Hallstatt, Travel Guide
Sustained by the richness of local salt deposits, there was a Hallstatt before there was even a Rome. How much before Rome do you ask? The first recorded settlement in Hallstatt is from 5000BC! While much of Hallstatt has obviously changed some over 7000 years, they have started to unearth pottery and artifacts, such as an ancient wooden staircase, that is shedding new light on the villages early days.
Today, old world charm doesn’t just come from Hallstatt’s small Alpine setting or its terraced 500 to 600-year-old homes, but instead mainly comes from the laid back, easy going vibe, and friendly locals. Aside from strolling the quaint streets, our favorite activities in Hallstatt include visits to the local salt mine, the Bone Chapel, through giant Ice Caves, and boat trips onto the imposing lake. Enjoy our Hallstatt Austria travel guide!
“Hallstatt Travel Guide, Austria”
With pastel-coloured houses casting shimmering reflections onto the looking-glass lake and with lofty mountains rearing up on all sides, Hallstatt’s beauty borders on the surreal and the sublime. Boats glide tranquilly across the lake from the train station to the village, situated precariously on a narrow stretch of land between mountain and shore. (So small is the patch of land occupied by the village that its annual Corpus Christi procession takes place largely in small boats on the lake.) The sheer volume of visitors here can be nerve-fraying, especially in summer, with a sea of cars, buses and tour groups descending.
The centre of Hallstatt is at Hallstatt Markt, and Hallstatt Lahn is on the edge of town near the funicular to the Salzbergwerk. The train station is across the lake from Hallstatt; to get into town from there you have to take the ferry.
