Hallstatt. Why Do I Hate Austria's Most Breathtaking Mountain Village? | Salzkammergut, Austria, 

Glad you were able to experience the village in peace! We still need to make it out to Iceland and the Rockies to make the comparison as well.

@@NearFromHome By the way, the Canadian Rockies are different as a whole. The Alps may be more scenic but it feels like the countryside whereas the Rockies are empty other than a few towns and feel more dangerous if you were to get lost. I find they have totally different vibes. Alps look taller, are WAY more lush and the valley are tight and random. In the Canadian rockies you find extremely wide sweeping valleys that go on for 100s of kilometers. You also feel closer to the alpine in the Rockies even at the valley floor. The mountains in western Canada feature dense rainforest on the coast, sandy deserts and warm lakes in the middle and the jagged rockies in the east. To the north you'll find many 5000+ metre peaks and massive icefields. Lots of diversity.

Wow that sounds like a lot of fun. Over tourism in Hallstatt is a relatively new phenomenon, so I couldn't help but wish I had visited ten years ago as well. Also, it always seems like their is some festival or celebration in the Alps. haha

Yeah, it is a shame how much walk through tourism the town is now having to deal with. Which IMO is the worst kind, as it stresses the roads, parking lots, and other aspects of infrastructure while not actually giving back to the town itself.

I'm sure, not far from Hallstatt is still as quiet as before 😁

Thanks so mich!

🥰 thanks for your comment. Very cool! It must have been nice to see empty. We will have to check out obertraun.

Als Österreicherin, die Hallstatt besucht hat, solltest du wissen, dass es "Hallstatt" heißt.

Thanks! You can't go wrong with any of the lakes in the Salzkammergut. My favorite was Traunsee, but the Alps in general look very beautiful in the Winter covered in snow. Plus, the Christmas markets will be around in December, so you'll be able to visit those just about everywhere you go.

Thank you!

🥰 You are too nice. Thank you! 🥰 Glad it was helpful. I’ve been watching your insta stories, and it looks like you’re having a nice time. Also, you guys might like Trainkirchen. The lake is nice, and the town has some beautiful swimming spots your kids might enjoy

So for such a short stint, where you base yourself will both be really important. I really really loved my time in Traunkirchen, and when I go back one day I'll be staying there. That being said St Wolfgang could also be a good option. If you haven't checked out the rest of my Salzkammergut series then I'd really recommend it, if only because I absolutely loved that trip and would do it all again beat for beat with no changes. Hiking the Miesweg near Traunsee, taking a boat from Gmunden, the sauna in Traunkirchen. Those things alone would make for a great trip. However, the cogwheel train up the Schafberg was incredibly memorable too, and I think back very fondly to Bad Ischl.

In my experience, Winter had slightly fewer tourists, but not be much. Hallstatt is also very beautiful in the Winter, making it almost equally as popular a time to visit.

@@NearFromHome Thank you for replying. Yes, i've seen pictures of it in winter and it looks absolutely amazing. Kind of a bummer about the tourists, though... still, i'll probably be going there anyway, maybe sleep a few nights depending on how i like it :) I'll be renting a campervan though, so I hope that they have enough space, i don't know how's the situation in that camping area near the gas station, couldn't find much about it online

Thanks so much 🥰 The YT algorithm is a cruel mistress

Thanks! 🥰

Thanks! We did not fly a drone in Hallstatt. Maybe you thinking of the other lakes in our Salzkammergut series? We flew the drone there and showed some of that footage at the end of the video!

@@NearFromHome thanks for the info! I am trying to apply for a permit to fly a sub-250g drone in Austria, may I ask which insurance did you take out to apply for the permit?

Miesweg! It’s a beautiful trail at Traunsee. It was actually our favorite thing we did in the Salzkammergut.

