Hallstatt village

Also known as Hallstatt

Hallstatt has a population of 750 and receives over one million visitors a year, a ratio that explains everything about the experience of being there in summer. The village sits on a narrow ledge between the Hallstattersee and a mountain wall in the Salzkammergut, and the oldest salt mine in the world runs through the mountain above it.

Hallstatt’s mountain contains the oldest documented salt mine in the world, with evidence of mining going back to 5000 BC and continuous operations since at least 1200 BC. The Iron Age archaeology was so significant that an entire prehistoric period (the Hallstatt culture, 800-450 BC) was named after the village. The village itself, population 750, receives over one million visitors per year and deals with genuine overtourism; come before 9am or after 5pm to avoid the worst of it. The salt mine tours run May-September (EUR 30, book at salzwelten.at). The Beinhaus ossuary holds 1,200+ painted skulls (EUR 2). By car from Salzburg 75 km; by train to Hallstatt station then ferry across the lake, timed to train arrivals. Combine the village with Bad Ischl or the Dachstein ice cave for a full Salzkammergut day.