Austria Hiking and Tips for Visiting Hallstatt

We spent one night in Hallstatt as part of a RS tour in August 2017. It happened to be uncrowded, which was odd even for back then. In my opinion, If you are only planning to stay for one night in the area, I'd just stay there. (Unless you are planning to stay for a longer period somewhere nearby.) Hallstatt is tiny; and of course quaint and charming. There really is only a limited amount of things to do there anyway; river cruise, funicular, salt mine, little village shops. We stayed at Seehotel Gruner Baum. It was so lovely. Agree with others that early morning and late afternoon/evening are beautiful and quieter.

Actually visiting Hallstatt as a day trip is not that enjoyable because all the tours arrive around 9/10 and leave by 5. If you really want to enjoy the village, I would suggest spending the late afternoon (3pm), the evening and the next morning and leave before noon. It is a very photogenic village and early in the morning and late afternoon provides some great photo opportunities.

I agree that staying IN Hallstatt is the best way to enjoy it.

Treadwear is spot on! Do spend the night so you can have the early evening and morning without the mobs. If you stay a couple of nights, you could visit the salt mine during the day to avoid the crowds.

I spent 2 nights in September. It wasn't too crowded. My tip, bring cash, a lot of cash. Start early in the morning, wear yourself out early cause the town pretty much closes at 8pm then it's bed time.

My tip, bring cash, a lot of cash.

Because...

Threadware, I found that cash was required for more things in Hallstatt than many other places I have gone. That being said, there is an ATM easily accessible.

Because it is expensive there (and Austria in general) and credit cards are not widely accepted (maybe your hotelk but that will be about it) and I have no idea of the fees charged by the couple of ATM's in town, but it being a bit of a tourist trap, I wouldnt be surprised if the fees were high. Having said "tourist trap" my impression is a dang beautiful tourist trap. I spent two nights and enjoyed every minute of it.

Second tip, do the mine tour. Sure, kind of kitsch but still fun in a very primative way. Do note how many times they repeat the same information in different parts of the mine. Problem is, I think, not much to say so it does get repititive. But a good way to kill a few hours and does force you to go to the hill top for a spectacular view and a nice long walk. And do buy the picture (cash). I suspect I will be back to Hallstatt in the Spring (someone wants to return .... that beautiful ... ) but we will do the trip up and the walk without the mine (I hope).

We hiked a loop to/from Waldbachstrub Waterfall. It wasn't at all crowded.

I have no idea of the fees charged by the couple of ATM's in town, but it being a bit of a tourist trap, I wouldnt be surprised if the fees were high.

The ATM fees are the same everywhere in Austria. They depend largely on your bank and the type of card used. Fees for credit cards are usually higher than for debit cards, e.g. for Austrian debit cards there are no ATM fees at all.

Thats good news. Much of europe has private ATMs that can clip you pretty good. Nice that cant happen in Austria. Google shows 2 ATMs in town. One in the north and one in the south. So you can run to the ATM pretty frequently if need be.

EDIT: WAIT, I just checked. There are EuroNet ATMs all over Austria. You mean the cost of using one is the same as a bank ATM? That would be unexpected. So I return to, there are ATMs in Hallstatt but i dont know what they will cost to use. Dont know if they are private or bank. I would not count on a bargain given the rest of the town's prices.

My take for end of May hiking is there will not be many crowds. The season is early. There will still be snow in higher elevations. You can look for open lifts say in Zillertal, Achensee, Erhwald, East Tirol, Silbertal, Schlading etc. Look at hiking the valleys. Check for mountain Alm, restaurants that will be open.

Tips for visiting Hallstatt?

Must ... control ... snark urges ... :o)

I dont get that. This was not a place I wanted to visit after all of the bad press and reviews here and elsewhere. My significant other convinced me, we went. Had a marvelous time. Happy we went. Absolutely beautiful. Was September and not crowded at all. She wants to go back in the Spring. The only issue with that is the cost of the place (Austria). I am hoping I can find something a little cheaper she will like as much.

Mr E,

I guess cost is all relative. Budapest pricing is spoiling you. LOL

Threadwear, you are correct. Austria is still cheaper than Switzerland. But higher costs just mean having to be more creative. There is always a way.

Not a tip, but a factoid. I just learned that Hallstatt was the inspiration for the village in Frozen. If you have young kids or grandkids, they might be impressed.

We were there 10 years ago, and yes it was crowded with those dreaded daytrippers. Like most such small, backdoor destinations, the mornings and evenings are the best time of day to be there.

Mr E, I guess cost is all relative. Budapest pricing is spoiling you. LOL

Mr. É, have a vacation in Switzerland. After that you will love the prices in Austria. :-)

But to be fair, Budapest went through some pretty intense inflation and where it was half the price of Texas (one of the least expensive places in the US) now it's only about a third less. But the exchange rate is great now, so if you stay in the local economy, it's very affordable. I choked last week when on the Austrian forum someone said $300 and up a night was good for a room in Vienna for the Christmas season. I stayed in one of the hotel mentioned about 10 years ago for maybe $150, now over $300. So I checked a few good 4 stars near our markets and there were still a few rooms at $190, even this late and nothing short of a 5 star near $300. But that just means careful planning, not avoiding a wonderful city like Vienna. Hallstatt on the other hand, in Sept in paid over $300 for a 3 star near the town Square. But it was worth it for 2 nights. Salzburg wasn't much cheaper, but was a perfect hotel in a perfect location for a perfect couple of days.

For hiking ideas, try tyrol.com or bergfex.com. The hiking app komoot will also have options. The state of Carinthia (kaernten) also has great hiking. If you know which areas you will be close to, the tourist websites for those cities should have information as well. You should plan on a mid to lower elevation hike as snow may be an issue at higher elevations in May. This link will take you to many options: https://www.tyrol.com/things-to-do/sports/hiking/hiking-tours

Hiker's paradise is the town Seefeld in Tirol high above Innsbruck, i.e. in a plain having an elevation of 4000 ft, providing 100+ hiking routes of different length and severity.
https://www.seefeld.com/en/hiking-trails.html
You shouldn't have difficulties selecting hiking trails matching your requirements and your physical condition.

Seefeld can easily be reached by a scenic train ride of 36 minutes from Innsbruck in case you prefer to stay in the city.