8 Reasons to Visit Hallstatt Austria

Hallstatt Austria is an absolute fairytale town in real life and happens to also be a UNESCO World Heritage site like its neighboring city, Salzburg Austria. Not only is a bit off the beaten path, but people actually live here (860 people) and it really is a place you can visit!

Hallstatt Austria: 8 Reasons to Visit Soon

I had first heard of Hallstatt Austria through Instagram (weird right? HAHA jk everything I find is through Instagram) and I knew I had to go while I was in Austria. It’s also a 2.5-hour bus, train and boat from Salzburg, Austria—one of my favorite cities in Austria—and therefore, I knew I really had to go!

Upon arriving in Hallstatt, I couldn’t believe my eyes!  It was downpouring rain and even then it was magical. It is seriously a fairytale town come true and you have to go!

Hallstatt Austria: 8 Reasons to Visit Soon

Here are the 8 Reasons to Visit Soon…

  1. The views.

    The views are the reason people go to Hallstatt in the first place. In my opinion, this is a great reason to go! I even went while it was raining and got beautiful shots of the town like this.
    Hallstatt Austria: 8 Reasons to Visit Soon

  2. Tourists are starting to pour in.

    Despite being a quaint and fairytale town, it is on the verge of being extremely popular and crowded with tourists. So try and visit before the tourists really start to catch on. Now is the best time to go. 🙂
    fairytale town

  3. Cute homes and streets

    The streets in Hallstatt are lined with the most fairy-tale like homes that are just too adorable. Spend some time wandering around and trying to peep in the flower boxed windows. Oh, is that just me who peeps into people’s homes? Sorry, I’m a creep, I know.
    Hallstatt homes

  4. Swans

    Don’t forget to watch the swans in the lake! You probably won’t miss them because there were quite a bit when I was there, but the backdrop for photo ops with the swans was incredible. They definitely make Hallstatt more of a fairytale town than it already is. As if this town wasn’t cute enough, they’ve also added swan shaped paddle boats to paddle out into the lake! SERIOUSLY, does it get any cuter?!
    swan paddle boats in the lake

  5. Hallstatt is only accessible by boat

    That’s right. you seriously cannot get to the town unless you take a boat across! How’s that for secluded and fairytale like?
    Hallstatt Austria: 8 Reasons to Visit Soon

  6. Visit the adorable cafes

    If you go soon, you’ll be able to hit up the cute cafes and shops without too many tourists. Be sure to stop at the darling cafes along the water and main walkways. Eat the famous Austrian apple strudel and also have a cafe and watch the people walking by.
    Austrian apple strudel

  7. Visit the salt mine (Salz Welten)

    If you have time and want a sweet view overlooking the lake and mountains, then head up to the famous Hallstatt salt mine. It’s one of the oldest salt mines in Europe (Hallstatt is over 7,000 years old) and has a slide! The tour will take just about an hour.
    Hallstatt Austria: 8 Reasons to Visit Soon

  8. Each season is different

    You could go to Hallstatt in every single season and it would look surprisingly different. In fact, fall compared to winter and spring compared to summer each has something amazing to offer.

    Related Post: Why Salzburg, Austria is My Favorite City in Austria
    Hallstatt Austria: 8 Reasons to Visit Soon

Hopefully, this post has convinced you to visit Hallstatt Austria soon, before it gets crowded! It truly is a magical fairytale town!

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Hallstatt Austria: 8 Reasons to Visit Soon