Hallstatt is a village on the western shore of Hallstatt Lake, in the mountainous Salzkammergut region of Austria. The sixteenth-century Alpine-style buildings divided by alleys house cafés and shops. A funicular takes you to Salzwelten, a former salt mine with an underground salt lake, and to an observation deck overlooking the body of water. To the west, a path provides access to the Echern Valley, with its glacial sinks and the Waldbachstrub Waterfall.
Visiting Hallstatt in Austria means discovering a small and fascinating town nestled on the banks of Lake Hallstättersee. Considered one of the most beautiful countries in Europe and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hallstatt and its surroundings can be visited in just one day during your stay in Austria, here are the unmissable stops to discover what the city has to offer.
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The Lake Hallstatt Stroll
The Lake Hallstatt Walk is the number one thing to do in Hallstatt, could be a walk down the most lakefront, which looks like it’s pulled straight out of an Snow capped storybook.
From classic town perspectives to handfuls of exquisite swans on the water's edge and centuries-old half-timber homes firmly stuffed along the lakefront, you won't want the walk to end.
Pay attention to how medieval wooden houses cling to the mountain like cliffside swallows homes.
These homes are well protected as some time recently a street was made within the late 1800s as it were way to reach Hallstatt was by pontoon or limit donkey way.
The street drifts over the water on arches and is lined with eateries, guesthouses, gift shops, and of course incredible sees of Lake Hallstatt.
You'll be able to get up near and individual with the village's inhabitant swans, presented to the lake by the Habsburg Line back when they ruled Austria.
Amid the Hallstatt walk, you'll pass by various lakeside eateries.
As you get near to the heart of the town, you may also want to spend portion of the walk on the upper way to urge a see of the lake from between the housetops of Hallstatt.
Visit Salzwelten (Salt mine)
Hallstatt is home for the oldest salt mine in the world. In order to get to the 1030 m high mines, you have to take a funicular!
When up the mountain, you will need to put on a nice miner’s outfit, to enter the tour. A tour takes about 2 hours.
It was these salt deposits that helped an early day Hallstatt prosper. Excavations opened in 1719 have uncovered some of the amazing discoveries from a completely preserved salt man found in 1734.
The Salt Mine is closed for Winter from early-December until early March.
Dachstein Ice Cave (Dachsteinhöhlen)
The Dachstein Ice Caves are a mesmerizing natural wonder waiting to be explored. These caves are a wonderful labyrinth of ice formations, sculpted by centuries of snowfall within the Dachstein Glacier.
Hallstatt’s Ice Cave provides an excellent opportunity to tour an amazing Alpine wonder.
The Ice Cave, discovered in 1910, is impressive not just for its huge frozen waterfalls and wonderful ice formations, but also for the sure size of some of the rocky caverns. Your local guide will cover the history of the cave, the key features, and many interesting details on how the enchanting ice formations are naturally created.
In addition to the tour, the cave’s entrance offers awesome views of the surrounding mountain peaks.
The Ice Caves are closed for Winter each November until May, but the mountaintop still provides great views and snow sports in the offseason.
Five finger lookout point
Perched on the edge of the rugged Dachstein Mountains near Hallstatt, the “Five Fingers” is a jaw-dropping viewing platform. Aptly named for its hand-like extensions, each “finger” provides a unique view of the Alpine landscape.
You’ll have a ton of fun taking photos at the 5 Fingers Lookout as you relax like you’re the King of Dachstein Mountain.
5 platforms (the 5fingers), each in a different design, the visitor can put his head for heights to the testand enjoy unique views down over Hallstatt, the Hallstättersee lake and the inner Salzkammergut region. The individual fingers, which are approximately 4 m long fingers, are built over a precipice of about 400 m depth.
The fingers have different features such as a telescope and a glass floor. The 5 different levels, each 4 x 1 m in size, offer spectacular insight and views. One of the platforms is made entirely from glass and another enables visitors to gain their own personal view of the Hallstatt World Heritage site through a large Baroque picture frame.
Market Square (Marktplatz):
Sitting right in the center of Old Town Hallstatt, Market Square is the geographical and literal heart of the village. It’s hard not to be impressed by the colorful buildings circling the square which served as the marketplace in early day Hallstatt. The salt brine would come down from the hilltop, fish came in from the lake, and goods arrived by boat from surrounding villages to be traded. In 1750, much of Market Square was damaged in a fire leading the buildings to be rebuilt in stone which contrasts nicely with the older timber home around the rest of town.
Grab a coffee and take time to sit on a bench to people watch or take in the Holy Trinity fountain in the middle of the square. There are a number of great restaurants and shops around the square which is also home to the annual Christmas market, Krampus run, and traditional outdoor Summer concerts.
The enchanting village of Hallstatt is picturesquely located on a small plot directly on the water, and until 1890 it rested entirely on Lake Halstatt (Hallstätter See). To discover the traces of the Hallstatt culture up close in the context in which they were found, you need to leave the center of the village and head to the archaeological area of the prehistoric necropolis of Hallstatt.
We have reached the end of this article on the Best of Hallstatt. If you are visiting Austria, make sure to read our previous blogs. To continue discovering more hidden gems and captivating destinations, stay tuned for more articles on our website. Follow us @thewalkingparrot to be continuously updated on new releases and join us as we embark on new adventures. We will be back soon with a new article!
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