Once upon a time, many many moons ago, the ancient town of Hallstatt was only reachable by boat… I bet those Hallstatt folk used to laugh at how peaceful their lives were in their picturesque hillside town, and at how few visitors were able to spoil the tranquillity of their streets, and destroy the quietness of the amazing views across the lake…
And then they built a road…
Recognisable from the front cover of many a guide-book and postcard, nowadays Hallstatt is one of the most visited Austrian towns on the tourist trail, and is now so utterly popular that there is even (apparently) a complete Hallstatt replica somewhere in China.
It’s not like Hallstatt hasn’t always been well-known in this part of the world, it was famous for its salt mining wealth (which helped fund many of its ornate buildings) hundreds of years ago, and it’s pretty unique in as far as locations go with its colourful streets, and houses that look like they are almost piled up upon one another as they graduate up into the mountainside…
But even though it can at times get busier than Waterloo Station at rush hour on a Friday night, is it worth visiting? I will let the following pictures speak for themselves…
Suffice to say – yes, you absolutely must visit if you get the chance. Make a day trip from Salzburg if you are staying, or of course you could stay in Hallstatt itself (it is worth a weekend’s exploration at the least)… We chose to stay in nearby Obertraun, which IS still tranquil and calm, and also very pretty…
Do visit as early as you possibly can in the day to deal with as few coach excursions as possible. It really is selfie stick city when they all pile off into Hallstatt’s medieval streets (which is amusing, if not slightly irritating at times). The main car park is a 600 metre (or so) walk from the centre, but there is a little drop off spot much further in if you need it.
Do not come here for a wonderful gastronomic experience – many restaurants tend to only host the coach parties, feeding them the usual schnitzel and pommes combo. A couple of exceptions would be Gasthof Zauner (who were holding a Krampus convention when we popped in for breakfast) and the restaurant in Seehotel Gruner Baum.
Do climb the steps to the church at the top of the hill. Have a look for the carving on the door frame, which considering how old it is, is very impressive (they do like a bit of wood carving in these parts!), and have a peep inside the sweet church itself.
Try not to be too weirded out by the fact they used to have to dig up the residents in the cemetery every ten years to make room for new ones, and if you don’t feel too strange about it (and it’s not the winter as it’s closed then!) you could always pop next door to the Ossuary(/bienene) to say hello personally and admire their beautifully decorated bones.
Then head back outside and spend some time taking in the spectacular views out across the lake, and back towards the medieval higgledy piggledy houses.
It might be busy, but there’s a very good reason why this place is as popular as it is you know…
Oh it looks amazing! That carving is beautiful too.
Thanks Kate! (:
Pictures are amazing, I’d love to go!xx
Thank you. One day, we should all go xxx
Such stunning pictures! We’re hoping to visit Austria this winter – I’ll have to see how far this is from where we’ll be staying. Fascinated by the digging up of the remains every ten yeas. I wonder whose job that is? #FarawayFiles
We are there for New Year! Whereabouts are you going Nell? I don’t think they dig anyone up nowadays, just in days of old… :)
The pictures are stunning, what a wonderful location to visit – shame about the road making it so popular, I do like a good hidden treasure :)
Thanks so much Kara! :)
Wow, it does look amazing and I have a few friends in Austria now, so I must go over there as it feels a lifetime away from the UK. Mich x
You really must Mich, it’s a gorgeous country! :) x
Hallstatt looks amazing! I wish the food sounded better, but I guess if you can find a place with your own kitchen it doesn’t matter. :) Thanks for sharing! #farawayfiles
We had our own kitchen, and found good restaurant food out of town! I guess that’s what happens when you don’t really need to try as you are going to get visitors anyway! :D Thanks Danielle
Hallstatt is much more than “just” Middle Ages. The Hallstatt Culture is the origin of the Celtic cilvilization.
Yes, the Celts doesn’t come from Eire! :–)
I knew about the neolithic mines and the fact that it’s supposedly the oldest town in Europe, but I had no idea that it was the origin of Celtic civilisation. That’s very interesting! :)
I am now wondering where they put the old bodies every ten years to make room for the new ones?!
I have a feeling current residents are now placed elsewhere, years ago to make room they would carefully remove the bones and then paint them beautifully, and place them in the ossuary next door. I am sad it was closed as I would have loved to have seen it…
Beautiful!! I’d love to visit Austria :)
You must! Thanks Elizabeth! :)
OH. Dreamy little Hallstatt! My husband and I rambled into the village with backpacks about 22 years ago! It wasn’t so crazy then! We rented a little electric boat to puddle about the water and probably did eat schnitzel! What a beautiful place and your pictures are stunning. Thank you for sharing the honest reality today with #FarawayFiles, Erin
What a time to see it you lucky thing! Thanks Erin! :)
Oh I really want to go there, it looks absolutely beautiful.
It really is. Thanks Nikki! :)
I am definitely one of those people that saw a picture of Hallstatt and thought ‘I need to go there’ but never thought to learn anything about the place! At least now I know a little more :) Thanks #farawayfiles
Thanks Chiera! :)
So lovely! I can’t believe this place wasn’t on my radar… Darn, now I’ve got to add another place to my list! ;) #farawayfiles
My list is ever expanding too! :D Thanks Hilary! :)
Those photos really are wonderful and yes, I do want to visit. It’s certainly true that these picture-perfect places can become a victim of their own success but I would still love to see Hallstatt. Great tip about staying in a nearby village. Thanks so much for sharing these gorgeous shots on #FarawayFiles
Thanks so much Clare! (:
Oh it looks gorgeous, your pictures are stunning.
Selfie-stick city – ha. Those things are terrible but sometimes I don’t want to fix up the tripod to take a pic of me and Mr.S. Thank god my camera is too heavy for a selfie-stick or I might be tempted.
Beautiful post, thanks
I know what you mean! :D Thank you! (:
I’ve visited it too:) it’s so pretty! #farawayfiles
Lovely isn’t it? Thanks Tanja! (:
I absolutely died and went to Heaven when we visited Hallstatt last fall! It was soooo beautiful! I’m dying to see it covered in snow! Happy Holidays!! #FarawayFiles
I was quite sad we didn’t have lots of snow when we went! :D Thanks Lolo! :)
Beautiful snaps as always. I went to Austria a very long time ago and always remember how beautiful it was. Looking forward to exploring Hallstatt soon and early in the morning without the coach tours! Thanks for joining us on #FarawayFiles
Thanks katy! (:
Stunning pictures! Looks like the sort of town I’d love to explore! Can’t imagine a whole replica town set up, how nuts is that!?
Thanks Lauren! I know, can you imagine. It happens quite a lot apparently – a replica is just not the same though is it? :D
oh dear to schnitzel and potato but oh boy how gorgeous to those photos. what a glorious spot. we loved austria when we were there. sooo pretty. we hired a motorbike in salzburg and rode around for a day to the lake nearby. picture postcard.
It really is gorgeous. Thanks Sherry. I shall miss having Austria on our doorstep!
Your photographs are really beautiful, as good as any if not better than those you would find in a travel brochure. Hallstatt is indeed a very special town. x
Thank you Mum. Coming from a real photographer that’s a big compliment! :D x