Hallstatt itself can actually be visited almost for free. You can stroll through the town centre, walk to the famous viewpoint, visit the churches and admire the lake.

There are no entrance fees (as yet) anywhere, and if it comes down to it, you don’t even have to eat there.

However, as soon as you add accommodation, the salt mine and the cable car to Krippenstein, the budget soars very quickly. In the end, it was the cable cars and mountain attractions that cost us the most.

I set off for Hallstatt with my dad in August 2026.

We travelled by car, spent two full days in the area and stayed there for two nights. As we needed two separate rooms, our hotel bill was higher than it would have been for a couple sharing a room.

However, in the overview below, I will therefore only refer to the price for one double room.

I haven’t included the journey to and from Hallstatt in the following budget. I’ve only included expenses incurred directly during our stay: accommodation, parking, admission fees, local transport and food.

I haven’t specifically included the fuel used on short journeys around the region, as I can’t accurately separate it from the journey to Hallstatt – particularly with a hybrid car.

In total, our two days in Hallstatt cost us 424 eur. And that’s despite the fact that we bought almost no souvenirs and certainly didn’t go to any upmarket restaurants.

Our expenses at a glance

Expense	Price per person
Accommodation in a twin room	125 eur
Salzwelten, including cable car	49 eur
Dachstein Krippenstein, caves and 5 Fingers	66,20 eur
Hallstatt ossuary	2 eur
Parking	17 eur
Food and drink	100 eur
Other expenses	65 eur
Total for 3 days/2 nights	424 eur

Staying in a hotel outside Hallstatt saved us quite a bit

I’d originally wanted to stay in the centre of Hallstatt, but the hotel prices were far too high for me.

Especially as we had our own car, staying right in the centre seemed like a waste of money.

The average hotel price in Hallstatt for our dates was around 290 eur per night for a twin room...

In the end, I chose the Landhotel Agathawirt in St. Agatha. We paid about 125 eur per night.

Admittedly, the hotel had a bit of a late-90s, early-2000s feel to it, and I’d describe the service in much the same way. Nothing out of the ordinary, but perfectly fine overall. Free parking, which is great.

As we had a car, the location suited us perfectly, as we could drive to Hallstatt in a few minutes and were literally three minutes away from Steeg-Gosau railway station, where there’s a free park-and-ride facility

The Landhotel Agathawirt was the cheapest option in the wider area. I only found other hotels at a similar price in Gosau, Russbach am Pass Gschütt and the very distant Abtenau.

I compare the individual locations and specific hotels in my articleon accommodation in Hallstatt and the surrounding area.

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Salzwelten: the most expensive activity right in Hallstatt

The most expensive attraction right in Hallstatt isthe Salzwelten salt mine.

During our visit, a combined ticket cost 49 eur per person. It included a return journey on the Salzbergbahn cable car, a tour of the mine and access to the Skywalk.

There is no additional charge for the Skywalk itself. If you walk up the Salzberg, you can access it for free. However, if you take the cable car without visiting the mine, you’ll need a return ticket costing 29 eur.

Of course, there is the alternative of walking along a very steep path from Hallstatt. In that case, the mine will only cost you 33 eur.

The second major expense: Krippenstein

The second major expense was the Dachstein Krippenstein.

We took the cable car, visited the Dachstein Ice Cave and the Mammoth Cave, and carried on to the 5 Fingers.

For the All-In-One ticket, which included return travel on all three cable car sections and entry to both caves, we paid 66,20 eur.

Entry to the 5 Fingers itself is free. In practice, however, most visitors get there by cable car, so if you’re just visiting the viewpoints, you should at least buy a Panorama Ticket.

Of the two caves, I much preferred the Ice Cave. Next time, I’d happily skip the Mammoth Cave, though you won’t save any money by doing so.

Book the All-In-One Ticket

How much did we pay in the centre of Hallstatt?

Almost nothing.

The historic centre, Marktplatz, the Protestant church, the Catholic church, the cemetery and the Classic Village Viewpoint are all free to visit.

We only paid for entry to the Hallstatt ossuary, at a cost of 2 eur per adult.

If you add the Hallstatt Museum, an adult pays an additional 12 eur. But we didn’t go there.

Walks along Lake Hallstatt, swimming at Badeinsel and most of the viewpoints are free. You only pay for the ferry, a sightseeing cruise or hiring a pedal boat or electric boat.

We didn’t go on a sightseeing cruise, but prices start from 18 eur per person.

We paid €17 for parking

As we were staying outside Hallstatt, we parked for free at the hotel. However, we did pay for parking on our individual day trips.

We paid for parking in Hallstatt itself 5 eur. We only parked there on the first day, and for just one hour.

If you’re staying here all day, you’ll pay a total of 15 eur at the official car parks P1, P2 and P4.

I describe the detailed price list and options for free parking outside the town in the section on how to get to Hallstatt and where to park.

