A DAY TRIP TO HALLSTATT (AUSTRIA)

HALLSTATT (AUSTRIA)

Day 2 of our trip to Europe, and we were so excited. Why??? Because we were making a day trip to Hallstatt from Salzburg. I had heard that the village is very beautiful and if anybody visits Salzburg then a visit to Hallstatt is a must. When we reached the Hallstatt station, the panoramic view was incredibly beautiful. It is the majestic beauty of this village that encouraged me to pen down my experience so that other travellers can also come and delight their souls. So here is the essence of my research and day trip experience.

Hallstatt is a beautiful lake side village of Austria’s famous salzkammergut region. It is situated between Hallstatter Lake and Dachstein mountains of Alps .It is one of the most photographed villages of Austria. Like Salzburg, this village is also famous for mining of Salt. World’s first known salt mine “SALZWELTEN” is situated just above the village on a Cliff. Its natural beauty is beyond description. At many of the places, one would be spellbound by the impressive natural scenery.

VIEW FROM LAKE

How to Reach Hallstatt From Salzburg

A fun day trip can be made from Salzburg. There are three ways to reach Hallstatt.

(a)  Through Bus :

One has to take Bus 150 from Salzburg HBF (Bus stand F) towards BAD ISCHL. After journey of around 1h and 30 minutes, the bus will be reaching Bad Ischl Bahnhof (Busterminal). Then there will be a layover of around 20 minutes. After that board bus number 542 with destination Gosausee and get down at Hallstatt Gosaumuhle (it takes around 30 minutes to reach).From this stop take Bus 543 to Hallstatt Lahn (Halstatt bus stop).This stretch is around 10 min journey. Total journey time will be around 2h and 30 Minutes.

Ticket price in total is 15.90 euro per person. For children the ticket price would be half. It can be purchased from driver but will be more expensive.

Through Train

From Salzburg Central train station, take a train to attnang – puchheim. The Destination can be reached in around 45 minutes. After a layover of 10 to 15 minutes, catch another train to Hallstatt Bahnhof. This part of journey will be completed in around 1h and 15 min. Total train fare will be 28.70 euros.

From Halstatt Bahnhof, one has to take boat ferry to Hallstatt village. The Ferry fare is 2.50 euro per person and takes around 10 minutes to reach the village.

So total expenditure through this route would be 28.70+2.50 = 31.20 euros (one way) and total time taken is around 2 h 25 min.

There is an offer from OBB that combines the above mentioned train tour with salt adventure tour which includes Boat transfer both ways, Mountain ascent/descent and admission to Salzwelten Hallstatt Salt Mines in 32.80 euros per person. Salt adventure Tour tickets can be collected from any of the self-service machine at an OBB Station. If somebody is availing this offer then the total expenditure would be 28.70+32.80 = 61.50 euros PP.

(C) Through a combination of bus, train and ferry

                        This is the way I chose because I have been told by locals that this way is the most scenic. I took Bus 150 from Salzburg HBF to Bad Ischl and get down there in about 1.30 hour. There was a connecting train waiting for this bus to arrive. So layover time was hardly of two minutes. I boarded train and in around 25 minutes I reached Hallstatt Bahnhof. The fare for this route is 29 euro per person. One has to take ferry to reach Hallstatt Village.

Total expenditure would be 14.50+2.50 = 17.00 euros per person (one way). And travel time would be 2 h and 05 minutes.

For beautiful views, sit on left side while in bus and on right side while travelling in train.

For this part also, combination ticket can be purchased with an additional 32.80 euros. So total expenditure will come out to be 49.80 euros

I had purchased SVV TAGESKARTE for 29 euros PP. It is a day ticket and valid for any number of trips on the selected routes. So instead of purchasing point to point ticket, I had purchased day ticket that gave me freedom to go and come back on same ticket between selected stations. The validity of this ticket is up to 0300 hours next day.

WAY TO HALLSTATT

EINFACH-RAUS-TICKET

                                      It is a discounted group ticket for 2 to 5 person and apply to any number of journeys in the OBB Regional Trains R, REX, and S-BAHN. The calculation is based on number of person. The fare starts from 34 euros and each additional passenger adds 4 euros. The validity of ticket is from 0900 hours to 0300 hrs next day. On Saturdays and Sundays, the validity is all day long until 0300 hours next day.

          Travellers tight on budget can look for this ticket as one can do return journey through regional trains very cheaply. The only flip side is it takes more time (3 hours and more). For weekdays, First train starts at 09.07 AM from Salzburg.

THINGS TO DO IN HALLSTATT

(1)  Hallstatt Salt Mine Tour

This is one of the major attractions of HALLSTATT. The whole salt mine tour takes around 1.30 hours to 2 hours to complete. So leave early from Salzburg if somebody wants to include it in itinerary. It worth’s a visit. Apart from seeing Salt rocks, a thrilling wooden miner’s slide also enchant travellers.

