The Ice Grotto
A 200-metre walkable passage inside the Stubai Glacier — blue ice, absolute silence.
Ice Grotto tickets5,000 years old — and blue
What looks like science fiction is compressed glacier ice. Immense pressure squeezes the air out — what remains is ice that lets only blue light through. The Ice Grotto is re-cut every year to follow the flowing glacier.
Ice Grotto in numbers
👣
200 m
Length of passage
🧊
30 m
Ice above your head
🌡️
-1°C
Year-round temperature
⏳
5,000
Years old
What awaits you
🔵
Blue chambers
Side caverns lit by intense blue light — once-in-a-lifetime photo spots.
💧
Moulin view
A look into a living glacier torrent, 20 metres deep.
🎧
Audio tour
Glaciologists narrate in eight languages about formation and the future.
Opening hours and gear
The Ice Grotto is open October to May daily 10:00–15:30. Sturdy footwear is mandatory, a warm jacket recommended. Access is at the Eisgrat top station at 2,900 m.
Blue passage