Hallstatt - Yes or No

I just spent 3 nights there last week and it was busy but not overrun at all. We basically spent three evenings and 1 day in Hallstatt.

From my trip report:

Did: Day 1 arrival, we just ate dinner and then went to the music by the fountain. It was classic rock/old jazz and was completely fun while feeling at odds with the surroundings. LOL! They were still playing when I left at 9:45. :) Day 2 - a walk into town for breakfast, then up the funicular for the salt mine tour. Lots of steps, very interesting, and of course the slides and train were fun. Day 3 - a day trip to Admont Abbey to see the library. This was a lovely day out through beautiful scenery and the library and grounds were also beautiful.

With a car, there are other places in the area you could reach by driving.

During COVID was the best time to visit Hallstatt. :-)

Unfortunately the number of tourists has reached the pre-COVID level, i.e. about 10000 per day.

Daytrip = no
Overnight = yes

Went there in Fall 2019 during my GAS tour and it was packed then, but I still enjoyed it. It's lovely overall and I would like to go back there someday.

We loved Hallstätt. Went in November 2022 on a day trip from Vienna. Some places were closed for the season, but we found plenty to do and the crowds were minimal. Perfect blue skies and high temps in the 50s.

Go and stay overnight, and visit the salt mine. The views at the top after riding the funicular are fantastic!

Tom,

What time of year were you planning on visiting Hallstatt? That will undoubtedly have a bearing on the number of tourists visiting there. Travel in the mid-to-late shoulder seasons would probably provide a nicer experience.

As others have said, staying at least one night (and preferably at least two) will avoid the hordes of bus tours and day trippers. It's usually quite tranquil and beautiful at night. Arrival by train is good, as you won't have to deal with parking charges, etc. The rail station is across the lake from the town, but it's a short ride in Stefanie and you'll be dropped right in the main part of town.

I stayed at Gasthof Simony and found it to be very comfortable. The Seehotel Grüner Baum is next door to that and it's also a great place to stay (although considerably more expensive). Check the current RS guidebook for other hotel choices.

I'm thinking maybe a place to stay in Obertraun. Never been there, but I have been to Hallstatt by car for a day trip. Dachstein Krippenstein lift looks interesting. Farther out of the way is Ramsau am Dachstein and Schladming. Again, never been but looking into it.
Grundlsee looks really interesting and worth a visit too.

My thanks to all for responding.

It's now clear to me that we will stay overnight. As to Ken's question, we will be there in early July.

I'm now thinking of having a car. There will be 5 of us (4 adults and my grandson age 12). A car should help simplify logistics/ timing of things. I know parking is a pain but my thought was to first do the ice cave and 5 fingers (arriving from Salzburg) and show up around 3 or 4pm hoping that the crowds may have moved on. Does that make sense?

Tom

Tom, it makes sense. And there ARE places with free parking that are a 10 minute or so walk to the square. I stayed in one.

Tom,

With a group that size, a car is probably a good idea. Here's some information on parking - https://www.hallstatt.net/parking-in-hallstatt/ . July will likely be very busy with bus groups but they should be gone before suppertime.

As I recall, parking is at the end of town in Lahn, close to the Funicular. You won't be able to drive into town, so you'll have to haul your luggage from there.

If you're planning to visit the Salt Mine (which is apparently older than Rome), you may want to stop at the top of the Funicular and have a fine meal or a cool one at Rudolfsturm - http://www.rudolfsturmhallstatt.at/index.php?lng=en . The views from there are spectacular! There's also a museum in town - https://www.hallstatt.net/about-hallstatt/ausfluege-en-US/ausstellungen-en-US/the-world-heritage-museum-of-hallstatt/ .

If you can afford it, staying at Seehotel Grüner Baum would be ideal, but it would be a very good idea to book early.

We went for 2 nights this summer. Crowded, but not unbearably so. I would not recommend a day trip as you will be stuck with the rest of the day trippers. Staying overnight even for 1 night will allow you some time pre- and post- crowds.
Bring cash.....practically no shops or restaurants accepted CCs.

In spite of the crowds, I suggest staying overnight as part of your visit. The place has long been on my "visit list" too.

