Caves and mines in the Sauerland15 underground places to visit

The Atta Cave is situated on the eastern outskirts of Attendorn in the southern Sauerland and was uncovered on 19 July 1907 during a blasting operation in the limestone quarry of the Biggetaler Kalkwerke – the owner welcomed the first visitors that very same year. Visitors are taken on a short, easy tour featuring rust-red veined sinter formations, stalactites, stalagmites and calcite crystals; the guided tour lasts around 40 minutes at a constant temperature of 9 °C. Tickets are available exclusively at the ticket office, with a new group setting off every 15 minutes.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

40 min

Depth

52 m

Route

560 m

Adults

€14.50 (Adults aged 15 and over)

It is open on almost every day of the year, but opening times vary considerably – and in winter, it is mainly open at weekends only. The operator’s 2026 calendar: 1–11 January, daily from 11.00 (last admission 15.30); 12 January – 11 February: Saturdays and Sundays only from 11.00 am; 12–17 February: daily from 11.00 am; 18 February – 22 March: Saturdays and Sundays only from 11.00 am; 23 March – 30 April: daily from 10.30 am (last admission 4.00 pm); 1 May – 31 August: daily from 10.00 am (last admission 4.30 pm); 1 September – 1 November: daily from 10.30 am (last admission 4.00 pm); 2–22 November: Saturdays and Sundays only from 11.00; 23 November – 25 December: completely closed; 26–31 December: daily from 11.00. atta-hoehle.de

Not a tourist cave, but a hall carved out of rock: 90 metres deep, up to 18 metres wide, with an entrance 11 metres high – Europe’s largest cave chamber used as an event venue. A venue for fairy-tale weeks, shooting festivals and rock festivals; outside of events, it can only be visited by prior arrangement.

No regular public access. Access is available during events (Balver Höhle Festival, Schützenfest) or by prior arrangement with the St. Sebastian Balve Shooting Club. balver-hoehle.de

Discovered in 1868 by railway workers and has been open to the public as a tourist cave ever since. The path is mostly flat; the German Cave Museum is housed in the same building, and you should allow an extra half an hour to visit it.

Temperature

10 °C

Duration

40 min

Steps

64

Route

550 m

Adults

€10.00

All year round; from April to October, five fixed guided tours on weekdays from 10.30 am, and every 40–50 minutes at weekends and during the holidays. In January, February and December, tours are only available at weekends and on public holidays. dechenhoehle.info

A stream cave that is still active: water continues to flow through the lower levels to this day, steadily eroding the rock. Around 400 of the approximately 1,850 metres are accessible to visitors. The Bilsteintal Wildlife Park surrounds the cave; it is free to enter and open round the clock.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

30 min

Route

400 m

Adults

€8.50

Every day except 25 December; April to October 9 am–5 pm (last guided tour at 4.30 pm), November to March 10 am–4 pm (last guided tour at 3.30 pm). bilsteintal.de/bilsteinhoehle

Part of the Perick cave system, which stretches for over three kilometres; around 300 metres of it has been made accessible. The cave is famous for its Ice Age bone finds – a complete, 2.35-metre-long cave bear skeleton stands in the passage. Guided tours are led by volunteer speleologists.

Duration

40 min

Route

300 m

Adults

€6.00

From the end of March to 31 October: Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, 11.00–17.00 (last guided tour); additionally on selected weekdays during the NRW school holidays; in November: Sundays, 12.00–16.00; from December to March: groups of 12 or more only, by arrangement. hiz-hemer.de

You don’t walk in here: the mine railway takes visitors 1.5 kilometres into the mountain in eight minutes, where lead and zinc were mined until 1974. The underground tour lasts around an hour, with temperatures of 8 to 10 degrees and high humidity.

Duration

60 min

Adults

€11.00

Tuesday to Sunday and on public holidays, 9 am–5 pm; closed on Mondays. Mine train departs at 10.00 am, 11.30 am, 1.00 pm, 2.30 pm and 4.00 pm; booking recommended. sauerlaender-besucherbergwerk.de

An old slate mine, where mining took place from 1866 to 1927 and where, today, you can simply sit and breathe: 8 degrees, almost 100 per cent humidity, no guided tour, no mining programme. You go in on your own and stay as long as you like.

