HALLSTATT HELPFUL INFO
Hallstatt is a picturesque lake town in Austria, and appropriately named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. Hallstatt is known for its production of salt, as the town salt mine is the oldest in the world (if you would like more information about touring the mine, read our article here). However, in recent years due to social media, people have gravitated towards the town specifically for its incredible lake town views. Here are some important things to know before traveling to Hallstatt:
PEOPLE
As of 2020, there were only 780 permanent residents in Hallstatt. However, there are about 10,000 visitors a day that infiltrate the fairytale town. Due to the influx of tourists, Hallstatt is extremely overcrowded. It is important to prepare yourself by booking hotels and restaurant reservations in advance, and to understand that there may be long lines to access things like boat rides. Try to visit during the offseason (though we went in October and it was still packed!!) It is also imperative to be respectful of the people who live in the town. At one point, citizens of Hallstatt even blocked off a particularly touristy spot where influencers love to take photos, because tourists were being very loud and disruptive. While the town may seem like it is pulled straight out of a postcard, real people do live here!
PARKING
Unless you are a permanent resident or a bus that has a particular agreement to come into the city to drop people off, you are not allowed to drive your car in Hallstatt. There are four parking lots near Hallstatt (P1, P2, P3, and P4), with P1 being the closest to the town and P4 being the farthest from the town (about a 30 – 40-minute walk). P1, P2, and P4 are for cars, while P3 is for buses. Of course, everyone wants to be in P1 so they do not have to walk very far. This means that P1 fills up incredibly quickly at the beginning of the day. If you have a reservation to stay at one of the hotels in Hallstatt, it is imperative that you arrive early in the day so that you can park in P1. This is because P1 is the only parking lot that has a call button with access to the Hallstatt shuttle. This shuttle will come pick you up in about 10 to 20 minutes and will bring you and your luggage directly to your hotel. When you would like to leave Hallstatt, your hotel lobby attendants can call the Hallstatt shuttle and you will be dropped back off at the P1 parking lot. If you arrive late in the day, and you find yourself parking in P2 or P4, you will unfortunately have to lug all your luggage by yourself.
HOTELS
As it is incredibly difficult to reach your hotel with luggage (and you can only do it with ease if you have access to the Hallstatt shuttle), we do not recommend staying in town. We would suggest finding lodging in a neighboring town where the prices are lower and you can access parking, and then you can leisurely find your way to Hallstatt without lugging all of your bags. However, if you want to wake up in Hallstatt extremely early or be there very late to avoid crowds and staying in town is the only way to do that, there are indeed a handful of hotels in town. We ourselves did stay in Hallstatt in a wonderfully situated hotel where we had a balcony overlooking the market square, but it was quite cumbersome coming and going with our luggage. (If you travel light, this wouldn’t be a problem!)
There is a lot that Hallstatt has to offer. People, parking, and lodging are all important factors to consider how you will approach visiting this gorgeous town, and we hope this information comes in handy!
