3 nights in Hallstatt?

By about two and a half.

We easily visited Hallstatt as a daytrip from Salzburg. It was more than enough time to walk around the tiny town and visit the salt mine. Spend your 3 nights closer to Salzburg and radiate from there. If you have a car, you may even like to base yourself along the Wolgangsee for all 3 nights.

I have to agree with both the other comments. Hallstatt is a half-day town at most. We stayed in Werfenweng at a gorgeous B&B and did trips from there. The ice caves near Salzburg were amazing!

OK, thanks. we do have a car so maybe we'll just visit for an afternoon

The only problem with not spending the night in Hallstatt is you miss the magic that happens when all the tour buses leave. We have been to Hallstatt at least 6 times and never tire of the beauty of this place. It is not a large town, but they have a very interesting Heritage Museum that does a great job of detailing the history of this town from it's prehistoric origins.

There is also the Salt Mine that you can tour and you can also rent electric boats to take out on the lake.

http://www.hallstatt.net/about-hallstatt/sehenswertes-en-US/

Don't know if you will have a car, but from Hallstatt it is an easy drive to Bad Ischl, an Imperial City, favored by Emperor Franz Josef, then on to St. Wolfgang on Wolfgangsee.

Hallstatt may be small but there are many things to hold your interest.

You don't need a car to see Bad Ischl. It is, of course, on the train line from Attnang-Puchheim, on the main line between Salzburg and Vienna, to Hallstatt, so you can easily get there by train.

In 2009, I went by bus from Bad Ischl to Hallstatt, and I got to Bad Ischl on another bus from St. Wolfgang. The Hallstatt bus station is in Lahn, about a km south of downtown Hallstatt, at the end of the pedestrian zone and at the foot of the funicular to the salt mine. If you had a car, you'd probably have to park in Lahn.

You might want to look for accommodations in Lahn, so you don't have to carry your luggage into Hallstatt.

I spent 2 nights in Hallstatt, arriving around dinner time the first day and leaving after breakfast on the third day. I spent the intervening day in Hallstatt and did not think it was too long. I spent the morning exploring Hallstatt itself, including hiking up to the car park at the tunnel gap overlooking town. After lunch I went up the funicular to Rudolfsturm but didn't bother with the salt mine. I spent the afternoon hiking around the hillside, getting some great pictures of Hallstättersee and, through the foliage, of Hallstatt.

Salzburg is wonderful with plenty to do. I would also agree that you could enjoy Hallstatt as a day trip. I enjoyed the Salt mines tour, also, especially fun wooden slides for your entire family.

Three nights is not necessarily too long for Hallstatt (IMO). How much time to spend will depend to some extent on what you plan to do there. If you're planning to visit the Salt Mine, tour the small museum, perhaps hike a bit and just enjoy the incredibly beautiful scenery, the time will go quickly. The girls will probably enjoy sliding down the wooden rails in the Salt Mine, and as I recall you can also rent boats and spend some time on the lake. A quick day trip from Salzburg will give you a brief look at the town, but spending at least one evening there would be worthwhile.

In addition to B&B's, you could also consider one of the hotels listed in the Guidebook. One place you might have a look at is Gasthof Simony, as I don't believe they have a three-night minimum. There's also the Seehotel Grüner Baum next door, but it will likely be more expensive.

As you'll have a car, if you decide to stay there you'll have to park at the far end of town and walk to the hotel.

Ken, if you stay at the Simony, Gruner Baum or other hotels in the "old" part of Hallstatt, you can park in a lot right near the Gruner Baum. Your hotel can tell you how this is done. (I know, because we've done it numerous times.)