Photo excursion to Hallstatt in the Salzkammergut - Upper Austria

Rainy, gloomy and changeable - just the right weather for taking photos in Hallstatt. 

One day. One day, I packed my bags and travelled to Hallstatt - a goal that I had set myself time and again in the past and had not yet realised despite the „proximity“ to the idyllic lakeside town. Just under an hour's drive separates me from probably one of the most famous places in Austria and now the time had come - at the end of March, my girlfriend, my doggie and I made our way there.

Of course I packed my camera to practise a bit with my new „toy“ - after all, I've only had it for 3 months and am therefore still new to photography.

Journey to Hallstatt

If you want to get to Hallstatt, you have almost every option. The only thing you can't do is reach it by private jet or aeroplane.

What is possible, however, is travelling by car, bus or even train. However, if you arrive by train, you will find yourself at the other end of the lake and may then with the „Stefanie“ - the boat of Hallstatt Schifffahrt cross the lake.

The onslaught of tourist groups

We, as locals, who are of course not tourists - Attention! That was and is sarcasm. - We are particularly careful not to attract attention as undercover tourists. This means that all day long we unpack the deepest dialect that lies dormant somewhere inside us and respond to every question from the tourists travelling in buses with: „Ekskius mi - i vasteh ned wos du sogst.“ In German this means: „Excuse me, I don't understand what you're trying to tell me. (ger.)“.

Followed by „Außadem bin i grod muats drawig!“, which means nothing other than: „I'm also in a hurry at the moment!“

Joking aside - of course we are tourists too and behave accordingly with respect for the locals and nature. Being a tourist doesn't mean being able to do everything lawlessly. Nor does it mean being a local. Incidentally, the latter were extremely polite to us - I wouldn't have expected that, considering that thousands of people stroll through the alleyways here every day.

Camera and equipment

For the trip to Hallstatt I had my Sony Alpha 7iii in my luggage with my standard kit lens, my 50mm portrait lens and my Tamron 50-400mm telephoto lens.

Therefore almost maximum flexibility in terms of photo spots. What I really missed that day was an ultra-wide-angle lens. That would have expanded my landscape options. Too bad - next time then.

So what can you do in Hallstatt?

Well, let me put it this way. You can enjoy the moment. You can buy fresh air from Hallstatt in a can - from the vending machine. You can also treat yourself to a small portion of cheese spaetzle for just under €17.

You can stroll through the alleyways with your dog and even take him with you to eat.

You can take great photos.

You can lose track of time and there are plenty of hiking opportunities.

You can visit the museum or take the mountain railway up to the viewing platform. You can probably even live the American Dream. Hallstatt is the place of possibilities.

Copy a place. Yes - you can - here is an entry on Wikipedia.

Steps upon steps

If you want to enjoy Hallstatt to the full, you need to bring plenty of time and stamina. This small settlement has a hell of a lot of steps and metres in altitude. A hell of a lot. Insane.

But only those who take these paths can enjoy the fantastic views! No pain, no gain. Or is there?

Hallstatt - it was an honour!

After 6 hours, a snack (Käsespätzle) in our stomachs and blisters on our feet, we make our way back home with 700 photos.

Was it a great trip? It definitely was! There weren't too many tourists around at the time, which made taking photos a lot easier.

Will we come back again? Definitely.

Goodbye Hallstatt, goodbye dear reader, I hope you enjoyed our - somewhat different - blog post.