Getting by without a car in the Salzkammergut?

May I suggest you stay in Obertraun? We just spent 4 nights there at Haus Salzkammergut and are so glad we chose it as a base instead of Hallstatt, which was overcrowded with tourists. There's train, ferry & bus transportation plus a bike rental place in town. Easy 5km trail to Hallstatt. Make time for the Dachstein 5 Fingers, spectacular mountain views & there was already a metre (3 ft) of snow up there due to all the recent abundant rainfall & unseasonal cold weather.

We had a car but visitors do stay there without one.

Thanks for the suggestion! That sounds like a wonderful alternative. We might consider Bad Ischl as well but I need to do more research on which town has more public transportation options for what we want to see and do.

Maybe you look into Gmunden as well. It is a bigger town at the shore of Lake Traun.

Honestly, if you plan to really explore the Salzkammergut, you’ll see half as much if you rely on local buses. If you rent a car in Salzburg, you’ll get to see so much more. If you’re happy with staying in one place, then no car necessary. My choice would be to rent a car, stay in St. Gilgen, visit Gosausee, Hallstatt, Wolfgangsee. I’m honestly not aware of any major WW2 sites in this area. The place for that is Berchtesgaden.

Thanks for the input. I would like to rent a car, but my husband is pretty committed to not renting one. We rented a car in Norway this past summer, and navigating was a nightmare and Google maps steered us wrong more than once. I think he's still traumatized. ;-) It's possible he'd consider renting one in Salzburg just to use for a day or two in the area. If we're coming all that way, I'd like to make the most of it and not be limited to what we can see via bus.

There are buses from Salzburg to the Salzkammergut (Mondsee, St. Gilgen, Wolfgangsee, Bad Ischl, Hallstatt). I know; I did the tour in 2009. Takes a little longer because the bus makes more stops, but you'll be on the same roads in the bus that you would be on in a car, but you have more time to look at the sights.

I stayed in Lahn, which is a short, 1 km, walk to "downtown" Hallstatt. From Obertraun, there are regular buses to the bus station in Lahn, or you can take the train from Obertraun Bhf to Hallstatt Bhf and come across the lake on the boat.

... navigating was a nightmare and Google maps steered us wrong ...

How about a printed road map? Modern electronic tools like navigation systems or Google maps made us loose any ability to orientate ourselves correctly. I still refuse to have a navigation system in my car for that reason. I am old and oldfashioned. Currently I am driving in Poland, but I get along pretty well, despite of not speaking the language.

Piling on regarding Hallstatt as a base. It's certainly a worthwhile day-trip, but is somewhat remote for getting to other sites in the Salzkammergut. (We based in Mondsee a few weeks ago, mostly because we found an AirBB that suited us.) I would think St. Wolfgang, St. Gilgen, or Bad Ischl would serve you better than Hallstatt.

Thanks for the replies and helpful advice! Last night I was reading my copy of 'Vienna Salzburg and Tirol' and in the section about Salzkammergut, Rick says something like "there are lots of charming small towns, but the most worthwhile one is Halstatt" and he doesn't write much (if any -- I'm not done reading this section) about staying in any of the towns you all have suggested.

His section on Berchtesgaden (forgive me if I've butchered the spelling) made me think that we're probably going to give that a pass.

One more question: I see that salt mine tours are a popular thing. My teen spent a few days in Austria this past summer on a class trip and his group toured the salt mine at Hallein and he said it was fun and kind of cool. But is there any reason a salt mine tour would be a must-do?

Thanks again for all the input.

In all my time in Germany and Europe, I've never seen a salt mine, and I probably never will. I go to Europe to see things that are unique to that spot, things above ground, like mountains, lakes, etc. I think salt mines would be pretty much the same everywhere, not of local significance.

I think Hallstatt is an incredibly beautiful place, worth a visit, but not particularly historical in the WWII sense.

Berchtesgaden is also incredibly beautiful with mountains and lake. The Kehlsteinhaus (Eagles Nest) has a lot of WWII history, if that's what you want.

Salt (Salz in German) has been the lifeblood of that area for thousands of years, giving it wealth and history. The salt mine in Hallstatt gives you an excellent understanding of why the area is called the Salzkammergut (Good salt chamber). You will be shown prehistoric artifacts, ancient mining relics as well get to ride some pretty fun slides. The view from the top is also amazing. Austria isn’t just WW2, after all.

"there are lots of charming small towns, but the most worthwhile one is Halstatt"

This is true, Hallstatt is remarkable scenic for having been squeezed into a small area between the mountain slope and the lake. Of course, there are numerous tourists. Because of its rather remote location it is not suited as a base for exploring the Salzkammergut.

The salt mine is unique, because it is the oldest in the world. Collecting salt dates back about 7000 years, organized mining about 3000 years.

the area is called the Salzkammergut (Good salt chamber).

Emily, your German should be better than mine, but I think in this case "gut" does not mean good, but area or region, in German Gebiet. Freight (goods) are Gut. A winery or seller of wine is a Weingut.

Lee, you are correct. I wrote that too early, but my German does stink.

I think in this case "gut" does not mean good, but area or region

Yes, a »Kammergut« ist the name of an area that is the private property of the sovereign (in this case the Habsburgs). The attribute »Salz« (salt) refers to the rich salt deposits in the area. So "Salzkammergut" is a Kammergut which is rich in salt.

Hi,

We’re planning something similar and have decided to do a walking tour with this company.

They offer both five and eight-night tours, either basic or upmarket – you can also add half board to some of them. We always take the half board option as after a long day walking it’s great to know you have an evening meal ready for you.

They arrange for your suitcases to be moved between the hotels and you just take a back pack with your lunch.

We’re getting the train from Munich to Salzburg and then the 150 bus (from outside the station) to near the hotel and arrange for the hotel to pick us up from the stop. We’ll do the reverse when we leave.