It takes a leap of faith to leave your luggage at the hotel reception and walk to the next destination, in the hope that the said luggage will be waiting for you when you arrive. That’s exactly what we had to do on our Inntravel Lakes & Mountains walking holiday in Austria. As we set off on our hike to Hallstatt from St Agatha, with just a rucksack filled with valuables and passports, I had visions of the taxi driver disappearing with our bags and my M&S flimsies finding a new home under a dirndl.
Despite our trepidation, I was looking forward to today’s walk: a gentle stroll down the eastern side of Hallstättersee before catching the little ferry over to Hallstatt. On the previous day, around St Agatha and Bad Goisern, we hadn’t seen many people on the trails, but this was probably because mid-October is coming to the end of the hiking season. When we did see other walkers, we were greeted with a friendly smile and a greeting which varied so frequently, we couldn’t work out what phrase was the regular hikers’ hello. I have no idea whether people were saying ‘Good Morning’, ‘Have a nice day’ or ‘Isn’t the weather good for the time of year’. We replied with the odd ‘Guten Morgen’, ‘servus’ and the occasional ‘hello’ – all of these seemed to work well.
Once again we were in awe of the Austrian homes. They were so tidy, with tables of autumnal decorations on the doorsteps, and any open garages displaying a full set of winter tyres lined up on the walls. I became fascinated by the log stores and photographed this one by the lake, saying, ‘This is a log store!’
Dougie tapped me on the shoulder to turn me around and said, ‘No, THIS is a log store!’
Is it appropriate at this stage to talk about shewees? Probably not but I will anyway. I had purchased a Shewee before our trip and, as suggested on the instructions, tried it out in the shower beforehand. Surprisingly, it actually worked. Halfway along our lake walk, I decided the time had come to see if it worked in the wild. Yet another leap of faith, peeing into a receptacle, waiting for its appearance along the extension pipe and hoping to avoid any reverse-flow. My trousers were quick-drying but they were also pale-coloured so I was a tad anxious. You’ll be pleased to know there were no accidents and I was now confident I could do the honours behind trees, just like a man, without resorting to baring my nether regions to any Austrian wildlife.
It didn’t take too long to reach the ferry station. It felt too early to head over to Hallstatt so we continued walking for another half an hour, with a plan to have lunch in the town of Obertraun. The walk was fabulous: the mist had cleared, the sun was bright and warming and the scenery was awesome: those striking Dachstein mountains towering above. As we walked we could hear a helicopter hovering over us. We passed a long run of metal fencing and the imposing gates of some hidden lair. Dougie commented that the place felt like a James Bond set and that the baddie probably lived behind the gates. Just at that moment we heard a ‘miaow‘ coming from behind the fencing. ‘Blofeld!’ Dougie exclaimed, as the cat edged towards us, purring up against the railings.
Most of Obertraun seemed shut as it was in-between the summer and winter seasons. Thankfully a pizza restaurant was open. It was busy with locals, probably because it has a skittle alley attached – how brilliant is that! We didn’t have a game but the pizzas were great and we had a lovely walk past the closed Obertraun schiffsstation (ferry station), through Blofeld’s pad and onto the Hallstatt ferry station. We timed our walk to perfection as the tiny ferry was due to leave in ten minutes. If only all waiting rooms looked like this…
It’s probably best to be aware in advance that Hallstatt has become a big tourist destination. After a couple of days of quiet hiking, you could feel a little shell-shocked to find so many people taking photographs. This didn’t bother me at all – I was snapping away as much as anyone else so I could hardly moan that the town was busy.
Hallstatt is so beloved by the Chinese that they have made a copy of it in Luoyang, Boluo County, China. The day-trippers who come to visit the real Hallstatt are so happy to be there; it’s infectious. And why wouldn’t you feel joyful when you look around Hallstatt: the pretty houses stitched onto the side of the mountain like an elaborate embroidery. It is beautiful.