There is definitely an element of that. However when I first went over the winter, no one had told me how touristy it truly was and I was honestly rather shocked. Especially because no one had mentioned how many other wonderful lakes and towns there are in the area. So then the question becomes how do I address this in my series on the region. Do I ignore Hallstatt entirely? Do I shrug it off in the footnote of another video? Or do I show what my genuine opinion is of the village. Do I try and show the beautiful shots, but also the massive crowds? And as I chose to do that, it would also be disingenuous to not actually get you the footage on good faith to look and see it for yourself. So I had to revisit one more time. Otherwise you’d just be looking at my face the whole time, which I don’t think would really help anyone make their own decisions. The influencers I watched didn’t show me the full picture, and I had a worse trip for it. So I really strive as hard as I can to not do that to my viewers.

Exactly. I mean that’s why we made this video, to show the reality of it and let our viewers decide if they think it is worth it. I also liked ending my Salzkammergut series with this video as anyone who wants to find those other lakes can watch the other videos and get some inspiration.

Don’t forget to visit the salt mine! lol I still think the other villages and lakes offer better value, but if you still want to check out Hallstatt, who am I to judge when I did it, then your summary is how I’d do it. It’s how I visited last winter and I don’t regret it. In this video I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t misrepresent the place as so many other videos I’ve watched have.

@@NearFromHome it looks stunning, but we do not like crowds at all! We can’t wait to get out to Germany and Austria again to hike!!!

I couldn’t agree more. Which is why I think part 2 and 3 of the series were my favourites. While Hallstatt was swamped, Gmunden and Traunkirchen were pleasantly populated. I practically had the museum, hike, and ferry all to myself. The food was also far better too! I think in general that’s why so much of my content is about hikes and castle ruins, places that aren’t very busy and could probably do with more people knowing about them. Much like a lot of your ruin videos.

@@NearFromHome great minds is all I’ll say. Happy hiking band please post some more of when the snows come and everything looks like a Christmas card!! Xx

Are you asking what I’d recommend instead of Hallstatt? If so :) at the end of this video I list a few of my highlights from the Salzkammergut series, specifically for you though I’d probably say the Schafbergbahn at Wolfgangsee. It’s closer than Hallstatt and the cogwheel train plus mountain top views would be a lot of fun. There is also a town very close by that is super pretty, so you won’t miss out on seeing a small mountain town either.

I'm going in August with my boyfriend and planning to go to the Ossuary, Skywalk and walk around the lake. We're going to get there by train and ferry from Salzburg and then go back to our hotel in Salzburg.

@@ania5038 booo

Wow thanks for watching. the 4 Videos before it cover other villages and lakes in the region! My favorite is the town of Traunkirchen on the lake of Traunsee. :)

Even though it is touristy and over crowded I recommend you to visit once it is beautiful town😍

Thank you so much 😊

It's fine, but I think there are much better views in the area. Our absolute favourite was taking the Schafbergbahn up to the Schfkopf mountain peak. We even have a video about it!

@@NearFromHome Thanks, I check

@@NearFromHome Yes I see your video! Thanks for your recommendation! It's awesome and I add it to my list! Can I expect Sunny weather in July?

Wow, I have heard bag from people who visited before instagram. It’s so sad. Glad y out have such nice memories though

If you want to blame the real culprit then complain to Disney lol Frozen is based on Hallstatt and it's like telling people not to go see the Eiffel Tower

For sure. To me it’s all about spreading it around. If we all keep going to the same places, then not only do we miss out on things we might enjoy more ourselves but we also sink these places for everyone else. I really debated whether or not to include Hallstatt in my Salzkammergut series for that reason, but I thought it might be interesting to share a slightly negative yet hopefully constructive point of view.

That's unfortunate! We have been to so many wonderful under touristed places in the UK, as Ben is actually from the Midlands. Unfortunately, most of our travels in the UK were before we started our channel :(

I’d believe it. There are signs about respecting the locals everywhere 😢

Yes, It was shown on tv here in Austria. Drones are also not allowed, I saw the police explaining this to a tourist. There are signs explaining the rules in many languages.

😎 check out our other videos/ the other attractions in the Salzkammergut. They are just as beautiful, and not over touristed

Thanks! We really love the surrounding Salzkammergut region!

Check out the salt mine!

