5 Hallstatt Tips – what you should know

Hallstatt is a small town in the Salzkammergut area in Austria. Besides being a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997, Hallstatt went viral after appearing on Asian TV. Since then, thousands of tourists (especially from Asia) are traveling to Hallstadt every year. Since the city is struggling with “Overtourism”, you should prepare your trip well. Here are some Hallstatt Tips for your visit.

Hallstatt Tip #1: Plan your arrival

Since Hallstatt is now quite famous and many people plan on going there, you should plan out you should plan your day in Hallstatt. Most tourists arrive per bus with their travel guides, so they hop off the bus and get picked up again as soon as they are finished. 

If you’re not going with a guided tour, this is what you should know:

If you’re…

…arriving by Airplane:

The closest Airport will be Salzburg. From there you can either go by car (takes around 1:20h) or by train. If you’re arriving international, it’s very likely to arrive at Vienna Airport from where it’s a 3hr drive. 

…arriving by Train:

Hallstatt has a train station called like the city itself („Hallstatt Bahnhof“ in german). Depending on where you’re coming from, it’s best to check the connection on the internet or via an app. The Austrian train services have an app called „ÖBB, “ where you can research your connections and get a ticket. Alternatively, you can buy the tickets at the train station.

…arriving by Car:

Parking space is very, very limited! Since there are still people living in this small town, the old city center and most streets are closed for cars/busses. There is public parking, and our favorite parking space was actually the first and the only one we found. The location is good because it’s not in the middle of the tourist mass and you can take a little walk to the city center. When you start walking, you will actually pass by a very nice viewpoint at the Hallstatt Lake to take some pictures without a mass of people standing in the way and enjoy the view over Hallstatt. Since Hallstatt is so famous, the prices for public parking are quite high. (We paid 13,50EUR for 2hrs)

Here you can see the location of the public parking we chose and the view from there as described above:

Hallstatt Tip #2: Hallstatt is smaller than you think

If you’re planning on going to Hallstatt, you should know that the city itself is tiny. Spending one day or half a day is a time spectrum that I’d recommend. Walking around the city won’t take you too long, so don’t plan too much time. We stayed there for around 2 hours on our way to Gosau, one of the bigger cities close to Hallstatt. We just walked around and took some pictures, but you can easily spend the day there if you want to check out the restaurants. Visiting Hallstatt is recommendable as a one day trip from Salzburg or another city around Hallstatt.

Hallstatt Tip #3: Prepare for many tourists

Hallstatt is very famous in China since the Chinese rebuilt the City in their country. But as they want to experience the original Hallstatt beauty with its fresh mountain air, they are coming every day. Besides the mass of Chinese tourists, there are also other visitors strolling around the city. It can get extremely crowded during the day, so you might think about coming in the morning (before 10-11 am) or in the evening.
Most of them come in groups by bus, so during peak times when the busses are there, the restaurants and viewpoints are full of people.

Hallstatt Tip #4: Don’t bring a drone

Hallstatt is absolutely stunning so bring a good camera to capture the beauty of the city. If you want to step up your photography in the scenic city, you should know that drowns are forbidden in most parts of the city. Hallstatt is very calm and small and, let’s be honest: drones are very disturbing, so they got banned out of the city center.

Hallstatt Tip #5: Respect the locals

Last but not least, you should know that Hallstatt is not only a tourist attraction but a city where people live for years. Hallstatt got famous „by accident“ because of the Chinese duplicate, so the residents struggle with that sometimes. The houses and gardens are their living space, so please don’t disrespectfully walk through their private properties just to get a cute picture. The mass of tourists also causes a lot of noise so please talk a little bit more quietly when you pass by their hoses and open windows.

That’s it for my Hallstatt Tips. I hope you found them helpful and i’m sure you’ll enjoy the city as much as i did. Also, make sure to follow me on Instagram @JetlagJules so we can stay connected! In case you’re in the Dachstein Region for a little longer, make sure to check out my Tips for finding the perfect Ski Resort. 

See you soon,