Hallstatt 2.0 (Day Trip 2019)

A small enchanting village on Hallstatt Lake, some say it's the most beautiful village in the world. It was my second time in Hallstatt, and I must say that this little village wowed me more during the second visit rather than the first. I was glad I went again. 

The iconic lookout point

This time, I decided to do it as a day trip from Salzburg. The first time I went, we stayed in Obertraun, about 10-minutes drive to Hallstatt. I'll write about it in another entry some other time. 

Since it's just going to be a day trip, we left Salzburg by train early morning at about 7-ish. There was no direct train and we had to go down at Attnang-Puchheim and take the connecting train to Hallstatt. You could also go there by bus 150 from Salzburg to Bad Ischl and change to bus 542 to Hallstatt Gosaumühle then take Post Bus 543 to Hallstatt Lahn. I remember reading about it while doing the research for the trip but opted to take the train instead for a different experience since the day before we already took the bus 150 ride to St Wolfgang and St Gilgen. The reason I did not continue from St Wolfgang to Hallstatt on the same day was because it will be too rushed. I prefer to take my own sweet time exploring one place rather than rushed the visit.

When you arrive at Hallstatt Bahnof, walk to the pier to board the ferry to Hallstatt village

The overall picturesque train journey there took about 2 hours plus.
Tips: People say to choose the seat on the left for a better view, but actually both sides also offer fantastic view, hehe.

When you get down at the train station, take the ferry (its name is Stefanie) to cross the lake to Hallstatt Lanh (that's where the village is). We paid 6 euro for return ticket. It was the peak of autumn when we got there, and the view from the ferry was breathtaking. For someone who's crazy about autumn, I find it magical. 
Tips : Walk straight to the lookout point when you've crossed the lake. The reason being is you would want to avoid the massive crowd therefore go as early as possible.

The view from 'Stefanie'

It's a must to take a photo at this iconic look out point. But be prepared to wait for your turn if you come when the tourist crowd from the tour groups have arrived

I can sit here for hours to take in the view

Pretty eh..?

Another pretty sight

Every corner is insta-worthy

We walked to almost every corner of the village and everywhere we went was beautiful. But bear in mind, you're not the only tourist here. Ever since Hallstatt became everyone's bucket list, thousands of travelers flock here daily to see see it themselves. The photos may portray serenity and calmness but I doubt the locals in Hallstatt village enjoy peaceful day at all when the crowd flock here.

Hallstatt Market Square

Shimmering golden leaves

The first time I came, I didn't get the chance to go up to Skywalk. So this time, up we went. We took the funicular up and down, but you could also hike if you don't feel like paying the pricey ticket. The world heritage view from the skywalk was magical! We were blessed with a sunny day on our visit. I constantly checked the weather forecast and prayed for sunny day and thank God for the perfect weather. 

The awesome world heritage view

You can walk down the stairs to the viewing point

Perfect autumn noon

There's a cafe up there where you can have coffee, snack or proper meals with a view. After walking for quite a bit, legs needed some rest. Had coffee and strudel here while enjoying the time we had before returning to Salzburg later that afternoon.

"Coffee and a view are the perfect blend"

The steep funicular to Skywalk

Despite being super touristy and overly crowded, Hallstatt is indeed a beautiful little village. If it's in your bucket list, I say go see it for yourself. There is this saying and I quote it here;

"It is better to see something once, than to hear about it a thousand times.” ~ Asian proverb

So ask yourself if you would rather just see the photos online or see it yourselves. Either way, it's your call.  We left Hallstatt that day with thousands of sweet memories.

The famous swans of Hallstatt