Things to do Hallstatt

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How to get to Hallstatt- Vienna to Hallstatt

Nestled amongst the mountains, just across scenic Lake Hallstatt is the quaint, fairy tale town of Hallstatt.
Booking tickets for our rail trip from Vienna is simple. We used the OBB app just type in Hallstatt Station as your destination and select your time. The train will have a ticket collector/checker, ours was a lovely man who was happy to chat about our trip. It was the first time we learned that Austria is often confused with Australia by other international guests. We later saw a slogan on signs and shirts which said “no kangaroos in Austria!”. I guess they get that a lot.

We had also made a mistake with the ticket we chose but he was kind enough to help us fix it. If you are unsure of the one to select then ask someone at the train station help desk they will be more than happy to help. The train trip to Hallstatt is just so pretty and really sets the scene for your destination.

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How to find the boat to Hallstatt

Stepping off the train from Vienna at Hallstatt station and strolling down the little path right in front of you we came to the boat to cross the lake.
Purchasing boat tickets is easy, 7 euro return, and settling in for a pretty 5 minute crossing it is easy to feel like you are passing in to a new world, one that has been sitting in your imagination since you were little.

Boat across Hallstatt Lake from Train station

The boat trip to Hallstatt –

As we drew closer the sweet town becomes larger, clinging to the mountain behind, it is as if we are entering a dream. Church spires and colourful buildings, cobblestone streets…there is a feeling of both peace and familiarity, as though you are entering in a beloved Disney movie.

Where to stay in Hallstatt –

We checked in to our hotel, which was at most 10 steps from the dock (market one). We stayed at the historic Heritage Hotel Hallstatt which was the perfect place to explore the town. With views from our room over the lake it was the ideal serene spot to sit, have coffee and relax. Check out our blog on Heritage Hotel Hallstatt here.

What to do in Hallstatt –

Walk the village

We spent the afternoon meandering through streets, soaking up the main square, eating ice cream and exploring every stair case.
As we climbed higher the views became more beautiful, capturing all of the village. There is a cable car you can take to the top of the mountain and a salt mine that you can visit and walk through to learn some of the history of Hallstatt before it was a tourist destination. While we didn’t get to do this on this trip we look forward to visiting again and getting to do this experience. Walking through town there were so many cafes and shops to check out we filled our morning quickly! There are many great photo spots around town, check out our blog here on our favourites!

Strawberry ice cream in Hallstatt Austria

Hire a boat on the lake

We went down to the lake front and hired a boat from the lovely grandmother who was waiting there. With some basic German we asked for a boat. At 15 euro for 30 minutes we happily jumped in and were off to cruise the lake.
The views were spectacular from the water, and it was a fun way to spend some time. Punting around the lake on the electric boat was easy, and the time slipped away quickly! Before we knew it we were heading back to the waiting grandmother.

Walking the waterfront

We continued on our way and wandered along the lake front stopping at all the pretty spots. Along the way we saw a man fishing and some huge swan paddle boats which looked like fun. We stopped off to pat all the cats we came across, they were so friendly and cute! Finally we made our way to the supermarket and picked up some snacks for our train trip the following day. We had read so much about how expensive Hallstatt is but honestly it isn’t anywhere near what we expected. The supermarket was reasonable as were restaurants and cafes.

By evening we exhausted from the day exploring and grabbed a quick meal before heading back to our room for an early night.

The next morning we enjoyed a buffet breakf a st before revisiting our favourite spots from yesterday. We took some more photos and soaked up our last minutes in our real life fairy tale.

entering the restaurant for breakfast at Heritage Hallstatt Hotel

We checked out and headed down to the boat, as we sailed across the lake we drank in our last views of the village.
Stepping off the boat, we waited only 3 minutes before jumping on the train to Salzburg and waking from our Hallstatt dream.