Hallstatt is a tiny village located in Austria, found in many blogs as “one of the most picturesque towns in Europe”, and it definitely does not dissapoint. It is a very easy day trip from Salzburg where I started my trip, but I decided to spend the night here to have more time to enjoy the place without being rushed.
In all honestly, this was not so much about history for me, but wanted to enjoy the landscape. So one of those more visual memory blogs! Here a great intro to its beauty from the boat!
How to get there?
Public transportation in Austria is excellent, efficient and easy to navigate. If you are seasoned travel or even just a beginner I recommend to get there on your own.
From Salzburg it costs about 15 euros using the ÖBB Tickets app in an option that combined: Bus 150 from Salzburg central station to Bad Ischl bus terminal (no seats assigned, if too crowded you might as well be standing so try to be there early!) , then an easy swich to the train which is in the same place as the bus station so really super easy, to ride regional train to Hallstatt Bahnhst.
If arriving by train you are on the other side of the lake. Then you have to take a 10-minute ferry to cross the lake to reach Hallstatt village center. The timetable is conveniently coordindated with the train arrivals so it all goes very smoothly. The round ferry ticket costs 7 euros, offering a jaw-droppoing first impression of the village from the sea, worth your 7 euros ;D
There are other combinations slighly more expensive to use 2 trains instead of bus-train, but honestly considering how easy it was go use the bus AND the gorgeous lake views on the way, for me the bus was just perfect. I was also lucky to sit on the left, that´s the view you want to have from the bus! The trip takes on average 2.5 hours. This is all from Salzburg, coming from other cities in Austria it might be possible to get there directly by bus to the village.
Salt mine / Look out
Since I´m all about taking pictures in nature especially, I decided not to do the Salt mine tour but it´s for sure of the most popular things to do in Hallstatt, and likely with children I would have considered it. It´s the oldest salt mine in the world after all! This region is very popular also because of that.
You can buy the round trip with the cable car, o just one-way ticket as I did. I saved some energy with the cable car on the way up to walk around on the mountain and come back on foot.
If you love hiking, it is a good challenge to hike there 😉 but going down only was just perfect! and even doing it this way I ended my day exhausted!
Panoramic views all over the place…
The best part in this type of places is as simple as walking around up and down every corner. The most amazing and breathtaking views are just walking instead of just taking the cable car.
Beautiful Austrian architecture..
While I have been focusing on the nature views, the colorful architecture here is an enjoyment as well. The town really is tiny and easy to walk through. Almost everywhere in the “center” are hotels, pensions and restaurants. I stayed here.
Obertraun
Obertraum is nearby village also on the shore of Lake Hallstatt. It is easy reachable by bike or local bus. Less people but equally beautiful!
This was way more relaxed compared to Hallstatt village with beautiful turqoise waters, bike rentals, etc. So this is one option, as it is easy to move to Obertraun this can be a nice spot to get the bike and go around the lake, or just walk around and enjoy the landscape.
Mass tourism impact…
On a less positive note, I admit I felt bad and even guilty at some point with some of the locals. I bet 50 years ago or even less it was the most pacific heavenly place to be, but as soon as the social media is here -this included- to share the beauty of this place, not surprisingly it has attracted many tourists especially day-trippers.
Of course.. I consider myself a respectful traveller, being alone most of the time makes it easier to be fair but if you KNOW people are living there just by common sense, plus all the signs of “we are living here, please respect our privacy, please be quiet”, etc.. and you still hear very loud people.. I really felt it, if it was annoying even for me I cannot imagine for the people living 2 meters away from such amazing views!
The village center itself is meant to be touristy but if you walk just 10 minutes from it, of course people live there and the streets are narrow, especially in the small road where you see the “instagram” classic view of Hallstatt
More than one house displays banners complaining that government does everything for tourists and nothing for the locals. I found also many no-drone signs to respect people´s privacy. Surprise? No, but seeing it so explicitaly really made me feel guilty and bad for them.
Imagine having such an incredible view in your childhood / adulthood and now it´s butchered by noise and constant flow of people. At first I wanted to take pictures of the signs mainly to translate later but I go the point immediately, kept walking in silence and enjoying the mountain views. However my basic German helped me understand they were also complaining about the future of their children, among other signs.
This is not a problem only here, naturally.. but the smallest the village or place, the more local people are forced to give in to tourism to rent their places and live somewhere else which is not fair either. And for those who stay, tourism is a problem.
As I say always, this is not enough but I do hope it captures at least part of the beauty of this place!
Cheers! Nataly
