With the help of Instagram, there probably isn’t a well-traveled person who hasn’t heard and seen a ton of photods from Hallstatt. And rightly so! The word about allegedly the oldest village in Europe has spread to every corner of our little world and now in a place so tiny like Hallstatt, you can see a lot of tourists trying to get a boat across the lake to step foot in Hallstatt. With a place this small you generally don’t need much planning but trust me there is a lot that can be easily missed! So read on 🙂

When to visit Hallstatt?

First and foremost, it’s super important that you visit Hallstatt outside of the peak season. Me and my partner visited in May which is not really a prime time, yet the village was already flooded with tourists. So I would advise that you visit either in April/early May time or in Sept when the tourist wave starts to calm down. Also, if at all possible, avoid the weekends. Hallstatt is insanely popular with the Chinese tourists so it’s no surprise to see many buses dropping dozens of tourists off multiple times a day, thus literally flooding Hallstatt’s only main street. I sure wished the village was still reachable only by boat but hey, the Austrians and their incredible infrastructure 😀 !

How to get to Hallstatt (from Salzburg)?

Driving from Salzburg to Hallstatt is by far the quickest and best way to get to Hallstatt. It takes just over an hour to drive to Hallstatt. But the best part is that you can stop on the way to Hallstatt. Sadly, this is when I regretted not having a car. The drive to Hallstatt is so incredibly scenic that there were countless places I just wanted to shout to the bus driver to just stop and let me get off! Of course, I had to suck it up and be civil 😀 . But honestly, if you can drive, do it. If you find renting a car in Salzburg too pricey, like I did, then the bus/ train combo is the way to go.

We got bus 150 from Salzburg Mirabellplatz station to Bad Ischl and then changed to a direct train to Hallstatt. Luckily the bus and train stations in Bad Ischl are right next to each other so we could time everything perfectly. The entire journey was about 2.5 hours to Hallstatt Bahnhof and this was the cheapest option to get to Hallstatt, just under 15 EUR each way. You can also take a train to Attnang-Puchheim Bahnhof and then change to a train to Hallstatt. However this route saves you only about 30min and is over 20 EUR each way. Also Bad Ischl is a lovely place to stop by and explore for a few hours!

Tip: There is a wonderful app called Sbg Verkehr which I really recommend you download for all transport queries in Austria. Not only does it show you the different connections but it also gives the price so you can plan ahead! I loved it!

How long to stay and where?

A lot of people tend to do a day trip from either Vienna or Salzburg and then move on. If you take one thing from this post it should be this. Do not come to this unbelievably beautiful part of Austria just for a day trip (more on this below)! Stay at least 2 days, 1 night.

Hallstatt as you already know is very popular so those who do decide to stay overnight have to battle for a decent accommodation (not literally, thankfully)! I knew it was going to be busy in Hallstatt so I wanted to avoid the crowds and instead opted to stay in Obertraun. I can’t quite stress how happy I was with this decision. We stayed in this beautiful hotel just by the lake. And yes, it was expensive but sadly everything around Hallstatt lake is. Having said that, it was totally worth it. Waking up to the views of the lake and surrounded by mountains was everything that I really wanted! And unlike Hallstatt, there was barely anyone around. If you want to hike up or take the cable car to mount Krippenstein, staying in Obertraun is definitely your best option!

Hallstatt Things to do

The best thing about Hallstatt undoubtedly is its location. Right in the middle of the magnificent Dachstain mountain range and on the shore of the massive Hallstatt lake, the iconic village of Hallstatt is amazing to visit even just for the views. For me the highlight were exactly the views and all the other cool things we did were just amazing add-ons.

Admire the main square

As soon as we got off the boat which took us from Obertraun to Hallstatt (in about 15 min), we found ourselves on the main square. I almost felt like I’ve been here before through all the photos I had seen of this place. Yet, my eyes were popping. The colors of this place were making this somewhat ordinary square stand out so much from the rest of the village. The square is home to a few souvenir shops (as you do in most commercialized places) and a few bars and hotels. Taking an unobstructed view here isn’t easy but waiting for the background to clear is totally worth it.

Stroll along the only main street

What I loved about Hallstatt was how tiny it was. Yet, I didn’t realise that the village really only has one main street. That’s right! Just one. Going from one side of the village to the other. Strolling along can actually be quite relaxing and enjoyable if you’re lucky to visit when it’s relatively quiet. And don’t forget to look up every now and then. Apart from the stunning views over the mountains, what I loved about Hallstatt was how authentic the houses are. So look up! You might be impressed too.

Hike up all the stairs

When I was strolling along the main street I kept wanting more. So I took the first stairs that I saw and started walking up. I really wanted to see where people actually live. From the main street I couldn’t see that many houses so my wanderlust kicked in. The stairs were narrow and kinda dark. I could see tiny doors hidden in between the branches and lake views screaming for attention. I had never seen such a smooth lake. It looked completely still and so so pure. Not only did I see the locals’ front doors but also some of their gorgeous terraces overlooking the lake and the mountains. “How lucky are these people!” – is what I kept thinking! Until you’ve seen the inside of Hallstatt, you can’t head back so escape the buzz of the main street and go hide in the hearth of Hallstatt. And believe it or not, there was no one in front or behind us when we got off the main street!

