Earlier in the years towards the end of May, I visited Austria, this time in the company of my boyfriend. It’s not often that we get to travel together but when we do it’s always extra special, and this time was no different.
On the list of places to stop by were Salzburg, Hallstatt and Innsbruck. I get most of my travel inspiration from Instagram and as you’ll have seen, Hallstatt has become pretty popular on social media. That classic Hallstatt photo is all over the internet so it’s no surprise that eventually we wanted to visit too. You know, see what the fuss was all about 😀 ! When we got to Hallstatt, I knew I was gonna love this part of the trip. Not so much for the actual town though. Hallstatt itself is charming but it’s way too touristy.
Cheap China made souvenirs were hanging from the doors of the many souvenir shops covering Hallstatt’s only main street. And to me this just didn’t feel right. This, once deserted place, inhabited by a handful of people, is now commercialised, flooded with people and totally ruined. Of course I don’t mean physically ruined, the town is gorgeous but the tranquility, the sense of remoteness and peace are gone. At least at the time I was there!
I had done a bit of research on Hallstatt and before we set off for the trip I already knew that I’m not leaving this place without making my way up into the mountains. I somehow had the feeling that Hallstatt would not steal me away and I would want more. And this time, I was right. The countless hills surrounding Hallstatt lake are part of the magnificent Dachstaien Krippenstein range, part of the Austrian Alps. If you love nature, you sure won’t be able to resist these views. Hallstatt lake is truly astonishing. The kind of colour that this lake has is almost impossible to compare with anything I had seen before. In a way even the purest water in the tucked away Swiss village of Interlaken I recently came back from, could not give this place enough justice.
As wow’ed I was by the sight of the lake, what brought me to my knees (even though not literally), were the views over the mountains. Whether it was the time of year, the Alps and their foxy way of making people totally lost for words, I don’t know! What I do however was that I couldn’t stop looking up and wondering how incredible it must feel to be at the very top of that hill overlooking the layers of mountains perfectly arranged into one of the most beautiful nature landscapes I had ever seen. So … bright and early we woke up on our last day to go to the top of mount Krippenstein and look down! Below I’ve summarised my best tips below to help you have a truly amazing time, just like I did!
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When to visit mount Krippenstein
We visited in late May and the weather was absolutely perfect. Even though it rained the day before (and kinda ruined the tour round Hallstatt), the hiking trails were nice and dry. To my surprise it wasn’t that much cooler once we got to the summit either so I wholeheartedly recommend that you visit in May. It sure is one of the most amazing times of year to trek a mountain! It wasn’t too hot or too cold either. September is another favourite time for me to travel so if you can’t do May, then how about September? Talking about timing, it’s so important to stress that as with pretty much any place in our widely travelled world, you need to get up early if you wanna have the place to yourself.
Try to get to the summit by 8-10am at the very latest. When we went up, there was literally only one other couple walking ahead of us so we took our time reassured that the best spots won’t be overcrowded when we get to them. And trust me, you don’t wanna be rushing yourself around here! It’s a place to enjoy, relax and walk as slowly as you possibly can until you memorise all the views and full all your pockets with good vibes and sense of tranquillity.
Where to stay the night before
Like I mentioned, to have the best possible experience, you need to get to Krippenstein summit as early as possible. This means staying as close to the bottom of the mountains as you can. I highly recommend that you stay in Obertraun. It’s a tiny tiny village on the other side of the lake, opposite Hallstatt. It’s reachable by train (just get off at the stop after Hallstatt Bahnof), ferry/ boat from Hallstatt or bike from anywhere round the lake. We stayed in a place called Seehotel am Hallstättersee which I booked through Booking.com. The hotel was amazing but for a 1 night stay, the price was high. However unless you camp, you’ll realise that accommodation in and around Hallstatt is pretty expensive.
For more information on how to get to Hallstatt and Obertraun, do check out this post which goes into some quite useful details.
How to get to the top
Take the cable car
Whether you decide to take the cable car or hike you’ll first have to get to the bottom of the mountain. When we got to the hotel, I was in euphoria from the seeming proximity of the mountains. To my shock however, the receptionist at the hotel told us that to walk to the bottom of the mountains, it’ll take us about 45min. The actual walk I must admit was very nice. In the morning, round 8am when we headed to the cable car (sadly we didn’t have time to hike 🙁 ) there were barely any people around. Occasional bikers were passing by but otherwise it was just the two of us looking up and around in a “I cannot believe these views” kind of happiness.
A few times I even stopped to realise where I was because I couldn’t believe how fresh the air was, how green everything looked and how barely anyone else was around! Simply phenomenal. And that was just the walk to the cable car. When we eventually got to the cable car, we got tickets and excitedly lined up for the next cable car up. To get to the summit of mount Krippenstein, you’ll have to change cable cars at the Mammut cave which is the first stop. Then you’ll take another cable car to the second and last platform. The journey takes about 20-25 min and costs 30.90 EUR for a return. The price is an absolutely rip off so if you have the time, definitely hike to the top!!! Check out the official website for up to date prices.
Hike up
I was literally so sad when the receptionist told us we had quite a walk to reach the mountain. We only had a few hours to explore the mountain before we had to head to Innsbruck (a mistake I was later so upset about, Why? Because honestly this place is sh*t. My own opinion of course!). But if you have the time, honestly hike to the top. It’s about 2 hours to the summit and although I didn’t have the chance to do it myself, once at the top I could see the path going down and it was a great well marked, clear trail. It certainly did not seem like a path that would require much effort as it looked pretty flat (but don’t quote me on it).
