6 Reasons to Visit Hallstatt

…and why you should spend at least one night in Hallstatt

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1.  Hallstatt is as spectacular as it looks in all the photos

2.  Hallstatt is world famous for a reason-but it must be protected from over-tourism

It is one of the most beautiful villages in the world, but this has led to massive overtourism. The village is home to only ~900 residents, but more than 1 million tourists visit annually!

In the summer, the tourists easily outnumber the locals. Unfortunately, many tourists only visit on a day trip from Salzburg or Vienna for a few hours. Visitors on bus package tours spend more time driving to Hallstatt than time in the village! A day trip does not do the area justice.

Staying in Hallstatt means your tourist dollars go to the people and businesses that live there. Many of the businesses in Hallstatt have been family-run for many generations.   Staying in Hallstatt means that you are supporting the locals (and not bus tour companies) to ensure that the village beautiful for future generations of travellers.

3.  Hallstatt is full of History

Hallstatt, the 7,000-year-old UNESCO World Heritage-listed village, existed before Romulus and Remus founded Rome.

It is the oldest village still inhabited in Europe. The village gave its name to the “ Hallstatt Culture,” one of the most important eras of prehistory, dating from the Iron Age 800 to 400 B.C.

Hallstatt exists because salt was mined from the Salzberg mountain, which rises above the village.

“Hall” is the Celtic word for salt, and as salt was a precious commodity, the region was historically very wealthy.

In 1849, a prehistoric cemetery was found with 1,300 burials and ~2000 individuals dated to the late Bronze Age/early Iron Age (1200 BC to 500 BC).
In 1311 (early Middle Ages), Hallstatt became a market town. 

Hallstatt is the site of “the world’s oldest pipeline”, built in 1595 (over 400 years ago) from 13,000 hollowed-out trees to transport salt from 40 km from Hallstatt to Ebensee via a brine pipeline.

Until the late 19th century, reaching Hallstatt was only possible by boat or via narrow trails. The first road to Hallstatt was only built in 1890 along the west shore, partially by rock blasting.

Tourism in Hallstatt began in the 19th century but significantly increased after it was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Hallstatt became popular among Asian tourists from featuring in a South Korean television show and due to a full-scale replica of the town was built in Huizhou Guangdong province, China in 2012.

4.  Spend your travel time wisely

One of the main problems with a day trip to Hallstatt is the time required for transportation to the village. Travelling to Hallstatt from Salzburg means you spend 3-4 hours just travelling there and back. 

If you are taking public transport, the journey time (in each direction) from:

• Vienna:  3.5 to 4 hours
• Salzburg:  2 hours

If you are driving, depending on traffic, you can expect the journey to take:

• From Vienna:  3.5 hours
• From Salzburg: 1.5 hours

If you are driving, you must also consider the time it takes to find parking. Parking in Hallstatt is very limited; in the Summer, most parking areas are full by 10 am.

5.  There is a lot to see and do in Hallstatt

Most people on day trips to Hallstatt only spend a few hours there- just enough time to walk through the village and take the prerequisite photos before they are herded back on the buses.

But they are missing most of what is unique and magical about Hallstatt.

Hallstatt has so many activities that after two full days of exploring, you still have more adventures waiting for you. From boat rides to guided tours of the oldest salt mine in the world to exploring ice caves.

And Hallstatt is in the Salzkammergut region- famous for its lakes and mountains.  You could spend weeks exploring the region.

Read our Guide on our recommended TOP 15 THINGS TO DO  in HALLSTATT
And discover in more detail how to spend from a half-day to full day on the Dachstein-Krippenstein Mountain visiting the Dachstein Giant Ice Caves and 5 Finger Lookout.

6.  Experience Hallstatt in (relative) Solitude

Most visitors to Hallstatt come on a day trip.

Many day trippers visit Hallstatt on a package bus tour from Salzburg, Munich, or Vienna. Hordes of tour buses start to reach the village early to mid-morning and depart in late afternoon/ early evening.

The daytrippers that drive to Hallstatt arrive early morning to mid-afternoon. Parking in Hallstatt is very limited; it can take hours and a lot of patience to find parking during the summer.

The best time to see the village is in the early morning and evenings before/after the day trippers have arrived/left.

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