Hallstatt and the Lake Region
Who doesn't want to visit some of the prettiest little Austrian villages surrounded by gorgeous mountains and lakes? Hallstatt and the lake region of Austria are perfect for spending some time in tranquil little towns and learning about its history with salt mines.
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| Beautiful scenery in the region |
City Overviews
Hallstatt
This town is probably the most touristy one among others in the region. It is so pretty that even China made a replica of this town in Guangdong providence. Hence, this is also a very popular destination for Asian visitors. The town sits right in front of the lake, Hallstatter See. Its back leans against mountain ranges.
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| Hallstatt |
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| Market Square at Hallstatt |
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| Hallstatter See and the mountains |
How to get to Hallstatt: If you take the train, you will get off at Hallstatt station. Then walk down the path next to the train station ticket booth (a little house) to take the ferry. The ferry schedule times quite well with the train schedule, however, train may delay at times.
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| Hallstatt train station and the little blue sign to the deck on the left |
The ferry ride is about 5 to 10 minutes. Don't miss the moments to take your photo as approaching it.
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| Approaching Hallstatt |
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| Hallstatt Map |
Bad Aussee
Another tranquil village much less touristy than Hallstatt. There is a mini festival every Friday evening where the locals celebrate. If you are lucky, you may even experience one where people dress up in their traditional clothing playing music and dancing. You can get to Bad Aussee easily by train, stop at Bad Aussee Station.
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| Bad Aussee |
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| Austrian traditional clothing |
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| Performance at the festival |
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| Historical building at Bad Aussee |
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| Orchestra playing in the park downtown |
Obertraun
This is one of the outdoors' towns in the region. The mighty Dachstein sits right at Obertraun. The popular activities and attractions start at the Dachstein cable car station. You can walk there from the train station, however, there is a long uphill section, so be prepared and allow yourself enough time!
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| Obertraun map |
You can also take a bus to the cable car station. The bus stop is right behind the train station, about 2 minutes walk. You will need to pay the fare with coins directly to the bus driver.
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| Standing by the bus stop to cable car station. The building in the far left is the Obertraun train station |
Tours and Walks
Austria has a lot of history and connections to its salt mines. Back in the days, salts were as precious as gold because that was not only a crucial cooking ingredient, but also the way to preserve food and other goods. Altaussee Salt Mine is the largest salt mine in the region. It also becomes famous because of the movie, Monument men, directed by George Clooney and cast with Matt Damon and others. This location was where the Nazi hid thousands of priceless artwork that they stole.
How to get to Altaussee Salt Mine: You can contact Narzissenjet, which is a taxi company in Austria. The taxi will wait for you at the post office at Bad Aussee or other places at the time you agree on. If you happen to go on the day the salt mine has its evening tour, you can call the Salt Mine office and ask them to arrange taxi (with an additional cost). They will confirm with you, depending on whether enough people need a ride for the evening tour.
Once you get to the Salt Mine office for a guided tour, the guide will first give you white garments to put on. Then the guide will give you a short introduction and teach you the traditional greeting, Gluck Auf! (Good fortune!). The tour can be given in English and German. However, I was the only one in my tour who doesn't speak German. My guide gave me an audio guide as he explained everyone else in German.
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| Entrance of the ice cave |
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| Huge ice sculpture developed by water from rain dripping through the ceiling of this massive cave |
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| At the exit of the ice cave. You get to see the town of Hallstatt and Hallstattersee from up high |
Vorderer Gosausee Circular Walk
Another gorgeous place to visit while in the area. This is a peaceful and beautiful lake at Gosau. The lake is right by a hotel called Gasthof Gosausee. The cable car station going up the mountain is right next to the hotel. As you face the lake, you may choose to start on the right hand side path around the lake. Then coming back on the left side path, which you will face the magnificent mountain range. If you are luck to visit during a sunny day in the afternoon, you will see the water reflecting the mountain range.
The path is well paved and flat. It is wheelchair accessible. Strolling slowly around the lake will take you about 1 hour to 1.5 hour. There are some other activities to do at the lake too such as rowing a boat or diving.
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| Gorgeous view of Vorderer Gosausee |
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| Boats at the lake |
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| Extended magnificent mountain range |
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| Beautiful scenery |
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| At the opposite end of the lake from the start |
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| Little stream crossing the path |
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| Little waterfall by the path |
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| Another gorgeous view of the mountains with green fields in front |
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| Can't stop taking pictures of this beautiful place |
Restaurant
Gasthof Zauner @ Marktplatz 51, Hallstatt
This famous restaurant is located at the back corner of Hallstatt Market place. It is not only a restaurant, but also a hotel. As you enter the front entrance, you will go upstairs to the restaurant. The most popular dish here is the traditional grilled fish. The fish is freshly captured from the Hallstatter See. Please be aware that this restaurant is on the pricey end, relatively speaking.
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| View from inside sitting area |
Ausseer Stube @ Hauptstrasse 151, Bad Aussee
This is a bar restaurant serving Austrian traditional dishes. A lot of locals visit this
restaurant. It is located at the main street, Hauptstrassee at Bad Aussee. It is always
crowded and seem short staffed all the time. You may need to grab a sit yourself and
wait a bit. The food is delicious and well worth the price. The staff is very friendly.
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| Traditional decoration inside the restaurant |
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