A must-visit ultimate destination before you die! A 10-minute walkable town — Austria’s “most beautiful village in the world”

▲ Classic views of the most beautiful town in the world.

Reported and photographed by reporter You Ru / Austria

If you could choose just one most beautiful town in the world to stay in for two days, where would you most want to go? Hallstatt in central Austria, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is regarded by many travelers as the “most beautiful town in the world.” There’s no other reason than that living there means being surrounded by breathtaking scenery — even a paradise on earth couldn’t fully describe it.


▲ The town by the riverside, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997.

Traveling from Salzburg (the birthplace of Mozart), a well-known city in Austria, to Hallstatt, the distance looks to be only about 70 kilometers on the map, but taking public transportation takes roughly three hours to arrive. The reporter took two train segments and then transferred to a boat to get there; others took a train and then a bus, or multiple buses. No matter how you go, to reach the town, you have to catch the last boat at 5:30 p.m. to cross the lake to the other side. The journey involves a lot of ups and downs,but if you can finally set foot in the legendary “most beautiful town,” what’s a bit of trouble?

Arriving at the train station on the other side of the lake, Hallstatt, it was already 3 p.m., and in the winter, the town station had very few travelers. Walking down the slope leads to the dock. The station is isolated, with no shops or houses around, just right next to the lake. In the winter light, the sun was already turning westward, and the lake shimmered. At this point, the town still wasn’t visible. After a five-minute ride on a speedboat, the town’s famous landmark — the church steeple — came into view, and instantly, the “most beautiful town” appeared before your eyes.


▲ Taking a boat to the town, you’ll see this scene before arrival.
% The influence of the small town.


Hallstatt, once known to very few people, suddenly gained fame after being listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997. The stunning landscape of lake and mountain attracted many tourists eager to visit. The entire town has only one main road, which takes just 10 minutes to walk from end to end. The traditional wooden houses built against the mountainside and along the lake enhance the beauty of the lake even more.

A blogger who visited Hallstatt twice, Happy Cloud, recalled that when he first visited many years ago, the town was still relatively unknown. “Back then, I spent NT$100 to befriend a local, and he cherished the money so much that he nailed it to the wall of his house.” Years later, more Asians have visited the town, and quite a few souvenir shops have opened. However, the scenery of Hallstatt has remained unchanged.


▲ Wooden houses built against the mountain, all over a hundred years old.
% The best way to experience the town is to do nothing at all.



▲ The church in the mountains, which houses a bone church.


▲ The view on the other side of the town.


▲ % The upper part of the town has several cafes and coffee shops.


The best way to visit Hallstatt is to do absolutely nothing. Start your day with breakfast, then have lunch, afternoon tea, and for dinner, you can indulge a little — try the smoked fish from Lake Hallstatt. Thanks to the tourists who have enriched the town, although small, the town has many small restaurants and craft shops, including handmade bakeries, dessert shops, Austrian and Italian cuisine restaurants. Eating delicious food, walking slowly along the lake, and enjoying the sunrise and sunset is the most heartfelt and grand way to treat the town.

The town, known to Austrians for its salt production, also has nearby salt caves you can explore. If you’re looking for attractions in the town, head uphill along the lake. Next to the church at the top of the hill is a bone church, built because the town’s land is small and there is limited space for burials. Walking further along the path, the most photogenic spot of the town is located on the hillside — from there, the entire town spreads out before your eyes. If a wisp of cloud drifts by, the view of the “most beautiful town” becomes something beyond even a “paradise on earth” to describe.


▲ % The best time to visit is early morning — every angle is poetic.