masses of ice up close

Schellenberg Ice Cave Accessible Only on Foot

The Schellenberg Ice Cave is open from mid-May to mid-October—depending on snow conditions, explains Helfried Unterberger. There are two ways to reach the cave—but only on foot. Those with mountain experience can reach the ice cave from Marktschellenberg in about two and a half to three hours. Alternatively, there is the Untersberg cable car. However, you must also plan for a short hike of about two and a half hours from there.

Upon reaching the ice cave, you should also be mindful of the temperatures. While it may already feel like spring outside, temperatures inside the cave hover around freezing.

This article is a machine translation of the original German version of TRAVELBOOK and has been reviewed for accuracy and quality by a native speaker. For feedback, please contact us at info@travelbook.de.