Saturday 1 October 2016

Salzkammergut - Part II

HALLSTATT.. . did it pop out of a postcard  !!

After my previous day's timed tour, I decided come hail..come storm, I will stick to my own itinerary the following day.
Next day soon after breakfast, with no hail & no storm but some clouds I headed for Hallstatt couple of hours from Salzburg, a village by the Lake Hallstatt whose existence goes back to 7000 years . 


The first view of Hallstattersee 
Hallstatt is a popular lakeside village in Austria and you should be prepared to expect a lot of crowd. It is also known for the oldest salt mine in the world dating back to prehistoric times.There are separate Salt Mine tours and one should allocate atleast half a day if you want to visit the same.
It's just very nice to wander around the charming cottages through the lanes and climbing over the steps to have some rooftop views over Hallstatt. Plenty of souvenir shops and lovely lakeview restaurants, some dating back to 14th-15th century when they were breweries or other storehouses. I randomly chose one such where I spotted an empty table perfectly located facing the views.




As the ferry slowly approaches closer to the village , that's the sight of Hallstatt
 

















Many do opt to spend a couple of relaxing days here and once the crowd has dispersed by evening, you have it all to yourself. Surrounded by the mountains with the clouds hovering as low as they can get, alpine forests and a glassy lake, the setup is surreal. A day trip is good as it's a very small village but if you can stay back it can add to your experience .

How to reach :
Now this is a 3-step journey. 
1) From Salzburg, Bus 150 takes you upto Bad Ischl.
2) from Bad Ischl you board the train which takes less than 30 minutes to Hallstatt (you will not miss the train as the train and bus timings are kind of aligned ). 
3) At Hallstatt,the train stop is at the other side of the lake and you need to take the ferry which will take you to the Lakeside village. Again timings are aligned and you will get regular ferry services and takes not more than 10 minutes to reach the other side. 

It may seem bit complex with all the changes but it's all very simple and you don't need to go search the stations...the bus/train drop you exactly where you' ll get your next connecting transport.




3 comments:

  1. Lovely pictures. I have to go now.

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  2. Great photos, a place on our list but somehow we always seem to miss it...maybe sometime in 2017.

    Frank (bbqboy)

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    Replies
    1. Thanks Frank...yes Salzkammergut region is beyond beautiful ...you should choose to stay in one of the smaller villages .. along the lakes..

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