Hallstatt Salt Mine and Skywalk: Funicular, Tickets and Hours
The salt mine above Hallstatt, run as Salzwelten Hallstatt, and the Skywalk viewing platform beside it are both reached by the Salzbergbahn, a funicular that climbs from the village to the high valley. The funicular was rebuilt and reopened, together with the modernised mine, on 29 August 2026. If you only want the view from the Skywalk, the funicular up and down costs €29 for an adult. If you want the guided tour of the mine as well, the combined ticket costs €49. Allow at least 3 hours for the full visit; the guided tour itself takes about 90 minutes.
There is one catch for walkers: the footpath up to the high valley is still closed because of the building work, so for now the funicular is the way up. The prices and hours below are those published for the 2026 season and the winter that follows. Check them before you go, because a newly reopened attraction is the kind of place where details change.
What changed in August 2026
The Salzbergbahn has been replaced by a new funicular, built in 2026, and the mine reopened with it. The mine’s owners describe 362 days of intensive work, not counting several years of preparation, on a steep and geologically difficult site. What reopened on Saturday 29 August 2026 is more than a new lift:
- A new funicular with two cars that keep their floors level all the way up, so boarding is step-free.
- A modernised mine, with the more than 7,000-year history of salt mining in Hallstatt told through new exhibits.
- A bistro called Weitblick 7000 with a viewing terrace at the mountain station.
- A 300 m² flagship shop at the new valley station, built around the ticket desks.
For visitors, the funicular and the bistro at the top are barrier-free. The mine itself, with its tunnels, slide and stairs, is not wheelchair accessible.
The new Salzbergbahn in numbers
The press release for the opening gave the technical data in full. It explains why the ride is so short and why the cars look the way they do.
| Valley station | 515 m above sea level |
| Mountain station | 840 m above sea level |
| Height difference | 325 m |
| Length of line | 593 m |
| Steepest gradient | 87.72% |
| Speed | 5.5 m/s |
| Cars | Two, each for 60 people |
| Capacity | 1,000 people an hour |
| Ride time | 2.6 minutes |
A gradient of 87.72% is very steep for a railway of any kind, and it is the reason for the cars’ main feature: automatic levelling keeps each passenger compartment horizontal for the whole journey, so you board and leave on the flat at both ends. The cabins were made by Carvatech near Gmunden, the cable technology came from the Swiss specialist Garaventa, and large glass panels give views of the village and the lake on the way up.
The ride lasts less than three minutes, so do not plan the funicular as a sightseeing trip in itself. The views are at the top.
Tickets and prices
The current tariffs, as listed for the reopening season:
| Ticket | Adult | Child (4–15) | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Combo ticket | €49 | €23 | Funicular up and down, the Skywalk and the guided mine tour |
| Funicular up and down | €29 | €14 | Funicular, the Skywalk and the high valley; no mine tour |
| Salt mine without funicular | See the operator | See the operator | The mine tour for visitors who arrive on foot |
The operator sells tickets online and at the valley station, and has group rates for parties of 20 or more. Prices change from season to season, so treat these as a guide and confirm on the operator’s own site before you travel.
Which ticket do you need?
- You want the view and the high valley, not the mine: the funicular ticket. It gets you to the Skywalk, the bistro and the walk above the prehistoric burial ground.
- You want the mine: the combo ticket. It includes the funicular, so there is nothing else to buy.
- You are travelling with a child under 4: children under 4 cannot join the mine tour, but they are welcome on the funicular and the Skywalk. One adult may need to stay above ground with them.
- You were planning to walk up and buy the mine-only ticket: check whether the footpath has reopened first (see below).
Opening hours, autumn 2026 to January 2027
The operator publishes separate hours for the mine and for the funicular. For the mine, the times are the start of the last guided tour; for the funicular, they are the last ride down.
| Period | Salt mine (last tour) | Funicular (last ride down) |
|---|---|---|
| 29 August to 1 November 2026 | 9.30 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. | 9.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m. |
| 2 November 2026 to 6 January 2027 | 9.30 a.m. to 3.00 p.m. | 9.00 a.m. to 4.30 p.m. |
Two rules follow from the small print:
- The last ride up is 30 minutes before the last tour. If you want the last tour of the day, be on the funicular half an hour before it starts.
