I was on my 2 week Euro trip in 2024 and decided to take a daytrip to Hallstatt from Salzburg. I took a bus from Salzburg to Bad Ischl (also worth visiting), then a train to the other side of the lake from Hallstatt. From there, a ferry takes people across. It really is like a dream place, definitely worth visiting.
Despite the love/hate for this place, it is worth going to.
Ask me anything!
I absolutely loved that region of Austria. We stayed in Bad Ischl for 3 nights.
One day we went up Schafberg, both of us aren't the greatest fan of heights but I don't know why we worried. Beautiful. We got the boat back towards Bad Ischl across the Wolfgangsee and after having a pretty rough year, no job and a dwindling bank account. I didn't have a fucking care in the world. It was such a great moment.
Plus I had the best Kebab I've ever had in Bad Ischl too.
Loved Bad Ischl too! I didn't have much time but I had a quick walk around town. Got some "world famous" zaunerstollen (never heard of it until that day, lol) at Konditorei Zauner.
What was the name of the Kebab place?
heh, it was a place in a small shopping mall near the train station. It probably wasn't World beating but at that moment it was perfect.
https://elitesbadischl.at/
Also, The Thai place in town - Bangkok Thai Küche - My girlfriend is Thai and loved it so much the first time she got a take away lunch for the train to Vienna in the afternoon.
Small world! I was browsing the SPAR downstairs, never went to the 2nd floor.
https://preview.redd.it/nmq31zjo3m7g1.jpeg?width=6691&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d1bb963c926c207e85fa488c8e275ec520f0e078
This is my Wallpaper, I'm amazed!
Amazing! Did you take this photo yourself? 🤩
That may not be the literal Microsoft wallpaper, but it looks like it. We have a similar photo as the default for our videoconferencing system.
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City filled with mostly tourists.
They filmed the John Wick Ballerina movie there, right?
https://preview.redd.it/gov8kg9owm7g1.jpeg?width=989&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7df24dee9906743c8755f536d3ebb015f26de94b
Surely looks like it
They even named it Hallstatt in the movie.
Tell me more why the love/hate?
Because it's literally the worst example of overtourism in Europe. 700 inhabitants, 1 Million visitors per year.
It's a beautiful place, and is quite well known around the world. With that in mind, comes the burden of over-tourism. In the summer, I can imagine this place being completely filled to the brim with tourists.
I visited offseason in October, and found just the right amount of tourists for me. And there are many places just outside the main areas to get a brief respite and enjoy how magical the place is.
When I was there in Summer 2012 it was great, but during the day totally packed with tourists. There's not much lodging so the tour buses are just there for the day trip. It was great to walk around in the evening. It had an especially high number of Chinese tourists for some reason.
The Chinese love it so much that they built a replica of the town in China. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hallstatt_(China)
It was heavily promoted in China a few years ago, I guess the push worked, but the Chinese tourists have dropped significantly, to somewhere between 15-20% of the overall visitor annually.
Wow! These photos are amazing! The colors and the autumn vibes make Hallstatt look like a dream!
Thanks! No edit from me, other than the phone doing it itself. The colours are quite vivid on their own.
One of the most beautiful places I've seen. I wonder how much housing costs in this city?
As an Austrian from this region some background info: Hallstatt has something like 700 inhabitants. It is just a small village. At this point it has become a meme since literal hordes of tourists are going there every day. You wouldn't wanna live there, no matter how nice the nature is. Though the overall region there looks pretty similar so you could definitely find something in nearby villages/cities. 2-room apartment could probably be rented for somewhere between 700 and 1300€ (very much depending on specific location and quality)
Thank you for your response. housing prices are pretty good, I work remotely and maybe I will be able to live and soak up the atmosphere of this beautiful place. And thank you for warning about the tourists.
It still blows my mind that real people live there. It looks like a set built for a fantasy movie.
I would like watch a detective story filmed in this location.
I was there in October. I felt bad about contributing to over tourism. Is a beautiful town. And I have a pic of that tuxedo cat as well!
Really? Please post it here! Must be a famous kitty!
I'll never forget that ferry ride in to the town! Magic! ✨
I was about to comment it looks like the town from John Wick's Ballerina, did a google search and low and behold it is. Great photos!
Thanks for confirming this, I was also thinking the same.
No skull pic? Hallstatt has everything.
Sorry no, didn't have time.
The whole town is beautiful, but try and go in the off season the crowds are nuts for such narrow streets
Mandatory post that Obertraun is just round the lake from there, a short bike ride away, still beautiful and infinitely less hammered with tourists, even in peak season.