Temperature

8 °C

Adults

€7.50

Open daily all year round from 8 am to 6 pm; last admission at 5.30 pm. stollen-nordenau.de

Iron ore from the Martenberg, first mentioned in records dating from 1273. The Bismarck adit was driven by hand to a depth of 1,600 metres between 1870 and 1872; the last ore wagon was brought to the surface in 1963. Former miners from the Miners’ Association lead tours through the mine.

Temperature

9 °C

Duration

90 min

Route

1,200 m

Adults

€9.00

Spring to October; Wednesdays and Saturdays 1 pm–5 pm, Sundays and public holidays 10 am–5 pm; from June to August also on Mondays; last guided tour at 4 pm. diemelsee.de/besucherbergwerk-grube-christiane

Copper mining on the edge of the Sauerland: The guided tour of the Oskar mining field lasts between one and one and a half hours and explains the ore deposit, mining and smelting processes. The mine railway, which is usually advertised, is currently out of service for technical reasons.

Temperature

10 °C

Adults

€10.00

April to October, Saturdays and Sundays at 2 pm; during school holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia and Hesse, also Wednesdays at 2 pm. Groups welcome all year round by prior arrangement. kilianstollen.de

The Kenter Brewery’s cooling tunnel, tunnelled into the rock from 1857 onwards and abandoned following a fire in 1875. It served as an air-raid shelter during the Second World War, and subsequently as a bat roost; it has been open to the public again following a refurbishment funded by the EU.

There are no fixed opening hours; visits are by arrangement only with the SGV Reiste branch. sgv.reiste.net/sgv/felsenkeller.php

Open to visitors again from February 2026, following a break of over two years. This is no walk in the park, but a 2.5- to 3-hour tour past underground lakes, up slate steps and through high mining halls – the operator provides a helmet, gloves and a torch, but you’ll need to be fit.

Adults

€25.00

Only on fixed dates and by prior booking only; maximum of 16 people per tour; minimum age 8 years. schieferbau-nuttlar.de

A karst cave above the Ruhr Valley, which is only open on a few dates during the summer. There is no developed visitor trail: a helmet and ankle-high shoes are compulsory; torches and helmets are provided by the operator.

Temperature

10 °C

Adults

€4.00

Only on selected dates from May to September, for three hours each time in the afternoon or early evening; no booking required; groups of eight or more by arrangement. veleda-hoehle.de

In 1749, a tunnel was driven into the Eisenberg near Brilon and abandoned five years later without any ore having been found – the ore lenses lay above it. After about 600 metres, the Barbara Cave opens up to reveal an underground lake.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

90 min

Route

600 m

Adults

€6.00

April to October, Fridays at 4 pm; further dates available on request; bookings via the Olsberg Tourist Information Centre. Closed in winter as it serves as a bat roost. heimatbund-olsberg.de/philippstollen

Four slate mining fields, which were grouped together in 1863 under the name ‘Christine’; after a good hundred years, mining became unprofitable in 1971. After a short flight of steps leading down, the circular walk continues on level ground – which is unusual for a slate mine.

Temperature

8 °C

Duration

65 min

Adults

€9.00

Open all year round, closed on Mondays and Tuesdays; April to October: Wed–Sat at 10.00, 11.30, 14.00 and 15.30, Sundays at 10.00 and 11.30; November to March: Wed–Sun at 10.30. Booking required. willingen.de/poi/schiefergrube-christine

A tunnel specially carved into the castle rock, complete with a lift shaft, which replaces the steep footpath up to the castle. The tunnel has been transformed into a small, walk-through museum dedicated to knights, dwarves and castle legends; the lift covers 80 metres in altitude in half a minute.

Depth

80 m

Adults

€4.80

Tuesday to Friday 9 am–5.30 pm, weekends and public holidays 10 am–6.30 pm, closed on Mondays; closed over Christmas and New Year. burg-altena.de/erlebnisaufzug