Falling in Love with Austria. Salzburg and Hallstatt Photo Diary
Visiting Salzburg and Hallstatt is a perfect weekend getaway! Both places are marvelous yet so different. We spent Saturday in Salzburg and Sunday morning drove to Hallstatt. The road trip was breathtakingly beautiful as well! Austria is so lucky to occupy gorgeous landscapes of endless lakes, rivers and mountains.
"Land of mountain, land by the river" - Anthem
I won't give you much advice as we took our time and enjoyed both places without a precise itinerary. I'd rather make sort of a storyboard with lots of visuals and few words and let you fall in love with these places all on your own. ☺
Salzburg
That's all I knew about the city. If you ask me what I know now, after visiting? I'd probably use monkey with closed eyes amoji. I didn't gain much lore (except for the fact that Salzburg is a UNESCO World Heritage Site), but I certainly did gain lots of warm feelings.
June gifted us with a beautiful sunny day and the city opened its arms and welcomed to enjoy quiet promenades along the riverside, long walks in Altstadt, from one Platz to another. We climbed a few viewpoints and imbibed the sublime beauty of the city - light and grand with mint green roofs and domes. We treated ourselves to one amazing sunset with a view and great food at Stieglkeller.
These are the viewpoints offering different angles:
Monchsberg
Hohensalzburg Fortress
Stieglkeller Restaurant
Kapuinerberg
Hallstatt
So different, yet equally beautiful, is Hallstatt village situated on the shore of Hallstatter See, surrounded by steep slopes. The landscape is dead drop gorgeous! The village is small but offers lots to see and do. The old town, the market, churches are by all means very popular among tourists. I will recommend though things I enjoyed the most:
1. Boating on the lake. Must do! Stunning scenery, calm waters, getting away from crowded streets of the Old Town - all much needed and appreciated perks by any traveller.
2. Skywalk platform. Funicular ride, the views, the breeze, the crisp clean air - must do!
3. Salt World - interesting tour of the oldest in the world salt mine. It is coooold down there, so make sure you put on some warm shoes and extra layer of clothing.
4. Dinner at sunset in one of the picturesque cafes along the shore.
Do you feel like going to Austria? ☺