While planning a summer vacation, we decided to visit Austria, because we haven’t been there. We had a flight from Lviv (Ukraine) to Vienna.
Vienna did not interest us so much, we wanted to see more nature, the Alps, the local small towns.
And immediately remembered “this small town from all websites” which was Hallstatt.
We immediately started to google how to get there, whether it is really possible to get there without a car.
It turned out that yes and it was not difficult.
Why you should visit Hallstatt and who will like this city?
If you like a quiet, peaceful vacation, without shopping, without partying, just walking and eating, then Hallstatt is for you 😃 It is also surrounded by the Alps and the lake.
How to get from Vienna to Hallstatt?
On the website of the Austrian Federal Railways (https://www.oebb.at/de/) you can buy tickets from the station «Wien Hbf» to Hallstatt. Depending on the time in which you will arrived from Vienna, the road takes for about 3–4 hours, (1 change by train + ferryboat). The price for rail ticket in the end of July — the beginning of August 2018 was 50€ for 1 person in one direction.
By the way, on the train you can choose wagons with the zones “Quiet zone” and «Family zone». In a quiet area you can not make noise, talk on the phone, and generally it’s desirable to talk quietly.
By mistake on the way back we took the «Family zone» and turned up into the kindergarten. There you definitely will not have rest 😁.
But it is convenient for those who travel with children. There is a separate place with a TV set with cartoons and toilets are adapted for moms and children.
In the train and at the stations there are Wi-Fi zones, so you can follow the train schedule.
When is a transfer to the second train, there you can prepare cameras or just admire the beauty of Austria. There are beautiful villages, the Alps and lakes.
Hallstatt station is very small, it is hard to miss it, because all people will go out too 😀.
Immediately at the railway station a little down from the hill there is a ship station to the other shore, where there is Hallstatt. The ticket for ferryboat cost 2,5€ per person. Sail is for about 15 minutes.
Choosing a hotel in Hallstatt.
We booked the hotel via booking.com. In the center of Hallstatt, there were about 20 hotels, of which 80% are already booked.
The articles advise the hotel “Seehotel Grüner Baum” which is the most central, with a view of the lake and a private terrace by the lake. On the photos, it looks very attractive, but there are some cons. The first is the price, the numbers start from 200€ per night, and the second it is always booked.
In the neighboring town Lahn, which as it turned out, is a neighboring city, not part of Hallstatt 😀, and is 10 minutes walk from the center of Hallstatt there are also hotels where the price range immediately get cheaper.
We stayed at the “Gasthof Bergfried” (B&B type). In 3 minutes from it is a lake, a bus station, a cableway to the mountain “World Heritage View”.
What to do in 2 days in Hallstatt.
- Visit Hallstatt SkyWalk, World Heritage View. The cableway ticket costs 16€ per person. Rise about 3 minutes. On the mountain, is an observation deck with a view of the lake, Hallstatt and neighboring towns. You can go down on foot along the footpath, the descent takes about 45–90 minutes (depends on how often you stop and take pictures all around 😀).
2. Go for a walk at 6:30 a.m. in the morning. This is the most beautiful time for photos and walks around the empty city (almost empty city, lovers of photo sessions will already be there 😀). But still the number of people is much less than in the daytime. And the sun is not so hot (I remind you, we arrived in August, in the very heat of ☀️).
3. Rent an electric boat. Boat rental costs 20€ per hour. The most awesome photos of the city were from the lake. In the “central” place on the embankment, and near the station “Markt 1” boats are constantly busy, you need to stay in a queue. In this place (https://goo.gl/maps/xonwpx4Vixw) the boats were free.
4. Take a picture of the city from the famous location «Classic Village Viewpoint / Postcard Angle” (https://goo.gl/maps/BbzonTHVxkk). There will be people constantly, at any time of the day, but wait for the moment and you can still take pictures 😀.
5. Turn from the central street (Seestraße) to any other street and walk along cozy paths where local people live. By the way, Hallstatt still has a local population, and there are 923 of them 👮🏻♀️👩🏻🏫👨🏻🌾👩🏻🍳👨🏻💼👩🏻🎨😃.