Hallstatt has a number of souvenir shops selling things with salt in them – well, it’s been trading salt for thousands of years so why stop now – but we were delighted to discover a Maislinger bakery serving cakes that had been made in Au, the village where we had tasted their delicious products the previous day. Kaffee und kuchen for 5 euros 50. I don’t think that’s too bad for a tourist hot spot.
Our hotel, the Heritage Hotel, Hallstatt, had a totally different vibe from the traditional accommodation experienced in St Agatha. Although the exterior was in keeping with the town, the inside was contemporary. We had a lake-view room, with chic wooden floors, stylish bathroom and a Nespresso machine. We could buy cakes and have our own coffee whenever we liked.
We were also relieved to find two more additions to our bedroom – two large cases, no pants removed.
If you want to know more about Hallstatt, have a look at the blog posts from Emma, A Bavarian Sojourn and Lorelei from Calfornia Globetrotter. I read both of these before our trip to understand more about the town. Emma also told me to check out Obertraun and the pizzeria/skittle alley!
Disclosure: we chose and paid for this holiday ourselves although Inntravel gave us a small discount in exchange for a review.
Previous posts about the Lakes & Mountains walking holiday in Austria
My goodness, simply stunning views!!
I’m glad the Shewee worked. I have a version but have never had it on me when I needed it.
I know – we couldn’t quite believe how gorgeous it was!
Yes, taking it with you might be handy, Sarah! Lol. I would recommend the extension pipe too. Is that TMI? ?
Austria never disappoints when it comes to beautiful views and cute towns, does it!
#FarawayFiles
We visited in 2013 and adored it then but I think this trip surpassed all our expectations. Dramatic scenery, fabulous food and such lovely people.
Great post! I’ve been to Hallstatt for the first time just yesterday and loved it. Your pictures turned out sooo great with all those fall colorw + fog!!! #FarawayFiles
So pleased you enjoyed it – it can be a crazy place but it’s still beautiful. The iconic Hallstatt shot was taken in the morning just as the mist was rising from the lake – I’m very proud of that one!
Hallstatt and that hike look gorgeous! Unfortunately we missed Hallstatt on our trip to Austria, but now we have a reason to go back! Lovely pictures!
Everything about the hike that day was brilliant – but then so was the rest of the holiday. We kept having to pinch ourselves to check it was real.
Yes – you’ll have to return! I say this all the time when I read blog posts and realise I’ve missed places!
Oh my goodness Trish, those views are SO gorgeous! I would absolutely love to do a walking holiday like this. A bit of gentle-ish walking, fabulous views and great food and drink along the way. I’d also love to explore more of Austria. Great share for #FarawayFiles
Every day we were surrounded by the most wonderful scenery.
We chose our holiday well – the grading system helps, I didn’t want to choose something too tough and be put off for the future.
Love Love LOVE Hallstatt! Wish we had had time to do some hiking as well around the lake, but we only spontaneously found ourselves there after a change of plans a few years back! Luckily, we went towards the end of fall, and the crowds weren’t as bad as I could imagine them being in the summer! #FarawayFiles
I’m so glad you wrote about your autumn visit, even if it was slightly accidental!
That’s true, it must be much busier in the summer, but I agree, still a wonderful place to see, however crowded it gets.
I love the lakes in this part of Austria, so beautiful. I must go back, I haven’t been for ages #FarawayFiles
There are certain countries that pull you back – Austria is definitely one of them.
This looks like such fabulous hike. The views and your pictures are gorgeous. We have done a number of hikes which involved leaving luggage at the beginning of the day, trusting we will be reunited with it at the end. So far we always have. Its the best way to hike, my days (if I ever had those days) of carrying large rucksacks are long gone! #FarawayFiles
I never had days of large rucksacks either – this hiking holiday lark is quite new to me. But it won’t be the last as we both had a fantastic time: every day of the holiday was different.