- Be at the valley station 45 minutes before your tour. The operator asks visitors to arrive that far ahead, because the ride, the Skywalk and the walk to the mine entrance all come first.
The regional tourist board’s listing for the funicular shows shorter hours than the operator’s own page. We have followed the operator, but this is a good reason to check before you go, especially late in the day. Hours for 2027 beyond 6 January had not been published when this guide was written.
The Skywalk and the Rudolfsturm
At the top of the funicular, a panoramic lift and a bridge lead to the Rudolfsturm tower, and from there to the Skywalk: a 12-metre-long viewing platform that projects out over the mountainside like the point of a star. From the end of it you look straight down on the roofs of Hallstatt and along the lake. The operator’s own description puts you 360 metres above the rooftops of the village; the funicular’s technical data give a height difference of 325 m between its stations.
The Skywalk is part of the route to the mine, so every ticket that takes you up the funicular takes you to it. It does not need a separate ticket, and it is open to children of any age.
On a clear day you see the village, its lanes and the deep-blue lake below. On some days, the operator notes, you look out over a sea of cloud instead. If the view is your main reason for going, look at the weather in the morning and choose your time accordingly.
Inside the mine: the 90-minute tour
The guided tour is the core of the visit, and it follows a fixed sequence:
- The walk to the Knappenhaus. From the top station, a walk of about 15 minutes leads through the high valley to the Knappenhaus, the miners’ building where tours begin. Allow for it: it is part of the reason the operator asks for 45 minutes before your tour time.
- Underground. Inside, you walk about 2 kilometres through the tunnels, with stops at the exhibits along the way.
- The miners’ slide. The tour includes a ride down the 64-metre miners’ slide.
- The Bronze Age Cinema. Europe’s oldest wooden staircase was found in the prehistoric workings. According to the mine operator, people carried salt out of the mountain on these steps about 2,800 years ago, and the staircase is now the centrepiece of a cinema room where an animation shows the miners at work.
- Out by train. You leave the mountain on the mine train.
The temperature inside stays at 8°C (46°F) all year, so a warm layer and sturdy shoes are needed even on a hot August day. A free audio guide is available in the operator’s app, the Salzwelten Destination Guide, and the regional tourist board lists audio guides in 13 languages.
7,000 years of salt: why the high valley matters
Hallstatt is not a pretty village that happens to have a mine. The mine is the reason the village exists, and the high valley is where its history is buried.
The operator describes Salzwelten Hallstatt as the world’s oldest salt mine, with a history going back 7,000 years. People were living in the high valley and mining salt as early as 5,000 BC. UNESCO’s description of the World Heritage site traces systematic salt production in the region to the Middle Bronze Age, and underground mining that resumed in the eighth century BC, when an Iron Age society with trade links across Europe flourished here. That society is now known as the Hallstatt Culture, and an entire epoch of European prehistory, the Hallstatt Period of about 800 to 400 BCE, is named after the burial grounds in this valley.
The name itself means “salt settlement”, and prosperity built on salt runs through the whole cultural landscape that UNESCO recognised.
What you can see of this today:
- The prehistoric burial ground. A path runs above the burial grounds in the high valley, with information points along the way and a walk-in display grave.
- The excavations. Every summer, researchers continue to dig in the high valley and the prehistoric mine, and visitors can watch them at work.
- Special tours. Beyond the regular route, the operator runs expedition-style tours into parts of the ancient tunnels that are normally closed.
Can you still walk up?
Not at the moment. According to the regional tourist board, the footpath up to the high valley has been closed since 3 December 2024 because of the building work, and it remains closed even after the reopening.
This matters for two reasons. Walking up used to be the alternative to the funicular, and the operator still lists a salt mine ticket without the funicular for visitors who arrive on foot. Until the path reopens, the funicular ticket is the cheapest way to the top. If you are planning around the walk, check the path’s status with the tourist office in Hallstatt before you set off.
Children, dogs, access and what to wear
- Children. The mine tour is suitable for children aged 4 and over. Children under 4 can ride the funicular and visit the Skywalk.
- Dogs. Dogs are welcome, but they must wear a muzzle on the funicular. During the tour they wait in free outdoor kennels at the Knappenhaus.
- Wheelchairs. The funicular and the bistro are fully accessible. The salt mine is not wheelchair accessible.
