4 people go to Hallstatt together (the only sunny day), arrive in Vienna at 19:03, check in, the "∞" at Votivkirche, 21:00 Wiener Grill Haus

• Tonight all 4 of us go together, no splitting up. A friend's Swarovski visit is moved to 10-31 at 09:00 (Saturday 09:00–18:00), see the 10-31 day page.

• Going to Hallstatt (done): 12:14 541 from Bad Ischl Bahnhof platform C → Hallstatt Gosaumühle 12:41, 2′ walk to change to the 543 12:45 → Hallstatt Lahn 12:54.
• Back to Bad Ischl (inferred): 15:03 544 from Hallstatt Lahn → Gosaumühle, change to the 541 → Bad Ischl 15:45. The user didn't say which one they took; at 15:46 they were already at the terminal.
• Bad Ischl → Wien (actual, D-66): newly checked on Transitous on 10-30 at 15:47.
• 15:56 SV170 from the Bad Ischl Bahnhof bus terminal (a replacement bus during the rail closure, heading to Gmunden Bahnhof) → Gmunden Bahnhof 16:33.
• 3′ walk, 16:40 REX 4415 → Attnang-Puchheim 16:54.
• 2′ walk, 17:01 IC 743 (towards Flughafen Wien) → Wien Hbf 19:03. My seat reservation is on this one.
• Not taking WB 79219: the ÖBB app suggests SV170 → REX 70 → WB 79219 (arriving 18:52). WB is WESTbahn, a private railway company; an ÖBB standard ticket is in principle not accepted on it, so you would have to buy another ticket on board (wandernundmehr.at Q&A, searched in the main session on 10-30 at about 15:5x).
• Within Vienna (newly checked on Transitous on 10-30 at 18:39 and 19:39):
• Wien Hbf → lodging.
• Lodging → Votivkirche: actually took a taxi (the user said so). By public transport: U1 → Karlsplatz, change to the U2 (towards Seestadt) → Schottentor, and the church is right outside the station (Transitous). Search Google Maps for Votivkirche.
• Votivkirche → Wiener Grill Haus: taxi, hailed with the Uber or Bolt app, about 15–20′, est. €15–25 (not checked). By public transport: U2 (towards Karlsplatz) → Karlsplatz, change to the U4 (towards Hütteldorf) → Hietzing, 7′ walk, about 34′ in total.
• Plan B (skip the church): tram O → Hbf, U1 → Karlsplatz, 20:35 U4 → Hietzing 20:46, 7′ walk.
• Wiener Grill Haus → lodging: from the restaurant a 7′ walk to Hietzing, 22:33 U4 (towards Heiligenstadt) → Karlsplatz 22:44, then U1 (towards Alaudagasse) back; a later option leaves Hietzing at 22:40.
• Search Google Maps for Wiener Grill Haus (if it's not accurate, add Hadikgasse 40); search the U-Bahn stops in the WienMobil app or Google Maps: Hietzing, Karlsplatz, our U1 stop.
• Transport tickets:
• Lakes: 2 Freizeit-Tickets OÖ (one €26.50 ticket covers 2 adults, from 09:00 on weekdays until 03:00 the next day), valid on the 541, 543 and 544.
• My trip back to Vienna (screenshot checked): Standard-Ticket, Bad Aussee Bahnhof → Wien, via Bad Ischl and Attnang-Puchheim, valid 10-30 to 10-31, bought with the youth card, and the ticket says "Keine Zugbindung" (not tied to a specific train). SV170 is a Schienenersatzverkehr (replacement bus), and the ÖBB ticket is valid on it too (Ticket notes).
• The friend (a companion): also a standard ticket, not tied to a specific train. Also not taking WESTbahn.
• In Vienna: tonight, before heading back, each person buys a 24 Stunden Wien digital ticket for €9.70 in the WienMobil app (valid until about 22:25 on 10-31) and uses it tomorrow during the day too (D-72, bk-1030-wl24). Actual: no ticket was bought for the way back (the user said at 23:32); it will be bought on the morning of 10-31 (D-73, bk-1031-wl24). Whether the 7 Tage ticket planned on 10-27 was bought was not recorded; if you have it, no need to buy.

From morning to night, one column per track for each plan, side by side for comparison. Block height roughly follows duration; when the text does not fit, the block grows taller and the times below move down, so read the hour marks and the times written on the blocks, not the lengths. Blocks with a solid border are fixed (on the timetable or booked); most of the rest are estimates. Click a block for details.

