Hallstatt to Innsbruck

How are you getting to Hallstatt and where are you traveling from?

You probably can’t rent a car in Hallstatt, so you’d have to make your way to a bigger city (probably Salzburg) anyway to pick up the car. Any time savings by driving from Salzburg to Innsbruck would be offset by time picking up the car, fueling it before drop off, and dropping it off. Not to mention getting lost!

Now if you are traveling from Salzburg, staying a night in Hallstatt, then continuing to Innsbruck, it might be worth getting a car in Salzburg and dropping in Innsbruck. You have to factor in parking and fuel costs, but we found car rental cheaper than train travel for 4. Just watch out if you need to pickup or drop off on a Sunday - many locations are closed or have limited hours.

You are right, taking the train from Hallstatt to Innsbruck needs about 4:15 hours with one ore two changes (depending on the time of day).

With a car the trip is about 3:30 hours under best circumstances. You will have to cross the border beteween Austria and Germany twice. Border controls may create a traffic jam and induce a significant delay.

If you go by car from Hallstatt to Innsbruck you can stick to secondary roads and stop where you want and see more of Austria. The only problem you might encounter (?) is if Austria is forcing folks onto the Autobahns during Pfingstferien (Pentecost, late May early June) school vacation near Innsbruck. I'll assume that if you have reservations in Innsbruck this won't be a problem. I've not run into this problem yet. It looks like it will take at least 4 hours travel regardless. You could drive towards Zell am See, then towards Zillertal (Gerlos) one route. Another is towards Saalfelden/Leogang and then Ellmau (Wilder Kaiser). Just be aware that many (seems like most) Austrian towns (50km/h) along these routes have speed cameras. Take a pitstop at a local Gasthaus with a view for lunch, or just stop at US style fast-food place when you come across one for a bathroom break. I've driven these routes and enjoyed them. Take your time and relax.

Even driving you have to pass through Salzburg. If your main concern is sparing an hour, consider 3 hours by car as a very optimistic estimate. First, there should not be border controls between Schengen states, but the Bavaria regional authorities, just to show they are up to their task, often impose extra controls in entering Germany, and you may easily lose 15 to 45 minutes for this. As for Tyrol authorities, they impose a flexible speed limit along the Inn valley motorway, usually they set it at 100 km/h (62 mph) but they may lower it if they find there is a risk of excessive pollution. - So use the car if it is better for your general plan, but do not think you will spare time. - All the region between Salzburg and Rosenheim is exceptionally beautiful to drive - going from Salzburg to Innsbruck I often drive a country detour Bernau - Aschau - Niederndorf, but as soon as you exit motorways driving becomes much slower.

Done this several times although my destination is Gosausee, far more scenic than the near by Hallstattersee. Rent a car in Salzburg, park in the parking garage inside the mountain behind Hallstatt. Leaving the parking garage, turn right, heading back toward Salzburg only go west on the first cross road, Rt 165 I think, Take 165 to the expressway which take toward Salzburg, but take the bypass to the west of Salzburg so you miss the city (take a scenic detour to the Gosausee). Take the road to Lofer, then the road south of the Wilder Kaiser to the Inn Valley Expressway. Much impressive scenery on this route. Cute villages to see: Bad ??? in Germany (a spa town), Lofer, St Johann in Tirol, Soell, first town on the left after you get on the Inn Valley expressway, Hall in Tirol.