Hallstatt and the Salzkammergut in 3 days
Austria's lake district, with the village of Hallstatt squeezed between cliff and still water. Salt mines worked for thousands of years, lake swimming and villages that look like postcards.
The plan, day by day
Day 1
- Morning
Hallstatt villagefree · about 45 minHouses stacked between the mountain and the lake, a UNESCO-listed landscape, and a charnel house of painted skulls by the church.
- Afternoon
The Hallstatt salt mineabout 2 hSalt has been mined here for some 7,000 years; the tour goes deep into the mountain, with wooden miners' slides along the way.
- Late afternoon
The Skywalk viewing platformabout 45 minA platform jutting out from the mountainside by the salt mine funicular, high above the village roofs and the lake.
Day 2
- All day
Wolfgangsee and Atterseefree · a full dayWolfgangsee with St Wolfgang and the Schafberg railway, and Attersee, the largest lake entirely in Austria, with clear water Klimt painted.
Day 3
- Morning
Hikes and boat tripshalf a dayFerries across the Hallstätter See, and walks up to the Dachstein plateau for the Five Fingers platform and the ice caves.
Where to sleep in Hallstatt and the Salzkammergut
- Gasthof Simony · €110 a night
- Jugendgästehaus Bad Ischl · €45 a night
- Hotel Sonnhof · €95 a night
- Hotel Goldenes Schiff · €140 a night
- Seehotel am Hallstättersee · €160 a night
- Hotel Moserwirt · €170 a night
- Seehotel Grüner Baum · €260 a night
- Heritage.Hotel Hallstatt · €240 a night
- Cortisen am See · €300 a night
Plan this trip
Hotel prices per room per night, checked when written. Some links are affiliate links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.