Hallstatt is a small town in the district of Gmunden, in the Austrian state of Upper Austria. Situated between the southwestern shore of Hallstätter See and the steep slopes of the Dachstein massif, the town lies in the Salzkammergut region, on the national road linking Salzburg and Graz. There’s a reason Hallstatt, Austria, is one of the most visited places on Earth. A population of around 800 residents play host, often begrudgingly, to over 3 million visitors a year. From the photos, it’s easy to see why. Picturesque barely does it justice. Towering Alpine hills descend into the blue lake waters, with an adorable Austrian village nestled in between. The first thing you should know is that while visiting the town isn’t technically limited, the number of tour buses and parking spaces are. So if you’re driving get there early or go on an off day/season. There are more parking lots south of town. If you’re staying in town, there’s a lot with a shuttle bus. There are also signs that show the number of spaces available in each parking lot.
Regardless, you’re going to need to dodge huge tourist buses, which disgorge hundreds of people at a time, all day long. Fortunately, the village is putting a limit on these. I’d be wary of visiting in August, or on the weekends in the summer. It can be wall-to-wall people. It’s also very small, so a “day trip” here is pretty excessive. Once you wander around and get lots of photos, there’s not much else to do.