Central Europe [Part 5]: My Second Visit to Hallstatt, Austria

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I can't believe that I will return to this little magical town of Hallstatt again after my first trip there back in 2017.  

GETTING TO HALLSTATT FROM MUNICH
During my maiden visit to Hallstatt, I departed from Salzburg. You can read my blog here.
As for this round, we're departing from Munich after staying in the city for three nights. 

#1: Munich Hbf (Munich Central Station)

Apparently there are no direct trains from Munich to Hallstatt and some require at least one or two transfers. The train rides from Munich to Hallstatt take at least 4 hours to 6 hours and you can check out timetable on Rail Planner apps. 

The following are the route we took:
1) Munich Hbf → Attnang-Puchheim
2) Attnang-Puchheim → Hallstatt Hbf 
(All these train rides are covered under Eurail Global Pass)

Once arriving at Hallstaff Hbf, we took ferry to across Hallstätter See. One way ferry ride costs €3.50 whereas round-trip costs €7.00.

#2: Hallstatt train station & ferry to across Hallstätter See

#3: Hello Hallstatt once again !  

OUR STAY IN HALLSTATT

While we're trying to keep within our budget for our stay in Munich, but not for Hallstatt. We're not just staying for a night, but two nights in Hallstatt and it's definitely worth it. 

#4: Our stay in Hallstatt - 1 bedroom apartment with functional kitchen 

#5: Our apartment with a window view facing the lake and mountains 

Apartment am Hallstätter See 

Date Stayed: 26 October - 28 October 2022 (2 nights) 

Total Room Rate: RM1,308 for 1 Room Apartment (Booked from Booking.com) 

Things I Like About This Accommodation:

• A short walking distance from Hallstatt ferry port. 
• The view of our room overlooking the lake and mountains which make it so magical, especially waking up in the morning.
• Functional kitchen where we're able to cook our breakfast, lunch and dinner.  

Things I Dislike About This Accommodation:

• No proper place for us to store our luggage before the check-in time.
• No toiletries provided.

THINGS WE DID & SAW IN HALLSTATT

We're in Hallstatt for three days two nights and the following are the things we did and saw here: 

1) Strolling along Hallstätter See (Lake Hallstatt) 

Although it's my second trip in this tiny Alpine village of Hallstatt, but I'm still amazed with the beauty of the turquoise lake. 

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2) Wandering around the Marktplatz Hallstaff (Hallstatt Market Square) and Old Town

Hallstatt is inarguably looks like something straight out from the Disney movie. 

 

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3) Taking funicular up to Top of Hallstaff for Salt Mine & Skywalk 

I didn't manage to take funicular up to the Top of Hallstatt during my first trip to Hallstatt due to time constraint and the adverse weather. So for this second visit, it's one of the things I shouldn't miss out when return to Hallstatt again. Besides taking the funicular, we even included a visit to the Salt Mine in our ticket which costs €36 per adult. 

 

Fun fact: Do you know that Hallstatt's Salt Mine is the oldest salt mine in the world?

#11: Going up Top of Hallstatt by taking funicular 

#12: Salt Mine of Hallstatt

#13: Hallstatt Skywalk platform (Entrance is free but downside is overcrowded during the noon time)

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4) Phototaking at the Point of Silence 

This is the iconic postcard viewpoint which situated on the northern edge of town. Best place to avoid the crowd will be early in the morning. Therefore, it's highly recommended to stay an overnight in Hallstatt.

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#17: The magical hours in the evening 

Apart from the souvenir shops, the thing that I always looking forward for when travelling in overseas is to visit the local supermarkets or groceries. Unfortunately, on the first day when we arrived in Hallstatt, we didn't realise it's Austria's National Day and the one and only supermarket in Hallstatt was closed. Just imagine that how excited I was when I saw the kitchen in our stay and I was about ready to cook turned to sadness and disappointment. Ended up, we just cooked whatever we brought from Malaysia such as Maggi instant noodle (Asam laksa is our fav), instant mushroom soup and Japanese curry paste. Luckily also, we managed to buy a box of rice in Munich before travelling to Hallstatt. 

