The scenic landscape of Hallstatt, the lake and the surrounding mountains is really marvellous. The architecture of the town with its boathouses can be viewed best from the lake, either with a boat trip or from the ferry to the train station on the opposite shore of the lake. The ascent to the Rudolf tower is also rewarding: You have a wonderful view over Hallstatt, the lake and to the Dachstein massif. You can walk or ride up with a funicular. Not far from the Rudolf tower is the entrance to the salt mine, the oldest salt mine in the world. The highlights here (not only for children!) are the miners' slides, one is 64 meters long. And of course, do not miss the Beinhaus (ossuary) next to the parish church Maria am Berg.

The beauty of the town and its spectacular location at the lakeside was extensively described by the previous reviews. But the WHS also includes the Dachstein massif and the large cave system. Three caves can be visited, each is of a different type: the Ice Cave with fascinating ice formations, the Mammut Cave with rock formations in different colours and the Koppenbrüller Cave in the valley, a stalactite cave. Especially the Ice Cave is worth a visit, the tour lasts 50 minutes.

If you stay a few days in Hallstatt, you should make a trip to the Dachstein massif. A cable car runs in three sections to the Dachstein mountain plateau. At the upper station of the first section you can visit the Ice Cave and Mammut Cave. The second section leads to the Krippenstein peak. From there you can walk on easy trails to different vantage points with stunning views to the Dachstein glacier, the surrounding mountain peaks and the Lake Hallstatt. "Mountains as far as the eye can see" is one of the slogans - and this is not an exaggeration, on clear days you have a wide panoramic view over the Salzkammergut. The most spectacular viewing platform is the 5-fingers (photo), 400 meters above the ground, the view over the valley and the lake is breathtaking.

The Krippenstein peak is also the starting point of a hiking trail through the karst landscape - the Heidelberg circular trail. The walk takes about 2.5 hours and is suitable for less experienced hikers. From the valley station of the third cable car section, you can hike to the Simony Hut at an altitude of 2200 meters, just below the Dachstein glacier. The last part of the trail is very steep and you should be in good physical shape. An alternative route leads over meadows back to the cable car station.

I visited the Hallstatt-Dachstein cultural landscape several times in the recent years. There are a lot of cultural and natural sights and I would recommend to spend more than one day there. For dinner I can recommend the restaurant Zauner, the fish from the lake is excellent, in particular the Reinanke (whitefish or Coregonus).