I really don’t think the answer to over tourism is to tell the locals that they can leave their homes and live somewhere else.

The rest of the Salzkammergut series!

Maybe. But can you show people the reality of a situation without going for yourself? I also think it’s bus bound day trippers causing majority of the damage, so I followed all of my own advice on how stay, visit the place, and ultimately the rest of the series was designed to showcase more of the Salzkammergut. In all I tried my best to give an honest review of the situation in a way I see too few doing. Way too many videos duck the camera away and show a pristine village without the flood of people nor offer any advice or alternatives on how to try and do better.

@@NearFromHome After having been pointed to your video by the recent video of @MyMerryMessyLife, I watched it a second time, now more attentatively. I have to take back my previous comment. You are really pointing out the problem there. Great video. Good job.

Just make sure you visit the right way, and you’ll still have a good time. Though to journey all the way to Hallstatt and miss the rest of the Salzkammergut would be a real shame.

@@NearFromHomeoh definitely, we were gonna honeymoon though Italy into Austria but I want this trip to be separate so we can fully see everything there is.

Well I tried my best.

@@NearFromHome I will try to go to the Ossuary and the Skywalk so at least there's that and I plan to go by train 🤷‍♀

Not really. Hallstatt isn’t hurting for tourists or money, which is the entire problem. Not to mention most of the tourist money goes to the tourist companies and the mass tourism infrastructure. Very little money comparatively goes to the town itself. But that’s not the only point of the video. I did an entire series of videos in the region, no more than 40 minutes away from Hallstatt the whole time. There is so much more to see, so many towns and experiences to be had that no ever visits because all anyone ever does is Hallstatt. So perhaps give those videos a watch and see if you might like those too! Greece also suffers from the same mass tourism problems. Obviously not all of it. But I wouldn’t bet that you’ll find more peace in Santorini than Hallstatt. Sadly most travel channels just recycle the same 6 places over and over again, the ones you have likely heard of, and never show you the reality of what these places are really like. So if you appreciate what we are doing here, maybe consider subscribing, watching our other videos, and sharing us with your friends!!

@@NearFromHome Thank you for answering, one other question if you don't mind. Is it possible to rent a hotel in hallstat and travel to other areas for sightseeing without a car or it costing a fortune? All we really want is a week of peace and relaxation. Tysm

@@littleanthonyuk6730 I think taking the trains would be a lot less expensive than renting a car. In our Salzkammergut series, we wanted to take the trains, but they didn't run quite frequently enough for our packed and changing schedule. For regular site seeing it might be an option. I would look at the frequency and duration of the trains between Hallstat and wherever you want to go. A few Austrians commented that our Salzkammergut series is doable via public transit.

Yeah, we went in December 2019, and it was wayyyy more crowded. We were a little disappointed at the crowds for this video, as we really wanted to make a point. However, I think the shots suffice. We love the salt mine. hahah I do think there are a couple others in the Salzkammergut though.

At the end of the video, we feature all the other places in Austria that we made videos on. You can also find them in our Salzkammergut playlist. We especially loved Traunsee and the towns of Traunkirchen and Gmunden. We also loved Wolfgangsee for the Schafbergbahn. Bad Ischel is also nice!

Thanks! :)

wow that sounds amazing. We've heard a couple stories about people visiting Hallstatt before the big tourism boom.

I doubt many of the residents are raking in the money. I'm not even convinced the town is raking it in either to be honest. The short stay tour bus companies and promoters sure are though.

@@NearFromHome Every community in Europe has some form of democratic town council that determines local traffic regulations and could introduce regulations to limit the number of coaches.

I don’t think the month makes much of a difference.

@NearFromHome ok I'm visiting this April.. Not sure how it's gonna be like.. Anyways ,thanks.

@@joshuaprime777 Most likely just like this, Hallstatt doesn’t have an “off” season really. I don’t think going in one month vs another month will make the difference in it being over touristed. Check it if you want of course, but it will be what it will be. So I’d highly recommend checking out the rest of the series we did in Salzkammergut! There is a lot to explore amongst those mountains and lakes.

