are you looking for the best way to get the Hallstatt is Austria?
well today in BigBoyTravel we're gonna go over all the options from car bus and train
plus some insider tips.
The lakeside village of Hallstatt is our favorite day trip from Salzburg and one
of the most beautiful places in Austria, but deciding how to get here can be a
little confusing. While we don't recommend renting a car just to get the Hallstatt,
if you already have one it can save you a lot of travel time and eliminate some
hassle with your luggage. Compared to the bus and train options, having a car will
save you two hours to Munich, a half an hour from Vienna, and over an hour from
Salzburg bringing your travel time to just one hour and 15 minutes.
Most visitors won't have a car, so this video is going to go over all the bus and train
options to get the Hallstatt plus we have a companion guide with a detailed map of
all the routes available on our website BigBoyTravel.com.
If you are traveling between Salzburg and Vienna by train it can be tempting to pop down to Hallstatt
along the way, but because it brings your total travel time to almost 7 hours
we really don't recommend it. Hallstatt is best seen as an easy day
trip from Salzburg and we prefer to take the bus there followed by the train to
get back. This video will cover our round trip recommendation from Salzburg in
great detail, but overall the bus is faster cheaper and compared to the train
which drops you off on the wrong side of the lake requiring a ferry ride, the bus
continues through town and lets you see the ice cave. You will begin your journey
to Hallstatt at the main bus depot in Südtiroler Platz in front of Salzburg
train station. The bus you need to look for in order to get the Hallstatt is number
150 which leaves from bin F and is marked with its final destination of
Bad Ischl. Bus 150 leaves Salzburg station twice an hour starting early every
morning at 5:55 a.m. except for Sundays when it doesn't start until 8:15.
Make sure to bring snacks or breakfast for the bus and remember that there's a full
grocery store located just inside the train station. Tickets to Hallstatt are
around 15 euros which you can buy from the outdoor machine or pay the driver in
cash as you board the bus. If needed the driver can also help you store your
luggage in a large bins below the seats. The first leg of the bus route the haul
stop will bring you through the famous all Salzkammergut district which has some
of the most beautiful scenery in Austria. In addition to being quicker and cheaper
than the train, this scenery is one of the main reasons why we love taking the bus.
90 minutes after leaving Salzburg,
Bus 150 will arrive at Bad Icshl station where you will transfer to bus
542 toward Hallstatt. There is a 20-minute layover between buses in Bad Ischl,
but the transfer is very easy as you only have to walk from stall 'E' over
to nearby stall 'C'. During your layover, make sure to double check the bus
schedules and consider visiting the inside of the small Bad Ischl station
which has staff, a ticket booth, and a bathroom. While you wait it can be
tempting to hop on the local train the Hallstatt. Remember that the train drops
you off on the wrong side of the lake from the village requiring a ferry ride
while the bus brings you into town quicker and sets you a better to visit
either the ice cave or the salt mine to start your day.
We will cover the Train option in great detail later in this video on our return
back to Salzburg. Heading back over to stall see it's now time to get on bus 542.
You'll notice that bus 542 is marked for its final destination Gosausee and
we'll be transferring for a second and final time along the way to reach Hallstatt.
After a 20-minute ride from Bad Ischl
you'll reach the Gosaumuhle bus stop. You and likely everyone else will be
switching from bus 542 to bus 543 for the final 10-minute ride in the Hallstatt.
Although you only have five minutes to transfer at the Gosaumuhle stop,
it is extremely easy even with luggage as the two buses park right next to each other.
It's exciting as you start seeing lake Hallstatt poking out from behind the trees.
Compared to the train and ferry option which drop you off on the
North side of Hallstatt, Bus 543 will get you there a little bit quicker and
you'll arrive on the South side of town at Hallstatt's main bus station called
Hallstatt Lahn. From here, you can either stay on bus 543 which continues on to
the ice cave or get out and explore the village. Hallstatt Lahn has amazing
views of town, but it is also convenient as it's close to the Salt Mine visitor center.
At the visitor center, you can sign up for a tour of the historic salt
mines or use the luggage lockers to store your bags. A quick ride up the
funicular from the visitor center brings you to the top of Salt Hill where you
can take your salt mine tour. Make sure to check out our website bigboytravel.com
where you can find a full guide on the Hallstatt mine tours. We also have a
youtube video covering what you can expect on your tour in greater detail.
Even if you don't take the salt mine tour you can still visit the amazing
Rudolph Tower restaurant at the top of the hill which has stunning views plus
the World Heritage Sky Walk which literally hangs right over the top of Hallstatt.
