Salzwelten Hallstatt

Beautiful place. It’s a unesco world heritage site! Amazing 7000 year history of salt mining. Superb views from the top! The guides are amazing and so are the ways that the miners used to travel! Slides and trains!! The story told by the guides are amazing and very involved! The value for money the attraction provides is amazing! Must visit. Do not miss. If you go ins summer, you will have a lovey route to walk up as well. In the winters the funicular is great and provides the best views too!

Very interesting place that you don't see very often... It is worth visit from the very beginning - the funicular that takes you up to the altitude of 838 metres almost vertically, with amazing views over the lake and the village.
Inside the mine (that goes considerably higher than the funicular's end point) there are little trains and huge slides that allowed miners to move swiftly from one cave to the the next one. You're given old cloths to keep you protected from the salt. Some interesting information on the historic context of the mines.

The experience was awesome and I learnt so much about salt mining. They provide the necessary clothing to go into the mine. We also get to play the mine slide which was extremely fun. The only problem was there was too much people in one tour, and the guide need to speak in both German and English, so it takes double the time. But it was during Christmas holiday so it’s understandable.

$40 euro per person for tram ride (to and fro) and salt mine. It’s worth the money for the views alone. It’s a bit of a walk from the tram to the mine so don’t expect to just be right there. There is so much to look at on the walk including the salt mummies they found there and a mini-temple to St. Barbara.

Fun fact. St. Barbara is the patron saint of miners. Her father beheaded her for being a Christian.

Once you get to the mine you stay in a waiting area until the next tour. Once the tour begins you go into an additional room where you put on your salt mining gear. There are lockers, free of charge. You walk through a photo history area before the tour officially begins. Once inside the mine, they provide a wealth of information in both English and German. There are two fun slides, the second of which a photo is taken. 5 mini films, a light show, salt tasting, and a train ride out.

My favorite part was the light show around the water- it’s very mind trippy. Doesn’t even look like water. A copy of your slide photo is 8 Euro, cash only.

Came for the visit that is worth of the ticket value. Interesting fact to know the history of oldest salt mine in the world. Also had fun with two slides and one tram ride in the mine.

Visitor centre, shop and the funicular station is located in Hallstatt Lahn. 3-4 min walk from the bus stand. You have to buy a ticket and go up to the mountain behind, in the funicular which is about a 3 min ride. From the top funicular station you can see the skywalk lookout which is called the top of hallstatt. From the top funicular stop, you have to walk along the uphill paved road for 10-12 mins to the entrance of the salt mine. Even during the mine tour you have to climb up on stairs few times so be prepared. You can buy tickets only for funicular ride or including salt mine tour. Online tickets were all inclusive only. Online tickets are sold for every half an hour and 60 per slot. But funiculars are running more frequently, say every 10 min like. There are 2 funiculars running up and down continuously. Mine tour lasts about 90 mins and operated first come first serve basis. One tour they can handle up to 70 people. You can see skywalk lookout first and go to mine later or do the mine first. Rather than taking the funicular, there is a paved road running up to the mountain. You can even walk up to reach skywalk before the first funicular to avoid crowds. Its about 250m elevation gain.
There is usually a long QUEUE to funicular in the last two hours of the day to get back. Be mindful of that too.
If you are staying for more than 3 nights in Hallstatt you will get free WINTER/SUMMER CARDS from the hotel. You get a DISCOUNT for that at the salt mine. This is when you buy tickets in person. I did not see any option to add winter card discount in online booking. Card payments accepted.

Tour
After you go in to the mine entrance building, you need to wait in a queue until the next mine tour is ready. Then you will be taken into a room and asked to wear an overall. There is a FREE LUGGAGE LOCKER in this room. Then you will be guided to tunnel entrance. You have to walk along the tunnel into the mountain for about 300m. Then guide will give details of the mine. Highlights of this tour are the two MINERS SLIDES and miners train. First slide is 12m and the second is 65m. Both of them are smooth and nothing to worry about. If a member of your family is afraid to slide alone, please make that person sit behind you and hold you tight. Then you can slide. Second slide has a camera which takes a picture of you whike sliding down. Dont forget to looke left-up at the latter part to face the picture. This picture is printed and sold for EUR 8.00. This should be paid in CASH. For those who do not like to slide, there are stairs.
Other activities in the mine are short explations by the guide, movie shows of the mine history etc. and light shows. Even this is an active mine with 50 workers, we dont see them. But you can see how inside a mine looks like, the tools/equipment used and how miners life would have been. Lastly, you will be taken out of the mine in a MINERS TRAIN. You need to sit on bench like wheeled carriages and engine will pull you out. This is an experience one must get.

Getting there
Nearest airport is Salzburg. You can use ÖBB app to find times and purchase public transport tickets online. It’s super easy this way coz Apple Pay can be linked and purchase tickets straightaway. Trolley bus 2 comes to the bus stop located straight ahead after crossing the road in front of the airport exit. It’s a direct bus to Salzburg main train station (Haputbahnhof). Central bus stop is also outside the Central station. It’s around a 30 min ride from the airport. Buses available every 20 min. Charge is 3 EUR pp. Tickets can be bought from driver paying in CASH. Or else, can be purchased online via ÖBB app and show the ticket to driver.

From the central bus stop, take bus 150 to Bad Ischl. It’s a 90 min bus ride. You can take tickets up to Hallstatt from this bus. From Bad Ischl, need to get to Hallstatt Lahn (town centre where all buses stop). From Bad ishl take bus 541 and go to Hallstatt Gosaumühle. This will connect to bus 543 to Hallstatt Lahn.