Try some Schaumrolle

As I was walking along the main street, I saw a pretty funky food stall and got curious to see what the local ladies were selling. I could tell it’s something traditional so I got intrigued. As soon as I came at the stall, a lovely smiley lady treated me to their traditional schaumrolle. I can’t quite explain what it is  exactly but it tastes like a rather sweet pastry with an egg based filling. If you have a sweet tooth, give it a try (for only 2.50 EUR). And who knows, you might be lucky like me and be treated to it, for free!

Lunch on the lake

As soon as you approach Hallstatt, you’ll be wow’ed by the enormous absolutely stunning views over the lake. Stopping to admire the lake is an absolute must. And what a better way to enjoy it than over a bit of good food. Now don’t get me wrong, the Austrians aren’t massively popular with their local cuisine but you can still try one of the cosy restaurants on the lake or have a picnic. If you’re lucky with the weather, stopping to take in the views is what will make your trip here so memorable so don’t rush it. When we visited, it started pouring so we had to hide in a restaurant by the lake. Although the food really wasn’t great 😀 looking at the lake and the mountains, slowly starting to hide behind the fog, really made me wanna stay here for longer.

Cycle around the lake

Hallstatt lake really is enormous. I really didn’t realise that until my trip. So when I saw how beautiful the entire area around the lake was, I badly wanted to walk or cycle around the whole place. Sadly we only had time to walk round the lake for a couple of hours but if you have more time, rent a bike and cycle around. There is a narrow paved road going around the whole lake so you can comfortable explore on 2 wheels. And budget a few hours for this because we’re talking at least 10km of cycling 🙂 ! The stunning views are the best reward though!

Take a boat/ferry tour

If you decide to drive to Hallstatt, you will miss on the ferry ride from Hallstatt train station to the village. But you gotta see Hallstatt from the lake! It sounds cliche but it really looks like a fairy town when seen from the lake. Nested at the bottom of the mountains, until you see Hallstatt from afar, it’s hard to appreciate just how tiny it really is. The local church and the traditional wooden houses perfectly standing as if on top of each other, give Hallstatt its almost magical fairy look. So do a boat tour, ideally to Obertraun. That way you will be able to see the views over Hallstatt from the best angles.

Explore the cemetery

What is extremely interesting about this cemetery are its rules. Hallstatt is a small town with unsurprisingly tiny cemetery. So the concept of family graves does not exist. In fact due to space issues, a grave can be re-occupied in just 10 years. How creepy is that! All bones from the previous ”occupant” are supposedly moved to Hallstatt Bonehouse, aka Charnel House. The cemetery in itself is a really nice place to visit. I have never seen such a lovely cemetery so overloaded with flowers. And the views from up there are spectacular. This will probably top the list of cemeteries with the best views!

Find the ”classic” Hallstatt shooting spot

Hallstatt features quite a lot on Instagram but there seems to be one particular angle where it seems to be most frequently shot from. So go on a little mission to find that spot. It actually is pretty cool to be able to see the views with your own eyes and of course take a photo for yourself. To ease you in your expedition 😀 go passed the cemetery and keep walking straight. The viewing spot is almost at the end of the village so keep walking until you find the familiar image. The best time to reach this spot is in the afternoon when most people who have come for the day have started to leave Hallstatt, thus leaving the views just to yourself. Enjoy!

Find the best free view over the square

We found the best view over the square after a bit of walking up towards Hallstatt’s car park. Who would have thought that the car park would open up to the best views of the main square. There is also Hallstatt’s Skywalk which is a viewing platform where you can enjoy the views over the lake and village from. But I personally decided to go to Mount Krippenstein instead. If however you want to see the views from this side, either head to the car park or hike up to the Skywalk. If time is too precious, take the cable car up for 16 EUR return.

Go up to the 2,108th meter of Mount Krippenstein

I left this one for last because this was my most most favorite and most memorable adventure around Hallstatt. I mentioned above that I stayed in Obertraun because of the busyness of Hallstatt but also because of the proximity to the Krippenstein summit. My original plan was to hike to the top which was going to take about 2 hours. Unfortunately it turned out that to get to the bottom of the mountain, we had to walk for about 45min and sadly we just didn’t have that much time. So we walked to the cable car instead (45 min). Coming up here to see the views from the 5 Fingers platform is an absolute must. It was nothing like I have ever experienced and the views were even better than those from the Swiss Schilthorn. I will be writing a whole article on mount Krippenstein so make sure to come back to the blog in a week.

Hallstatt was won its popularity for a reason and if you visit at a time when it’s less busy, you’ll love it! Especially if you follow the guide above and don’t skip to go to mount Krippenstein summit like most people do. Have an amazing trip and if possible avoid the weekends!

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