Arriving in Salzburg from Venice, Italy on a night bus at 3am in the bitter cold, I took a GrabShare taxi with four others to Salzburg Hbf station. I had to go to AO Hostel, where I had booked for the next day, and check in to get some rest before catching an early bus to Hallstatt, the famous tourist destination of the Salzkammergut region.
Start
After a nap, I woke up still tired from the cold of late winter in Austria. After saying goodbye to the warm sun of Venice, when I arrived in Salzburg, I felt like I was in heatstroke and it felt great to curl up in a blanket. But thinking that Hallstatt was calling, my body became more self-aware and went to the bus station, just two blocks away. There was already a long line waiting for bus 150 to Bad Ischl.
Standing on the bus full of Korean tourists on holiday to Austria, I forgot the feeling of tired legs from standing for so long as my heart pounded as I looked out the window. The mountains of the Alps with clouds falling from the tops. The green of the grasslands placed against the blue of the Hallstatter See Lake and the old houses created a beautiful picture of nature.
In the distance, small villages can be seen on the other side of the lake, nestled against the mountains. Each village has a tall Catholic building in the middle. The blue of the giant lake in eastern Austria reflects the beautiful skies and the Alps. If I could choose a place to escape from the hustle and bustle of the world, I would probably choose a place like this, immersed in nature.
I didn't know how beautiful and spectacular Hallstatt would be, but for me, the bus ride to Hallstatt was beautiful enough, enough to exceed my expectations of an Austrian village.
At Bad Ischl station, I bought a mozzarella sandwich with melted bacon and a hot chocolate for breakfast. After waiting for 20 minutes, the bus to Hallstatt arrived. I boarded bus 542, which was less crowded due to a large group of tourists transferring to the train to Hallstatt. I sat in the front row to take in the wonderful view of the road to Hallstatt.
The road was a bit winding but without any potholes, passing by the mountain ranges of the Alps. The terrain changed from plains to the mountainside, then into tunnels and into forests at a dizzying speed. The golden sunlight of late winter seemed to kiss the treetops, giving me a carefree feeling and making me smile. Perhaps some miracle of nature here had eased the traveler's soul after more than 10 days of traveling through France, Switzerland, Italy and now Austria.
Suddenly a voice from the back seat asked me where I was going. I turned around and said I was going to Hallstatt. They said we were going to the Dachstein snow mountain and the Ice Cave.
Snow mountains, ice caves-Keywords that made a person born and raised in a tropical country like me curious. I quickly went up to the driver and told him to drop me off at the Ice Cave. The driver nodded and said to rest assured, he would call everyone. It seemed like that was a famous place that I accidentally did not know about.
After half an hour on the bus, we transferred to the Post Bus and finally arrived at Hallstatt. Half of the tourists had already gotten off the bus to go to Hallstatt, which appeared as beautiful as I had imagined: an ancient village, located on the shore of a large lake, leaning against the snow-capped mountains behind. But I still sat on the Post Bus, leaving Hallstatt Lahn station to go to Dachstein. I felt excited because this place was not in the original itinerary, nor did I have any concept of the Dachstein mountain range.
At the foot of the mountain, my two new friends and I bought cable car tickets. Celine and Anna chose a ticket of only 22 Euros to go to station 1 because they didn't have time to go to station 2. There was still a lot of snow so station 3 was temporarily inaccessible. The ticket seller said that station 3 could only be accessed in the summer when the snow melted. There was always snow all year round from station 1 to station 3 of the cable car. I bought a ticket of 40 Euros to go to both stations. After saying goodbye to Celine and Anna at station 1, I went to station 2 first, following the guide's advice to go to the highest point and then return down.
ConquerStation 2 ofsnowy mountainsDachstein
Sitting and watching the cable car speeding over the rows of bare pine trees, the snow still thick on the mountain slopes, everything around me felt unreal. In the countries I had visited before, flowers were blooming and the sun was shining, but here it was different. It felt like I was experiencing two different seasons in Europe in just one ride. I looked up at the white mountain peaks ahead, and knew that was where I was going.
It was strange that the first time I stepped onto the thick and smooth snow of the Dachstein range, I only wore a pair of sneakers and two simple layers of clothing in the -4 degree Celsius weather. The amazing scene that opened before my eyes made me no longer care about the cold. At that time, the sun was shining so the low temperature was not a big deal. I stumbled on the snow, many times I wanted to fall because my shoes were not suitable for walking in the snow. I could not hide my smile and my hands were busy playing with the cool snow. It felt like I was lost in a fairy world. I quickly followed the guide board to the attractions at station 2.
