“Be gentle with that cat”, the camping lady told us, “He is 21!”
“Does everybody in Hallstatt live this long?”, I asked, fully anticipating the answer.
“Of course. Look around, you will understand why!”
I initially wanted to put together an extensive travel journal about Hallstatt, elaborately describing my/our experience with this small town. And easy as it would be to point out the elements that make Hallstatt beautiful (Dachstein mountains, Hallstätter See Lake, its inviting architecture), I strongly believe no one can truly imagine their combined effect until seeing it up close.
Sure, this place isn’t for everybody. If you are looking for noise or heavy partying, you might want to visit Vienna or Salzburg instead [as mentioned in the title, only 21 year-old cats are allowed]. Hallstatt is a quiet place, suited for mountain lovers, bike- enthusiasts and indie travelers.
I could start by giving you the usual travel advice (visit the museum, the salt mines, and so on), but you will probably find all this information spread throughout the net. Instead, my recommendation is to save some quality time for walking and observing. Each step comes with a surprise. Each house is a cute and cuddly museum. And once you are done strolling inside the small town, check out its surroundings.
You don’t have to take a bus or a ferry (although the ferry ride is pretty nice) to get to Obertraun. It is just four kilometers away (less than an hour on foot, while enjoying views of the lake). From Obertraun, you can go hiking to Five Fingers and other major tourist spots in the area.
THE water-pump! and Edelweiss (not in its natural habitat, but in a flower pot, on sale):
Trip to Five Fingers – view from Obertraun:
Even though the path is poorly marked, with a bit of experience, one can find the way on foot up to Five Fingers. The journey is worth the while:
How it should have looked (we turned back before dawn, no proper equipment to go further):
Did you visit Hallstatt? Then perhaps YOU can explain why its memory comes with complementary sighs…!
