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Hallstatt is a place that’s been on my bucket list since I saw it on my computer screensaver. I remember YEARS ago, being like “Where is that?!” A decade later I finally made it to Salzburg, Austria, and lo and behold, Hallstatt is only ~2 hours away, making it the perfect day trip. I will say, that it is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen, however, tourism is crazy here, and it is BUSY. Over 10,000 tourists visit this tiny town every day (don’t say I didn’t warn you).
Fun Facts
- Hallstatt is known for salt mines and production of salt dating back to the year 800 BC
- The town is said to be the inspiration for the town of Arendalle in Disney’s Frozen
- It’s OLD AF… the oldest town in Austria and one of the oldest settlements in Europe
- Hallstatt’s tiny, only 700 people live here, and walking from one end of town to the other takes 15 minutes (hence why you only need a day trip here)
How to Get to Hallstatt
You can get to Hallstatt by car, train, or guided tour from Salzburg. To make it easy for myself (and my mom), I booked a half-day tour with Panorama Tours. The only downside to our tour was that our free time was limited, but Hallstatt isn’t big, so we were good with it. If you want to spend more time here- I recommend staying at one of the cute hotels in town.
What to do on a Day Trip to Hallstatt
- Visit the salt mines (I didn’t have time for this on my tour, but if you stay longer, do it).
- Experience insane views from the observation deck.
- Take in the views from the famous photo spots (the viewpoint is labeled as Aussichtspunkt Hallstatt on Google Maps).
- Visit the churches- there is a protestant and a catholic church close to each other. The protestant one is the narrow gray church in all the photos.
- Walk the streets, or should I say street (singular) lol…
- Check out the cute shops. I don’t usually buy “souvenirs”, but there were some super cute shops. I bought some ceramic vases at Keramik Hallstatt Gschwandtner and of course, salt.
- Go out on the water if it’s nice weather. You can even rent boats, paddleboards etc.
Where to Eat
You can’t go wrong here. There are lots of places to eat in the town and they all have very similar menus.
My mom and I ate at Seehotel Grüner Baum’s restaurant on the lakefront terrace. The terrace has an incredible lake view and the food was so fresh. They make everything on-site and source ingredients from within 80km. I had a schnitzel, and my mom had vegetarian risotto. Both were delicious.
There are also several places with casual grab/to-go options and a ton of ice cream spots (I had a salted peanut flavor because… salt)
Bucket list item CHECKED OFF the list, and I will say- Hallstatt is a fairytale town like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Check out my reel– as my DMs said, “It looks fake.”
Want to go to Hallstatt? Let me help you plan your trip!