Photo from 2018

Zauner pastry shop (Sweets at Konditorei Zauner (the Empress Sisi one))

Actual today ①: arrive in Wien at 19:03, check in, see the "∞" at Votivkirche, 21:00 Wiener Grill Haus · whole group

Time

11:34–12:05 (31 min)

Type

Eat

Certainty

Fixed Fixed: on the timetable, or already booked

Notes

The user said at 11:32 to eat first

Place

Zauner pastry shop · See card

Photo from 20193 photos

Hallstatt town

Actual today ①: arrive in Wien at 19:03, check in, see the "∞" at Votivkirche, 21:00 Wiener Grill Haus · whole group

Time

12:55–15:00 (2 h 05)

Type

Activity

Certainty

Est. Est.: estimated stay or walking time

Notes

The user didn't say what they actually did; they were already at the Bad Ischl terminal at 15:46

Ticket price

Adult: free (walking around town)

Place

Hallstatt town · See card

Photo from 2025

Votivkirche (the lit "∞" light sculpture between the two towers, which is what the user called "the church with the Möbius strip") (see the lit "∞" light sculpture between the two towers from outside Votivkirche)

Actual today ①: arrive in Wien at 19:03, check in, see the "∞" at Votivkirche, 21:00 Wiener Grill Haus · whole group

Time

20:10–20:30 (20 min)

Type

Activity

Certainty

Fixed Fixed: on the timetable, or already booked

Notes

What the user called "the church with the Möbius strip" (Q-09 closed, D-70); view from outside only, not going in for the light show; I did not find what time the lights go off each night

Ticket price

Adult: church free (third-party source, not checked on the official site) | Student: church free; for the museum inside the church see votivkirche-museum

Place

Votivkirche (the lit "∞" light sculpture between the two towers, which is what the user called "the church with the Möbius strip") · See card

The places to visit in the first timeline plan, in time order; each card says what time and who goes. Alternatives for meals are in the timeline blocks.

Photo from 20193 photos

Must-seeHallstatt town

12:55–15:00 · whole group

Admission Adult, free (walking around town)

Duration 2–2.5 hTransit · 10-29 recommended: 07:09 541 → Gosaumühle 07:38, change to 543 07:45 → Hallstatt Nord 07:49 (T 10-22 + OÖVV winter timetable); back to Bad Ischl, last bus Nord 19:04 / Lahn 19:00 → 19:45Bus directionsMap ↗More photos ↗

Details

Open Ossuary (Beinhaus) every day 10–17 in October (not double-checked); from October 2026 every day 10:00–17:00 (May–September 10:00–18:00; from November 11:30–14:30). Open as usual 10-25 to 10-31.

Combo ticket Town ossuary (Beinhaus, Michaelskapelle) adult €2.00, child 6–15 years €0.50, no student price

Note Most of the main sights in town are free. Parken is expensive (€4 for 1 hour).

Ticket price source Third party, regional tourist office page https://www.salzkammergut.at/oesterreich-poi/detail/400341/beinhaus-in-der-michaelskapelle.html (the operator is the Pfarre Hallstatt, not checked on the operator's own site); checked 2026-10-22

Source 4 posts in the materials

Rain Not advisable

The postcard spot is at the north end of Gosaumühlstraße, close to the Nord stop; the user's own words on 10-22: "after 8:30 in the morning there will be lots of tourists"; a Xiaohongshu blogger: "in the morning, the classic spot has front light"; fewer people after 16:30; it gets dark around 17:00 at the end of October; train + ferry route: 07:04 R → Hallstatt station 07:30, the 07:32 ferry runs only on school days, on school holiday days it is replaced by 08:35 (arrives 08:42) → not as good as 541+543

Official site

Checked: 2026-10-18 store

Image: C.Stadler/Bwag · Photo from 2019-06-30 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

Photo from 2025

Top pickVotivkirche (the lit "∞" light sculpture between the two towers, which is what the user called "the church with the Möbius strip")

20:10–20:30 · whole group

Admission Adult: church free (third party, not checked on the official site) | Student: church free; for the museum inside the church see votivkirche-museum

Duration 30 min (light show about 30 min)Transit · right at the exit of U2 Schottentor; about 7′ by U2 (toward Seestadt) from Karlsplatz; about 22′ walk from Stephansdom; back to Hbf about 20′ by U2 + U1Transit directionsMap ↗More photos ↗

Details

Open A third party says the church is open Tue–Fri 10:00–16:00, Sat 11:00–19:00, Sun 09:00–13:00, closed Mon (the sources disagree; another one says Tue–Sat 10:00–18:00). Probably open on 10-27 (Tue), 10-30 (Fri) and 10-31 (Sat), but the hours are not checked on the official site.

Notes The homepage of the official site votivkirche.at does not give the church's opening hours or say whether it charges. That the church is free comes from a third party (WebSearch snippet) and is not checked on the official site.

