The Best of Surrounding Salzburg - Carlos was a fantastic tour guide for our private tour to the ice caves and waterfall! He was personable, genuine, and easy to talk to. The caves and waterfall are both definitely worth seeing and will be something we remember for years to come. My only word of caution is that you should be in good physical health for the ice caves. The entry to the ice caves is 40 minutes of walking uphill, plus another 700 steps up once in the caves, all while at a higher altitude, so this tour is definitely not for everyone. However, for those who can make the trek, it is definitely worth it!

Caves - A stunning place and with Luciano's Guide everything was even more wonderful, guides like him make you want to know all Austria. Amazing care

Great experience - The cave is incredible, but the hike is no joke. If you can’t walk up a steep hill for 40 minutes and 700 steps after that, you will have a hard time.

Awesome tour - This was one of the best tours I have taken. Yes, it is difficult and many steps to take. But it is well worth it. Our guide was exceptional and that made the tour even better. Our driver was right on time and made sure we we’re taken care of. The weather started out rainy and overcast. After the tour the sun was out and he stopped several times so that we could take photos. I would highly recommend this tour. By the way I am 78 and made it.

Amazing Ice Cave! - It's a climb to get to the cave, so expect that before the steps in the cave. Our guide, Luciano, was fantastic! He got us right to the front of the line so we could hear the guide and interact. The waterfall was also a beautiful spot.

A very interesting visit - The ice caves are only open in the summer. We left by car from Salzburg, taking about 45 minutes. From where we left the car to the entrance of the cave, it is a fairly long walk up but with great views. You take a small, steep section on the funicular. You have to wear a thick jacket and a hat because inside the cave there is a temperature of minus zero degrees. It is an incredible and unique experience. I highly recommend it.

Private tour worth it - This was a private tour for our family of four (kids 19 & 22). Our friendly guide, Michael, was fantastic - picked us up from our Salzburg hotel and was very knowledgeable about the area. He was with us all the way to the open of the ice cave. If you did not pack or wear warm clothes (like me) you can buy a windbreaker (~€25) in the ice cave check in. Lots of climbing to the entrance (slope), and in the cave (stairs). Just pace yourself- I’m not in great shape and did it. Trip back was great - outdoor/Wasserfall was very nice. The private nature of the tour (it was just us and Michael in a nice SUV) was the best part (we swung by a grocery for snacks, no bus, no waiting, etc), especially if you have been working in crowds, train stations, taxis for multiple days of your trip.

Nice day but did not go to cave (sooo many stairs there we weren't expecting) - I'm a little torn about how to write this review. Going to Werfen Ice Cave was my idea and I really wanted to see it. All in all we had a nice day but not the one we planned. The 5 of us had a private driver who was a really nice guy and we liked a lot. On the drive to cave he explained how the day would go: after a 20-minute walk and short cable car ride, there are 700 stairs into and out of the cave. Wait? What? Stairs? and 1400 of them!? The description said people should be in moderately good shape, which we are, but that's a lot of stairs they forgot to mention. We are in our 60's and got over 20,000 steps nearly every day for the 3 weeks of our European trip--so we're not slackers, but that many stairs is more than we thought our knees could handle. I think the description of the physicality needed to this is not accurate. We also had a 21, 25, and 27 year old with us, so we pressed onward discussing we should attempt this or not as we walked. Frist you do the 20 minute or so walk (very pretty scenery along a mountain path which is on the edge of the mountain but secure with fences where needed), you then get in an enclosed cable car. At the top of the cable car ride, there is a very cute little restaurant with an outside patio and an incredible, expansive view. Sadly, because of the stairs, my husband and I decided that restaurant is where this part of the trip would end for us. So we sat outside and enjoyed some nice alone time together on the deck. That was nice. The tour guide said it was an exceptionally clear day that day and visibility much better and further than usual--so we had that going for us at least. The restaurant was fine & friendly about us ordering just drinks and not food for maybe about 2 hours give or take while waiting for our kids to return from the ice cave which was further down the trail. We had a nice lunch altogether at the cable car restaurant on their return. (lunch not included in tour price). Our 25 y.o. daughter, who is in pretty good shape said that by the end of the ice cave her legs were wobbly--so we think we made the right choice for us. The "kids" really liked the ice cave and took lots of pix (which I don't have from them yet to share, sorry.) So I'm happy they were able to go and thought it was worthwhile. After that, we went to Golling Waterfall on the way back. It was maybe a 10-15 minute walk to a spectacular waterfall. We live in Hawaii and have hiked many falls and still thought this one is pretty grand. We spent maybe 15 minutes there before heading back to Salzburg. I'm not sure just how to rate this since we had an enjoyable day and took in some great scenery, but it wasn't what we expected as a group. I can't give it 5 stars, but it was beautiful and the experience was somewhat unique and different from all the city sites we were seeing. Driver took a route back to take us through some small towns and off the main roads and through some particularly pretty and/or areas of extra lovely homes.