It might sound very silly, but one of the main reasons that I really want to go to Austria is because of this beautiful lake town Hallstatt. I just love the idea of a small European town surrounded by the mountains, and I can't believe that we made it there! It was more beautiful than I imagined.
We did a day trip to Hallstatt from Salzburg. It took about 2 -3 hours by bus, and it is the cheapest way to get to Hallstatt. You can also go by train, which is more expensive. Either by train or by bus, the window view of the ride was breathtaking. You will pass by the lakes, surrounded by mountains, passing through small towns, and we did not have a single boring moment.
When we finally arrived in Hallstatt, it was really like a dream come true. Hallstatt is a UNESCO heritage site, and its salt mining was dated all the way back to prehistoric times. Although it should not take more than 30 minutes to walk from one side of the town to another, there are a lot of things you could do in Hallstatt, like visiting the salt mine and the incredible Dachstein ice cave. Unfortunately, the tours are closed in winter time, so we just walked around this ancient salt mine village. There are only a handful of stores that were open when we were there because winter is not a tourist season, but at the same time, it is very nice that we don't have to share this view with a million tourists, like in summertime.
This is definitely the most beautiful town that I have ever seen. I do wish to come back here in summer to see a different view of the town. Maybe even stay in the town for a night to see its night view, and get up early to see the lake in the morning. I don't think I can ever get enough of this place!