Hikes in Hallstatt

Water, eternal ice, pristine nature and trails steeped in history – these are the ingredients that make a hiking holiday in Hallstatt unforgettable. Here you can choose between easy tours around the lake and day-long hikes on the impressive karst plateau of the Dachstein. These are our tips for you:

• Not difficult, but long is the hike on the Soleweg from Hallstatt to Bad Ischl. On beautiful paths you hike through an impressive landscape without many metres of difference in altitude.
• The tour up the Salzberg, which starts directly in Hallstatt, is suitable for those with a small hiking appetite. The climb up the numerous serpentines is short and crisp. From the top you have a great view of Hallstatt and Lake Hallstatt.
• A challenging tour is the hike up the Plassen. The striking peak juts out of the plateau between Gosau and Hallstatt and offers a great 360-degree view.
• The hike into the Echerntal is particularly popular on hot summer days. The narrow, shady valley and the spray of the roaring stream make it pleasantly cool. If you want to extend the hike, then the Wiesberghaus is a good destination.

In addition to great hiking tours, Hallstatt also offers a wide selection of exciting excursion destinations. In the Salt Worlds you can learn about the thousands of years old history of salt mining in Hallstatt. A guided tour is an experience for the whole family.

In the neighbouring municipality of Obertraun, the Krippenstein cable car takes you quickly and comfortably up to 2,000 metres. The view from the viewing platform „5fingers“, which you reach after a short hike, is breathtaking. The hike to the Simonyhütte also starts from the mountain station on the Krippenstein, where you can enjoy a comfortable night's sleep. The hike to the Gjaid Alm, which is beautifully situated in the landscape and scores points for its good food and pleasant atmosphere, is a short one.

• How do you get to the Hallstatt Skywalk? 
  You can reach the magnificent Welterbeblick viewing platform in Hallstatt comfortably with the funicular to the Salzwelten. The funicular runs every 15 minutes during the high season and takes you to the top station in about two minutes. But of course you can also walk - it takes just under an hour from the centre of Hallstatt to the Salzberg.

• Can you hike on the shores of Lake Hallstatt? 
  Along the Ostuferwanderweg (east shore hiking trail) you hike from Steeg to Obertraun through picturesque nature. 

• When was Hallstatt built? 
  

  A artificially pierced hollow bone from the Dachstein giant ice cave dates back to around 12,000 BC. This is considered the oldest evidence of human presence in the area around Hallstatt.