Because you rode the bus to get here it even helps you beat a lot of the crowds.
While the salt mine area of town is amazing, one of the main
advantages have taken the bus into Hallstatt is the easy access it gives
you to see the ice cave and five fingers on top of nearby Dachstein Mountain.
The best way to reach the ice cave is to stay on bus 543 instead of getting out
when it stops at Hallstatt Lahn. After leaving town the bus does an easy
loop around the south side of the lake, through Obertraun and up to the
Dachstein visitor center in less than 15 minutes. Ehe Dachstein visitor center is where
you will buy your ticket for the cable car up to the ice cave. They also have a
limited amount of bag lockers for your luggage. As you rise above the valley below,
the view from the dock Stein cable car is very impressive. For many visitors,
the ice cave is the ultimate highlight for their tour of Hallstatt. Just like the
salt mine tours, you can find a full guide on the Hallstatt ice cave on our
website BigBoytravel.com. getting to Dachstein early by bus gives you
time to ride up to the second level of the cable car where you can have lunch at the
Dachstein lodge restaurant and hike over to the five fingers lookout. From the lodge,
it's about a 20-minute hike to reach the five fingers and it's worth every minute.
Sprawling over the cliffside one mile above Lake Hallstatt, you really have to
come see the breathtaking views of the five fingers. After admiring the Alpine
panoramas from every angle and taking plenty of photos, you can follow the
cable car line back down to the Dachstein visitor center the same way you came up.
Make sure to wait in the parking lot in
front of the Visitor Center so you can catch bus 543 back down to the village of Hallstatt.
While it is possible to tour both the ice cave and Salt Mine in one really long day,
you'll likely have to choose between the two in the morning,
followed by a walk through Old Town Hallstatt in the afternoon. From the Hallstatt Lahn
bus stop, you can take our self-guided walking tour of town which follows an
easy path along the lake and the entire village is only one mile long.
As you head north toward the ferry dock for your eventual return back to Salzburg,
you are funneled in the Hallstatt's gorgeous Market Square.
The square's colorful buildings are very beautiful, but nearby are a few historic
restaurants that have amazing views of the lake. One of the local delicacies in
Hallstatt is its famous white fish. Before leaving town make sure to check out the
bone house at Michael's Chapel which has over 600 painted human skulls.
The most famous view point of Hallstatt is also along the lake not far from the Ferry Dock.
With an amazing day and Hallstatt behind you, now it's time to get on
the Stephanie ferry to catch the train back to Salzburg. The ferry runs 365 days
a year and the final route for the day leaves at 6:15 p.m. just in time to meet
the last train. You pay the captain the couple euro fare as you board the boat and
the views while you glide across the lake are absolutely stunning.
Safely across the lake, it's only a short walk up to the tiny hallstatt station.
Lines to buy tickets can be quite long so we like to buy ours ahead of time on the
Austrian national train website called OEBB. We have a link to it on our
guide at bigboytravel.com. You can save some money by buying your ticket
days in advance and there are flexible options if you don't want to commit to a
specific departure time. 90 minutes after leaving Hallstatt, you'll arrive in
Attnang-Puchheim where you make your only train transfer needed to return back to
either Salzburg or Vienna. Having arrived the Attnang-Puchheim on
track number 5 you'll take the escalator downstairs and only have to
move over one bin to meet your departing train. Trains to Salzburg from track #3
and trains to Vienna leave from the neighboring track #2.
You'll have ten to twenty minutes between trains and we love how modern
this station is. In case you were doing the entire journey to and from Hallstatt
by train, there are a number of bag lockers located on the lower level of
the Attnang-Puchheim station. Remember that all the trains leaving from
track #3 are going to Salzburg so pay close attention to the time on your ticket.
If you get on the wrong train you may have to pay for a full ticket again.
The train from Attnang-Puchheim will take fifty minutes to get t0 salzburg or
two hours to get to Vienna. Arriving back in salzburg station, take the escalator
downstairs and follow the signs for Südtiroler Platz where we originally
started our round-trip journey to Hallstatt. From the square you can catch
the public bus or a quick taxi back to Old Town Salzburg. If you enjoyed this
video please like it share it with your friends and subscribe to our YouTube
channel for free to see even more upcoming videos from big boy travel.
In addition to our how to get to Hallstatt guide, you can follow our
self-guided walking tours of Salzburg and Hallstatt for free on our website
bigboytravel.com. Thank you again for watching and subscribing to our youtube
channel, we'll see you again soon!