Visiting Hallstatt, the picturesque Alpine lakeside village in Austria? My Hallstatt travel guide covers how to get there, the best things to see and do, where to eat and where to stay in Hallstatt, Austria.

Hallstatt Travel Guide

Instagram has introduced me to incredible places and Hallstatt was one of them. I saw pictures of it and knew I had to visit it one day, someday. Mr AW and I finally visited this fairytale village of dreams in January 2018!

However, have you ever wondered the pictures you see on Instagram are too good to be true? Ever felt before going to a very touristy place that you might end up being disappointed, underwhelmed even? As I took the bus from Salzburg to Hallstatt, that was the thought running through my mind. Luckily for me, the stunning Austrian landscape throughout the journey was kind enough to take my mind off this nagging, good-for-nothing thought.

Getting there

I must admit getting to Hallstatt was not straightforward. However, it wasn’t difficult either. A train from Munich (we visited Germany and Austria in 1 week) to Salzburg, followed by a bus from Salzburg to Bad Ischl, another bus to Gosau and finally the bus to Hallstatt. Now hold on! Before you get completely scared off of travelling to Hallstatt by public transport, that was not my intention. Although it did involve many changes, it wasn’t cumbersome or tiresome. The changes were frequent and the connections were very easy. So, don’t be put off.

How to get to Hallstatt from Salzburg

By car: Take Road 158 from Salzburg heading east towards Bad Ischl and then Road 145 followed by 166. Hallstatt itself is car-free and there are parking lots just outside the village.

By public transport:

Route 1: Bus 150 from Salzburg station to Bad Ischl, bus 542 heading to Gosau followed by bus 543.

Route 2: Bus 150 from Salzburg station to Bad Ischl, train from Bad Ischl to Hallstatt railway station followed by a ferry across the lake to the village.

We took option 1 while going in and option 2 (in reverse order obviously) while leaving. It was almost 3 pm when we reached Hallstatt. As we wheeled our luggage into the little village, we saw most of the tourists walking in the opposite direction ready to leave. And I knew we made the right decision to stay for the night in Hallstatt. Hallstatt is a very popular day trip from Salzburg but I feel one should stay overnight in order to have this pretty village all by oneself before the tourists arrive and after they leave.

Fun fact: Hallstatt is so popular for its beauty that China has created a copy of it and many Chinese tourists now visit Hallstatt to see the real deal. Nice bump to Austrian tourism, no?

If you’d like to combine Hallstatt with Munich and Salzburg like I did, you may want to read my posts on Top things to in Munich, Visiting Neuschwanstein Castle from Munich and How to spend a day in Salzburg.

Where to stay

Heritage Hotel is a 4* hotel in the heart of Hallstatt consisting of 3 historic, renovated buildings. The main building is right on the lake and the other two are a few minutes walk away, slightly higher up. All the rooms have amazing views of the lake, are comfortable and well-equipped.

Address: Landungspl. 101, 4830 Hallstatt, Austria

Trip Advisor | Hotels.com | Booking.com

Pension Hallberg is a Bed & Breakfast set right by the lake in the city centre. This guest house enjoys an exceptional location and most of the rooms come with a view.

Address: Seestraße 113, 4830 Hallstatt, Austria

Trip Advisor | Booking.com

Seehotel Grüner Baum is often rated as the top hotel in Hallstatt. With one side of the hotel facing the historic marketplace and the other side facing the lake thus offering panoramic views, you cannot get a more central location than this.

Trip Advisor | Booking.com

Address: Marktplatz 104, Hallstatt 4830, Austria

Tip: Ask your hotel about a free shuttle service from the parking lot/bus stop to the hotel. Learn from our mistake 😉

Mr AW and I stayed at the Heritage Hotel. After the nondescript formalities of checking into our hotel, we realised that our luggage needed some more dragging. The building that we got the room in was a 5-minute walk from the main wing taking us away from the main square up the narrow alleys. We weren’t complaining though, as we knew that a room on the third floor of a building perched higher up on the cliff only meant one thing – BREATHTAKING VIEWS!

About Hallstatt

Hallstatt is a picturesque village of stunning views in the Salzkammergut lake district of Austria and is often known as the “Pearl of Austria”. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hallstatt is one of the oldest known places of human settlement and is very important due to its production and mining of salt from prehistoric times.

Things to do

The number one thing to do in Hallstatt would simply be exploring the little village on foot. In my opinion, dusk time and early mornings are the best times to go for a little amble through the village. It only took us about a 30-minute walk at a slow pace to cover the length of the main street and be back.

Of course, no walk in Hallstatt is complete without going to the viewpoint for a classic photo of the village.

The image of the Hallstätter See lake flanked by tall, jagged Dachstein mountains rising into the sky, their peaks sprinkled with snow; the traditional Austrian houses jutting out of the cliffs; the Church with its tall steeple right on the edge, at the bend of the lake; the calm reflection of it all visible like a mirage in the lake’s still blue waters is imprinted in my mind. Forever!

Another fabulous place for the photos and views (although won’t sound right) is the cemetery near the Catholic Parish Church.

Marktplatz or Market Square is the main central square and is surrounded by colourful pastel houses, cute shops and cosy cafes.

Hallstatt is home to one of the oldest salt mines in the world and it is open to visitors. Although we did not go, it is possible to take a funicular up the hill and visit the prehistoric salt mines for a tour. Another popular attraction right by the mine is the Skywalk, a viewing platform 360m above Hallstatt offering panoramic views of the Hallstatt lake, the mountains and the village.

Want to know more about lake-side towns? Read my post on Bled in Slovenia.

Where to Eat

For a simple breakfast or an afternoon break, head to the Maislinger bakery for some coffee and pastries. It’s a local bakery and cafe well known for its bread, desserts and traditional Austrian sweets that you can buy as edible souvenirs.

For a meal, you can’t go wrong with a table by the window with a beautiful view of the lake at the restaurant in Seehotel Grüner Baum. While the locally caught fish is the speciality, for our lunch, Mr AW opted for the traditional chicken schnitzel and I went for the vegetarian pasta with pumpkin sauce and braised cabbage. Sounds unusual but very delicious!

Hallstatt turned out to be as picturesque as I had imagined, if not more. I am sure visiting in summer would have its own charm with blossoming flowers framing the alpine houses and warm, sunny days. However, I am glad that we visited Hallstatt in winter. Not only is it cheaper in the off-peak season but quieter. I really wish I could’ve seen it covered in a thick, heavy blanket of snow, though. Now that would have been magical!

Have you been to Hallstatt or want to visit it? I hope you enjoyed this travel guide and will find it useful whether you are planning a day trip to Hallstatt from Salzburg or for spending 2 days in Hallstatt.

If you liked this post, don’t forget to share it on Facebook/Twitter/Pinterest! After all, sharing is caring 😉

Pin it for later!

Cheers,

Ameeta xx

Disclaimer – This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one of these links and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission from the website, at no additional cost to you.