Dreamy Hallstatt, Austria (Day 6)

Day 6 of our Austria trip was spent at the most picturesque village ever. (pop. 1,000) The name of the village was Hallstatt.

We left Salzburg and drove through the countryside to reach Hallstatt. I took some pictures of the houses just to show how the architecture is different than here in the States.

We arrived in Hallstatt and parked in one of the parking lots provided for tourists. The road to the old center of town is closed during the day and so you must park in one of the designated parking lots.

We rode the funicular (a funicular is a similar to a tram car except you go almost straight up the mountain on tracks) to the Salt Mine – the oldest one in the world and which is still in operation. They produce about 1.1 million tons of salt each year. Most of the salt is used for roads. There have been archeological digs conducted and they have learned some of the history of the people that occupied there so long ago. The mine has been operating for 7,000 years – since before Christ was born!

There’s a beautiful overlook at the top before you hike to the mine that has a little cafe. We stopped here for a look and then continued to the mine.

The best thing in the mine was going down the wooden slides to get from one floor to another. It’s very fast and so much fun.

Hear me squeal as we slide down this great slide. 🙂

Salt Rocks

Objects found in the mine are quite preserved from the salt.

They say this is Europe’s oldest wooden ladder.

After our tour of the salt mine, back to the overlook we went.

Looks like quite the location for a home at waters edge. 

A little fancy coffee and a grand view.

We finished our drinks up just in time because the clouds let go and there was a torrential downpour.

Heading down the mountain, after leaving the salt mine, back to the village of Hallstatt.

We learned something that night. Always book your accommodations early on. We were scrambling to find a place to stay that night. Hallstatt had no vacancies and it was getting late and the operators of lodgings were leaving for the night. We ended our visit in Hallstatt on not such a good note. We were in the parking lot, in our car, trying to get a signal to call the different bed and breakfasts. We drove back and forth in the parking lot trying to get a call out. A man in a nearby house was apparently watching. He came over and told us if we didn’t leave right away he was calling the police. We tried to explain but he wasn’t interested. Not needing any more drama since we just really needed to get a room booked immediately, we left and drove down the road (it didn’t matter where it was going as long as it was away from the parking lot haha).

We finally were able to get someone and found a man that was willing to wait for us in a nearby town and we drove through the pouring rain, getting lost a few times, to our delightful room. It was a great place to call it a night and get some rest.

My previous posts of our trip to Austria.

We Have Arrived in Austria – Day 1

We Have Arrived in Austria – Part Two of Day 1

An Italian Eatery in Vienna, Austria

The Hofburg Palace in Vienna, Austria – Part One of Day 2

Street Views of Vienna, Austria – Part Two of Day 2

The Summer Palace of the Habsburg’s – Day 3

Castle Ruins on the Danube River (Day 3)

Driving Adventures in Salzburg (Day 4)

Salzburg, Austria (Day 4, Part 2)

A Musical Evening in Salzburg

The Hills are Alive with the Sound of Music (Day 5)

Dining at a Thousand Year Old Restaurant – the Stiftskeller St. Peter