From average weather, 2021 to 2025: days that are warm but not hot, with few rainy days, score highest. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
Arrival day
Before Day 1. The lakes reward a slow arrival, so keep the first evening quiet.Details
Getting here
Many visitors fly into Salzburg and go on by train or bus toward the lake district. Connections change with the season, so check the timetable ahead and allow extra time for the last stretch.
Hallstatt and its boat
Hallstatt sits on the far shore of its lake from the train stop, and a small boat meets the trains. Check ahead on when it runs, and carry only the luggage you can manage on a short, cobbled walk.
Car or no car
A car makes Days 4 and 5 easy, but parking in Hallstatt itself is limited, so many visitors leave the car outside the village. Buses and boats link much of the district, so check ahead if you travel without one.
First evening
Walk the lake path once the day visitors have gone, and have an early dinner. Day 1 starts with the lakeside lane and the market square, which are quietest in the morning.
Day 1. Obertraun and the Dachstein
3 stops · 2.0 km
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
1
MorningCheck ahead on the season
Dachstein Mammoth Cave
A large cave system on the same mountain, with long passages and big caverns. Check ahead on tours and the season.
Go whenMorning, as a pairing with the ice cave.
Local tip A large cave system on the same mountain. Check ahead on tours and season, and bring a warm layer.
About 19 min walk1.5 km
2
MiddayWorth the time
Krippenstein
A high plateau in the Dachstein mountains with wide views, short paths and a mountain hut. Bring layers, because it is much colder than the lake, and check ahead on the snow.
Go whenMidday, with a hot drink at the hut.
Local tip It can be snowy or windy when the valley is warm. Wear sturdy shoes and keep to the marked paths.
Lunch
A hot lunch at a mountain hut
Soup, sausage or dumplings in a warm room, with a window onto the peaks. The simplest way to warm up on the Dachstein.
Local tip Mountain huts run to a season, so check ahead.
About 6 min walk0.5 km
3
AfternoonA view, if the weather allows
Five Fingers Viewing Platform
A viewing platform that reaches out over a cliff edge like a hand, with a long drop to the valley below. Check ahead on the season and the snow, and skip it if it is windy.
Go whenAfternoon, if the sky is clear and the wind is calm.
Local tip Check ahead on the season and snow. If you do not like heights, the view from the path before it is already wide.
Dinner
A quiet lakeside dinner
A simple supper near the water: soup, grilled fish or dumplings, and a view of the lake going dark.
Local tip Book ahead in the busy months, because the villages are small.
If it rains. Dachstein Mammoth Cave is covered, so keep it. Move Krippenstein and Five Fingers Viewing Platform to a dry day if you can.
Day 2. Obertraun and the Dachstein, part 2
3 stops · 12.7 km
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
Travel from Five Fingers Viewing PlatformAbout 14 min by car or transit4.7 km
Where Day 1 ended.
1
MorningCheck the lift first
Dachstein Cable Car at Obertraun
The cable car starts from the village of Obertraun at the head of the lake. It runs to a season and in a wind it can stop, so check ahead and plan the morning around it.
Go whenMorning, as early as the first cabin allows.
Local tip The lift runs to a season and can stop in a wind. Check ahead the evening before and bring a layer for the top.
About 12 min by car or transit4.0 km
2
MorningCheck ahead on the season
Obertraun Giant Ice Cave
A cave in the Dachstein mountain with huge halls of ice, reached by a short walk from the cable car. Check ahead on the season, as the inside stays near freezing.
Go whenMorning, with a jacket and sturdy shoes.
Local tip It is open only part of the year and the inside is near freezing. Check ahead on season and tours.
About 12 min by car or transit4.0 km
3
EveningWorth the time
Obertraun Lakeshore
The calm southern end of Lake Hallstatt, with a pebble shore and a view of the village across the water. It is far quieter than Hallstatt itself.
Go whenEvening, around sunset (about 7:18 PM), when the village across the water glows.
Local tip Find a flat stone on the shore and sit. The water is cold but clear, and the shore is quiet.
If it rains. Obertraun Giant Ice Cave is covered, so keep it. Move Dachstein Cable Car at Obertraun and Obertraun Lakeshore to a dry day if you can.
Day 3. Hallstatt
3 stops · 0.3 km
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
1
MorningWorth a short stop
Hallstatt Market Square
The little square at the heart of the village, with pastel houses, a fountain and a view down to the lake. In high season it is crowded at midday, so come early or late.
Go whenMorning, then leave before midday.
Local tip In high season the square is crowded at midday. Look at the houses, then step down a side lane and you will have it almost to yourself.
A small chapel beside the church on the hill, where old skulls have been painted and kept for generations. It holds human remains, so visit quietly and respectfully, and check ahead on whether it is open.
Go whenAfternoon, when the church lane is calm.
Local tip It holds human remains of local families, so be quiet and do not take photographs where it asks you not to. Check ahead on when it is open.
Kasnocken are small dumplings baked with mountain cheese and topped with fried onions, a dish for the end of a day outdoors.
Local tip Order a green salad on the side, and share if the portion is large.
If it rains. Hallstatt Museum is covered, so keep it. Move Hallstatt Market Square and Hallstatt Bone House to a dry day if you can.
Day 4. Hallstatt, part 2
3 stops · 0.9 km
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
1
MorningWorth the time
Hallstatt Lakeside Lane
The narrow lane along the water, with wooden houses leaning over the shore and swans below. Hallstatt is small and people live here, so keep your voice low and walk early.
