Hallstatt
While we were staying in the Zell am See region we decided to take a day trip to Hallstatt. We briefly stopped in the village on our drive from Vienna to Zell am See but felt like we needed to come back another day to really make the most of this picturesque place. It took less than 2 hours to drive there from our Airbnb, which we thought was a perfectly reasonable journey for what turned out to be one of the most memorable days of the week.
Aside from being Pinterest and Insta-famous, and therefore full of tourists, we managed to escape the crowds quite easily and thoroughly enjoyed pottering through this little fairytale village. We decided to walk down from the “Skywalk” viewing platform (most people took the cable car both up and down) so the footpath was near enough deserted and we had some of the most spectacular views of the village below. We also seriously lucked out on the weather which turned out to be the warmest day of the week! We finished the day with an hour long ride around the lake on a little electric boat (available for hire at a surprisingly reasonable rate) and drove back to Zell am See in time for dinner.
Where we ate:
Cafe Bakeries Maislinger | We only stopped for an afternoon coffee and cake in Hallstatt as we had breakfast and dinner in Zell am See.
Salzburg
The next day we packed up and left for our final destination of Salzburg. We stayed in Hotel Modus which was in a great location but quite overpriced for the small size and quality of the room we were given. The city itself was compact and very easy to explore on foot in the two short days we spent there. We spent most of our time walking, eating and just generally enjoying the relaxed atmosphere in this laid back city. We tried to split our time equally between Old Town and New Town, spending a day on each side, but most businesses were closed on Sunday so unfortunately we didn’t get to browse all the lovely shops in Old Town. We did spend a couple of hours at Hohensalzburg Castle though which was definitely worth a visit.
Where we ate:
Darwin’s Cafe Bar | We visited this awesome bar for a few drinks on both nights. It had a great atmosphere and was clearly very popular with locals and tourists.
Sabroson Pizzeria | Probably the only bad restaurant we went to. The food wasn’t that great and the service was terrible. Should have checked TripAdvisor!
Coffee-House | The perfect place to stop for an afternoon coffee and cake. Really friendly staff and beautiful decor.
Ludwig Burger Restaurant | We had breakfast and dinner here on our last day and the food was so good. Probably my favourite restaurant of the whole week.
So that was our week in Austria in a nutshell. We absolutely loved exploring this beautiful country. I feel very lucky to live so close to some incredible destinations and can’t wait to have more adventures throughout Europe. I really hope you enjoyed these photos and would love to know which European countries you recommend visiting!
Midgins' 