- Clothing. Sturdy shoes and a warm layer for the steady 8°C underground, whatever the weather outside.
How long to allow, and how to fit it into a day
The operator’s figure is at least 3 hours for the whole visit, and it is a realistic one once you add the parts around the tour:
- 45 minutes before your tour time at the valley station
- the funicular, the Skywalk and the walk to the Knappenhaus
- about 90 minutes underground
- the ride down
Add the time it takes to reach Hallstatt and the walk from your car park, ferry or bus stop to the valley station, and the salt mine fills most of a half-day. If you are coming by public transport for the day, plan the mine first and the village afterwards, so that a delay does not cost you the last tour. Our guide to getting to Hallstatt covers the trains, buses and car parks.
Combining the salt mine with the Dachstein caves on the same day is possible with an early start, but both are half-day visits with their own last tours, and two separate days are more relaxed. The guide to the Dachstein and the lake explains the cable car and the caves.
Salt mine or Dachstein caves?
If you only have time for one underground visit, the choice is usually between the salt mine above Hallstatt and the Dachstein caves above Obertraun. They are very different experiences.
| Salt mine | Giant Ice Cave | |
|---|---|---|
| Getting there | Funicular from the village | Bus to Obertraun, then cable car section 1 and a walk of 15 to 20 minutes |
| Tour length | About 90 minutes | About 50 minutes |
| Temperature | 8°C | -2°C |
| Children | Aged 4 and over | All ages |
| Adult ticket | €49 with the funicular | €50.20 with the Mammoth Cave and cable car section 1 |
| Season | Open into January 2027 | 1 May to 1 November 2026 |
The salt mine is the one to choose if Hallstatt’s own story is what interests you: the prehistoric miners, the Hallstatt Culture and the slide. It is also the easier half-day from the village, with no bus and no cable car. The ice cave is the one for natural spectacle, and it pairs with 5fingers and the high plateau for a full mountain day. In late autumn and winter the choice makes itself, because the caves close after 1 November while the mine stays open.
The salt mine on a day tour
Some day tours from Salzburg and Vienna include the salt mine, and they can be the easiest way to fit it in. A private salt mine and Skywalk tour from Salzburg, with hotel pickup, the funicular and mine admission, takes about 8.5 hours. Before you book any tour, check three things:
- Is the mine ticket included? On your own, the combo ticket costs €49 for an adult. A tour that includes it should say so plainly.
- How long is the stop in Hallstatt? The visit needs at least 3 hours. A tour with a shorter stop cannot include the mine properly.
- Is the tour guided underground in your language? The mine tour is guided; the audio guide covers other languages.
Tours without the mine give you free time in the village instead; if the stop is long enough, a funicular ticket gets you up to the Skywalk. The tours page shows what each product includes.
The bistro, the shop and the rest of the high valley
The new Weitblick 7000 bistro at the mountain station has a large terrace with a view over the mountains, and the funicular ticket alone gets you there. At the bottom, the flagship shop at the valley station, 300 m² of salt products, gifts and souvenirs, opens onto the ticket hall.
Up in the high valley, the operator recommends a leisurely walk on the trail above the prehistoric burial grounds after the Skywalk, following in the footsteps of the people who mined here first.
Frequently asked questions
How much does the Hallstatt salt mine cost?
The combo ticket for the mine and the funicular up and down costs €49 for adults and €23 for children aged 4 to 15. The funicular alone, with the Skywalk, costs €29 for adults and €14 for children. Check current prices before you go.
Is the Hallstatt funicular open again?
Yes. The new Salzbergbahn and the modernised salt mine reopened on 29 August 2026 after a full rebuild.
How long does the salt mine visit take?
Allow at least 3 hours. The guided tour takes about 90 minutes, and you should be at the valley station 45 minutes before it starts.
Can I walk up to the Skywalk instead of taking the funicular?
Not at present. The footpath to the high valley has been closed since 3 December 2024 and remained closed after the reopening, so the funicular is the way up.
Can young children visit the salt mine?
The mine tour is for children aged 4 and over. Younger children can ride the funicular and visit the Skywalk.
What should I wear in the salt mine?
Sturdy shoes and warm clothing. The temperature in the mine stays at 8°C (46°F) all year.