Hi everybody and welcome to Hallstatt! Today I will go on a travel walking tour through Hallstatt
and show you the best views of this famous tourist destination in Austria. Let’s check it out.
Hallstatt is a small town in the Austrian Alps in the Austrian state of Upper Austria.
Situated between the southwestern shore of Hallstätter See and the steep slopes of the Dachstein massif,
the town lies in the Salzkammergut region, not far from Salzburg.
If you are planning to visit Austria, a visit to Hallstatt should definitely be on your travel bucket list.
Why is Hallstatt so famous?
Hallstatt is a World Heritage site and one of the most famous tourist destinations in Austria.
It’s known for its production of salt, dating back to prehistoric times,
and gave its name to the Hallstatt culture, the archaeological culture linked to Proto-Celtic and early Celtic people of the Early Iron Age in Europe, c.800–450 BC.
This and it’s beautiful location at the shores of lake Hallstatt
with the backdrop of the Dachstein mountain makes it a must-see travel destinations when visiting Europe.
But Hallstatt is also just a small village and is at times struggling with overtourism.
So is Hallstatt too touristy?
Well, in 2020, the town had a population of 780, and welcomes between 10,000 to close to 30,000 tourists per day.
Many of the tourists come with bus tours which bring tourists briefly into the town for photo opportunities, then quickly move on.
Due to its geographic location, there is no room for expansion
and it takes a logistical effort to welcome and host the massive amounts of people every day.
Hallstatt's tourism began in the 19th century but greatly increased when it became popular among Asian tourists
when it was featured on a South Korean television show in 2006.
It’s become a social media phenomenon and was captioned the most instagrammable town in the world.
Even a complete replica of Hallstatt was built in China in 2011.
By 2017 local churches were even employing bouncers to prevent services being disrupted by tourists.
Going forward, the town will be focusing on "quality" tourism.
Assigned time slots for tour buses and a limitation of buses will help cope with overtourism.
Buses with an overnight booking in the town will receive preference.
But yes, Hallstatt is definitely one of the world’s major tourist destinations.
If you don’t like crowds, you should go see some of the other beautiful towns and lakes in the Salzburg area.
St. Gilgen and St. Wolfgang are beautiful Austrian towns and offer spectacular lake views.
Gosau is just a short drive from Hallstatt and most definitely worth seeing.
The stunning lakes of Altaussee, Grundlsee, Fuschlsee and Traunsee are not to be missed when visiting the Salzburg region.
All are truly beautiful and less touristy.
Check out my videos on these travel destinations in the links below.
You may ask yourself: How do I get to Hallstatt? I came to Hallstatt by car from Salzburg.
This in itself is a beautiful scenic drive which I will post in another video.
But no matter from which side you approach Hallstatt, the first information is waiting for you at the start of the town.
Available parking spaces are marked on electronic displays.
If you come from Salzburg, you will go through a tunnel behind Hallstatt.
Can you drive to the center by car?
Unless you are a resident of Hallstatt this is not possible.
If you stay at one of the apartments and hotels in the center shuttle bus brings you there.
If you are visiting for the day, you will have to park your car at one of several large parking spaces outside of the town.
But they are all in walking distance to the historic center and the walk there is actually really nice.
Note that parking is not for free and is actually on the more expensive side.
But you can pay for your ticket with cash or credit card.
Until the late 19th century, it was only possible to reach Hallstatt by boat or via narrow trails.
The land between the lake and mountains is narrow, and the town itself exhausts every free patch of it.
The first road to Hallstatt was only built in 1890, partially by rock blasting along the west shore.
Nevertheless, this secluded and inhospitable landscape counts as one of the first places of human settlement due to the rich sources of natural salt,
which have been mined for thousands of years.
Some of Hallstatt's oldest archaeological finds date back to around 5500 BC.
In 1846 a large prehistoric cemetery near the current location of Hallstatt was found with over 1,000 burials and around 2,000 individuals.
So, what can you see in Hallstatt?
Well, you should definitely go for a walk through the historic town center, and enjoy the amazing views of Lake Hallstatt.