Ticket price source Third party wien.info, relayed, not checked on the official site; the homepage of votivkirche.at has no opening hours; checked 2026-10-22

Source 5 posts in the materials

Rain OK to go

The '∞' light sculpture between the two towers is about 28 × 6 m. It was lit on 2025-12-16 and was due to come down in 2026-08, but the Archdiocese of Vienna announced an extension to the end of 2027-05 (reported by vol.at and news.at, searched in the main session on 10-30 19:4x); what time it is switched off each night was not found. Seeing it from outside the church is enough, no need to go in, no ticket. The user went to see it around 20:05 on the night of 10-30. The user said they would skip the light show inside the church: the Light of Creation show does not run every day (only on selected dates at 18:30, 20:00 and 21:30, about 30 minutes each), and whether there are shows on 10-30 or 10-31 was not found; the twin towers' night lighting can be seen from outside every day. It originally had no coordinates, and transit.py looked up the name and found Süchteln Vorst Kirche in Germany; after adding coordinates it works fine

Official siteLink 1

Checked: not verified

Image: Linie29 · Photo from 2025-12-18 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

Dark: the recommended plan; blue: other candidates and mentioned places. Click a dot for the name and transit directions. Grey dots are other places in the database within 5 km of the day's location: dark grey ≤2.5 km (walkable), light grey 2.5–5 km (need a ride).

Today is the only sunny day at the lakes, so all 4 of us go to Hallstatt together, by bus all the way: leave Bad Ischl at 15:56, take IC 743 at Attnang at 17:01, arrive at Wien Hbf at 19:03 (D-66). Evening (D-67, D-70, D-72): first check in at the hostel front desk (4 passports); take a taxi to Votivkirche to see the lit "∞" between the two towers (what the user called "the church with the Möbius strip", from outside only); then a taxi to Hietzing for dinner at Wiener Grill Haus at 21:00 (booked on TheFork); on the way back, buy a 24-hour ticket in WienMobil and take U4 + U1 at 22:33 back to the lodging. The friends skip Swarovski tonight and go tomorrow at 09:00 instead.

Why Hallstatt: at 11:20 the user asked to compare only by reviews, whether or not we had been before. Hallstatt is the most famous World Heritage town in the lake region; on a sunny day you get mountains, lake and reflections, so the payoff is the biggest; the downsides are crowds and commercialization. St. Wolfgang is comfortable and quiet, and its sights are the pilgrimage church and the lakeside. Weather (Open-Meteo 11:20): cloud cover in Hallstatt between 13:00 and 14:00 is 46–51%, turning overcast after 16:00, with light rain around 18:00. Vienna tonight (Open-Meteo 18:4x): 9–10 °C from 19:00 to 23:00, rain probability 0–3%.

The first item in each slot is the recommended one; the others are swaps.

Midday to afternoon (12:55–15:00, past)

Photo from 20193 photos

RecommendedMust-seeWhole group Hallstatt town

Marktplatz, the Bone House, the postcard photo spot at the north end

Admission Adult, free (walking around town)

Duration 2–2.5 hTransit · 10-29 recommended: 07:09 541 → Gosaumühle 07:38, change to 543 07:45 → Hallstatt Nord 07:49 (T 10-22 + OÖVV winter timetable); back to Bad Ischl, last bus Nord 19:04 / Lahn 19:00 → 19:45Bus directionsMap ↗More photos ↗

Details

Open Ossuary (Beinhaus) every day 10–17 in October (not double-checked); from October 2026 every day 10:00–17:00 (May–September 10:00–18:00; from November 11:30–14:30). Open as usual 10-25 to 10-31.

Combo ticket Town ossuary (Beinhaus, Michaelskapelle) adult €2.00, child 6–15 years €0.50, no student price

Note Most of the main sights in town are free. Parken is expensive (€4 for 1 hour).

Ticket price source Third party, regional tourist office page https://www.salzkammergut.at/oesterreich-poi/detail/400341/beinhaus-in-der-michaelskapelle.html (the operator is the Pfarre Hallstatt, not checked on the operator's own site); checked 2026-10-22

Source 4 posts in the materials

Rain Not advisable

The postcard spot is at the north end of Gosaumühlstraße, close to the Nord stop; the user's own words on 10-22: "after 8:30 in the morning there will be lots of tourists"; a Xiaohongshu blogger: "in the morning, the classic spot has front light"; fewer people after 16:30; it gets dark around 17:00 at the end of October; train + ferry route: 07:04 R → Hallstatt station 07:30, the 07:32 ferry runs only on school days, on school holiday days it is replaced by 08:35 (arrives 08:42) → not as good as 541+543

