Hallstatt is considered by many the most beautiful small Austrian town. It is also a well-kept secret. Aside from the main touristic routes and places, “hidden” on the bank of the eponymous lake (Hallstätter See) and guarded by the Dachstein mountain ridge, Hallstatt is breath-taking in its serenity.

We were considering the trip to Hallstatt for several years and when we finally made it, we were more than fascinated by it.

You can combine visiting Hallstatt with seeing also Salzburg and Bavaria province.

3 interesting facts about Hallstatt

Hallstatt is old. The first evidences for establishment are dating back to around 1,200 years B.C. and since then the town is associated with salt production. High in the mountain ridge above Hallstatt there is a big and deep salt mine, which has been the main source of business and living for the town for thousands of years. Hallstatt is small, but it has an interesting museum, where you can see historical artefacts.

A full-scale replica of Hallstatt exists in China! When we visited the town, we were amazed by the number of Chinese tourists there. Soon we understood what is causing this. In 2011 tourists from China visited Hallstatt and were so overwhelmed, that they decided to make a full-scale copy of Hallstatt in the Chinese city of Luoyang. During the next few month Chinese photographers were visiting it and were taking pictures of every building , in order to create a copy as close to the original as possible. The initial reaction of people in Hallstatt was sceptical and even negative. However, the mayor saw an unique opportunity to boost tourism in Hallstatt, leveraging the interest. Today, the “Chinese Hallstatt” is a fully complete luxurious living compound, while the original Hallstatt attracts more and more Chinese tourists.

Hallstatt is in UNESCO’s World Cultural Heritage list since 1997.

How to reach Hallstatt?

Hallstatt (coordinates 47.4564571,13.5630222,8.17) is located 70 km to the south-east of Salzburg and 300 km westwards from Vienna.

The fastest and easiest way is via plane to Salzburg. Depending on the day the round-trip ticket price may vary, but it usually costs around 260 EUR, if you fly from Sofia, Bulgaria. In Salzburg you can rent a car and drive to Hallstatt – it will take you about an hour and a half.

You can easily rent a car below:

Another variant is to travel by bus. One-way ticket costs 40-45 EUR and the time for travelling is between 19 and 24 hours, depending on the interim stops.

What to see?

Hallstatt is very small and picturesque and it will take you not more than 30 minutes to walk around everywhere. It is worth point out that because of the limited flat terrain, there are only two parking lots in the town. They are usually completely full even in the morning, so prepare to park even a few kilometres away from Hallstatt and walk to it.

Where to eat?

We recommend visiting one of the oldest restaurants in Hallstatt – Cafe Derbl. It is located on the town square, right next to the cathedral.

Trying Spätzle – traditional regional pasta with cheese – is a must!

You may find it strange, but here we also had one of the tastiest pizzas ever 🙂

What else to do in Hallstatt?

Salt mine visit – if you have a bit more time, you can see the historical salt mine in the mountain over the town. The ticket costs 34 EUR and includes reaching the mine’s entrance via funicular, as well as opportunity to see Hallstatt form a viewing platform 360 m above the town. See more on www.salzwelten.at/en/hallstatt

Lake cruise – good opportunity to take amazing pictures of Hallstatt. One-day ticket costs 22 EUR and you can see more info regarding the available tours on www.hallstattschifffahrt.at/en/boating/boating.html

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