Reaching Salt mine is a snap. After getting down at Hallstatt from ferry, just follow the path straight. After around half an hour continuous walk, you will be reaching the funicular station. Take tickets and go up. From there, it is again around 20 minute walk to reach Hallstatt Salt mine. This 20 minutes walking trail is so beautiful.

WAY TO SALZWELTEN FROM SKYWALK

                                         

      

Details regarding Price and timings are summarised below.

SALT MINE TICKET	SALT MINE AND FUNICULAR ROUND TRIP	SALT MINE	FUNICULAR ROUND TRIP	FUNICULAR ONE WAY
Adults	€ 30,00	€ 22,00	€ 16,00	€   9,00
Children (ages 4 - 15)	€ 15,00	€ 11,00	€   8,00	€   4,50
Family Ticket	€ 63,00	€ 46,00	€ 34,00	€ 19,00
(e.g. 2 adults + 1 child)
Single-Parent Ticket	€ 40,00	€ 30,00	€ 22,00	€ 12,00
(e.g. 1 adult + 1 child)
Each additional child	€ 12,00	€ 10,00	€ 07,00	€   4,00
Seniors and students,  those completing national service	€ 27,00	€ 20,00	€ 14,00	€   8,00
Groups of 20 or more	€ 27,00	€ 20,00	€ 14,00	€   8,00
(every 21st person free)
School- & youth groups, unregistered	€ 15,00	€ 11,00	€   8,00	€   4,50
School- & youth groups, registered	€ 12,00	€ 10,00	€   7,00	€   4,00

Timings

DATE	TIMES	LAST RIDE UP
27.11.2017 - 02.03.2018	Closed
03.03. - 25.03.2018	09:30 - 14:30*	14:00
26.03. - 30.09.2018	09:30 - 16:30*	16:00
01.10. - 09.12.2018	09:30 - 14:30*	14:00
* Start of the last tour

Date	TIMES	LAST RIDE DOWN
01.01. - 02.02.2018	Closed
03.02. - 25.03.2018	09:00 - 16:30	16:30
26.03. - 30.09.2018	09:00 - 18:00	18:00
01.10. - 31.12.2018*	09:00 - 16:30	16:30
01.01. - 06.01.2019	09:00 - 16:30	16:30
* 24. + 31.12.2018	09:00 - 13:00	13:00

(2) Hallstatt Skywalk ( Welterbeblick )

It is situated just above the funicular station. It is a world Heritage view. It is an “A” shaped walkway which tapers into the air and introduces you to the immensely beautiful landscape of Hallstatt lake and mountains. Take a 360* view and you will get lush green meadow on one side and lake and mountains on other. Hallstatt village is also visible from above and it looks so beautiful. A restaurant is also available just besides welterblick. Take water along with you as there is no spring or fountain to fill water. It is available at Hallstatt only.

(3)  Hiking in Hallstatt

Hallstatt gives so much opportunity to hike. For budget travellers, one can go up by hiking. But keep in mind that the ascend will be a bit steepy and this is not for weak legs. I went up by funicular and came down by walk as I found it a wonderful alternative of funicular. It is a very beautiful walkway. You will get many attractions in between like walking through alpine forest, waterfall and the like. It takes around an hour to come down. It is really worth doing as it provides spellbound views of the surrounding area.

(4) Boating

 This is also a worth doing in Hallstatt, You may find the prices a bit high from other places but the views it provides is marvellous. Both electric and paddle boats are available.

(5) Biking

I have seen many travellers rented bike and went up to Obersee station (nearby place to Hallstatt). That place is also very beautiful. If somebody really wants to enjoy the lake and nearby places, renting a bike is a must.

(6) Strolling through the Village

Village is very small and hence one can cover on foot only. The village also offers great viewpoints of lake. Apart from that the village has a museum, lake side restaurants, flee market etc.

FACILITIES AT HALLSTATT

(1)  Water

I found two fountains – one at marketplatz and another one just in front of Museum. One can fill bottles from there.

(2) Restaurants

Many restaurants are there, largely concentrated around Marketplatz. We ate at Café Derbl. Fast food options are also available in Hallstatt. The food here is good but a little pricey.

(3) WC

I came across two WC – one near marketplatz and another one near Funicular station.

(4)Tourist Information Centres 

It is situated at the southern tunnel exit. They guide travellers how to tour in and around Hallstatt.  

(5) Bank and ATMs

I had seen a Bank near Tourist Information Office. ATM is also there nearby.

This small village has so much to offer, from beautiful glacial lake to towering mountains, meadows to alpine forest, everything is so beautiful. Its natural scenic beauty makes it a perfect place for hiking and biking. Attractive wooden homes makes this place more beautiful. Truly, Hallstatt is a shining gem of Salzkammergut region. Let it sink into your soul.