Day 4 Austria : Hallstatt to Salzburg

Woke up early just to walk to this photo point to take photo from this angle but too bad the weather is very cloudy. Breakfast was served at the hotel and after check out , we left our luggages with the hotel and took the bus to visit the ice-cave + five fingers lookout.From the bus station in Hallstatt , take the PostBus 543 , it will make a loop and then ends up at Dachstein where you can alright to buy the tickets for the cable car. They have 3 sections and depends on what n where you wish to visit , the package is different. We bought the ice cave + 5 finger lookout option which include an ice cave tour + 2 section go the the cable car , that cost us about 45.70 Euro/pax.More info here.                     Do note that there is a walking distance and some uphill from the cable car station to the entrance of the ice cave as you can see from the first picture (above)the route I marked out. Also do not think too much when you saw picture 2 above) , we all know it looked like something ~                             There are few routes here you could take if you are into hiking but then maybe you will have to plan a full day here. It was quite a long stroll to the Five finger lookout ( was quite slippery at some part as the ice started melting along the path) We only planned half a day here as we plan to stay in Salzburg for the night. So after the scenic walk to and fro from the lookout , we took descend and took the bus back to Hallstatt to collect out luggages and took to ferry back to the train station. there are a few ways mentioned here.We decided on taking the ferry + train + bus from Hallstatt to Salzburg cos i think we missed the Postbus and do not wish to wait almost another hour for that. After Check in at Hotel Scherer ( choose this hotel cos we will use this as a base to explore outside salzburg , so wanted somewhere near ( about 6 min walk ) the train/bus station).We had a short rest and make our way to Augustiner Braustubl for dinner ( we walked and enjoy the view in the evening, distance is about 20 min walk). We did have a bit of problem locating the restaurant as the door cos it was dark and it dose not have a huge signage as what we are used to. This is like a beer garden , you take the size of the mug you wants , wash it and then pay for it then pass it to the staff who will fill up for you. As for the food , just order from different shop and then just sit and it , they have indoor and outdoor siting. There will be staffs going around if you need to add beer order.                             I highly recommend to have dinner here in the outdoor area , esp in the summer or even cooling autumn , price wise i think was ok and food and beer was not bad. You can just pop by for a beer is find also.

Day 3 Austria : Vienna to Hallstatt

Today we will be leaving Vienna and go to Hallstatt , there is actually a few ways to get there one being the more direct way the other one involved the scenic route via the UNESCO-listed Semmering Railway but this till take another 1 hr +( about 4hr in total ). Information from here. Same thing , it's better to book way in advance for cheaper fares but you will have to commit to the train timing. Tickets can be purchase here 180 days in advance.
Bought some sandwiches again for breakfast onboard as we had opt for the longer scenic route which mean we will need to do a 3 train transfer from Wien HBF to Linz/Donau Hbf then Linz/Donau Hbf to Attnang-Puchheim Bahnhof and finally Attnang-Puchheim Bahnhof to Hallstatt Bahnhof. Thie will only gets you on the east side of the Hallstatt Lake, The Hallstatt town is on the west side of the lake, so you need to take a ferry called the Stefanie from Hallstatt Bahnhof to Hallstatt town.The ferry cost 2.50 Euro/way.
Hallstatt , known as the most beautiful lake town in Austria is an UNESCO heritage site and also consider to be one od the oldest still inhabited settlement in Europe. It's also known for its World’s First Salt Mine and the stunning salt caves which can be visited by tourists.Most tourists will usually do a day trip to Hallstatt but we decided to stay one night to avoid the crowds. So if you prefer to enjoy the town to yourself , it's advisable to stay overnight ( but lodging are not that cheap here and is limited )
After check in and dropped out luggages, we proceed to the Salt cave , first you need to take the funicular up then you still need to walk up to the entrance of the cave. Highlight of the salt cave other then the history is the wooden slide ( you will have change to do it twice) then also the small tunnel train experience once the tour is over.
                               

Fried chicken with fries

Pork Schnitzel

We stayed at Fenix Hall , walking distance to the Salt mine , about 900m ( 10 min walk) to the jetty and about 5 min to the bus station. There are few restaurants which opens for dinner but we opt for a kiosk near the jetty. Hallstatt is really beautiful when the day crowd leaves , of cos weather plays a part too but then quaint little town is good to just take a stroll , look at al the house , the lake and nature. (we left next day in the afternoon and it was really super crowded which makes us really glad to have stay overnight). Oh I actually wanted to take the engine boat ride but the weather on the first day was not very good and did not see anyone operating :(.