2 days in Hallstatt

Day by day

1. Day 1: Salzwelten Hallstatt salt mine and Skywalk 'Welterbeblick'

   Salzwelten Hallstatt salt mine, Skywalk 'Welterbeblick', Echerntal and Waldbachstrub waterfall and Hallstätter See by boat, then Sunrise on the lakeshore in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Salzwelten Hallstatt salt mine

      Guided tours lead through tunnels in miners' clothing, down two long wooden miners' slides and past an illuminated underground salt lake, and explain the 'man in salt', a prehistoric miner's body found preserved in 1734.

   2. Late morning

      Skywalk 'Welterbeblick'

      Next to the funicular's upper station, a steel platform juts out over the cliff about 350 metres above the village, with views straight down onto the roofs of Hallstatt, the lake and the mountains opposite.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Reinanke

      Lakeside restaurants and guesthouse dining rooms in Hallstatt Markt and Lahn; ask which fish is from the lake that day.

   4. Afternoon

      Echerntal and Waldbachstrub waterfall

      It is a shaded walk of about an hour each way and an escape from the crowds in the village.

   5. Late afternoon

      Hallstätter See by boat

      Rowing boats and electric boats are available to hire in summer.

   6. Evening

      Sunrise on the lakeshore

      Walk to the northern viewpoint at dawn, when the lake is still and the village is quiet.

2. Day 2: Protestant church and lakeshore and Classic village viewpoint

   Protestant church and lakeshore, Classic village viewpoint, Beinhaus (Charnel House) and Catholic Parish Church of the Assumption, then Rowing on the lake in the evening.

   1. Morning

      Protestant church and lakeshore

      The lakeside path beside it, past boathouses and wooden houses on stilts, is the village's most picturesque stretch.

   2. Late morning

      Classic village viewpoint

      It is a residential street, so space is tight.

   3. Lunch

      Lunch: Saibling

      Fish restaurants around the lake and smokehouses in the region that sell it to take away.

   4. Afternoon

      Beinhaus (Charnel House)

      Michael's Chapel beside the Catholic parish church, hundreds of skulls are stacked on shelves, many painted with names, dates and garlands of flowers. The custom developed because the steep churchyard had no room, so bones were exhumed after some years to make space.

   5. Late afternoon

      Catholic Parish Church of the Assumption

      The churchyard and Beinhaus are alongside.

   6. Evening

      Rowing on the lake

      Hire a rowing or electric boat for an hour and see the village from the water.

Before you go

• Salzwelten Hallstatt salt mine: Tours run on timed departures and fill up in summer; reserving online ahead is wise.

If it rains

• Swap in Museum Hallstatt (Hallstatt Markt): Visit before the salt mine to make sense of the archaeology you will see on the mountain.

Where to stay for this itinerary

Pace and daylight

The sights in this plan add up to roughly 8–10 hours of visiting over 2 days, before meals and getting between them. Daylight runs from about 8.5 hours in December to 16 hours in June, so in winter start early and keep museums for the afternoon.

Getting between stops: Walking. The village is about 1.5 km end to end, from Lahn to the northern viewpoint; lanes are steep in places and there are many steps.

More or fewer days

• One day in Hallstatt
• 3 days in Hallstatt

Questions travellers ask