Set in Austria’s Salzkammergut region, Hallstatt is a picturesque slip of a town, wedged between the glassy lake and dramatic Dachstein Mountains. With a backdrop straight out of a Frozen scene, it’s become one of Austria’s photo hot spots and a focus of overtourism concerns. Visit off-season if you can, and you’ll find Hallstatt things to do that go beyond taking the same selfie. Discover salt mining history at Hallstatt Salzbergwerk or the Hallstatt Museum (Welterbemuseum Hallstatt), soak up vistas from lookout points, and hike or cycle around the lake.
Hallstatt Lake and the town are stunning year-round, so from a scenery point of view, it doesn’t matter when you visit. To alleviate crowd pressure on the small town, avoid visiting in the peak summer months of July and August. Winter visitors benefit from fewer crowds and more snow-dusted peaks for photos, although more restaurants and shops are closed.
The town is car-free, so leave your vehicle behind for a visit and use the train, ferries, funiculars, and cable cars instead. Hallstatt Bahnhof (the train station) is on the other side of the lake to the town, and the ferry departures are synced with the train schedules. Once you’ve arrived in the town, most tourist amenities and mountain transport stations are within walking distance.
If you want an alternative to the popular Hallstatt Skywalk, consider the Five Fingers lookout point, which many say offers the clearest lake views. Sitting on the side of the Dachstein Mountains, the 5-pronged viewing platform is easily reached via the Krippenstein cable car from the Obertraun Dachsteinseilbahn car park by Lake Hallstatt.
