1 Day in Hallstatt – Ultimate 1 Day Itinerary

Camille L.

What to do in Hallstatt, Austria?

To visit Hallstatt, in Austria, is to discover a charming, typical little village nestled on the shores of Lake Hallstättersee.

Considered one of the most beautiful villages in Europe and listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Hallstatt and its surroundings can be visited very well in one day.

To make sure you don’t miss any of the places of interest in the village, follow our 1 day Hallstatt itinerary for best things to do. Also find our list of the best accommodations and our advice for going to Hallstatt.

1 Day Hallstatt itinerary:

1. Discover the Village of Hallstatt

When you arrive in Hallstatt, I advise you to start by walking around the village. I assure you, you will not be able to get lost!

Wander the pretty little streets, go through the market square, admire the old houses with wooden balconies, enter the small shops and relax in this village from another time.

Do not hesitate to venture down the many stairs to take a little height and discover new points of view.

I also advise you to go see the Catholic Church overlooking the city and its cemetery. Contrary to popular belief, the place is not at all gloomy. The tombs are well decorated and flowered and it offers a nice view of the lake.

On the side of the cemetery, in a chapel, is also one of the most visited places of interest in Hallstatt, its ossuary. You will find hundreds of skulls painted and decorated with different designs, each with its own meaning. The name and date of death are also indicated on the skull.

The dead people rest for about ten years in their tomb, then the skull is removed to be exposed in the ossuary.

Nowadays, for those who wish, the tradition is still perpetuated in the village. A rather impressive and atypical place whose entrance costs barely 1.5€.

To give a more fun and less traditional side to your visit to Hallstatt, you can also go in search of clues and solve puzzles to unlock the quest. All information is available by clicking here!

Tips for your Hallstatt itinerary:
Many Chinese people visit Hallstatt every year. They also found it so cute that they built a replica in southern China, in Guangdong province.

hallstatt

2. Hallstatt Skywalk / Welterbeblick

To benefit from one of the most beautiful panoramas over Hallstatt, you will have to take a little height and go to the Hallstatt Skywalk (Welterbeblick).

For this, you have two solutions :

Arrived at the top, you will have access to the panoramic platform dominating the whole village of Hallstatt and the lake. The view is grand!

Next to the Hallstatt Skywalk, you will also find a good restaurant/café if you are peckish.

Tips for your Hallstatt itinerary:
Find out before going up to the Skywalk, if the weather is overcast, it’s a shame to spend €16 to see nothing! To be done only when the sky is clear.

La Skywalk de Hallstatt

3. Visit the Hallstatt Salt Mines

Right next to the Welterbeblick is one of Hallstatt’s main tourist attractions, its salt mines.

The picturesque village is home to the oldest salt mine in the world. At the time, salt was transported from Hallstatt to the Baltic Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Today guided tours are organized.

After having put on your beautiful miners’ outfit, you can enter the mines and discover their history and that of the region thanks in particular to films.

A sound and light show on an underground lake, two toboggan descents in the mine shafts and a ride in a small train complete the visit.

The guide speaks only German and English but you can take an audio guide in French.

Count about 2 hours of visit. The price is around €25 per person and includes the round trip by funicular.

Les mines de sel Hallstatt

4. Enjoy Lake Hallstatt

It would still be a shame to visit Hallstatt and not enjoy its lake!

The edges of the lake are well laid out and you can take a nice walk all along. It is also the ideal place for cycling.

I also advise you to take a boat trip on the lake. You can rent small electric boats or opt for a mini-cruise. The opportunity to discover Hallstatt from a new angle.

Lake Hallstatt, Austria, at night (for a change!)

5. The Ice Caves of the Dachstein Massif

About ten minutes by car from Hallstatt, I then suggest you go to Obertaun.

The village is the starting point for visiting the Dachstein Ice Caves, another must-see tourist spot in the region.

From Obertraun, take the cable car (stop at the first landing) which will take you to the entrance to the caves.

The “Rieseneishöhle” (giant ice cave) is really impressive. During the 50-minute visit, you can admire the “King Arthur’s Cathedral” or the “Palace of Mirrors”, huge halls of ice.

Also worth seeing is an ice cream cone more than 9 meters high and the ice bell and its play of lights.

Right next to the ice cave, you can also visit the Mammoth Cave (Mammuthöhle). I also advise you to buy a combined ticket to visit the 2 caves, it’s cheaper.

It is one of the largest in Europe. The visit lasts about 1 hour during which you walk through the corridors and the different rooms.

Access and price information can be found on the official website.

Tips for your Hallstatt itinerary:
In some places of the ice cave, the ground reaches 25 meters of ice thickness!

The ice caves, near the village of Obertraun

6. The 5 Fingers

After your visit to the caves, take the cable car back to the second level, where you will find The 5 Fingers.

The 5 Fingers is a viewing platform in the shape of a hand (hence the name!) and offers spectacular views of the mountains and Lake Hallstattersee below.

The platform is attached to a 400 meter high cliff. You will be amazed but it is better not to be dizzy! One of the “fingers” even has a transparent glass floor.

The 5 Fingers is one of the most impressive platforms in the Alps. To reach it from the cable car, count about 20 minutes on foot.

It really is an unmissable experience to do around Hallstatt.

5 fingers dachstein

1 Day in Hallstatt

And if you prefer a slightly more dynamic afternoon, I advise you to visit the ice cave from Obertaun and The 5 Fingers to finish.

If you are lucky enough to be able to devote 2 days to Hallstatt (or at least 1 day and a half!) You can also do these 2 activities the next day.

Accommodation in Hallstatt

Hallstatt being a very small village and what is more, ultra touristic, you can imagine that there is not that much accommodation and that the prices are quite high. I therefore advise you to book your accommodation in Hallstatt now!

Accommodation in Obertraun

If you don’t have that much budget to devote to a hotel night or if all the hotels in Hallstatt are already taken, I recommend that you stay in Obertraun, a pretty village also located on the edge of the lake and only 10 minutes by car from Hallstatt.

What is super practical is that in addition, from Obertraun, you can also take the river shuttle that joins Hallstatt. It’s fast, cheap, and you’ll enjoy a boat ride on the lake!

Where to eat in Hallstatt

I am repeating myself a bit but Hallstatt being a highly touristic place, you will only find restaurants there…. Tourists! Not really the best place to try good typical Austrian food.

The prices are quite high and the quality not necessarily at the rendezvous. In addition, you will most certainly have to wait a little while to be served. In short, for your lunch, I advise you to opt for a sandwich instead!

How to get to Hallstatt

The closest major Austrian city to Hallstatt is Salzburg. If you wish, it is also (relatively) easy to get to Hallstatt from Vienna.

From Salzburg:

From Vienna:

From Vienna you can also visit Hallstatt with an organized excursion including transport, guide and even a boat trip on the lake:

And you, have you planned to visit Hallstatt during your stay in Austria? 

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