The first destination is5fingers, this place is a five-fingered hand-shaped structure. Each finger points straight out to the cliff, the glass and iron structure allows me to look down and see the deep abyss of snow below. For someone who is afraid of heights like me, that experience is unforgettable. But forget it, fear is nothing when you can see from5fingersacross the stunning Salzkammergut landscape of valleys, lakes, snow-capped mountains and villages below. The villages are like toy models that you want to reach out and pick up for a moment.
On this high mountain I still saw a chapel with the nameDachsteinkapelleIt looks strange sitting in the middle of a snowfield. At 2,206m above sea level, it is the highest place of worship in the Northern Alps.
There is only one restaurant on station 2. I did not miss the opportunity to sit down at Dachstein Krippenstein and have a delicious meal, and did not forget to FaceTime my mother to share the magical moment of being in the sun and snow at the same time. Sipping a delicious Hallstatt beer in the Austrian snow was an unforgettable experience in my life.
Station 1 and the mysterious ice cave
At Station 1, there is an archaeological museum with information about the excavation of Mammoth fossils from the Ice Age here. But the most amazing thing about Station 1 is the Ice Cave.
This ice cave, which is over 300 years old, is strange in that every winter, the ice melts and in spring and summer, the ice grows larger. So the best time to explore is every April to August to see the beautiful ice strips inside the cave. You cannot enter the Ice Cave freely because the path inside is nearly 1km of stairs, which is quite dangerous. You have to wait every hour to be guided to go in groups.
The ice structures inside the cave bring amazement to those who visit. I can see waterfalls frozen for hundreds of years, ice towers built from underground water flowing outside creating strange natural structures that one cannot help but wonder where they came from.
Perhaps choosing to go to Dachstein during a chance conversation on the bus was the best decision I ever made.
Back to Hallstatt
Not forgetting the main purpose of the trip, I got down the mountain at 5 pm, the sun was still hot because spring was coming. I felt like I was standing in a Saigon summer noon. The bus would take more than 30 minutes to arrive, so I asked the people waiting around if we could take a 7-seater taxi together, each person only cost 2.50 Euro but could get to Hallstatt in a blink of an eye.
When I returned to Hallstatt Lahn, the sun was already behind the mountain. The sun was not as beautiful as the afternoon when I stopped by Hallstatt and then hurried away. But the ancient village was still beautiful. The winding roads and the old houses were preserved intact with new paint. I was delighted to see a flock of white swans swimming in the middle of the lake and my heart also fluttered when I saw couples holding hands and walking around this village, which is known as the most beautiful and worth-visiting in Europe.
I was traveling alone and had my camera with me, so I couldn’t avoid being asked to take pictures by a few couples. An Italian couple asked me to take their picture, and the three of us chatted animatedly as we took turns taking pictures of every corner of Hallstatt. When the sun started to set around 6:30, the two of them started to leave. Although we only met by chance, I was invited to share a car ride back to Salzburg. So I got into their four-seater Fiat and sped back to Hallstatt.
I had the feeling that day was not only a day to explore the nature and villages of Austria, but also a day to make new friends without prior arrangement. That is the magic of “traveling”, sometimes just opening our mouths to say a few words to each other is enough for us to know more about each other and become friends in the blink of an eye. Perhaps, traveling makes our minds less shy and fearful, learn to accept more the friendliness of strangers and know how to allow ourselves to open up more.
More information
+ Cultural and natural heritage
- The ancient village of Hallstatt and Dachstein Mountain in the Salzkammergut region of Austria are special heritages of UNESCO when they are recognized as both Cultural Heritage and Natural Heritage. If you have been here, you will see that this recognition is natural, when the Salzkammergut region has enough harmonious elements of human and nature. Imagine being in a fairy-tale village and then climbing to the top of Dachstein, overwhelmed by snowy mountains and ice caves.
- The Dachstein Mountains are a branch of the famous Alps that stretches across the western part of Austria. If you are looking for an Alpine trekking experience, the Dachstein Mountains will give you a sense of the majestic Alps. I also did not know that the Dachstein Mountains were part of the Alps until I read the guide at the rest stop.
+ Notes when traveling to Hallstatt/Dachstein Salzkammergut
- Bus tickets can be bought on the bus. If you want to stop somewhere, just tell the driver.
- The last bus from Ice Cave to Hallstatt and Bad Ischl is at 5:25 pm, so you should time it well. From Bad Ischl back to Salzburg, the journey is more leisurely because the bus runs until 9 pm.
- Be prepared to wait a long time for each bus.
- Dachstein Station 3 is only accessible in summer. When going in spring, autumn and winter, you will only be able to go up to Station 2.
