Exploring Hallstatt, Austria In a Day

I don’t know about you, but I have been seeing Instagram pictures of Hallstatt, Austria for years and have always wanted to go. When I visited Salzburg for the weekend, I decided I really wanted to take a day trip to this remote lakeside village. Here is Salzburg in relation to Hallstatt.

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HOW TO GET THERE

It is possible to take trains to Hallstatt from various locations. However, it is not recommended to go from Vienna to Hallstatt, and then to Salzburg in one day (keep that in mind). I decided to take buses to Hallstatt from Salzburg because if you take a train, it will drop you off on the opposite side of the lake. I did take the train back because it was going to be easier later in the day. Here are specific directions from Salzburg to Hallstatt.

BUS TO HALLSTATT

Go to the Salzburg main station (train and buses). Find the bus stations and wait for Bus 150 toward Bad Ischl. It will leave from spot F. This bus starts at 5:55am. There is a grocery store inside the main station so you can pack a picnic lunch or grab breakfast on the way.

NOTE: The ticket machines only take certain credit cards (did not accept Visa). We ended up taking money out from an ATM and buying the bus ticket to Hallstatt from the bus driver, which is totally acceptable. The tickets are roughly 15 euros.

2. At Bad Ischl, transfer to bus 542 towards Gosausee Anschl. This bus leaves from Stall C.

3. Get off at Gosaumuhle after approximately 20 minutes and make your last transfer for bus 543 to Hallstatt.

It sounds like a crazy trip, but it’s not bad and very scenic.

When you arrive, you will be blown away with the incredible scenery!

Take a stroll from one end of the village to the other. Here is what we saw!

On the way back, we decided to take the ferry across. It’s about 3 euros and you pay the boat captain when you board. The ride is quick and allows you to see a different perspective of Hallstatt. From the other side, you can take the trains back. We bought our tickets on the OBB website.