Geography & Countries

The Tallest Mountains in Europe

Under the standard convention that includes the Caucasus, six of Europe's ten tallest peaks tower well above anything in the Alps — ranked here by elevation above sea level.

Mount Elbrus, the tallest mountain in Europe, in the Russian Caucasus
Rank Mountain Elevation Range
1Mount Elbrus5,642 mCaucasus
2Dykh-Tau5,205 mCaucasus
3Shkhara5,201 mCaucasus
4Koshtan-Tau5,151 mCaucasus
5Jangi-Tau5,085 mCaucasus
6Kazbek5,054 mCaucasus
7Mont Blanc4,808 mAlps
8Dufourspitze4,634 mAlps
9Dom4,545 mAlps
10Liskamm4,527 mAlps
11Weisshorn4,505 mAlps
12Matterhorn4,478 mAlps

The Top 5

#1

Mount Elbrus — 5,642 m

A dormant volcano with two summits in Russia's Caucasus, Elbrus is conventionally ranked Europe's highest point and counted among the Seven Summits — even though it's more than 800 m taller than Mont Blanc.[1]

#2

Dykh-Tau — 5,205 m

Despite standing lower than Elbrus, Dykh-Tau is a far more serious technical climb, with no straightforward route to its summit and only a handful of ascents most years.[2]

#3

Shkhara — 5,201 m

Shkhara is the highest point in the country of Georgia, sitting right on the border with Russia at the head of the dramatic Bezengi Wall.[3]

#4

Koshtan-Tau — 5,151 m

Tucked deep in the remote Bezengi region, Koshtan-Tau's name roughly translates to "paired mountain," and it remains one of the least-visited of Europe's highest summits.[4]

#5

Jangi-Tau — 5,085 m

A three-peaked massif straddling the Georgia–Russia border, Jangi-Tau (also spelled Dzhangi-Tau) sits in the same Bezengi Wall cluster as Dykh-Tau, Shkhara, and Koshtan-Tau, making this stretch of the Caucasus the single densest concentration of very tall peaks in Europe.[5]

Geography Mountains Europe

Sources

  1. Mount Elbrus elevation and Seven Summits status, aggregated from mountaineering reference sources.
  2. Dykh-Tau geography and route difficulty, aggregated from mountaineering reference sources.
  3. Shkhara geography, aggregated from Georgian geographic and mountaineering reference sources.
  4. Koshtan-Tau geography, aggregated from mountaineering reference sources.
  5. Jangi-Tau (Dzhangi-Tau) geography, aggregated from Caucasus mountaineering reference sources.