By car to Lake Hallstatt or Gosau Valley

By car to Lake Hallstatt & the Gosau Valley

Do you want to drive your car to Austria and thus to the Salzkammergut? We have summarized what you should know now for you below. Please note that in Austria there is a vignette requirement on the motorways. For a road trip to the Salzkammergut, a vignette for Austrian motorways is required, a warning triangle and safety vests for all occupants are required by law, and good parking planning is advisable, as many places, especially Hallstatt, have severely limited parking facilities. Make sure that the vignette is attached correctly and keep the receipt section.

No matter whether you travel to Bad Goisern, Gosau, Hallstatt or Obertraun! As a driver, you should not forget one thing: In Austria, tolls are compulsory on the motorways if you arrive by car. If you are coming via the motorway during your visit, the Austrian motorway vignette must be clearly visible on the windshield of your car.
Directions

Arrival for the fourth town of the UNESCO World Heritage region of Hallstatt Dachstein Salzkammergut: Bad Goisern on Lake Hallstatt, Gosau, Hallstatt and Obertraun.

Coming from the north/west

You can reach the World Heritage region via the A1 West Motorway (Vienna-Salzburg) to the Regau junction and on via Gmunden, Bad Ischl, Bad Goisern to Gosau, Hallstatt or Obertraun. Travel time from Gmunden approx. 1 hour

You can reach the UNESCO World Heritage region of Hallstatt Dachstein Salzkammergut via the Tauern motorway A10 (from Munich-Salzburg), exit at "Golling" and continue via Abtenau on the B166 to Russbach, Gosau, Hallstatt, Obertraun or Bad Goisern on Lake Hallstatt. Travel time from Salzburg approx. 45 minutes.

Coming from the south

Via the Tauern motorway A10 (from Graz, Carinthia, Italy, Slovenia), exit at "Eben" and continue via St. Martin on the B166 to Annaberg-Lungötz. And continue in the direction of Russbach at the Gschütt Pass, Gosau, Hallstatt, Obertraun or Bad Goisern on Lake Hallstatt. Travel time from Eben approx. 30 minutes

Note: In Austria, a vignette is compulsory on all motorways. The vignettes are available at all petrol stations and rest areas.

What do I have to consider when using the vignette?

To use Austrian motorways, vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes need a vignette or digital vignette, and an additional route toll for certain sections of the route. Make sure that the sticker sticker is correctly attached or that your license plate is digitally registered and that you drive on the right. Note that there are separate tolls for heavy vehicles and certain sections of the route, such as the Arlberg Tunnel and the Brenner Motorway, require a special toll.

• Toll and vignette: All vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes (cars, motorcycles, light motorhomes) require a vignette for the use of motorways and expressways.
• Types of vignettes: There is the adhesive vignette, which must be stuck to the windscreen, and the digital vignette, which is tied to the license plate.
• Digital vignette: Here, the license plate is electronically recorded and its validity is checked.
• Purchase: Vignettes can be purchased at petrol stations, service stations or online before the journey.
• Special toll: Some routes, including the Brenner motorway (A 13) and the Tauern motorway (A 10), require a distance-based toll in addition to the vignette.

Snow

• In the period from 1 November to 15 April, motor vehicles are only allowed on the road in winter driving conditions if certain conditions are observed.
• Winter tyres or snow chains: From 1 November to 15 April, drivers of a passenger car, a station wagon or a truck with a maximum permissible total weight of no more than 3500 kg may only operate their vehicle in winter driving conditions, i.e. in snow, slush or ice, if winter tyres are fitted to all wheels or if snow chains are attached to the drive wheels.
• However, snow chains are only permitted as an alternative if the road surface is covered with a continuous or not significantly interrupted layer of snow or ice and if the surface of the road is not damaged as a result.
• Therefore, you are not allowed to drive on mud with summer tires or snow chains. Only winter tires are allowed for driving here.
• If you park your vehicle on the street over the winter, for example because you don't have a garage space or simply don't use the vehicle, you don't have to retrofit.
• Penalties: Anyone who violates this regulation will be punished: Simple violations will be punished with a mandate of 35 euros. However, if a complaint is filed - for example because of a high level of endangerment - the penalties increase: In this case, administrative fines of up to 5000 euros are imminent. The law enforcement bodies are also given the opportunity to have the vehicle in question parked! The law came into force on 1 January 2008.

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Parking in Hallstatt

You might have noticed that the centre of Hallstatt is densely packed and the few existing arking lots are reserved for the local population.