Oh my! I can’t believe the Chinese created a replica of this place. That is funny! I was seeing how a medieval town was recreated in Mexico. I thought that was interesting. I am not into crowded places but sometimes you have to deal with it. After all, these places are popular for a reason. #FarawayFiles
I’m tempted to have a trip to China to check it out! Plus your Mexican medieval town!
What an adventure and I loved your candid discussion about taking care of business on the trail! Such a beautiful town I really hope I get there someday! #farawayfiles
I’ve been back for two weeks now and still can’t quite believe what a super adventure it was – so many experiences in a short space of time and yet so much quality time to enjoy them.
I’m glad you appreciate my comments – women too often struggle with these things so it’s good to have it out in the open… as it were!
Hallstatt looks so incredibly beautiful, I guess it should come as no surprise that it would be flooded with tourists. That’s so interesting that they replicated it in China! I must look that up! #Farawayfiles
It is very beautiful but you can’t help but wonder how this tiny place became such a must-see attraction for so many tourists. It must be very strange to live there – and even stranger to live near the replica!
First – yay to the shewee! Haha – we found those when traipsing around Norway, but I will admit I have yet to try. Good to know it is possible! Also – inquiring minds want to know – are those the infamous Bear Gryll’s trousers? Hallstatt looks lovely as ever despite the throngs and masses. Thanks for sharing with #FarawayFiles, Erin
The Shewee is a great little gadget. It is a bit of a fiddle if your trousers are tight and there is also that second or two delay when you pee but you can’t see anything happening – most disconcerting!
Talking of tight trousers, hubby left his Bear Grylls’ trews at home as they are just a wee bit snug. This is a different brand with extra bum-room!
Don’t know if I missed it before or if you just added it, but thanks so much for the shout out!! So glad you found my post useful and inspirational and got to visit Hallstatt! 🙂
I think it was there before – I either put the links on the day I published or the day after, can’t quite remember. But yes, very grateful for your inspiration. 🙂
Thanks so much for the mention, that’s very kind! 🙂 So glad you enjoyed your trip, it’s so beautiful there isn’t it. Yes, it does get busy, but it’s so easy to escape the crowds. I think people might have been saying grüß Gott to you, it means Greetings to God, and is a regional/traditional way of saying hello in these parts! Always used to confuse me at first too! xx
Ah that might have been it! Wish I’d known that beforehand – but a cheery ‘allo and a smile thankfully did the trick. But I’ll remember next time. You see, you are my handy reference source for so many things! x
Wow, what a beautiful looking place. We are considering a road trip next year taking in Southern Germany, Switzerland and Austria and although Salzburg was on our list of possible places to stay, I think Halstatt is now on there instead! #FarawayFiles
Oh you’ve got so many wonderful places to visit. Should be a fantastic road trip. We had two days in Salzburg at the end of our walking holiday and it was beautiful so don’t write it off!
I do love the Austrian houses and those you find in Bavaria, Germany also. There’s something just so storybook about them, full of character, I think. #MondayEscapes
That’s just it – like a storybook. The houses were similar when we were on a Rhine cruise through Germany a couple of years ago. Little towns like Bamberg and Miltenberg were gorgeous.
I’d have my concerns about my smalls too – thank goodness they showed up 🙂 And who wouldn’t take loads of pictures of a place called Hallstatt? I think Hall Town is a great name!! Thanks for linking up with #MondayEscapes
I should have packed a couple in the rucksack, now I think about it! Funny about the name, I’ve read in some quarters that the ‘hall’ is an old Germanic word for salt – but other people dispute this. But it would make sense, wouldn’t it.
I love this! I (the Rob half) have been trying to convince Ann (the other half) that we absolutely need to go to Halstatt, and this seems like the perfect way to do it! Definitely taking notes. Thanks for reviewing the walk – truly enjoyed it! #FarawayFiles
I was a bit wary beforehand as I’d heard how crazy it was, but it was great fun being there with everyone else and then experiencing the town at its quieter times. I hope you and Ann get the chance to visit.