@@NearFromHome Tq sir.. much appreciated 🙏🏾

Honestly that means a lot, as I shared this a few places and was mostly called a prick. I put myself out there and did something a little different with this video; and I’m really glad you liked it :)

A lot of this can be done with public transit! I wouldn’t be able to film this series as easily, but you can definitely go to these places with public transit.

This level of over tourism is bad. People should spread out.

Luckily that entire region of Austria is a Lake District with tons of different spots to choose from. To me, Hallstättersee isn’t even my favourite, I much preferred lake Traunsee. Which I think is also my favourite video in the series.

I think they cause the most damage, and give the least back. Yeah.

It's great. I think it's really the best part. :D

oh nooooo

Someone gets it!

Hahaha we def saw plenty of that

Yes! I hope that people will find other equally cool and beautiful destinations in the area instead!

Agreed. That is definitely the case for Hallstatt. :(

Lucky for you I made a whole series showing the hidden gems of the Salzkammergut :) and recommended some better ways to see Hallstatt itself too. So I’ve got you covered!

when the Chinese tourists are the main culprit, lol

My thought too!

It is terrible what has happened to Hallstatt and many other villages being crushed by overtourism, but to lay the blame solely on the Chinese or simply just call them out more specifically than any other group is just……well…..you know……wrong. Americans, Romanians, Germans, Italians, Chinese: they all travel here by the tour bus load and none of them have any more right to be here than the other. We are all just tourists. - The problem as I see it is more about the way in which people travel, and not who is doing it. It’s the day tripper tour bus companies putting together awful itineraries that drain villages of their charm by forcing them to cater to bus loads of short stay passers by. The other problem is also that people don’t know any better, a problem I hope my channel combats. However, at the end of the day, you could banish all the Chinese tomorrow, as insanely problematic as that would be, and it wouldn’t solve the problem. But if you banned short form bus tourism and instead focused on more accessible public infrastructure, then you’d have actually made a step in the right direction.

Last time I went I got there early and it was great, until mid-morning the chinese tour busses start rolling in relentlessly. Couldn't get out fast enough

Right. So that bus parking lot isn’t for public transport, maybe that’s where you got confused. However sadly no, that parking lot is for mass tourism. The kind of tourism that shows up for a few hours and leaves without ever really giving back to the town. It’s parasitic, and it’s low effort. So I personally would like to see much less of it. Instead I think people should try to take real public transit if they can, not mass tour busses, but more importantly I think people should stay longer and actually spend their money in the town. Like really think about it for a minute. When you book a mass tour, most of the money goes to that company and very little to the town. What money they do get then often has to support building these massive tourist parking lots and doesn’t go into what actually makes the town special. If you however get there yourself and spend some real time there, imagine how much more money the town will receive, and to which business owners it will go to. It’s a night and day difference. Lastly. If you think every single one of those mass tourists would actually take the effort to stay in these places longer and put the effort to get there the hard way……well……you are wrong ;) By decreasing tourist bus parking lots, advocating people stay longer, and recommending actual busses and public transit when available you can easily see how this would lead to less over tourism.

@@NearFromHome I don’t know why you have so much against local bus drivers, but public transport is never going to be able to handle that many tourists. Not to mention public transport is what the actual locals probably rely on, so overcrowding them even In Their public transit seems incredibly odd. Plus, Money going to government transit is never going to make its way back into any of the townspeople’s pockets. Sure spending more time and going to local business les is fun, but not everyone has that much money is wealthy enough to make that happen. Some people can only afford a bus ticket. Not to mention, everyone staying overnight would only make the town more crowded, more loud. Or just let people take their instagram photos, let them pay for busses to come grab their photos, and then leave. It’s not that big of an issue

