When in AustriaA day trip to Hallstatt

The few days we had in Austria were not enough. We based ourselves in Salzburg because we wanted more than the big European cities, and the day trip to Hallstatt was the most memorable part of the whole stay. It is a fairy-tale town. This is how the day went: four of us, one seven-month-old, one rental car.

Where we stayed

We stayed at a numa in Salzburg and loved it, and we can also see why the reviews online are polarising. numa runs its properties on technology rather than staff. Nobody greets you and nobody checks you in; you follow the check-in instructions to get the codes for the building and your room. If you have not read those instructions carefully before you arrive, you could find yourself standing outside waiting for a passcode. Read them on the train.

Getting to Hallstatt

From Salzburg you can reach Hallstatt by train and bus, or by car. With four adults and a baby we rented a car. From the hotel it was an easy bus ride to the rental desks at the airport.

Hallstatt has been mining salt for thousands of years, and the brine pipeline that carried it out of the mountain, built in 1595, is the oldest industrial pipeline in the world. Today the village is a UNESCO World Heritage site that people visit for its looks: it sits pressed between Lake Hallstatt and the Dachstein Alps.

The drive was so beautiful that we want to go back and road trip Austria properly.

We were there in April and it was already busy, though not overly crowded. Parking in peak season looks like it would be painful: the town is tiny and everyone wants to see it, which is why people recommend the tour buses or arriving very early. We got in around lunchtime and got lucky with a spot. Hallstatt itself is not big either, and a couple of hours is enough to see it, especially if you are not planning to eat there.

A beer over the lake

We stopped for a beer and a bite at Tera Hen Cafe, which sits over the water on the Seestraße. Honestly, we mostly stopped there because we needed a voucher for the public restroom. Paid toilets are a very European thing.

Tera Hen Cafe. Beer, a bite, and the restroom voucher that made the rest of the afternoon possible.

We got ice cream afterwards and carried on along the water. The path toward the viewpoint is lined with small shops, and on the way you pass the Marktplatz, a small square ringed by cozy cafes and colourful alpine houses.

The Marktplatz. Cash only here too, mostly.

The Bone House

The other place worth going out of your way for is the Beinhaus at St. Michael's Chapel, up the steps behind the Catholic church. It is a cemetery famous for its painted skulls, lined up along the walls, a tradition that began because the graveyard ran out of room. None of us had seen anything like it in person, and there is an eerie feeling to the place. Entry is 2 euros for anyone over five.

The Beinhaus. Painted skulls, stacked for lack of space.

The postcard

Keep walking north and the shops give out at the classic viewpoint: the church spire, the houses stacked against the rock, the lake, the mountains behind it all. It is the far end of the village, so getting back to the car means walking back the way you came.

The view everyone comes for.

If you arrive early enough and you have a car, there are beautiful lakes and parks nearby for a hike or a picnic. We ran out of day, so we put the one we would have chosen at the end of the plan.