We are in Hallstatt now and it is overrun with tourists! We had trouble finding parking in one of the lots. I would recommend arriving early in the day. Our hotel was supposed to send a shuttle but it was going to be a 30 min wait, so we walked 10 minutes with our luggage. My recommendation is to either wait for the bus or pack a one night bag that is easy to carry through crowds and cobblestones. And I think one night is probably enough. Only cash accepted at most places.

Seems like tourism is back to pre-Covid days. Hopefully you have good weather and can enjoy a summer evening in the Alps.

I went to Hallstatt back in 1996 after reading Rick Steve’s book. His books took tourists to “back door” places, and unfortunately, Hallstatt became known and there you have it.

I call this Cinque Terre syndrome, even Rick admitted in a travel talk that he can sometimes ruin places

There are other factors as well driving up the popularity of Hallstatt. A town very similar appeared in a Disney movie, and in China a full size copy of the whole town was built.

The approx. 700 people living in Hallstatt are more than annoyed by the tourists, especially about their behavior (littering, trespassing, etc.). Unfortunately a lot of visitors assume that the whole town is kind of a theme park, i.e. having the right to see everything, including other peoples gardens and homes.

here now, insanely touristy. arrived on friday, leaving on monday. maybe ill change my tune. for now, i'm not thrilled. it's also oppressively hot in our non- air conditioned hotel and the smoking everywhere is bothering me so i'm not really looking at the bigger picture. hoping that my honesty helps anyone reading this though!

the marktplatz square is dominated by tour groups, even at 7:00am. church bells go off loudly at 6:00am. beautiful and atmospheric, however possibly a nuisance to those not wishing to wake at that time. it cools down at night which is really nice. but the during the day everywhere and everything is packed. parking and shuttling is painful. (i have a lot of stuff - travelling with family). again just my honest take.

HI we want to get a driver from Linz to Halstatt on 9/15/23 since we will be on a cruise.
Anyone know of a driver available to do the trip. Thanks in advance.

@wblackburn04

There are several train connections between Linz and Hallstatt, most of them require a change in Attnang-Puchheim, but some are direct.

Going by car will save you about 30 minutes travel time, not counting the time to get from the ship to the train station. (I do not know where cruise ships are moored in Linz.)

"Over-run with tourists!" - Says Tourist

In nearly every popular spot in Europe you are going to find a higher density of tourists. Each and every one of us is part of this problem. When we overnight in one of these places we attempt to use the "Ten to Six" rule. Head out of the town you are in and visit the countryside, explore a bit between 10am & 6pm. And then use the evening and morning hours to enjoy the main city when you do not have as many day trip tours visiting.

However, everyone travels differently and you should do what suits you. But complaining about "too many tourists" should not be one of them.

YMMV

This morning I saw a BBC article that indicated in high season there are about 10,000 tourists per day for every town resident. Yesterday it appears that one sixth of the town population blockaded a tunnel leading into the town.

Thanks for the inso.
Where would I find a driver and car to take us from Linz to Halstatt?
Thanks

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/austria/hallstatt-residents-protest-mass-tourism

I suppose the 'yes' or 'no', depends on whether you are a resident or a tourist.

Number of yearly tourists per rersident:

Hallstatt 1785
Venice 35
Salzburg 12

Joe32F or if you are someone who's livelyhood depends on tourism or a retired person.

I have been in Salzburg almost 30 times, usually 5 to 12 days, usually with my car and not relying on public transportation. I could have visited Hallstatt in the nineties when literally nobody knew about that place, but I never went there. My idea: why do you have to spend time to get in a somewhat distant place, now even overcrowded, when there are a lot of places closer and not overrun? Is Halstatt so much better than St. Gilgen or St. Wolfgang? Have you ever visited Bad Ischl - historic Sisi Villa, operetta Festival, house of the famous musician Franz Lehar and one of the largest pastry shop coffee shops in Europe, when Emperor Franz Joseph was in town home to half of Europe's spies and secret agents?

lachera, this is truth. The whole area is a delight. Hallstatt is indeed beautiful - but many other places in the area are also. I am far from an expert, but I felt this is an area best with a car and time (and time is often what Americans have the least of).