10 things Instagram doesn't reveal about Hallstatt
We see it all of the time - people waiting hours to take a flawless photograph, others scrolling miles with their fingers to live through posts from social media’s biggest travel influencers. All across Instagram, the post-card style photos of Hallstatt, don’t get me wrong, look undeniably impressive and would struggle to disappoint anybody. A calm energy surrounding the Parish of the Assumption Church, the mountains in the background, the Alpine Houses neatly in rows but somehow still rustic and each uniquely crafted. With Hallstatt being widely considered the oldest village in Austria, dating back almost 7,000 years, holding centuries of revolutionary changes, it has a lot more to offer than a 6x4 print can capture, which is why I visited and immersed myself in the beauty of its’ main stretch and surroundings. Let me teach you how Hallstatt can be enjoyed more through the eye as opposed to through a lens.
The peace and quiet doesn’t linger here. I generally found that before 10am on a weekday is the best time to visit this village. If you prefer listening to the lake’s water hitting rocks, birds waking up gently, and the sound of blind shutters opening to welcome a slow morning here in Hallstatt, as opposed to the hustle and bustle lunchtime brings, an early morning visit would be better suited for you.
Hidden costs aren’t always on show in Instagram posts. Simply, Hallstatt is expensive and you will likely see your wallet more than the views. For a meal, expect to be paying around 25 euros, and forget souvenirs if you are somebody who tries to haggle traders at stall markets. Of course walking around Hallstatt without a tour guide is free, but if you intend on staying for a full day, be prepared to spend.
What’s not caught on camera is how the locals live. I started observing those who weren’t holding tripods and Canons, and the longer I watched, the more I noticed. The more I noticed, the more I realised human beings go about their ordinary routines, making a conscious effort to not be publicised. Days move slow here. Residents don’t follow the pressures of online trends - they authentically try to show tourists that a simple life is a happy life.
After a while exploring, you begin to notice details and characteristics of the village over perfect angles for likes and comments. Everything illustrates a story. Warn down door handles on wooden properties unfold the hundreds of hands that have touched them. You hear the laughs the children carry generations before them, you taste the ingredients and spices used here and feel the personality of the village - something you cannot hold in a photo.
You will spend more time observing than actually doing. Instagram portrays Hallstatt as being a fast-paced, checklist destination, but it fails to show the true purpose of this village is to unwind. Hallstatt is slow, it’s intimate and brings comfort to those seeking a timeless travel quest through European towns, as opposed to a checklist mission destination. Locals lead how they have always done - with quality of life being their top priority and modifying their lives being the last of their focus.
Edited Instagram photos are a false representation of Hallstatt. Some viewpoints are close to what the pictures show, but photos of Hallstatt Lake are so overly edited to the point the water doesn’t look anything like the photos. The colour is much darker than the fonts and filters dressed over pictures. The notorious symmetrical reflection disappears when ripples wave through. This rhythm is not shown through Instagram posts. Boats create waves, wind forces water to overlap. It is still beautiful, but more honest in person.
Those Instagram posts you see showing off photos of still, bright snap shots of Hallstatt? They are true but only for a second. People behind the cameras typically wait hours for the perfect shot. Some still edit them after the shutter clicks. But light moves fast, clouds bring dullness and a moodier, dim glare, boats move, disrupting the symmetry. In Hallstatt, beauty is constantly changing and doesn’t consistently hang around, waiting for you to take the perfect photograph - nature doesn’t tailor to the wants of humans, it refuses to distort identity.
The moment a photograph is taken, it doesn’t tell a story, it just paints a picture. People fail to capture the reflection of mountains in a kitchen window, or perhaps a sun ray perfectly in line with the Church’s clock hand, or even a flag on a boat dancing in sync with swaying trees in the background. Nature shows off its beauty here through various forms of art, and the attractiveness begins to display only when phones are put down and eyes wander.
The steepness of Hallstatt is not to be taken lightly by any means! Tight, narrow corners at the end of each street turn sharply almost making you dizzy! Instagram doesn’t give detailed information to those wanting to get insight and inspiration before visiting Hallstatt, rather it gives a poor illustration to how it actually is in real life due to not being able to acquire an angle to measure the extreme steepness.
The food in Hallstatt isn’t something to overly brag about, but Instagram seems to have an exaggerated take on the quality of food here. While most meals, either at restaurants or market stalls, are freshly cooked, the majority of them alter menus to suit tourists with comfort meals based on what foreigners are used to. However, I personally didn’t see much in the way of traditional Austrian food which was a disappointment because, after all, I was in Austria and seeking the traditional cuisine of the country.