Hallstatt as daytrip from Salzburg?
 

My choice is to either (A) spend 3 nights in Salzburg and daytrip to Hallstatt or (B) 2 nights in Salzburg and 1 night in Hallstatt. We will have a car.

I think the big question is where will you be going the following night? Although I'm not usually real big on one night stops, it makes more sense to me to drive to Hallstatt and spend the night and enjoy the solitude at night and early morning, than to drive there from Salzburg, spend a few hours, then drive back again, unless you have to return to Salzburg anyway.

I apologize. I hit the post before finishing my question. From either Hallstatt or Salzburg, will travel north into Germany bypassing Munich this trip. Patrick, your answer is in line with what I was thinking. The quiet of a night on the water sounds perfect. From there, we can drive on to Salzburg and further north. Thank you.

Teach:
I would opt for the Hallstatt overnight! This way you can explore the area in and around Hallstatt as well (Dachstein Mts and the Gossau region!) I found Hallstatt did not or better yet .. could not live up to all its hype!
It is a magical place indeed but it is one of many special places in and around the alpine lakes and mountain vistas of Austria!

Now that I'm rethinking, we'll have Lake Constance earlier in the trip. We could carve a day off that stop and have 2 lovely nights in Hallstatt and Salzburg. Neither of us is a big fan of one-night stops. Is this a good idea?

Rats. Too vague again. 2 nights EACH in Hallstatt and Salzburg.

Even better.

Many thanks, Patrick.

By the way, I've never been to Hallstatt. It's very high on my list and the only reason I've missed it is because I haven't had a good opportunity to be able to spend a night or two there. But I recommend an overnight stay with confidence even never having been there.

We did just that this summer...2 nights Salzburg and 2 nights Hallstadt and both were very enjoyable.

We stayed 3 nites in St. Gilgen, a beautiful village on the Wolfgangsee, and did Salzburg from there[:30] and also Hallstatt[1:00]. Be sure to drive up to Gosausee as well.

Another vote for St. Gilgen. Absolutely gorgeous! The Austrian Alps are awesome!

Would recommend that you not backtrack, but keep going straight ahead or zigzag ahead.

You may want a couple of nights in Salzburg. It's very touristy, but it's Mozart AND Sound of Music country. So a lot to do and see.

And, in that general vicinity, there are also Neuschwanstein and Hohenschwangau castles.

Enjoy!

Many thanks for the replies. I never thought about St. Gilgen, which I briefly visited in 1999. It was quite gorgeous. Very interesting idea (so many choices!). I'll have to think about that option.

Jason, I forgot to ask if the castles are not too far from Salzburg to do as a daytrip. I put the destinations in mappy.com and it states that the drive should take 3 hours each way. Is that accurate?

Bob, where did you stay in St. Gilgen?

Yes, the castles are too far, and you will have many great options in Austria.
We stayed at a family run pension named
Garni Schernthaler for about 75E. We love that area--take the ferry boat to St. Wolfgang. Search on St. Gilgen to find their site.

Teach,

A tip-of-the-cap goes out to you for selecting such a fine travel destination.

I was lucky enough to have toured that neck of the woods this summer, and I look forward to a return visit.

Salzburg is a lovely, culturally rich city, and I'd suggest that you allow at least two full days' sightseeing. My wife and I received a warm welcome at the Hotel-Pension Jedermann (www.hotel-jedermann.com). It's located a short, pleasant, 15-minute walk from the touristic heart of the city. The Jedermann features clean, attractive rooms, along with a fine breakfast buffet. The service was very friendly, too.

As regards Hallstatt, you'd be wise to spend a couple overnights. Like Rothenburg, on Germany's Romantic Road, it receives a good many day-trippers, therefore making its "after-hours" particularly attractive. Hallstatt is a terrific place place to stroll about and have a beverage or two along its waterfront. Check out Halstatt's salt mine, too. It's a good deal of fun. For lodging, we very much enjoyed our stay at Gasthof Zauner. It's centrally located, overlooking the main square, features balcony dining (a swell place to have dinner or breakfast). See www.zauner.hallstatt.net.

Finally, while Hallstatt's sites can be explored in a single day, you'll want to allow extra time for a short sidetrip to the Dachstein Caves. The tour of the ice caves is worth a special trip, and it features spectacular views of the area's countryside.

Best of luck.

Hi, great thread, great places. Just two comments -- the more I travel, the more I realize that it is best to spend the night at any town which attracts day-trippers. The experience of 'being there' in the quiet evening and early morning is something to be treasured. and. . . you mentioned Bodensee (constance?). . did you say where? The German side of that lake has some wonderful towns; I don't know that I'd cut back on them to spend two nights in Halstatt. J.

Definitely stay at Hallstatt, even if it's for one night. We spent two nights at Gasthof Zauner in July and had a wonderful experience - http://www.zauner.hallstatt.net The dinner was absolutly delightful as we had the local fish for our entree. The apple struedel was THE best. The Salt Mine Tour was a wonderful adventure as well. Go early to avoid the crowds - we took the first tour and it was only my wife and myself, and another small family of 3. ENJOY!!!!

These new replies are just terrific too. It confirms what I was thinking about needing to stay overnight after the crowds have thinned out.

Thanks for the additional great input that Bob and David gave, I am happily continuing to roll along with my planning - almost my favorite part of the trip.

I took BOBTHENAVIGATOR's advice and reserved a room for 3 nights at St. Gilgen. the hotel email add. is [email protected], which they already confirmed my reservation within 12 hours. Thank you Bob.