6. Visit the church “Katholische Pfarre Hallstatt” (https://goo.gl/maps/drRFQsUjk5w). There is another panoramic view of the city. By the way, behind the church there is a local cemetery. To my surprise, this is the most beautiful cemetery I’ve ever seen. From afar it looks like is a garden. All around is planted with flowers.
7. Visit a free concert. The church, which in all the photographs in the foreground “Evangelische Pfarrkirche Hallstatt” (https://goo.gl/maps/VwuTFMbx72t) holds events for tourists. We came to a concert of live music, where German and Chinese songs played and sang. From the instruments there were harp, guitar, hang.
8. Swim in the Alpine lake. “Badestrand Hallstatt / Lahn” (https://goo.gl/maps/gBQN8d1k9cL2). There is clean, well-kept beach, where you can swim. Nearby is a large playground, and it is so cool that if not a large number of children, I would have played there myself 😀.
9. Walk in the morning to the town Lahn. (https://goo.gl/maps/f9bZtgcuxkG2). In this part there are no tourists at all, and you can see how the local people live. Houses where windows and entrance doors are open, no fences, well-groomed front gardens and courtyards, cozy scenery. Past grandmothers and grandfathers on bicycles, with baskets of fresh pastries for breakfast. This is where time really stops 😌.
Where to eat in Hallstatt.
The choice of cafes and restaurants is not particularly large, but there is still something to choose.
The main thing is that wherever you go, everything will be delicious, even in “Fast Food” 😀.
- Popular is the restaurant on the lake “Restaurant am See” (https://goo.gl/maps/HfRKvsi1qRF2). Here you can eat fish from the lake, Viennese schnitzel. Portions are large, delicious. The average check for two together with a drink is 45€. Places are almost always occupied, especially in the evening. It will be difficult to have a place.
2. “Fischerei Ausseerland / Hallstätter Fischerbasis” (https://goo.gl/maps/bxZSvHWPLhm). The finest sandwiches with smoked fish from the lake. The choice is small, only 3–4 sandwiches. But each of them in their own way stunned.
But it is worth considering that they work only 10:00–2:30 p.m., as every day everything is fresh.
3. «Pizzeria Bella Milano” (https://goo.gl/maps/C5t48uGKskC2). Wide range of pizza, pasta, salads types. Portions are sooo big 😀. And you can eat after 21:00, as the rest of the cafes will be closed or busy.
4. You can have a cup of coffee in the morning with fresh pastries at Cafe Bakeries Maislinge (https://goo.gl/maps/aFdED1BBZMP2). Here you can also try “pretzel” — traditional pastries.
5. And for dessert 😀, the most ingenious, simple and delicious dessert is straws with meringue. It is worth trying “Ofenfrische Schaumrollen” (https://goo.gl/maps/A2qmaSRosiR2).
Water.
This is so cool, that in Austria you may drink water from the tap. This will save a lot of money, especially in summer. You can get water in the center on the square in the fountain and on the Seestraße.
Souvenirs.
- In this store you will find everything, starting from magnets, postcards to swimsuits-glasses. A universal tourist store, has everything you want, and with prices higher than other stores along the way, as it is one of the first when leave the ferryboat. (https://goo.gl/maps/XGioTeFnnvP2).
- “Salzkontor und Benediktiner Seifenmanufaktur” (https://goo.gl/maps/i5xpmrLG7Rv). Soap shop. Soap for every taste, color and shape.
3. “Cafe Bakeries Maislinge” (https://goo.gl/maps/aFdED1BBZMP2). As a souvenir, you should buy Lebkuchen it is a traditional gingerbread. It is popular for Christmas, but also in summer they are baked. Very fragrant, soft and of course delicious 😀. There is also a wide selection of biscuits and pastries.
A video about Hallstatt on YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxBZt1fDDP4&t=6s
More photos from Hallstatt you can see in my Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/yanina_trekhleb)