#18: Our lunch and dinner on the first day in Hallstatt 

Thank goodness on the second day in Hallstatt, the supermarket was opened. Immediately we grabbed few groceries after our visit from Top of Hallstatt. Don't put any high expectations on this supermarket s the choices were pretty limited and pricey too. 

#19: One and only supermarket in Hallstatt

#20: Breakfast and dinner on day 2. And breakfast on third day before leaving Hallstatt.

#21: Hallstatt, still one of my favourite places in Europe

#22: And that's concludes our 3 days 2 nights trip in Hallstatt before leaving to another city of Austria.

Goodbye Hallstatt! 

TOTAL EXPENSES PER PAX FOR 3D2N IN HALLSTATT

PARTICULARS	AMOUNT
	€	RM
Accommodation Apartment am Hallstätter See (2 nights)   Transportations & Attractions Ferry across Hallstätter See  (Round-trip) Funicular & Salt Mine   Food and drinks Restaurant Rudolfsturm, Skywalk Groceries	7.00 36.00     12.50 12.25	654     33 167     58 57
	TOTAL	969

Note: €1.00 = RM4.65 as at October 2022 

Central Europe [Part 4]: Half Day Trip to Ingolstadt from Munich

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Since my husband accompanied me to the place I wanna go in Munich which is Neuschwanstein Castle (due to my love towards Disneyland) on our second day in Munich, therefore on our third day, we went to the place that my husband is interested with. My husband is fond of automotive industry and electric mobility and Germany is one of the best places to discover and explore all these. 

And because we have done our visit to BMW Museum & BMW Welt on our first day, therefore on the third day we proceed to Ingolstadt, a city in Bavaria which is well-known for Audi Forum and its museum classic cars.   

#1: One of our favourite shops to grab breakfast before kicking off our day 

JOURNEY FROM MUNICH TO INGOLSTADT 

The journey from Munich to Ingolstadt takes less than an hour by train. And because we have Eurail Pass, hence this particular train rice is covered under this pass. As usual, we like to depart our journey earlier. 

Once we arrived in Ingolstadt Hbf, we boarded bus 11 heading to Audi Forum. A single bus trip costs €2.90 whereas a-day ticket costs €5.80 for Zone 1. The bus ride from Ingolstadt Hbf to Audi Forum takes less than 25 minutes and you will spot Audi Forum on your right side of the bus. 

#2: Travelling all the way to Ingolstadt from Munich just for Audi Forum 

It seems like both of us were too early for the visit as Audi Forum hasn't opened yet for operation. So we took few photos outside while waiting for them to open. And because I wasn't keen to enter, I just wait for my husband at the cafe and ordered a cup of latte. Surprisingly the latte was pretty cheap - a cup for €2.80 only. 

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The entrance fee for Audi Forum is €5 for adult. Because I didn't enter and visit the Audi museum mobile, so I just shared couple of photos took by my husband. He spent roughly two hours or less inside this fascinating museum which showcases over 100 cars, motorcycles and multimedia exhibitions.  

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Before making our way back to Munich, we decided to make a short visit wandering this small little city of Bavaria. Probably due to Ingolstadt is less popular compare to the rest, we hardly spot any foreign tourists apart from us. Or perhaps, we're too early. 

#7: Some random but unique buildings in Ingolstadt 

#8: Yes, I found you - Primark, one of my fav shopping places in UK & Europe 

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#11: We dropby at Vietnamese-Thai fusion restaurant for our lunch 

Our trip to Ingolstadt was indeed pretty short and brief as our main intention is to visit Audi Forum. After that, we headed back to Munich in order to continue with our final and last day of exploring the city before bidding goodbye on the following day. 

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