Go whenEarly morning, before the day visitors, or in the evening after they have gone.
Local tip People live in these houses. Keep your voice low, do not step onto private terraces and please do not fly a drone.
About 7 min walk0.6 km
2
MorningWorth the time
Hallstatt Skywalk
A viewing platform high above the village, looking down over the roofs to the whole lake. The funicular and the walk both run to a season, so check ahead before you go.
Go whenMorning, on a clear day, before the haze builds.
Local tip Check ahead on the funicular and the walk up. On a cloudy day, wait a day if you can. The view is the whole point.
About 5 min walk0.4 km
3
MiddayWorth the time
Hallstatt Salt Mine
One of the very old salt mines of Europe, in the mountain above the village, with the history of the people who worked it. Check ahead on tours and tickets, and bring a warm layer for the cool underground.
Go whenMidday, when you want something out of the weather.
Local tip Check ahead on tours and tickets. It is cool and damp inside, so bring a warm layer even in summer.
If it rains. Hallstatt Salt Mine is covered, so keep it. Move Hallstatt Lakeside Lane and Hallstatt Skywalk to a dry day if you can.
Day 5. St. Wolfgang and Bad Ischl
3 stops · 38.3 km
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
Drive from Hallstatt Salt MineAbout 38 min by car24.8 km
Where Day 4 ended.
1
MorningWorth the time
St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut
A village with a pilgrimage church on the north shore of its lake, with cobbled lanes and boats at the quay. A calm place to walk a slow loop.
Go whenMorning, before the boats bring the visitors.
Local tip Walk to the church and then back along the quay. Check ahead if you want to go inside.
The lake has boats between its villages for much of the year. Take one ride, sit on the open deck and let the water do the work. Check ahead on the timetable.
Go whenMidday, when the lake is bright.
Local tip Boats run to a season and a timetable, so check ahead. Sit outside and take one stop each way.
Lunch
Lunch on the lake
A table by the water in a lake village, with fresh fish or a simple plate of local sausage and potato salad.
Local tip Choose a table outside if the weather is mild.
About 29 min by car or transit13.1 km
3
AfternoonCheck ahead on visits
Kaiservilla in Bad Ischl
The summer house of the Austrian emperors in the spa town of Bad Ischl, set in a park beside the river. Check ahead on visits, and walk through the town for a pastry afterward.
Go whenAfternoon, after a walk in the town.
Local tip The park around the house is a pleasant stroll even when the house is closed. Check ahead on visits.
If it rains. Kaiservilla in Bad Ischl is covered, so keep it. Move St. Wolfgang im Salzkammergut and Wolfgangsee Boat Ride to a dry day if you can.
Day 6. Gosau and the Ausseerland
3 stops · 62.4 km
Built from the plan’s must-sees, grouped so each day stays close together and ordered by time of day.
Travel from Kaiservilla in Bad IschlAbout 35 min by car or transit21.3 km
Where Day 5 ended.
1
MorningWorth the time
Gosausee
A mountain lake below the Dachstein, with a path around the shore. On a still, clear morning the rock face shows in the water. Check ahead on the road and the parking.
Go whenMorning, when the lake is still.
Local tip Walk the shore path at an easy pace. The mirror view needs still air, so check the weather the night before.
About 37 min by car or transit23.0 km
2
MorningWorth the time
Altaussee
A quiet lake and village in the Ausseerland, with a flat path around the shore and mountains behind. A peaceful alternative to the busier lakes.
Go whenMorning, when the lake is calm.
Local tip The path around the lake is flat and quiet. Stop at a bench with a view of the mountains.
If it rains. Everything today is outdoors, so swap this day with a drier one if you can.
Departure day
After the last day. The way out of the mountains is the slow part, so give it room.Details
Last morning
Take breakfast slowly with the lake in view and leave the village before the day visitors arrive. Pack the night before, because the lanes are steep and paved with stones.
Back to Salzburg
Buses and trains run back toward Salzburg, but not all day and not every day of the week. Check the timetable the evening before and choose an earlier connection for a flight.
Bags and the boat
If your train leaves from across the water, allow time for the boat and the walk to the stop. Missing one link here can cost an hour or more.
A few spare hours
Sit on a bench by the water, buy something small and sweet for the road and start out with the light behind you.
Questions people ask
When is the best time to visit Hallstatt?
By average weather from 2021 to 2025, June and September to October are the most comfortable months for walking around Hallstatt. This plan is built for late September, which is one of the best months. Crowds and prices change through the year, so check them before you book.
How many days does this plan cover?
It covers 6 days in Hallstatt, planned for late September. Each day is built around a small number of stops, with room to rest.
Who is this plan for?
It was planned for most travelers. The pace and the places reflect that, so check it fits how you travel.
Is anything on this plan booked?
No. Places marked "book ahead" need a reservation. Hours, prices and availability change, so confirm before you go.
Can I plan my own days like this?
Yes. Archie drafts a day by day plan for your dates and takes your pace, the weather and who is travelling into account. You can start one from the Archie app.
Can I change this plan?
Yes. It is a starting point you can change to fit your own trip: swap a place, add a day or move the pace.
How much walking is there?
Each day has about 0.3 to 41.0 kilometers between its stops, and 65.8 kilometers in all across 6 days. A short hop is a walk and a longer one a ride. Distances are straight-line estimates, so allow extra for the streets.