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First thing we do upon arrival at Hallstatt town is to get into this spot to get the "postcard" view pictures. It takes about 10 minutes walk to get into this spot, but a longer queue time is needed to secure the spot. Almost everyone there is fighting for the perfect spot, and of course there were some bad-mannered people around as well. 

Truth is we cannot tolerate the insane crowd there trying to get the perfect pictures. There was a Malaysian / Singaporean couple really pissed us off. I reckon they have been trapped in the house for so long and this Austria vacation is like an escape from the house, to the extent they could not recognise our South East Asian facial feature. The husband was speaking to his wife in Cantonese dialect, condemning us for not exhibiting social etiquette. Well, dumbo enough but I was not in the mood for getting into a quarrel with people with such mentality. 

Try coming here early and avoid noon hours to prevent bumping into the tourist bus dropping group by group of people. Many tour group come around noon hour for a short tour in Hallstatt before they continue their journey elsewhere. For instance, the idiots we bumped into earlier were seen following a tour guide, carrying a flag and a speaker to give some narratives about the history in this town. 

2) Walk around Hallstatt Town

The viewing platform on top of Austrian Alps definitely offer a breathtaking view up there! Known as 5 fingers, it is actually a major platform with 5 protruding smaller platform in different design that resembles the structure of hand. Once reaching the edge of the platform, there is an unique view over Hallstatt, the Hallstattersee lake and the inner Salzkammergut region.

Not for the heart fainted people though as this platform is 400 meters high up! 

To get into here, you can either take the bus 543-1 or the local train stopped at Hallstatt but get down at Obertraun instead. Then at the cable car station, purchase the "Panorama ticket" that cost €32. It is cable car ride with 2 stops, and you can get off at the first stop to explore Dachstein Ice Cave if you are interested. 

Finally, there we are at the 5 fingers! The views are astonishing indeed. Comparing to Hallstatt, this place is less crowded and we can roam freely here. People here patiently waiting for the platform in 5 fingers, unlike the typical tourists we saw in Hallstatt.

For your information, the 5 fingers are illuminated until midnight and can be seen from far and wide, even at night.

To get back to train station or Hallstatt, you can take the same bus just now. However the bus frequency is reduced so sometimes taking a cab is a better option, if you are rushing. We actually share a cab with another Scottish couple to Obertraun Dachsteinhohlen Bahnhof to take a train back to Salzburg. Although the journey was short but it cost €10, so get more people to split the cost!