Holiday in Hallstatt

What makes Hallstatt special as a destination?

Hallstatt, a tiny village on the western shore of Lake Hallstatt in Upper Austria's Salzkammergut, is one of the most photographed places in the world. The pastel-colored houses that cling to the steep mountainside and reflect in the emerald green lake water create a postcard idyll that has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage since 1997 as part of the Hallstatt-Dachstein/Salzkammergut cultural landscape. The history of Hallstatt dates back over 7,000 years — it houses the oldest salt mine in the world, which can still be visited today. An underground slide and a salt lake deep in the mountain make the visit an experience for families as well. The finds from the Iron Age were so significant that an entire cultural epoch — the Hallstatt culture (800–450 BC) — was named after the place. The ossuary in the Michaël Chapel with over 600 artistically painted skulls is a unique sight. The Skywalk 'Welterbeblick' on the observation platform high above the village offers a breathtaking view of the lake and the Dachstein massif. The Dachstein Ice Cave, a few kilometers away, fascinates with fairy-tale ice formations. The Hallstätter See can be explored by boat, and the brine pipeline to the nearby saltworks in Ebensee is a monument to early engineering. Hallstatt is most beautiful in the early morning or late afternoon when the day visitors have departed and the village unfolds its magical silence.