Austria with Kids — Hallstatt: Exploring an Old Salt Mine

August 24, 2014 — Traveling toward a dream: Hallstatt, a World Heritage cultural landscape, and its old salt mine.

Google Maps estimated that the drive from Vienna to Hallstatt would take about three hours. The train would have taken roughly three to four hours as well, but with the whole family and all our luggage, driving still seemed easier.

A family travel photo taken during the drive from Vienna to Hallstatt — On the road from Vienna to Hallstatt

We left at around 10 a.m., stopped for lunch at a highway rest area, and reached Hallstatt at about 2 p.m.

Space inside the village was limited. Only a few hotels had parking, and cars were not allowed into the village during the day. Most visitors left their cars in the lots outside town, conveniently close to the salt-mine funicular station.

A human-shaped mascot sign near the entrance to the Hallstatt salt mine — The salt mine's recurring mascot sign

The salt mine's mascot... ha. Starting at the entrance, this human-shaped sign seemed to be everywhere.

The funicular and boarding area leading up toward the Hallstatt salt mine — Ready for the ride up

Onto the funicular and up the mountain we went ~~

Once at the top, we stopped at the restaurant for something to eat and took in Hallstatt's lake and mountain scenery. From there, one side looked toward the far end of the village, while the other offered a bird's-eye view of the busy Market Square.

Elevated view over Hallstatt's lakeshore and the busy Market Square in the village — Hallstatt's Market Square from above

This was the restaurant where we had just eaten while enjoying the view.

We were running short on time. The mine closed at six, and we made it into the final tour group.

The Hallstatt salt-mine entrance or meeting area near the final admission time of the day — Just in time for the final tour

Visitors wearing the salt mine's protective miners' overalls before entering the tunnel — Dressed as miners and ready to go underground

We changed into miners' overalls and headed into the tunnel ~~

Inside, we could see layers of salt in the walls up close. Our guide explained that salt crystals were naturally pale and that the pink areas had been colored by other minerals.

A hollow in the mine wall and salt layers tinted by other minerals — Mineral-tinted salt in the rock

The moment I saw that hollow, my first thought was... how many people's saliva would it take to lick out a hole that big? @.@'"

A projected presentation in a large mine chamber explaining how the rock-salt deposits formed — A geology projection inside the cavern

We stopped in a large cavern to watch a projection about how the salt deposits formed. According to the presentation, ancient geological movements raised this region, while salt accumulated, was buried, and was eventually discovered and mined. It became our quick geology lesson before we ventured farther underground.

The underground tour route leading farther into the Hallstatt salt mine — Moving deeper into the mine

After the story, we moved on and prepared to head deeper into the mine.

Miners once used tall wooden slides, built along the natural slope, to move quickly through the tunnels. By the time of our visit, those slides had become one of the tour's biggest attractions.

The tall wooden slide built along the slope inside the Hallstatt salt mine for visitors to ride — The mine's tall wooden slide

So the miners' uniforms were not just there to make the experience feel more authentic. Their main purpose was to protect our clothes on the slide XD

Our speed was honestly a little embarrassing... On the way out, we saw that someone had reached 35 km/h.

Then it was back to story time. The next part of the tour covered the salt-production process: pumping in water, drawing out the brine, filtering it, and separating the salt.

A mine exhibit explaining the steps of adding water, extracting brine, filtering, and separating salt — From brine to salt

At the final stop, we naturally ended up buying a pile of salt to take home ~.~'" We were not even going to eat it, so I had no idea what we would do with it... ha.

We spent far too long in the gift shop. The mine was still some distance from the funicular station, and we had to get back before the final six o'clock departure. Otherwise, we would be walking all the way down the mountain. (Gasp!!)

The mountain route back from the salt mine while the family hurried toward the final funicular — Racing for the last funicular

Phew ~~ We ran back completely out of breath and just made the last car. Only three places remained. Everyone behind us would have to walk... hahaha!!!

The final Hallstatt funicular of the day, which had only three places remaining when the family arrived — The last funicular, caught just in time

Back at the parking lot below, we called the hotel and asked them to send a shuttle into the village for us. It was already after six, but the sky was still bright. That is one of the best things about traveling in summer ^.^

Looking back, the day had everything: lake and mountain views, walls of salt, underground slides, and a very close call with the last funicular. Our Hallstatt salt-mine adventure ended with plenty of breathless running and laughter.