You have undoubtedly seen this beautiful postcard view of Hallstatt, Austria from somewhere and tempted to visit this fairy tale place. The same applied to us too. I have been long planning for a trip there to witness the magnificent view offered by this salt production town, in particularly during winter when blanket of snow covering everything and yielded an all white scene.
Being able to be here really get us stoked, but at the same time overtourism in this small town has put us off immediately. Without further thought, we fled to the 5 fingers in Obertraun immediately after snapping some pictures and had a reasonably enjoyable time there by enjoying a great view. Do not get us wrong, you may still find the joy factors here. Try first, then decide later. Ultimately, Hallstatt Mayor has decided to to limit the number of visitors and coaches beginning 2020.
How to Go to Hallstatt from Salzburg
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i) Bus from Hallstatt to Salzburg
Bus is a preferred option over train from Salzburg to Hallstatt because it is faster and slightly cheaper compared to train relatively. On top of that, you have an option to get down at Hallstatt or proceed to 5 fingers or Dachstein Ice Cave in Obertraun without any additional cost.
The bus station is located opposite of Salzburg main train station. Look for Bus 150 and indicate to the driver you are heading to Bad Ischl. The tickets are to be bought from the driver directly, and though online blogs mentioned it can be booked in advance but we failed to do so. It cost €10.80 for a one way ticket to Bad Ischl. Enjoy the countryside scenery en route to Bad Ischl, it is beautiful.
Journey from Salzburg to Bad Ischl will take average about 90 minutes. One reaching Bad Ischl, the bus will pull off at the platform and you should get down from the bus and look for bus 543-1 to Hallstatt. Typically all the people in bus 150 will be heading to Hallstatt so just follow the crowd will do. The ticket cost €5.50 for the trip.
Here is the trick. If you intend to go to 5 fingers or Dachstein Ice Cave in Obertraun first, you do not have to get down at Hallstatt. Just stay put and the bus will continue its journey to the cable car station at Dachstein Krippenstein
ii) Train from Hallstatt to Salzburg
Train is an easy option from Salzburg to Hallstatt. Just buy the train ticket to Hallstatt and remember to get change in the transit station, Attnang-Puccheim, where you will transfer to a local train heading to Hallstatt direction.
However, bear in mind that you would not be landing in Hallstatt directly. Instead, you will get dropped across the lake from town which requires a ferry ride. There is a silver lining in it though as you get to enjoy the nice scenic view of Hallstatt from ferry.
What to Do in Hallstatt
1) Taking the "Postcard" Picture
First thing we do upon arrival at Hallstatt town is to get into this spot to get the "postcard" view pictures. It takes about 10 minutes walk to get into this spot, but a longer queue time is needed to secure the spot. Almost everyone there is fighting for the perfect spot, and of course there were some bad-mannered people around as well.
Truth is we cannot tolerate the insane crowd there trying to get the perfect pictures. There was a Malaysian / Singaporean couple really pissed us off. I reckon they have been trapped in the house for so long and this Austria vacation is like an escape from the house, to the extent they could not recognise our South East Asian facial feature. The husband was speaking to his wife in Cantonese dialect, condemning us for not exhibiting social etiquette. Well, dumbo enough but I was not in the mood for getting into a quarrel with people with such mentality.
Try coming here early and avoid noon hours to prevent bumping into the tourist bus dropping group by group of people. Many tour group come around noon hour for a short tour in Hallstatt before they continue their journey elsewhere. For instance, the idiots we bumped into earlier were seen following a tour guide, carrying a flag and a speaker to give some narratives about the history in this town.
2) Walk around Hallstatt Town
Hallstatt town is a beauty to look and explore. Have a relaxing stroll in this supposedly quiet town, or enjoy your lunch in the cafe near to the lake, though the price may be premium considering the number of tourists flocking here. However, many locals still live there as we see, so it is imperative to keep noise level at minimum to reduce the interruption to their daily life. If you are into some kind of touristy things, check out the souvenirs shops selling for salt produces.
Tada, that is our lunch for the day. We decided to give a skip to the premium cafe catering for tourists. After all, it is hard to find a seat in those restaurants.
3) 5 Fingers
The viewing platform on top of Austrian Alps definitely offer a breathtaking view up there! Known as 5 fingers, it is actually a major platform with 5 protruding smaller platform in different design that resembles the structure of hand. Once reaching the edge of the platform, there is an unique view over Hallstatt, the Hallstattersee lake and the inner Salzkammergut region.
Not for the heart fainted people though as this platform is 400 meters high up!
To get into here, you can either take the bus 543-1 or the local train stopped at Hallstatt but get down at Obertraun instead. Then at the cable car station, purchase the "Panorama ticket" that cost €32. It is cable car ride with 2 stops, and you can get off at the first stop to explore Dachstein Ice Cave if you are interested.
5 fingers is a good 30 minutes walk from the Krippenstein Station of the Dachstein cable car line. Despite we visited here in May (supposedly going to summer), the top of the mountain was still heavily covered by snow. We had a tad problems walking here with our casual sport shoes, eventually got our shoes wet when slipping our shoes deep into the snow. Nevertheless, the whole walking journey was a pleasant experience along with good views.
Fret not if the snow got too thick. From what we saw, the crew frequently manage the route to 5 fingers using designated truck.
Feel free to stop anytime en route to 5 fingers platform to take some pictures. We were stoked upon seeing the blanket of white snow.
Finally, there we are at the 5 fingers! The views are astonishing indeed. Comparing to Hallstatt, this place is less crowded and we can roam freely here. People here patiently waiting for the platform in 5 fingers, unlike the typical tourists we saw in Hallstatt.
For your information, the 5 fingers are illuminated until midnight and can be seen from far and wide, even at night.
To get back to train station or Hallstatt, you can take the same bus just now. However the bus frequency is reduced so sometimes taking a cab is a better option, if you are rushing. We actually share a cab with another Scottish couple to Obertraun Dachsteinhohlen Bahnhof to take a train back to Salzburg. Although the journey was short but it cost €10, so get more people to split the cost!
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