5 reasons to visit Hallstatt – the most beautiful village in Austria

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In this post, I’ll tell you about 5 reasons to visit Hallstatt – probably the most beautiful village in Austria. Hallstatt became famous quite recently, less than 10 ago mainly because of Social Media. Before it used to be a quiet town, where mostly locals would go in summer with a couple of occasional tourists, who came to explore all of Austria and see some hidden gems. When I first went to Austria in 2008 as part of my school exchange, I stayed 2 weeks in the second biggest city of Austria, Graz and nobody ever mentioned Hallstatt to me.

Well, there was no Instagram back then and the blogs weren’t yet on the rise, so Hallstatt wasn’t that popular on the international market. I started hearing a lot about Hallstatt 7 years ago when some of my friends went to Austria and visited it as part of their trip. 6 years ago it was already quite crowded, but every year it gets more and more popular and attracts more people, despite the fact, that the location of the village being far from convenient.

Yes, Hallstatt is located pretty far away from any relatively big city in Austria, and it takes 3.5 hours to get there from Vienna or 1.5 hours from Salzburg. And still, plenty of people are rushing to visit it (especially, Asians, now half of the adverts are written in Chinese. Also, there is a copy of Hallstatt in China now).

How to get to Hallstatt?

First, let’s talk about getting to Hallstatt!

The easiest way to get to Hallstatt is by driving. You can rent a car via Rentalcars.com (we always use Rental Cars and never had a bad experience). If you don’t feel like hiring a car, there are different ways to get to Hallstatt using public transport depending on where you’d like to go to Hallstatt from.

There is a train station in Hallstatt, so you can get there from any place in Austria by train. However, if you go there from Vienna, it might take over 4 hours, so I would recommend taking a train to Hallstatt from either Salzburg or Linz. Both of the routes require an interchange. You can check the prices and availability of the train tickets here on Omio >

Buying a tour that brings you to Hallstatt

Finally, you can buy a tour that delivers you to Hallstatt in comfort!

This is the best-rated half-day tour to Hallstatt from Salzburg

And this one is the best-rated tour to Hallstatt from Vienna (it’s a full-day tour)

The best time to visit Hallstatt

We visited Hallstatt in March during our road trip around Europe (read more about it) and we actually liked it a lot. Hallstatt in March (and generally in early Spring) has a mild weather and the mountains are still covered by snow, so the view very beautiful. Actually, I liked photos of Hallstatt in spring way more than in summer. On the other hand, Austria just looks unbelievably good in summer, so you will see the best of everything!

Early autumn is also very nice and the weather is generally nice until late October. I would probably avoid going there in November and February.

5 reasons to visit Hallstatt - the most beautiful village in Austria. Hallstatt in March. Hallstatt in Spring.
If you like my backpack, it’s from Grafea

So what are the reasons to visit Hallstatt – the most beautiful  town in Austria:

1. See an amazing reflection on the lake Hallstatt

It’s not a secret, that Hallstatt is located on a lake, which looks like a mirror (when it’s not windy). You can also have a ride in a small ship around the lake and enjoy the beautiful views (and escape the crowds at least for an hour). In case you’re staying in Hallstatt for a couple of days, you can go for a walk around the lake and see beautiful Hallstatt from a different perspective.

5 reasons to visit Hallstatt - the most beautiful village in Austria. Hallstatt in March. Hallstatt in Spring.
How fabulous is this reflection?

2. Take the stroll around the village

Hallstatt is all about strolling and walking around, visiting the traditional shops, buying souvenirs. It’s also about chilling in the beer gardens drinking tasty Austrian tap beer and pastries. Hallstatt is really small, and you can see the entire city in a couple of hours. You can visit the beautiful churches of Hallstatt and visit one of the most beautiful cemeteries, located almost on top of the city (the entrance is through the church). This is definitely the cemetery with the best view, I’ve ever seen.

If you’re curious, how much time is enough for Hallstatt, I would say 3-4 hours. However, if you want to see the region properly, you can stay there for a couple of days. Look for the hotels in Hallstatt here.

These hotels (not exactly in Hallstatt but nearby) look great: Ferienhaus Salzberg, W & S Executive apartments and Seehotel Grüner Baum.

5 reasons to visit Hallstatt - the most beautiful village in Austria. Hallstatt in March. Hallstatt in Spring.
The lovely Hallstatt

3. Visit the Salt mines

Hallstatt became rich in Austria few hundreds of years ago because of its salt mines (just like Berchtesgaden). Hallstatt has the oldest salt mine in the world and it’s definitely worth visiting. The visit includes even a train ride inside the salt mine, so it’s definitely worth 26+ euros paid for the attraction.

4. Go hiking

Is Austria a wonderful place for hiking? So why not take advantage of it and look for the best hikes around Hallstatt? The most comprehensive list of hikes in the neighbourhood I found here.

5 reasons to visit Hallstatt - the most beautiful village in Austria. Hallstatt in March. Hallstatt in Spring.
There are plenty of opportunities to hike in Hallstatt

5. Rent an Austrian national costume for a couple of hours

The last of the 5 reasons to visit Hallstatt is actually the easiness, with which you could rent a national Austrian costume – Dirndl (for girls)! In case you want some pretty great photos, why not to rent one and walk around the lake in it. Buying one could be quite expensive (more than 100 euros), so renting could be a good option.

You can even book a photoshoot with a local photographer in Hallstatt – you can check the prices and availability here >

Some other articles you might enjoy reading:

Why not visit Berchtesgaden and Bad Reichenhall in Germany, if you’re staying in Hallstatt for a couple of days or so? You won’t be disappointed!

Road trip around Alsace and the best of Rhine Valley Germany: Trier, Cochem and more

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10 thoughts on “5 reasons to visit Hallstatt – the most beautiful village in Austria”

  1. Great suggestions. I’ve had the pleasure of visiting Hallstatt once before but hope to visit again one day! It’s definitely one of the most beautiful places I’ve been! 🙂

    Reply
  2. I so love small towns and have now added this to my list! Very picturesque and that view! Wow! Thanks for sharing as I’d never heard of it before. Do you have any restaurant recommendations?

    Reply
  3. Lovely. Would 2 nights here be good enough? What are the trains here that will take you back to Vienna? Or would you advise the bus?

    Reply
  4. For me, the most beautiful thing about Hallstatt is the architectural design of the city, as well as Lake Hallstatt.
    The best time to visit Hallstatt is summer and spring to enjoy the beauty of nature, but in winter I do not recommend it at all

    Reply

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