CENTRAL EUROPE BLOG May 10th, 2026 - HALLSTATT

 

5/10/26– What a fantastic day to take a daytrip to Hallstatt. I’ve been planning to go here for years but rain spoiled my previous attempts. As luck would have it, the sun is shining and the sky is blue which makes me a very happy person.

We take the hour and fifteen minute scenic drive through the vast countryside. Mountains, lakes, bridges, you name it… it’s beautiful, and arrive around 12:45pm. The forecast called for some cloudiness today but the sky looks great to me. Matter of fact, the sun is a bit more intense than I expected.

After we park on the outskirts, we walk about fifteen minutes to get to the town of Hallstatt and notice the tourist hogging up the railings trying to get their selfies with the lake behind them. I, however, am more focused on the other side of town where the best view lies.

Along the route we pass souvenir shops, restaurants and any other place the locals feel will cater to the masses. It’s a little off-putting to see this place be primarily a selfie destination now, but whatever brings the cash in I guess. There’s also a museum and some cute nooks stashed away for those that aren’t just picturesque obsessed.

Speaking of pictures, we make it to the other side where I’m able to get that perfect shot that I’ve seen in the guide books (and the reason why I’m here). Ahhh, now I can enjoy the rest of the day in peace. I did have to fight through some tourists though.

Going back through town, we step inside the church (nice and cool inside) and check out a few souvenir shops before heading back to our car. We thought about eating here but the prices are much more than we wish to pay.

Before we leave, we find a hidden away park with an awesome view of the mountains where not many people are hanging out at. We sit back watching the swans for a few, all-the-while taking a mental image of how perfect this feels. This is how I want to remember this day, right here.

Driving back to Salzburg is bittersweet as we’re happy with the day but unsure of what else we may do. I didn’t count on us being in Hallstatt for less than two hours, but many things are closed on Sundays so we may just take it easy at the hotel. We do find an interesting town along the way where we grab a bite to eat.

Side note: We did have thoughts of checking out the ice cave nearby today but my research last night revealed it’s about 1400 steps and three hours worth of hiking (with an hour of it inside the below zero cave itself). Nah, not this time.

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