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Located in the Salzkammergut region of Upper Austria, Austria, Hallstatt is one of the oldest villages in Europe, recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site since 1997. With more than 7,000 years of history, this place is not only famous for its poetic landscape but also for its long-standing cultural values: the salt industry has existed for thousands of years, the typical ancient wooden house architecture, religious customs such as Charnel House (bone chapel, related to the preservation of the remains of the deceased), and precious archaeological artifacts reflecting the early Hallstatt civilization.
In Hallstatt, all four seasons have their own beauty, but autumn is still considered the most charming time, when the maple leaves change color and morning mist covers the lake surface, Hallstatt appears like a vivid picture of peace and antiquity.
When Hallstatt just woke up in the middle of autumn
In the early morning, Trang left Salzburg at 5:56, following the road leading to Bad Ischl by bus number 150, then continued her journey by train and ferry to Hallstatt. After nearly three hours of travel from the a&o Salzburg Hauptbahnhof hotel, the town appeared peacefully on the calm lake.
The town was just waking up, a few small cafes were opening their doors to welcome the first customers, and white swans were floating lazily on the water.
October is the time when Hallstatt puts on its most brilliant autumn coat. Along the small slopes, the ancient wooden houses with their characteristic pointed roofs are covered with the yellow and red of maple leaves, reflecting on the mirror-like blue lake. Trang said, “going early is the luckiest thing”, because before 10am, the town still retains its quietness like a fairyland - when footsteps still echo in the silent space.
Hallstatt is not a tourist village built for visitors, but a place where people still live, cook, tend gardens, sit drinking tea by the window overlooking the lake. In the middle of the ancient stone-paved path, there are occasional wooden signs reminding visitors to walk lightly, speak softly, or respect the privacy of the locals.
As the sun gradually rose, the leaves changed their brilliant colors, the wooden roofs appeared among the yellow of the trees and the blue of the water, creating a scene like an oil painting. Trang said that she had been to Switzerland and Italy last summer, admiring the natural scenery in Europe, but when she came to Hallstatt in the fall, she truly understood the beauty that people call "fairy tales".
Before leaving the Austrian town, she stopped by the Church of the Assumption of Mary on the mountainside, overlooking the village nestled by the lake. The church bells rang out in the silence, a perfect end to the autumn morning.
The Real-Life Kingdom of “Arendelle”
It is no coincidence that Hallstatt was once considered the inspiration for the kingdom of Arendelle in the Frozen series. From the Panoramic Viewpoint - the highest point of the town, the view appears with the cold grey Alps towering on the edge of the town, the wooden houses stacked along the lake, the pointed bell tower of the Evangelical Church of Hallstatt - the Protestant church rising into the deep blue sky.
Trang chose the first viewpoint of the morning, when the sunlight filtered through the thin mist, making the lake sparkle like glitter. Then she took the time to stroll along the small alleys around Hallstatt Market Square - the village's central square, where flower baskets hanging from balconies still bloomed despite the approaching cold of early winter.
On that journey, Trang met a Korean mother and daughter who had lived in Bac Ninh for three years. They happily chatted for a few sentences, saying that they missed their years in Vietnam. Later, she met a group of Chinese tourists, helped them with some small tasks while taking photos, and then surprisingly discovered that they were also staying at the same hotel in Salzburg. “Those chance encounters made the trip more memorable,” Trang said.
The boat trip to see the lake or explore the Hallstatt museum is still open, the cable car (funicular) leading to the famous salt mine is closed for maintenance, and the Charnel House, although famous, Trang has not dared to visit because of personal fear. But it is these incomplete experiences that urge her to return, to make the autumn picture of Hallstatt more complete.
Autumn picture - maple forest changing color by Hallstatt lake
Some notes for the journey to Hallstatt
To make the trip more convenient, Trang chose to stay at a&o Salzburg Hauptbahnhof - a hotel just a few hundred meters from the bus station and offering a Guest Mobility Ticket, which allows free travel throughout the Salzburg region, including bus route 150 to Bad Ischl. From Salzburg, visitors can combine bus - train - ferry to Hallstatt, a total journey of only about three hours.
In autumn, the weather often changes quickly, visitors should depart early to enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and avoid afternoon thunderstorms. Ferry tickets can only be purchased in cash, so visitors should prepare Euro change. The cost of food in Hallstatt is quite high (about 15-30 Euro/dish), so bring water and cakes if you want to save money.
Trang shared that the most valuable thing about the trip was not the beautiful photos, but the moments of sitting quietly by the lake, watching the falling leaves and feeling the slowness of time - something that is hard to find in big cities.
Hallstatt in autumn doesn't need filters or color correction, because just standing in the gentle cold, listening to the bells echoing from the church by the lake, anyone can feel like they are lost in a dream.
