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Ninety seconds on Salzwelten Hallstatt
Salzwelten Hallstatt is open daily. As of 2026 the last guided tour starts at 4.30 in the afternoon until 1 November, and at 3.00 from 2 November to 6 January, with the last ascent half an hour before it. The funicular runs from nine until the last ride down at six, or 4.30 from 2 November. The mine is closed on 24 and 31 December.
Yes, on the combo ticket, which covers the salt mine and a funicular round trip. The funicular round trip is also sold on its own, for the Skywalk and the high valley, and a separate salt mine ticket without the funicular exists for walkers. Children from 4 to 15 travel on a child ticket, under-4s go free, and tickets can be booked online.
At least three hours from start to finish. Guests are asked to reach the valley station of the funicular 45 minutes before the tour, and a walk of about a quarter of an hour separates the top of the panoramic lift from the Knappenhaus, where guides meet the group. The guided tour itself lasts about ninety minutes and covers roughly two kilometres by foot, and the mine train then carries everyone out.
In the public car parks of Hallstatt, because the salt mine has no visitor parking of its own. The operator advises leaving at least an hour to find a space and recommends coming by public transport instead. Tours start from the funicular valley station at Salzbergstraße 21.
Partly. Children can join the mine tour from age four. Dogs are welcome but must wear a muzzle on the funicular, and they wait out the tour in free kennels outside the Knappenhaus. The funicular and the bistro are fully accessible to wheelchairs, the mine itself is not, and the tunnels hold a steady 8°C all year.
Sliding down the wooden slide inside the mountain is what you will remember. The tour also passes the oldest wooden staircase in Europe, which miners once used to carry salt out of the mountain.
The staircase stands in the Bronze Age Cinema, where a lifelike animation shows the hard daily work of the salt workers. Its wooden steps were found in the prehistoric workings.
The slide is about 64 metres long, and the tour takes you down it. You sit on the wooden slope, push off and lean back, and the run is fast. Guides check that each of you is comfortable before the descent.
Between the two, the guides lead you through chambers set out with light shows and displays. The tour also takes you to the underground salt lake, in a huge chamber called the Hörnerwerk, where the water covers about 1,200 square metres.
Arrive at the funicular valley station 45 minutes before your tour time, and allow at least three hours for the whole visit. The funicular lifts you to the high valley, where the panoramic lift at the top station leads out to the Skywalk. The platform runs 12 metres out from the slope, 360 metres above the village roofs.
From the top, a walk of about fifteen minutes brings you to the Knappenhaus, where the guided tour begins. The tour itself takes about ninety minutes. Underground you cover around two kilometres on foot, with the slide on the way, and you leave the mountain on the miners' train, a ride of about 400 metres.
The prehistoric burial ground lies in the same high valley, crossed by a signed path, and the Hallstatt Prehistoric Cemetery has its own page. Leave time for it before or after the tour.
Wear sturdy shoes and bring a warm layer, because it stays at eight degrees underground all year. Walking aids cannot be taken through the narrow passages.
Children can come from the age of four, but nobody can carry them, so they must be able to walk the whole route. Dogs wait in free outdoor kennels at the Knappenhaus for the length of the tour.
In summer, book a tour time ahead: departures are fixed, places are limited and a missed slot is not refunded. Midday is when groups crowd the tunnels, so take an early tour if you can.
Riding the slide is optional, so tell the guide if it makes you nervous. You can hold a phone or camera on the way down.
Explore the rest of Hallstatt
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The official pages this guide was checked against.
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