Hallstatt, Austria

Hallstatt is a picturesque town in Austria, the one most people have seen online or on postcards. During the day, tourists come by bus and by boat to see this small town right on the lake. But by nightfall, the town becomes peaceful again. We wanted to really enjoy Hallstatt and the surrounding area so we stayed for a few nights. We rented a room at Haus Lenz which was 26€ per person for room with a private bathroom. It’s up the hillside a bit but the views are well worth the climb. We went to the Prehistoric Museum for 4€ which had very interesting information on the Hallstatt area over time. All off the information is in English and German as well as many other languages. We also visited the Beinhaus (Bonehouse) where the bones of past Hallstatt residents are displayed. Due to a lack of space in the cemetery and in the town overall, burials are only temporary. After 10-15 years graves are opened and the bones are cleaned and placed in the Beinhaus. This practice ended some 40 years ago and is a very interesting way to spend 1€. When we were in Hallstatt in September 2011, the town was just putting together a self-guided walking tour. It was not up and running yet but there were already numbered plaques all around town. For 5€, you get an MP3 player and a set of headphones.
During one of our days there, we took a bus over to Obertraun to do some hiking. The tourism center in Obertraun was very helpful in providing maps of hiking trails. We hiked for about an hour to get to Koppenbrullerhohle which is a cave you can tour. The cost was 7.50€ and is only open May through September. While I did not think the tour was worth the money, I thoroughly enjoyed the hike which got us there. It was a great way to spend a day.