Striking mountains, cools lakes, picturesque villages. That’s what you’ll see when driving around Austria. It’s tough not to stop at every lookout point because each location is so stunning but we were on a mission to reach the most stunning location of all, Hallstatt.
It was the Budget Traveller who convinced me to go to Hallstatt, insisting it was one of the most beautiful places he’s visited and I can totally understand why. A UNESCO World Heritage listed town located right on the water and surrounded by massive snow capped mountains, I too loved it as soon as I arrived.
Hallstatt has always been a wealthy city due to its situation at the base of a prosperous salt mine and it shows as you walk around the town. Perfect cobblestone streets, with perfect houses and perfect geraniums growing in window boxes. Unfortunately that perfection has lead to the biggest problem; many, many, many tourists. Bus loads of tourists and independent travellers descending upon a small town of less than 1000 inhabitants does not make for a nice visit. That’s not the fault of Hallstatt of course but nonetheless, it’s not my idea of fun.
Thankfully there is always a solution to a problem and the way to avoid the hoards of tourists in Hallstatt is to hire a boat and head out onto the peaceful lake. As soon as I got away from shore everything changed and I could admire the historic town and finally relax.
The lake is the best place to get photos of the town and I’d suggest going out for at least half an hour.
Later in the day many of the tourists moved on and the evening in the town was much quieter.
What to Eat
Your best option would be to eat the local specialty which is fish fresh from the lake. We weren’t too hungry so just had pumpkin soup from one of the restaurants in the main square. I was worried it was going to be poor quality and overpriced but it was actually quite good and affordable.
We weren’t very hungry because we had splurged on hot chocolate and cake that afternoon at the bakery just inside the main entrance to Hallstatt. This was a great little place; the cakes were delicious and the staff very friendly.
Where to Stay
Not realising Hallstatt is super touristy, I thought we could just rock up and organise accommodation when we arrived. Not so. Most places were already fully booked by the early afternoon and in the end the tourist office found us one of the last rooms in Hallstatt at Gasthof Simony. €100 for a double room with dirty bathroom in a 2 star B&B isn’t exactly good value but at least we had a room over our heads and the location and view of the main square was fantastic. I would suggest booking something at Booking.com before you arrive.
While I don’t enjoy having to push through tourists to visit a place, the fact is it’s touristy for a reason. Hallstatt is one of the most scenic locations in Europe so it’s definitely worth visiting if you are going to be in Austria or nearby.
About Andrea
What a beautiful little town – and such a stunningly dramatic location. Never been to Hallstadt. Must remedy that. Thanks for bringing it to my attention
We went last year right after Innsbruck. It’s only 3 hours by car from there. It’s a sweet town.
Well, Hallstadt certainly looks very enticing. I’ll put it on my list. Not sure about the pink cakes though! We went to Innsbruck last summer on our way back from Croatia and I thought it was lovely, unlike Vienna and Salzburg which I had visited in the past and was not so entralled with.
I too loved Innsbruck! We spent almost a week there last year for the TBU travel bloggers conference and I felt right at home. I’ll always prefer Vienna though.
Certainly looks very pretty but I’d definitely book the accommodation before heading there if your description is anything to go by.
The town almost looks like something from a model village rather than a real place.
Julia
I’ve been to Europe many, many times. However, this is one area I have yet to explore. I’ve seen lots of photos of Hallstatt and read a lot about it. I love alpine villages like this – reminds me a little of Lake Bled. This is one place I will definitely visit one day.
Oh how gorgeous. The third picture is my favorite, although they are all enticing. When we were in Austria I was sorry that we could not get to Hallstatt, but now you have taken me there. (I see on your currently reading list two books that I loved when I read them for A Traveler’s Library–Paris was Ours and The Sweet Life in Paris. If you’re planning to go to Paris, did you know that David Leibovitz has a new guide to 300 places to buy pastries in Paris?)
I actually live in Paris, have done for almost 6 years but I still love reading about the city. I saw David Lebovitz has an ebook out but I think I’ll get the iPhone app so I can find pastries as I walk around the city!
One of the most stunningly beautiful places I’ve seen in pictures! Hallstatt is also on my list but I want to explore the whole region.
I had the sensation, while reading your post, of reading a food blog right before eating dinner, except that all I have is ramen. To be so pristine and yet so small is a very European concept; Americans are too insistent in our rush toward cities, or maybe that’s just people like me, who grew up in them. The peace of a place like that (at least on the water) looks incredible — you have my envy.