Munich - Neuschwanstein Castle - Salzburg - Hallstatt - Graz

Hallstatt? WOW. That’s one word for this small part of the world. I’ll let the photos tell you everything I can’t.

I don’t why I didn’t book ahead of time for this ride, but thank God it was just a little bit pricier than the tickets I booked ahead of time. It was a 3-hour train ride from Salzburg Hauptbahnhof to Bad Goisern. Why Bad Goisern?

Because staying in Hallstatt, even in winter, is expensive. Bad Goisern is one of the towns nearby. I booked Gästehaus Mörtlmühle through Agoda and stayed in my own bedroom (Yay! No one to share it with!) with my own hot shower. Simple delights when you’re traveling alone and on a budget. The hosts Helmuth and Renate were very welcoming and helpful. Really loved my stay here.

Tip: They only accept cash!

Trivia: It’s a 300 year old guesthouse.

Also: Bad Goisern is a very small town. There’s a church, a bank, a small grocery store, and a couple of small restaurants. I think I was the only Asian tourist who opted to stay there instead of Bad Ischl. Really felt like it was a place where time stopped. The only thing that brings you back to reality is the English music playing from the radio (which had a cassette tape player in it). Also thank God for Netflix and the internet. New Girl kept me sane.

I bought sandwiches from the store in Salzburg Hauptbahnhof and that kept me alive for quite some time. I had lunch of burger and fries from a small restaurant in town (quite expensive, cash payment only) and I ended up eating it for dinner too.

Bad Goisern is a few stops away from Hallstatt, and one way costs EUR4. You can buy a ticket from the machine in the train station. There is a timetable for the train as well as the ferry from Hallstatt train station to the town across the lake. I bought a roundtrip ticket for EUR5 (one way is EUR2.50).

Tourists are free to roam around the town. Thankfully the sun showed up that day and everything looked so majestic!

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Travel video below!

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