We stayed there and had a great time.
Fantastic! That view oof the town from the other side looks lovely too! Do you mind sharing a day trip itinerary?
Sure!
Thank you for sharing this. Were the bus/train logistic easy to coordinate? I’m contemplating doing the same trip but trying to decide between public transit vs a group tour via a van.
No worries. Oh yeah the bus and train schedules are pretty regular and online. Way cheaper than a group tour.
Looks unreal, even if it’s the classic angle. Did you go early morning, and how crowded was the ferry timing?
Everyone gets the same shot because there is really only a small area where that classic shot can be taken. Sucks to be the guy living in that house across from it!
The ferry was pretty busy because I got to the terminal around midday. But I didn't have to wait long.
That place is an absolute zoo. Tons of tourists. Rightfully so but holy cow the amount of people when we went… I would not go again and I don’t mind large crowds.
Shots are nice, but Hallstatt must be one of, if not THE most soulless, horrible places I've ever been to. If you want to know what it would feel like to sell your soul to the devil (in this instance: mass tourism), by all means, go there. Otherwise avoid like the plague.
Beautiful shots!
Been there and it's truly a magical place. You feel like part of a fairy tale scene.
I love those pics, town looks cozy and amazing.
Tens of thousands of tourists descend on this village of 700 residents annually. Probably as far from cozy as you could imagine.
If by tens of thousand you mean about 1 million you are correct.
That would equal around 2,740 visitors per day, every day of the year— seems a little steep even by Hallstatt standards
Acc. to Austrian News Sites it’s actually over 1million a year
Wow! These photos are beautiful! Those mountains and the sky look completely unreal!
Thanks! No edits at all from me!
Amazing shots!
Such an interesting cemetery!
It literally looks like any other small cemetery in Austria.
That's good to know... I'm unfamiliar.
Wow
Amazing pics.
Most beautiful place in the world
Hallstatt is so beautiful!
I proposed to my wife at the skywalk above the town near the salt mine.
Yeah, this place really does look unreal in the fall. Hallstatt almost feels too perfect, like a postcard that somehow exists in real life. The autumn colors with the lake reflections are doing all the heavy lifting here totally get why everyone takes the same shot, it never gets old.😊
I was there in Late September too! One of the most beautiful places I've ever been to
Majestic!
Great pics
Beautiful shots
This is my dream county I love ❤️ it
https://preview.redd.it/46ec29r4xp7g1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=86c1cc67d037f05f7e90be8d0a500fb663722fb1
This was in May 2025 . What a beautiful place it is
I love this area, I've holidayed here three times (in summer). Hallstatt is amazing, until the tourist horde runs through, and I know that I am a part of the problem in this case :) I always stayed in Obertraun, which is better for public transport, has a free lake beach and it's much more relaxed. I honestly don't know how the locals can cope with the waves of tourists.
The hiking trails and options are amazing, some places are straight out of a fairytale. Sometimes I just chilled out with mountainwatching.
WOW! your photos are great!
Thanks!
What a cute village. Complete with cute kitties.
Hallstatt looks unreal in autumn 🍂 Did you find it too touristy or was it chill that day? Curious what surprised you most!
I wasn't overwhelmed by the crowds, and it's way quieter in late October. Many times I had quiet alleyways and nooks all to myself.
Surprising? Maybe the fact there was a very popular Korean show about this place, which explained the many Korean tourists that were there that day.
Beautiful!!
The whole Salzkammergut region is unbelievably beautiful. Salzburg and surrounding area is definitely the best place I’ve been.
This just looks like a shot from a film!
Been to Austria once. Wanted to go from Vienna to Salzburg by train for a 1-day trip. Got confused, stopped at Linz and it was totally worth it.
For those who are planning to go to Austria, don’t forget about Linz!
Such a picturesque adventure!
Wow these are gorgeous. Love that some shots are landscape and show a large scene with others being much more detailed
Thanks! I used to take photography pretty seriously, but over the years that hobby has kind of faded.
Hallstatt and your pictures are amazing — no question about that. I also posted the same in this sub.
My question to the admins is why the same cities or countries can be posted here thousands of times without any new story or perspective behind them, while other cities or countries don’t seem to be equally welcome.
This kind of unfairness really makes this sub uninteresting.
It seems that posts featuring less ‘popular’ countries often don’t get approved, and unfortunately without any explanation. I was even blocked for 30 days after asking for clarification on the approval process.