The car park at the lower station of the Dachstein Krippenstein cable car costs 5 eur for the whole day.

We paid for further car parks during our stay at 3,50 eur atGosausee and 3,50 eur at Lake Altausee.

In total, parking over the two days cost us 17 eur.

Food and drink

Breakfast was included in the hotel price, so during the day we mainly had to sort out lunch, dinner and a few drinks or light snacks.

In fact, our main meals – that is, lunch and dinner – always cost almost the same. Around 20 eur per person.

Most of the time, though, we just had one meal and a drink. And we tended to go for the cheaper options, such as goulash soup or a salad.

It’s unfair to claim that you’ll pay €20 for an average meal in Hallstatt or on the Krippenstein. I’d estimate the cost at 25 eur to 30 eur, including a tip.

It’s true that food here is quite expensive.

On our last day, we simply bought our lunch at the Hofer supermarket, where we spent about 12 eur per person.

The most expensive places were the restaurant at the top of the Krippenstein and then the Rudolfsturm.

In total, we paid about 100 eur, but if you don’t want to hold back and fancy adding a coffee and a strudel, you can easily expect to pay double that.

Public transport and tolls

One day we also travelled to Hallstatt by train and boat.

We left the car at the free P+R car park by the railway station (it’s free provided you actually take the train from there).

A return train ticket from Steeg-Gosau to Hallstatt (a journey of about 7 minutes in reality) cost 9,20 eur and a return boat ticketcost8 eur.

In total, therefore, public transport from Steeg to the centre of Hallstatt and back cost 17,20 eur.

However, if we’d taken the bus with a change at Gosaumühle, we’d only have paid 7 eur. But I wanted to enjoy the boat trip as well.

Just bear in mind that you can only pay for the boat in cash!

The last major expense was the toll on the Loser Panoramastrasse, which costs 26 eur per car.

It’s therefore significantly cheaper than taking the cable car, and the views were definitely worth it!

Where can you save the most money?

The biggest savings won’t come from buying cheaper coffee or looking for free toilets. It’s the three major expense categories that make the difference.

Stay outside Hallstatt

If I were travelling by car, I’d look for a hotel in Bad Goisern, Gosau or the surrounding villages again. In Hallstatt itself, you’ll pay significantly more, mainly because of the location.

Without a car, however, a cheaper hotel far from the lake may not be the best option.

You’ll need to factor in travel costs and, more importantly, having to rely on buses or the ferry. Our accommodation guide will help you choose a specific location.

Compare prices on Booking.com

Choose just one major attraction

If you’re on a tight budget, choose either Salzwelten or Krippenstein.

On a first visit to Hallstatt itself, I would choose the Salzwelten.

If you’re more drawn to mountains, views and caves, I’d go for Krippenstein.

By skipping one of these attractions, you’ll save around 50 eur.

Make the most of the free attractions

A stroll through the city centre, the famous viewpoint, the churches, Badeinsel or Gosausee can fill a large part of your itinerary without any additional admission fees.

Hallstatt doesn’t have to be an expensive trip, then. You just need to avoid automatically trying to fit in all the cable cars and paid attractions during a single visit.

Buy food for your trips at the supermarket

Restaurants high up in the mountains (and in the centre of Hallstatt) are up to 20 per cent more expensive than in ordinary towns.

Personally, I would definitely buy provisions for mountain hikes in advance from a regular supermarket such as Hofer or Spar.

Skip the panoramic boat trips on the lake

If you want to enjoy the views of Hallstatt from the water, you don’t need to pay 18 eur for a sightseeing cruise.

Just take the ferry from the centre to the railway station, where, in my opinion, the views are absolutely the best.

A return ticket costs 8 eur.

Is Hallstatt expensive?

The town itself isn’t. You can see the best bits in the centre for free, and I wouldn’t say there’s a single compulsory admission fee at all.

Hallstatt starts to get expensive the moment you decide to visit all the main paid attractions within two days.

And that, in my view, is the most important point. Hallstatt isn’t expensive because of the entrance fee to the town or the viewpoints. It’s the two major mountain attractions and accommodation that drive up the cost.

So: if you really just want to take that famous photo of the Hallstatt panorama, you’ll actually pay no more than 10 eur for parking. In that case, Hallstatt will be extremely cheap.

However, if you want to enjoy Hallstatt and its surroundings, it suddenly ranks among the more expensive European destinations. And within Austria, it’s one of the most expensive of all.

You can find a detailed itinerary in the article ‘Hallstatt in a Day’. If you’re still wondering whether such a trip is worth the money, do also read ‘Is it worth visiting Hallstatt?’.

Compare accommodation prices in Hallstatt

Title: How much does Hallstatt cost? Prices and what we spent over 2 days

Description: How much did we pay for two days in Hallstatt? A realistic budget for two people, including accommodation, parking, Salzwelten, Krippenstein and food.

URL: /blog/how-much-does-hallstatt-cost