No Advent market

Less is more in pre-Christmas Hallstatt

Even in winter, Hallstatt impresses with its idyllic setting. But residents want a quiet pre-Christmas period

(Bild: Hörmandinger Marion/Marion Hörmandinger)

The world-famous jewel of the Salzkammergut struggles with enormous visitor numbers, especially in summer. Advent here is "rather spartan", there is no Christmas market - not entirely without ulterior motives. Further solutions to reduce the number of tourists are to follow. 

Hallstatt - the jewel in the Salzkammergut - attracts up to a million tourists from all over the world every year with its picturesque beauty. Especially in summer, the town's population of only around 800 is so hard hit by the onslaught of visitors that measures have had to be introduced to regulate the situation - such as time-limited and chargeable slots for coaches.

No peace and quiet even in winter
In winter, the village's setting is all the more idyllic. But does peace and quiet return here in the run-up to Christmas, or do the crowds still roll through the alleyways in the cold season? "Of course tourists also come to Hallstatt in winter," says Mayor Alexander Scheutz (SPÖ).

Spartan Advent
However, there are significantly fewer than in the high season: "During the week we have perhaps a third as many visitors as in summer, and on busy days and weekends around half as many," says the mayor. "Advent is rather spartan here - we have beautiful Christmas lights, punch, a few events and only today, on Sunday, the Christmas market. We made a conscious decision not to hold a continuous Advent market."

Search for further measures
However, this alone is not enough to sufficiently stem the flow of visitors. That's why the next "workshop" will take place in January: "All parties concerned are involved in finding a solution. We all want to drastically reduce the number of day visitors, but the legal options are very limited," says Scheutz.

Expectations among the population are still high. Measures such as closed residential areas, hotel shuttles and bus slots are already having an effect, and a cab guidance system is also in the works. By the end of the visitor guidance and regulation project in 2026, further measures are to be found for the town. C. Handl