Bavaria is the German federal state bordering Salzburg directly to the north and east, containing the IS day-trip cluster of Berchtesgaden National Park, the Königssee, and the Kehlsteinhaus.
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Bavaria
Bavaria is the German federal state bordering Salzburg directly to the north and east, containing the IS day-trip cluster of Berchtesgaden National Park, the Königssee, and the Kehlsteinhaus.
Cathedral square
Mozart's birthplace
Festungsberg fortress
Salzach river walk
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On the map
Why visit
What makes Bavaria worth your time
Plan your visit
Practical info for Bavaria
Historical context and how to think about your visit.
The most photographed village in Austria
Hallstatt earns the hype and suffers from it in equal measure. The lake-and-spire view really is that good, and by mid-morning in summer you share it with a thousand other people and a fleet of coaches. The trick is timing, not avoidance.
Come at opening or stay till the day-trippers leave, and the village empties into something close to the postcard. Better still, make it part of a slower Salzkammergut loop rather than a single rushed stop.
Getting there
By car it is about 1h10 from Salzburg around the lakes. By public transport, take the train to Hallstatt station and the little ferry across. Slower, but the arrival by water is the best first view there is. Day-tripping is easy; an overnight rewards you with the empty early morning.
Hallstatt · map
What to skip
Don’t come midday in July.
And skip the “Hallstatt in 2 hours” coach logic. The village is small; rushing it in the busiest window is the one way to leave disappointed. Early, late, or off-season. Or don’t bother.