Hallstatt Travel Guide

The 7,000 year old village

Grüße aus Hallstatt

Austria’s most picturesque village

Hallstatt – “cradle of civilization.”

Hallstatt, the 7,000 year old UNESCO World Heritage -listed village.

Hallstatt sits perilously on the edge of the Hallstättersee (Lake Hallstatt), a narrow lake, surrounded by the steep slopes of the Dachstein Mountains.

Hallstatt is the oldest still-inhabited village in Europe, the site of an early Iron Age culture dating from 800 to 400 B.C.

The village gave its name to the “ Hallstatt Culture” – one of the most important eras of prehistory.

History of Hallstatt

Hallstatt existed before Romulus and Remus founded Rome.

Many Iron Age relics have been unearthed, and 2,000 graves of prehistoric people have been excavated.

Hallstatt owes its existence to salt that was mined from the Salzberg, which rises above the village.

“Hall” is the Celtic word for salt, and as salt was a precious commodity, the region was historically very wealthy.

Salt mining began in the middle of the Bronze Age and continued through Roman times.

The Hapsburgs revived Hallstatt as a market village in the 14th century.

Since 1595, salt has been transported from Hallstatt to Ebensee via a brine pipeline (the oldest pipeline in the world) constructed from 13,000 hollowed-out trees.

Discover Hallstatt

Essential Hallstatt Information 

Where is Hallstatt?

Hallstatt is located on Hallstätter See (Lake Hallstatt) in the Austrian State of Upper Austria.
It is in the Salzkammergut region, famous in Austria for its many lakes and mountains.

Distance From Salzburg: Hallstatt is 77 km (~48 miles) southeast from Salzburg

Distance from Vienna:  Hallstatt is 287km (~178 miles) west of Vienna

Click on one of the topics below to start planning your visit to Hallstatt

How to get to Hallstatt

 

 

Where to find Parking in Hallstatt

Top Reasons to Visit Hallstatt

And why you need to spend at least 1-2 nights in Hallstatt         

Top 15 Things to Do in Hallstatt

 

 

What to See

Hallstatt is as spectacular as it looks in all the photos.

The village is precariously perched on a rocky terrace between a mountain and the Hallstättersee (Lake Hallstatt).

Hallstatt is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hallstatt is not a museum.

Hallstatt is home to approximately 900 inhabitants, so please respect their homes and places that are off limit. 

Marketplatz

The heart of the village is the historic Marktplatz (Market Square). Its foundations date back to the 14th century, but most of the picturesque houses were built during the 16th century. In the centre of the square stands the Holy Trinity Column, erected in 1743.

Lake Hallstatt

Cruise, swim, and take pictures of the majestic, fjord-like Hallstättersee (Hallsatt Lake). You can rent bicycles to follow the path around the lake or rent rowing and pedal boats. There are family-friendly beaches that line the shore of Lake Hallstatt.  Take a boat trip in a Zille, the historical Hallstatt boat with a flat bottom that was used to transport salt. Or, from May to October, take a cruise on the lake. 

 

Churches

The Pfarrkirche (Parish Church of Assumption) overlooks the village. It was built in 1505, but the Romanesque tower was preserved from the old 12th-century church. A large lakeside fresco of St Christopher, the patron saint of travellers, watches over the Hallstättersee.

In the village centre, you can see the tall steeple of the Evangelical Church, which was built in 1863.

 

Ossuary

The Bone House (ossuary) is located in the 12th-century St Michael’s Chapel. The graveyard in Hallstatt is very small- so since the 1100s, skeletons were unearthed ~ten years after burial and moved to the Beinhaus (Bone House). There are 1200 human skulls of which 610 of them have been hand-painted and arranged according to individual family groups. The most recent addition to the Bone House was in 1995 of a woman who had passed away in 1983.

Hallstatt Skywalk

Take the 3-minute funicular ride up the 1,030-meter-tall Salzberg Mountain (a strenuous 1-hour steep hike begins at the stairs behind the Beinhaus) to  Rudolfsturm (Rudolf tower).  The medieval tower was built in 1284 by the Habsburg Duke Albrecht I to defend the salt mine against invaders. Directly below the “Rudolfsturm”, is the Hallstatt Skywalk.  The viewing platform extends 12 meters from the mountainside and “floats” 360 meters over Hallstatt for unique panoramic view of Hallstatt

Museums

Learn about Hallstatt Culture, an important era in prehistory.

During a renovation project in 1990, a  a Celtic and ancient Roman settlement was discovered under the Sport Shop Janu, which can be visited when the shop is open. The Museum Hallstatt, located a few minutes’ walk away, has an extensive collection of discoveries from the salt mines and cemeteries.

Hallstatt Salt Mine

The Hallstatt Saltmine (Salzwelten) is the oldest saltmine in the world. You first take the funicular up and then a short walk to the salt mine. You can tour the tunnels with a guide and slide down the miner slide.  Learn about Hallstatt in Bronze Age Cinema” located 400 meters underground. 

5-Finger Lookout and Giant Ice Caves

The Dachstein Krippenstein mountain is located nearby in Obertrau. Visit the 5-Finger lookout – the viewing platform reaches out like a hand over the 400 m drop for epic views. Take the 50-minute tour of the Giant Ice Caves, where you are guided through ice-free passages, a stalactite hall and fantastic ice formations.  You can also visit the  Mammut & Koppenbrüller Cave, World Heritage spiral and/or go on hikes. 

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