@@wallinballinfam If you ask the people who live there, I don’t believe they will agree with you that it isn’t a big issue. Mass tourism has turned a beautiful town into little more than Disneyland. It’s sad. The food quality is abysmal, the shops tacky, and the streets littered with signs practically begging you to not fly your drone or step into people’s property to get a better photo. Personally, I do not believe even a 10th of the people taking mass tours in and out of Hallstatt would bother going if they had to get there themselves or were encouraged to spend more time there. Which is why I don’t think it’ll overcrowd the local transit. If anything it will help push and fund for more local transit which will in turn help everyone. The whole Salzkammergut region is fantastic. Many towns almost empty. Yet Hallstatt is overflowing. It’s wild. Which was the entire point of the video. To recommend people travel the area differently. If you feel differently. That’s up to you. My goal was to just share my thoughts, and I felt like your comment was a little bit rude and sorta missed my point entirely. Regardless though. You watched the Hallstatt video :) so I’d recommend you check out the others in the area. There was some really cool stuff out there that a lot of people were missing.

@@NearFromHome That's just the reality of what happens when you live somewhere beautiful. You got to go there so why shouldn't everybody else. Travel snobs are the worst lol

@@ania5038 just admit you don't care about others and leave

We have a word for this. It's called being a pick me. It's also strange to blame such a complicated problem on a single group of people. Seems pretty problematic to me. Idk, I never hear the same criticism for other large groups of foreign tourists, of which I saw many the two times I visited Hallstatt. Additionally, much of the conversation around Chinese tourists is not as level headed as 'they all have the same three weeks off'. In fact, I have been really shocked with how openly racist a lot of Europeans have been with comments such as 'the Chinese are so rude/disrespectful/loud ect when they visit Europe.'

When is that?

Capitalism is trash mate, a highly flawed system, because this is what it does. Monetary value and worth are rarely aligned. If I made this video from my couch you’d just complain I don’t know what I’m talking about, the footage illustrates the point. I went to show people what they are actually getting into, instead of sugar coating it and lying like so many other “influencers” peddling to the masses. This is a town with its soul running dry and streets that smell like French fries. If you can’t see that, I can’t help you. I hope you visit and enjoy yourself :) however, you are unfortunately incorrect.

@@NearFromHomeand yet you still went? Twice?

Exactly!

lol. You silly billy, if I hadn’t gone and shown it to people 🙄 if I hadn’t gotten footage to back up my claims, then how would I be able to make the video? I guess I could sit at home and talk out of my ass, but no doubt you’d then accuse me of not knowing what I’m talking about. People like you think they’ve got a clever “gotcha” moment, but …… well …… not really.

My point exactly ;) thanks for watching

@@NearFromHome LOL great reply! Great video, keep up the good work Sir.

So are you arguing that one cannot be racist against the Chinese because the Chinese are not a race? 🙄 You gotta get things straight before you say racist shit.

Oof. big yikes. :O

Colonizer- A person who settles among and establishes political control over the indigenous people of an area.

you said it, not me :D The salt mine is pretty cool though

I do wish we could wild camp in Germany and Austria....

lol I am no 'afraid to call out the Chinese'. There's nothing to call out. 'They act like the Aryans of the world'- Hoooo boi there is a lot to unpack here. You have made. a lot of assumptions and generalisations about a racial group....what is that called again?

@@NearFromHome that’s called racism. yes I’m a bit racist but to be fair, I also condemn my race if we do something wrong. also I forgot to point out that back when I used to work in an apple store, the mainland chinese tourists were the rudest n least civilized. not all of them but I can say around 50-60% of them are like that. yes its probably bcs its an apple store, therefore our target market are customers w money. but a lot of them treat us like lowlife peasants. ofc i’ve encountered a few good chinese people but its so rare that it amazed me every time they come by

@@sentiasatransformasi big yikes to everything you just said.

ok

did you want to watch a blank screen the entire time? I think the presence of two people filming for a few hours can be forgiven by the 49k people who have been warned to not contribute to over tourism.

​@@NearFromHome you could have used stock footage or footage from your old trip. I'm sure everyone of those 49k people thought the same, one extra person isn't going to make a difference. Such narcissistic behaviour, you get to go TWICE and make money from your trip there because you're an important you-tuber, but normal people shouldn't go because you said so.

😅 this is the truth. I’m visiting Salzburg for the like the fifth time this weekend.