One is not the best activity I ever did there. Price is a bit expensive but really worth every penny:
- Free audioguide by downloading on phone
- An amazing tour guide we had, which is Katarina if I spell the name right ? She is really funny and share a lot of interested bit of history about the mine, I think without her our journey in the mine will be really boring
- 2 fun slides + 1 train ride
- Breathtaking view on the mountains
- Ride on the funicular

Cannot recommend enough this place

Best day ever, unforgettable experience. We had so much fun make sure to arrive max 10 am to avoid waiting in lines. You will spend 1 hour and half there and you will enjoy the 2 slides and the train ride. Unforgettable day. We paid 40 euro with funicular ride well worth the price. It was very cold inside make sure to take your jacket with you or wear it under the costume. It was -10 degree in July. Very nice experience

Surprisingly good attraction in Hallstatt offering a view into the oldest salt mine in the world (Still active). We went in with not much expectation but it wow us.

The website information was confusing. So what we found out is that on the website, it offers every half hour slots to buy tickets. Every slot have limited vacancies As there is still much vacancies, we decided to walk in the next day since the tour starts information is confusing. Once you buy the tickets, you can head over to queue for the next avail funicular. The journey is smooth and take no more than 10 mins. The salt mine tour is managed by the tour office on top of the mountain which is 15 mins walk from the top of the funicular station. Depending on what time you arrive, it is advisable to head straight to see the tour (first come first serve basis) which run every 25 mins. The tour will end at the same place so you can continue to explore the area which offers breathtaking view of Hallstatt.

The tour requires you to wear their overall which is clean. NO need to remove your clothes but wear the overall over your clothes. Bags can be stored in complimentary lockers. A guide will guide you in german then english. Very interactive and informative information on the mine's history and how salt is extracted and how it came about. Exciting to be able to try the 2 salt mine slides. Very gentle slides. Anyone can try. Whoever dont want to try have stairs to walk down as well.

Finale is taking a small train ride back to tour office. Exciting and fun to end the tour.

Highly recommend anyone who is in Hallstatt to join the tour in this location.

The tour takes about 90 mins. Can easily spend 3 to 4 hours on top. We packed our lunch up. But there is always a restaurant on top if you need.

Great tour of about 90 minutes in total. It is the oldest salt mine in the world, from about 7000 years ago. Interesting to see for history-geeks! Entertaining enough for everyone else too thanks to the slides, light shows and the final train out the mine. The mine itself is around 6°C year-round, so keep in mind that if you go during the summer with few clothes you might me a bit cold. The tour guide was friendly and gave all the information in both German and English.

Fun 90 minute tour about the history of the Salt Mine in Hallstatt and the processes they use to extract salt. I do think the price is reasonable but wished there was more to see. Too many videos throughout the tour.

Also a special shout out to our tour guide Toby! Was great and funny!

Hallstatt’s scenic view is amazing, when you visit Hallstatt you should definitely visit here as well !! Guided tours informative and so much fun. Our tour guide Stephanie was so nice, kudos to her !

Amazing tour. A must do when visiting Hallstatt. Very friendly guide who loves his work, takes time to explain and answers questions. (tall guy with glasses). Explains everything in German and English. Kudos to our guide !!!

the tour is great and shows you the history of the mine, but this in a very cool and modern way. Highly recommended !!!

(bought a new cap and some salt)

Simply superb experience. The salt mine visit is educative and very interesting. The 2 slides add a lot of fun. The guide is very informative. The movies and animations are all well done. The ride at the end is really well planned and comes at a time when fatigue starts to set in. Highly recommended for all ages.

Very interesting experience! Also, the view of the valley from there is breathtaking

The reception of Salt Mine they call it “Salzwelten” the ticket cost 17.5 Euro, a nice place to spend your time with the family, you can go up using sky cabin rail, unforgettable experience, and you get a souvenir from the shop, and also you can get your ticket online.

A worthy tour to understand the history of salt mining in Hallstatt, it took cable car up hill, part walking uphill first, 15min., buy ticket $40eu for a combo tour, entire journey is about 2 hours

It was a pleasant experience here at the salt mine. The tour guide directed us well without any misconceptions . He was talking both german and english loud and clear , perfect for both speakers to understand the history of the salt mine well. This is the type of experience that you wont get bored in, there are many slideshows and 2 fun slides for you to ride on. Personally wouldn’t recommend for old folks as it requires a bit of walking and hiking up the mountain , and requires a bit of extreme activities that aren’t too suitable for the old . This was one of my most unique experiences and a must to visit when you come to Austria.

In the beginning we thought not to go to the salt mine, because it did not sound very exciting. However, due to the cold weather we had in this day we decided to visit the mine, and it was a very good decision. The kids like it from the minute we entered the site. We got special white uniforms as the mine workers, and the tour was very interesting including a lot of explanations on the one side, and entertainment on the other side as movies and animations. We saw an underground, lake and cool demonstrations of many kinds of salts and minerals. We also used 2 nice slides inside the mine, and ended the tour on a fast adorable train.
There is a 15-20 min walking from the lift station to the mine which located in the top of the hill.

It is worth paying €40 for the Kombi ticket, which includes a guided tour to the salt mine.

After the furnicular, plan another 10+ minutes of uphill walk to reach the meeting point for the guided tour.

During hot summer, bring additional warm jacket, as temperatures inside the salt mine are around 8°C.

The tour lasts 1h30min and is fun and informative, with a blend of action (slides and a train ride back to surface) and information (by tour guide and several places with videos in German with English subtitles).

You can pre-download their audio guide app on your phone, to get explanation in your language (the tour is only in German and English). You may also want to bring your own earphones to listen to the audio guide during the tour.