Getting to the bottom of the mounts by bus
When we finished exploring the mountain, we took the cable car down and slightly pressed for time at that point, we were happy to know there was a bus going to the centre of Obetraun that we could hop on. The journey was about 2 EUR each and it literally took about 10 min. As far as I was able to find out there is only one bus servicing this route and the schedule changes frequently. So my advice would be to get the timetable from the receptionist at your Obertraun accommodation.
Things to do at mount Krippenstein
Catch the views from the summit at Welterbespirale
When we got off the cable car, it was like we got off a little time machine. The difference in landscape, atmosphere and temperature were just astonishing. It was a gorgeous day with the temperature at the top well above 17-18 degrees. I even wore just a sleeveless top so you can imagine how nice and warm it was. Yet, the hills and even the sideways of the walking trails were covered in snow which was pretty amazing! Fascinated by the number of different trails you could take once at the top, you’ll want to wander off but beat the crowds and head to the very summit of the mount.
Follow the signs for about 15 min and you’ll get to it with no effort required whatsoever. Take a moment to appreciate how high up you’re standing and if you’ve hiked to the top, why not tap yourself on the back 😛
Have a rest at the mountain beds
I’m telling you, this mountain is made for relaxation 😀 ! As soon as we got to the summit, there were mountain beds crying for us to lie down on them! So we couldn’t disappoint. Not to be pretentious but they’re not cloud soft but who cares. As soon as I lied down and turned to one all that I saw were mountain top and the lake boldly making a statement with this massive size and beautiful blue water. Who said a bed has to be comfy to be perfect! So don’t miss out on this even if you’re not tired or wanting a nap. It’s totally part of the experience, oh and of course it’s free!
Look for the 5 Fingers viewing platform
Only a short 10 min walk from the actual summit, you’ll see signs for the 5 Fingers viewing platform. Think no further and follow them! This was totally the highlight of our trip to the summit! The platform, as the name suggests, looks just like a hand with 5 mini platforms looking just like 5 fingers! The Austrians are no strangers to adrenaline and adventure so the real cool thing about this platform, apart from the jaw dropping views is the fact that its “palm” and “fingers” are sticking out from the mountain to give you instant shivers the moment you step on it and look down.
Why you ask? Because the platform is completely see through and all that’s underneath you are vertical absolutely terrifying cliffs. Don’t worry if you stand on it and your self-protective brain starts wondering, what if the platform falls down? 😀 We’ve all been there haha!
Another awesome thing about the platform is that every single finger is slightly different to give you a different kinda goose bumps 😀 My favourite was the portrait finger. Right at the end of the finger, there is a large photo frame. The challenge is to lean down (and look down 😀 ), go underneath and behind the photo frame and take a crazy happy picture. Trust me, if you’ve been looking for the perfect portrait background, this is it! The views over the mountains are phenomenal.
This spot was definitely my dearest! I stood and stared into the horizon for so long trying to memorise the views which were simply out of this planet. As far as the eye could see, the views of lake Hallstatt were stretching from beneath the platform all the way into the distance, making a mysterious turn behind one of the hills. The mountains gently making way for the lake to pass through were standing high on both sides of the lake and looking ahead and down on these views from 2,100m above sea water was incredible! Come up with a cleared SD card for your camera because you’ll fill it up quickly. It honestly is so pristine and beautiful!
Have a drink at 2,108m altitude
I gotta say this, the Swiss and the Austrians are just crazy on the topic of having a posh restaurant right at the top of their mountain summits. I have no idea how many cable car ride they must have done to put it all together, but right on the top of the mountain, as you get off the cable car, there is a fancy restaurant waiting to satiate hikers’ thirst. Surrounded by mountains and snowy views throughout, it’s hard to beat the ambiance of this place. To my surprise grabbing a drink here didn’t break the budget. We spent about 4-5 EUR per drink which was manageable. Taking the time to sit down, appreciate this place and its tranquillity is what makes the 5EUR worth it. And of course a drink isn’t necessary for that but on a nice day, it sure helps 😛 !
Hike Hike Hike!
Once at the top, there are so many different trails you take if you just want to wander around the mountain and explore! The paths are very well marked, with signs everywhere and were completely clear of rocks and snow making them pretty easy to trek on. Even families with young kids were getting up here and taking a route into the mountains so honestly you don’t have to be the fittest to have your own little Alpine exploration.
More things to do (if you have extra time)
Depending on how much time you have, there is a ton more you can do on mount Krippenstein.
- Visit the Ice Cave
- See the Mammut Cave
- Find the Dachstein shark
- Relax at the Schönbergalm Nature park
If you’re taking the cable car up, you can buy a combo ticket including the cable car, the ice cave and the mammut cave which will definitely save you a bit of money. Bought individually, the entry is pretty expensive so doing some pre planning might pay off. From my experience you don’t even have to prebook. We just turned up at the tickets office outside the cable station and got our tickets in no time.
How much or little you decide to do once you get to the top of mount Krippenstein is up to you but one thing is absolutely certain. You’ll fall in love with this place. So much that you’re likely to want to go back, just like I do already. I hope you found this post useful! For more travel inspiration, follow my adventures on Instagram and Facebook and don’t be a stranger, say Hi 🙂
* Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means that if you book through them, I will get a small thank you commission. Please be assured that this comes at absolutely no extra cost to you and it never will!
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