If you bring some time, you can also go on a boat ride on the lake.
There are several must-see attractions in the town as well.
Definitely check out the beautiful market square right in the historic town center.
It almost looks too perfect to be real.
When you are there, also check out the historic church right next to it.
If you want to learn more about how people of Hallstatt lived up to 7000 years ago, you should check out the Hallstatt World Heritage Museum.
There you can go back 7,000 years to the beginnings of the ancient salt mining town.
You learn how the Iron Age, known as Hallstatt culture, was named after the town.
On a unique journey through time, historical events are presented in an interesting and informative manner,
with video animations, holographic and 3D presentations, and life-like dioramas.
A floating light sword, a spectacular flight over Hallstatt and a 3D journey through time are some of the highlights of Hallstatt’s World Heritage museum.
Also take a walk to the upper town where you can get the world-famous postcard views of Lake Hallstatt and over the rooftops of Hallstatt town center.
From there, visit St. Michaels Chapel. The baroque Michael Altar stands in the eastern section of the chapel and dates back to 1612.
Right next to the chapel you will find the perhaps most curious site of Hallstatt, the Hallstatt Charnel House.
This Bone House dates back to the 12th century and is located next to the catholic parish church.
Here you can visit a truly unusual and unique collection of over 600 artistically painted skulls.
But beware, this is not something for the faint-hearten and may not be everyone’s taste.
Skull painting was carried out primarily during the 19th century
and belonged to a cultural area that mainly consisted of the eastern Alpine region.
Even during modern times, this custom has still been in use in Hallstatt.
Hallstatt is home to the largest collection of skulls ever.
There is so little space for cemeteries that every ten years bones used to be exhumed and removed into an ossuary, to make room for new burials.
When an existing grave was reused for a new burial, the skull or bones were transferred from the grave to the charnel house as part of a second funeral.
The identity of the deceased family member was preserved by decorative paintings and inscriptions.
Depending on the family relationship or based on artist choice, the skulls were labeled with names or initials.
How many days should you spend in Hallstatt?
Well, I’d say you can spend a good 3-4 hours in the town itself.
If you bring some more time, you can go up the mountain with the Hallstatt Salt Mountain Railway funicular
and visit the oldest salt mine in the world.
The train runs every 15 minutes in high season and takes you to the mountain station in about 2 minutes.
The train ticket and entrance to the salt mine costs 34 Euros for adults.
If you feel like getting some exercise, you can also walk up the mountain.
The hike from Hallstatt center up to the Salzburg mountain takes around 1.5 hours and offers stunning views of Lake Hallstatt.
This makes Hallstatt a great 1-day tour destination.
The salt mine is located directly behind the Rudolfsturm.
This tower dates back to 1284 and served as a defensive tower to protect the chimneys and bucket buildings of the Hallstatt salt mountain.
The visit to the salt mountain includes a very informative tour and a mega slide.
If you are looking for a little thrill and want to enjoy the breathtaking Alpine panorama of Hallstatt and the Dachstein mountain,
you should go on the impressive viewing platform, the "Skywalk" World Heritage View.
It is located directly at the Rudolfsturm.
So is a Hallstatt worth visiting? I’d say yes - definitely!
Even if you don’t make it up the Salzberg mountain, a visit is well worth it.
And which is better, Salzburg or Hallstatt?
Well, Hallstatt is very different from Salzburg which is a much bigger town.
I have another video on Salzburg to show you my top sightseeing spots there.
But if you are already in Upper Austria and maybe plan to visit Salzburg, Hallstatt is only a 1-hour drive away.
The drive from Salzburg to Hallstatt is one of the most beautiful and scenic drives in Austria.
You pass several lakes, beautiful towns such as Fuschl, St. Gilgen, St. Wolfgang, Bad Ischl and Bad Goisern.
All are worth a visit and I have separate videos on those beautiful Austrian towns as well, linked below.
So Hallstatt is definitely worth seeing in summer or in winter.
But come early to avoid the tourist crowds.
I was there rather early in the morning and it was the best time to visit Hallstatt.
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I see you in my next video. Have a great rest of the day!