Werfen Things to Do

The fortress also houses the Austrian Museum of Falconry. In 1990 began the first public demonstrations of the art of falcon hunting, which has proved to be a great success. Nowadays they offer daily flight demonstrations with various birds. The demonstrations take place daily at 11:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. and they last approx. 40 minutes each.

Rates and hours of admission:

Incl. admission, tour of the castle, tour of the fortifications. Visit to the Salzburg Falconry Center with flight demonstration and the First Austrian Falconry Museum, special exhibit.

Adults 9,00 €
Adults, reduced 7,50 €
Children (6-15 years) 4,50 €
Family Card 20,00 €

Hours of admission:
Closed Mondays in April
April, October, November 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
May, June, September 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
July, August 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

Eisriesenwelt

Eisriesenwelt is the place most of the tourists are coming to Werfen for. I did not go there, because photography is forbidden inside that ice-cave !
A cable-car is taking you uphill, and then you have to walk quite a bit before you get to the caves, lots of bustours are going there from Salzburg and sometimes it gets quite crowded, so I decided to explore the castle of Werfen instead and show a picture of an ice-cave here, that I made in Jungfraujoch / Switzerland.
Take a look at their web-page, many pics that are shown on VT are taken from that web-page !
This is the biggest ice-cave in the world and all of the summer the temperature is an average of Zero celcius, so you better get warm clothings, the cave has a length of 42 km, 1 km of wich you will be shown in the guided tour.
The caves are open between
end of April and end of October
in 2006 that was April 29th till October 26th, 2006
the 1st day might be flexible the end
is the Austrian national holiday
that might stay the same each year !
guided tours are available between 9.00a.m. and 03.30p.m
(in july and August till 04.30p.m.)
17 euros is the fee for the cablecar+the caves
children pay 8,50 Euros

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Of course such a large castle in a narrow valley had the sense to protect at one hand the people living in that area, and at the same time toll had to be payed by all merchants passing by on the pass-road or on the river. And of course it was essential for the guards at the castle to know exactely, what time and how many merchants, soldiers or other travellers might want to get through the valley.
Therefore several cannons were posted next to the large windows in order to defend the castle.
On my last-but-one picture you may also see a small wooden unicorn, left of the large cannon: It is ment for tournaments and you may throw the rings from a larger distance to the unicorn's horn. This is also part of the games that could be booked for your private festivities, marriages etc. at Werfen castle.
On my last picture : The "Schandgeige" was a popular punishment in medieval times and is also part of the "Ritterschmaus" today : Your head and hands are fixed and you will be forced to drink wine...

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Karl's Room was made for Archiduke Eugene with furniture of the 17th and 18th century. It might have made sense to call it Eugene's room then, but for some reason it is called Karl's Room anyway according the inscriptions in the castle. This is one of the rooms that you may see when taking a look through a window 1 floor above the place, where the funicular ends in the castle. There are several such rooms that you may see, while waiting for your tour to start at each full hour !

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The small castle kitchen is another of the rooms that you may see through a window, while walking through the castle on your own. This furniture dates back to the 17th - 19th century and this chamber is just above the place, where you get out of the funicular. For sure it is a good time to start exploring the castle at 09.00a.m. like I did, so you have about 1 hour to get up by the funicular, see these various chambers, that you may see through the windows, see the casemattes and other museums, take a first look to the falconry-court and maybe you are luky to be able to watch the falcon-ladies flirting with their birds, then you take the guided tour at 10.00a.m. and then watch the falcons at 11.00a.m., and you are finished at 12.oo noon. (I made the Grossglocknerstrasse at the same day, although I lost a lot of time in a trafic-jam)
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Also by wheel-chair you may easily get to the window
in order to see the small castle-kitchen

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Fuerstenzimmer is one of the most beautiful rooms of the castle and you will get there at the very end of the guided tour. The original room dates back to the year 1566 but unfortunately it burned down completely in 1931. In 2003 it was rebuilt according to old photos by a local artist, specialized in wooden works of art. A small part of the furniture is from another room and you may not walk around in the room, you just enter at one side and may take pictures from behind a fence. It certainly makes sense, when not everbody may touch these precious wooden works of art !
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It could be that this room is accesible also by wheel-chair !
But I am not really sure about it, in any case it would be necassary
to talk to the castle-guide to open the backdoor for you
or you wait there, when the tour is over.

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The belfry of Burg Hohenwerfen dates back to the year 1535 and inside of its basment you may get inside and find the souvenir-shop there, the upper part of the tower is part of the guided tour and you may see the large clockwork and the bells that were ring in case of fire or enemies approaching. On the very top of the belfry you will have a great panorama-view, but there is just a quite steep stair to climb up.
When you are lucky to arrive as one of the first persons at the castle - like I did at shortly after 09.00a.m. - you may see the gates of the bellfry still closed, while lateron during the day the beautful painting of the double-eagle will be unvisible, as long as the shop-doors are open and the beautiful painting is split into 2 directions.

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The old casemate Cellars of Burg Werfen are dating back to the year 1125 and these halls used to be the living-quaters for the ordinary soldiers and defendors of the castle. Nowadays it is used as an exhibition-hall and you may find it many steps below the Burgschaenke / Castle-restaurant, on your way to the court of the falcons.
This part of the castle may be visited on your own and the guided tour will not go there at all.
There is also a museum about the salt- and silver-mining in that area and about local customs at christmas-time and at the carnival in the area south of Salzburg.
On my last picture at the right : Perchten are a local custom in parts of Austria : they are trying to push out the winter by noises and also some nasty behaviour against the local population. Search the local newspapers for "Perchten - Lauf"