Hallstatt Travel Guide | My Life Trips

Hallstatt

Information

Hallstatt is a village in the Upper Austria region of Salzkammergut and is built on a steep bank of the homonym lake. Hallstatt, along with the attractions of Dachstein, make up the cultural landscape of Hallstatt-Dachstein, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Halltstatt is a very popular tourist destination because of its uniqueness and is also known as the “pearl of Austria”, because of its impressive landscape is definitely one of the most beautiful villages in the world! The village is built on the banks of the picturesque lake and surrounded by the imposing mountains of the Alps. Traditional wooden houses, narrow alleys and lovely people, make Hallstatt even more beautiful. Austria is a member of the European Union and Euro is the currency, so you will not encounter any problems in your transactions.

What To See...

Walk In The Village

Hallstatt is an attraction itself due to the unimaginable beauty of the landscape, so we will give you mostly the best spots of the village where you can admire some great views. All you have to do is to stroll through the village and enjoy this wonderful destination.

Central Square

It is the central square and one of the most beautiful parts of the village. Here you will find most cafes and restaurants as well as the best hotels in the village. The scenery in the square reminds of a fairytale with the picturesque houses around it to make up an incredible backdrop.

Hallstatt Viewpoint

This is definitely the most beautiful spot in Hallstatt and the first photo we all seen! A panoramic view of the village with the background of the Alps is a landscape that you will never forget in your life for sure!

Hallstatt Salt Mine

It is a salt mine since 6000 BC which still works nowadays! In the salt mine-museum you can go downhill with a lift at a depth of 135 meters below the ground and travel 2.5 kilometers, which is only 2% of the salt mine. A very beautiful experience that is definitely worth it if you visit Hallstatt.

Nearby Excursions

Two very short excursions from Hallstat are the Dachstein and Gosau village. At Dachstein, we recommend you to take the cable car and climbing up to the mountain top at 2140 meters to admire a huge glacier, entering the cave of the mammoths, and see an incredible view of Lake Hallstatt. The ticket costs 30 Euros per person and it is an experience that we suggest you unreservedly.

All you have to watch out, is the weather because if it is not good, then you will surely be disappointed and you will have paid quite a lot money to go up. Even if the weather looks good, do not make the mistake of climbing without the right equipment (thick jacket, boots, gloves, camera, etc) because the weather in the Alps changes dramatically in just a few minutes!

An even easier, cheaper and more relaxing excursion is the Gosau village. This beautiful village is located just 7 kilometers far from Hallstatt and is an incredibly quiet place where you will find many options for hiking but also an incredible lake just outside the village that is straight out of a movie scene!

What To Eat

Hallstatt is famous for its salt mine and here you will find a lot of ”salty” souvenirs. At the various shops around the square you will find a huge variety of salt jars in some very special combinations that worth to try them. We recommend the Salzhaus Hallstatt, which seemed to us very interesting and is also a very beautiful shop.

Hallstatt is also famous for the fishes that come directly through the lake but also for the incredible views of the lake in most of the reastaurants that serving local dishes. The prices are quite high but it is quite normal as Hallstatt is a very touristic place.

How to move

Hallstatt is a very small village and you can walk from one side to the other within 15 minutes. Cars are forbidden in the center of the village, which is of course great, as traffic would be unbearable with so many people who visit it daily. So park your car and enjoy this wonderful place on foot.

The nearest airport is Salzburg about 80 km away (1 hour) by car. From Salzburg airport and Vienna you will find many ways such as bus, train etc to reach Hallstatt. Hiring a car is by far the best option in our oppinion.

Where to stay

Accommodation in Hallstatt is very expensive and if you have limited budget then it is not the ideal place to stay. A relatively economical double room overlooking the lake or the central square starts at 150-200 Euros and can go even higher if you want. Of course the hotels are all great and offer great amenities to the guests.

Two very good and much cheaper solutions which offering breathtaking views and easy access to Hallstatt in just a few minutes are Obertraun and Gosau where the cost of accommodation is reduced by 50%. A double room in Obertraun starts at around 80-90 euros and around 70-80 in Gosau. You can make your reservations via Booking.com

Booking.com