The quaint town of Hallstatt, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, lies in the Salzkammergut region of Austria.
Cosily nestled between the Hallstaettersee, the Hallstatt Lake and the steep slopes of Dachstein Massif, this small town is really beautiful, a traveller's paradise, so to say!
A massif is a compact part of a mountain range with one or more peaks or a series of connected masses. Before we visit Hallstatt, I didn't know what a massif is, as I'm sure many of you also might not.
The word Salzkammergut in German literally translates into 'Estate of Salt Chamber,' referring to the salt deposits in Hallstatt, Bad Ischl and Bad Aussee that were the territory of the Habsburg Monarchy.
If you have an extra day in Salzburg, then a trip to Hallstatt should ideally feature on your to-do list.
In this blog, I would like to give 10 practical tips that you should keep in mind for a day trip to Hallstatt from Salzburg -
1. Reaching Hallstatt
The best way to reach Hallstatt is from Salzburg since that is the closest city by road. Your sightseeing begins with the road journey itself as the bus goes through stunning countryside and locales, scraping its way through narrow streets and marketplaces of small towns that dot the countryside en route.
2. Start early
Hallstatt is 52 km away from Salzburg and it takes about 2 hours to reach.
Being a small touristy town, there are huge crowds to navigate in Hallstatt. You will see busloads of tourists thronging the lake and the civic amenities everywhere. Even public toilets have such long queues!
We started at 7 am from Salzburg, so were able to beat the crowds.
3. No direct bus connection between Hallstatt and Salzburg
I have not been able to decipher, why there is no direct bus between Salzburg and Hallstatt, considering that there are so many tourists who travel to Hallstatt each day.
Since there is no direct connection, you will have to take 3 bus lines before finally reaching Hallstatt Lahn, the main bus station in front of Lake Hallstatt. There are a lot of conducted tours also available, but we are quite happy to explore the country and find our way around the city, hence the 3 buses.
Your road route should be -
Take Bus Route No. 150 from Main Bus Depot Hauptbahnhof F in Salzburg in the direction of Bad Ischl. Travel time - 90 minutes
Disembark at Bad Ischl and take Bus no. 542 towards Hallstatt Gosaumuehle - Travel time - 20 minutes.
Disembark at Gosaumuehle and take bus no. 543 to Hallstatt Lahn - Travel time - 10 minutes. There is no proper bus stand here but you can see a connecting bus waiting for passengers.
4. Take a train to Hallstatt
Alternatively, after de-boarding the bus at Bad Ischl, you can take a train that will take you directly to Hallstatt. The train station in Bad Ischl is right next to the bus stop.
Please note that the train will drop you across the lake, so you will have to take a ferry to reach the main station of Hallstatt Lahn.
5. Train connects to a ferry point
A lot of people do that also if they want to experience the ferry ride. Besides, this is like killing two birds with one stone. You will reach Hallstatt and also get to do the ferry ride. Tickets are available on the ferry and can be bought only in cash.
We had bus tickets through to Hallstatt, so we stuck to bus no. 543.
6. Things to do in Hallstatt
Apart from its stunning natural scenery, Hallstatt is known for Saltwelten, the world's oldest salt mine and also for the Giant ice caves of Dachstein.
Once you reach Hallstatt, if you wish to start your day with a tour of the Salt Mine, then get down at Hallstatt Lahn. Across the road, about 3 to 4 minutes of walk will take you to the Valley Station for the funicular to the salt mine.
In case you wish to do the Ice Caves, then continue further on bus no. 543 to Dachstein Ice Caves up to the Dachstein Visitor Centre.
7. On a day trip to Hallstatt
In my opinion, on a day trip from Salzburg, one should aspire to do only one attraction, either Salzwelten or the Ice Cave in Dachstein, doing both in a day will be quite a stretch unless, of course, you are staying in Hallstatt.
But, in case, you wish to do both in one day, then go to the ice caves first since bus number 543 will take you directly there, so you save time.
I had read somewhere that there is a lot of walking involved in the ice cave, some of it quite steep uphill on slippery slopes.
The same goes for the salt mine, there is a lot of walking involved, although it's not steep. Please plan your trip accordingly.
We had already seen some ice grottos elsewhere, so our focus was to see the salt mine.
Our trip to the spectacular salt mine at Salzwelten was an experience worth cherishing. Click on the link below to read more -
8. What more to do
The charming town of Hallstatt has much to offer other than the salt mine and the ice cave. Some people skip both these attractions and just gallivant around, soaking in the ethereal beauty of this town.
Spend some time strolling along the beautiful Hallstattersee, going for a lake cruise and visiting the stunning Market Square with its historical charm.
9. Viewing platforms in Hallstatt
There are two viewing platforms to see the stunning mountain scenery in the backdrop of Hallstaetter Lake.
First is Skywalk, this viewing platform falls on the way to the Salzwelten salt mine. One has to take the funicular from Salzwelten Valley Station to reach it. If you are going for the salt mine tour, then this funicular is included in the ticket.
If not, then spending 20 euros to go up the funicular only for the Skywalk is honestly not worth it.
The second is the Five Fingers viewing platform. This point offers beautiful vistas of the mountains and falls on the way to the Dachstein Ice Caves. Even if you're not doing the ice cave tour, still going for this lookout point will be worth your effort.
The attraction is free to visit.
This is a World Heritage View Point, built in the form of five fingers over a 400 m deep cliffside. These are massive metallic ledges jutting out over the Dachstein Mountains and offer spectacular views of Hallstatt. We have seen similar views of the Fjords on a day trip from Alesund, Norway to the Norwegian Countryside.
The way to reach Five Fingers is by cable car that starts from Obertraun Dachstein Cable car point.
There are many options for exploring this region. Please check the official website for more information -
10. Exotic salt-based indigenous products
Hallstatt is home to many kinds of salt-based products. There is a salt shop in the Valley Station of Salzwelten and there are many such shops all over town.
Prices across most of these shops are similar if not exactly the same. There is a huge variety of products to choose from.
We bought some great salt scrubs, salt soaps, jars of toothpaste and some more products that turned out to be really good. You should explore these shops for these amazing natural products.
My advice to anyone visiting Hallstatt is to plan to stay there overnight. We did not do this and regretted it. The town will most certainly be more expensive than Salzburg, considering its touristy vibe. So, a better option would be to stay in Bad Ischl or Obertraun which is a small hamlet across the lake from Hallstatt.
As a footnote, I would say that any overtly touristy place has to pay a price for its rampant commercialization. So, is the case with Hallstatt too.
I was reading somewhere that the locals of the town like to keep a safe distance from tourists since there are too many tourists around and also many tourists in their quest to explore the town, try to barge into their gardens and private property.
You will see placards like 'Photography prohibited' or "Private Property' installed outside many homes. I feel we should all respect the privacy of the residents and confine ourselves to the touristy parts of the town only.
This idyllic town is blessed with nature's bounties, all you need to do is to come and explore it!
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