We (2 adults) will be staying in Salzburg for 2 nights in the first week of October 2023. We are considering a day trip to Hallstatt and see that public transportation is lengthy in duration and not particularly direct. Can anyone recommend a tour service that would provide round trip transport between the two places? It doesn't have to be a thorough "tour guide" service; we are looking for transportation and some minor guidance. Private transport is too $$$ (we looked into that), and we are a little shy about renting a car, but wouldn't rule it out. I see https://www.edelweisstourssalzburg.com/salzburg-city-tours offers something like this, but I see a few reviews online that give me pause. Any feedback is appreciated! Thank you.
Posted by
Eugene, Oregon
41 posts
The train option may be the best as other forms could take much longer such as bus or car. There are departures from Salzburg almost every hour to Hallstatt with a change in Attnang-Puchheim (10 minutes) with a total travel time of about 2 hrs, 15 min. The return trip could be a longer ranging from 2 hrs, 27 min. to 3 hrs. Yoiu could easily spend 4 hours in Hallstatt and be back in Salzburg by 7 PM ( 18:49 if you get the train from Hallstatt at 16:42). These time are for September 21, 2023 since I will be in Salzburg then but could be different for other dates. Usually they are about the same for every day. Good luck.
Posted by
SE Pennsylvania
2394 posts
You might want to read this recent thread to help you decide if a day trip is worthwhile.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/austria/hallstatt-yes-or-no
Posted by
1919 posts
The train option may be the best as other forms could take much longer such as bus ...
This is not correct. The option using bus #150 to Bad Ischl and changing there (to either train or bus) is slightly faster, but much more scenic.
Traveling by car saves you about 30 minutes each way.
The tour operator mentioned by the OP charges €128 per passenger, and you have a fixed schedule. Going by public transport is less than €20 one-way.
Posted by
Lakewood, Colorado
19099 posts
Unless you are only interested in adding Hallstatt to your list of places you've "been to" but haven't really experienced, I would highly recommend that you spend at least one night, preferably two, in Hallstatt.
I did exactly that in 2009. I started in Salzburg in the morning and took a bus to Mondsee, site of the "wedding church" from Sound of Music, which I really wanted to visit. After leaving Mondsee, I did a two bus connection to Bad Ischl, which went through St Gilgen and changed buses across Wolfgangsee from St Wolfgang, all places seen in SOM. I could have taken the train from Bad Ischl to the Hallstatt Bhf, across the lake from Hallstatt and come in on the boat, but my accommodations, a Privatzimmer in a farmhouse outside of Lahn, was closer to the bus terminal, so I took another bus from Bad Ischl to Lahn. I really got a good look at the Salzkammergut region of Austria.
I arrived in the afternoon at Lahn, checked into my accommodations, and had dinner in Hallstatt (Hallstatt is a 1km walk up the lakefront from Lahn). I spent the entire next day exploring Hallstatt (had lunch in the town square, went up the incline to Rudolfstrum for a great view of the lake area) before leaving the following morning for Innsbruck.
Posted by
OP
4 posts
Thank you all for the feedback and advice! I'll definitely look again at the public transportation options - trains and buses from Salzburg. Since it's likely that it will be a true day trip (and I totally get how spending a night or two in Hallstatt would be better!), my concern is efficiency and not breaking the bank for transportation. We are seasoned public transportation fans and will be doing this trip as such.
Posted by
TX, USA
4124 posts
I will add, not as a particular suggestion since I just spent 3 nights in Hallstatt, but in 2018 I took a small van Bob’s Sound of Music tour (which was not particularly touristy like the Panorama Bus) that included a few afternoon hours in Hallstatt. In case something like that works out better for you. It was a good day and a good choice for that set of circumstances.