Europe (2017): The Magical Town of Hallstatt, Austria

After spending a night in Vienna and another night in Salzburg, so what's next for Austria? Of course, none other than this fairy town known as Hallstatt which has virally shared in Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and more. So tell me now. How's that possible for me to miss out visiting this place when planning my trip to Europe? This little magical town is absolutely one of the must visit place in Europe and became a favourite tourist destination.  

#1: Sandwiches between a calm blue lake and mountains, Hallstatt has became a favourite tourist destination. 

From Salzburg to Hallstatt

To get to Hallstatt from Salzburg, one can either opt by train or bus. 

For me, I took bus #150 to Bad Ischl from the bus terminal which situated outside of Salzburg Haupthanhof (the main train station). Once I arrived at Bad Ischl, I boarded train to Hallstatt. But then, my journey didn't stop here. I continued by taking ferry to the old town. Sounds complicated, right? Oh well, it does and I almost boarded on the wrong train (again!) but I glad that I finally make it. All these means of transportation I didn't pre-book in advance and bought on the spot.


One way bus ride cost €12. The ticket can be purchased either directly from the driver or the kiosk. The journey takes about 1.30 - 2 hours. For more details of the bus timetable, you can refer to this http://www.postbus.at/en/Timetable/

Purchase the ticket directly from the kiosk once arrive Bad Ischl train station. The train ride takes less than half an hour only. For the train timetable, you can refer here http://fahrplan.oebb.at/bin/query.exe/en


In order to get to Hallstatt old town if travel via train, one must take ferry to across. One way cost €2.50

#2: The first thing I saw when came out from the ferry.

Immediately I went and looked for my accommodation which located less than 10 minutes away from the ferry station. Due to the reason I plan and booked everything quite last minute, therefore my accommodation in Hallstatt consider to be the most expensive I ever booked throughout my Europe trip cause not many choices left. But anyhow, I'm not regret with my choice of choosing to stay here. Why? Wait until you read until the end.

Accommodation in Hallstatt 
As I mentioned earlier, the one and only choice left for a solo traveller like me is Gasthof Bergfried. Although it's pricey, but I got the whole room for myself. And the best part, this single bed room attached with private bathroom - mean I have more privacy and can bath as long as I want. Another advantage of staying here - there is a supermarket situated just few steps away.


#3: Gasthof Bergfried

Date Stayed: 14 September - 15 September 2017 (1 night)
Room Rate: €61.70 for a single bed room attached with private bathroom (Booked via Agoda)

Exploring Hallstatt In Early Morning
I settled my dinner by buying some groceries from the supermarket. Right after that, I head to bed earlier as there's nothing much to do at night. Plus, most of the souvenir shops and restaurant closed quite early.

On the next morning, I woke up as early as I could. Imagine for someone who is not a morning person, I try my best to drag myself from the bed, put on nice outfit just for the sake to explore this magical town. Although the weather was slightly misty, but I beg it's still better than overrun with tourists especially when you are trying to take a nice photo of the town itself.

So now get ready to be overloaded with the photos I took of this impressive and incredibly photogenic town:


#4: Hallstatt Tourist Information

#5: Houses decked with flowerboxes


#6: There are local residences and private property. So always be respectful and don't trespass it. 


#7


#8


#9


#10


#11: Market square where you can hunt for souvenirs around 


#12


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#14:



#15


#16


#17


#18: Fridge magnets collection


#18: Handwritten postcard will never go out of style 

As I will be leaving to the next country, hence I decided to try few of Austrian cuisines like:

#19: Wien Schnitzel, one of the national dishes of Austria. Well, it apparently is a breaded, pan-fried cutlet. Some restaurants served beef, chicken and even pork. 

#20: Apple Strudel, a type of layered pastry with apple filling. 

How Much I Spent In Hallstatt

PARTICULARS	AMOUNT
	€	RM
Transportation Bus 150 to Bad Ischl Train to Hallstatt Ferry ride Accommodation Gasthof Bergfried – 1 night Food & Beverages Others Souvenirs – magnets, postcards, stamps	12.00 4.30 2.50 61.70 27.15 24.50	61 22 13 316 139 125
	TOTAL:	676

Each and every corner of this magical town is insta-worthy. So I advise to spend a night here and try to wake up as early as you can. Cause by 9 am onwards, the town will be overcrowded with those tourists who travel in a group and it's making hard to get a perfect spot for phototaking. I believe you don't want any of your photos being photobombed by anyone, right.

Besides phototaking, there are few things you can take into consideration when planning your trip to Hallstatt like enjoying panoramic views of lake and mountains from the lookout platform of Skywalk "Wolrd Heritage View" and exploring salt mine museum as Hallstatt is home to the world's first mine.  

From the moment I stepped into Hallstatt, this town has instantly took my heart away. I think anyone who been here before experienced the same thing and it has becomes one of my favourite places in Europe I ever visited. I really love to return to this photogenic town again and on my next return, I wish to tag my mom along.

"Once upon a time, it's just a dream. Now, my dream finally came true"

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