Official site

Checked: 2026-10-18 store

Image: C.Stadler/Bwag · Photo from 2019-06-30 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

Photo from 2022

OptionalWhole group Bräugasthof (long-established lakeside restaurant in Hallstatt)

Long-established lakeside place, probably cash only; Seewirt Zauner (Hallstatt Marktplatz) as the alternative

Google Maps (via a Wanderlog page, Google Maps not opened directly) 4 (1,833 reviews) · Recommended place to eat (not in the sources)

Duration 1 hTransit · in Hallstatt town, around MarktMap ↗More photos ↗

Details

Open Old sheet: open all year except March and November, closed Mon–Tue in winter; probably open at the end of October, not double-checked

Rating Google Maps (via a Wanderlog page, Google Maps not opened directly) 4 (1,833 reviews) (checked 2026-10-22)

Rain OK to go

Some reviews say cash only; two rating pages exist side by side, Bräu-Gasthof 3.7 (486 reviews) and Bräugasthof 4.0 (1,833 reviews), and I took the one with more reviews

Official site

Checked: 2026-10-22 (rating Wanderlog); opening hours are old

Image: Werner100359 · taken 2022-05-28 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

Photo from 2019

OptionalWhole group Hallstatt Skywalk

Take the Hallstatt Salzbergbahn (cable car up to the salt mine) up from beside Lahn, €29 round trip; the official site says it is open until 18:00 today

Admission Adult The official site has no separate Skywalk ticket; it can be reached after riding up with the Salzbergbahn round trip €29.00

Map ↗More photos ↗

Details

Open Runs with the Salzbergbahn: 10-25 to 10-31 every day 09:00–18:00 (last descent 18:00; re-read on the official site on 10-30, same; the regional tourist office listing says 09:00–14:30, which does not match).

Student ticket No student price

Note The official site explains: a Panoramalift goes from the upper cable car station to the Skywalk, and from there it is about a 15 minute walk to the Knappenhaus (start of the salt mine tour). Children under 4 can ride the cable car and go up to the Skywalk. The official site does not say outright that "the Skywalk is free", it only describes the process; whether there is an extra fee cannot be seen from this page, so it is understood as "included in the cable car ticket", marked as my understanding and not as the official wording.

Ticket price source Official site https://www.salzwelten.at/de/hallstatt/entdecken-erleben and https://www.salzwelten.at/de/hallstatt/preise-oeffnungszeiten; checked 2026-10-22

Checked: 2026-10-22 official site (prices and opening hours)

Image: Bhavishya Goel · Photo from 2019-10-19 · CC BY 2.0 · Source

Early evening (after arriving in Wien at 19:03)

No image yet

RecommendedMust-seeWhole group Vienna hostel (4 people stay the night of 10-30)

Check in at the front desk (4 passports, city tax about €4); check-out on 10-31 before 11:00

Transit · see the 10-30 day page

Details

Open Check-in from 15:00 on 10-30; check-out before 11:00 on 10-31 (Agoda confirmation e-mail)

Cost Paid (Agoda, booked 10-27, non-refundable); city tax is paid at the hotel, about €4

Rain OK to go

4 bunk beds, private bathroom, lockers under the beds, towels can be rented at the front desk; guests must be 18 or older; there is a bar downstairs (add the hostel's member pass to your phone wallet for 25% off bar food). Front desk phone; front desk open 24 hours (Hostelworld listing, not checked on the official site). Online pre-check-in: the help page on the hostel site says every hostel has it, and you enter from the confirmation e-mail or a link on the official site; this e-mail was forwarded through Agoda and its "Check in" button has no link, so we check in at the front desk (bring all 4 passports). Checking in online requires everyone's ID details, which only the user has. Whether luggage can be stored after check-out is not checked (one line on Hotels.com says "luggage storage available", with no details); ask the front desk when checking in on 10-30.

Checked: 2026-10-30 Agoda confirmation e-mail and hotel messages (Gmail); coordinates from Nominatim (house number)

Photo from 2025

Top pickWhole group Votivkirche (the lit "∞" light sculpture between the two towers, which is what the user called "the church with the Möbius strip")

The lit "∞" light sculpture between the two towers is "the church with the Möbius strip" (Q-09 closed, D-70); view from outside only, right at the exit of U2 Schottentor

Admission Adult: church free (third party, not checked on the official site) | Student: church free; for the museum inside the church see votivkirche-museum

Duration 30 min (light show about 30 min)Transit · right at the exit of U2 Schottentor; about 7′ by U2 (toward Seestadt) from Karlsplatz; about 22′ walk from Stephansdom; back to Hbf about 20′ by U2 + U1Transit directionsMap ↗More photos ↗

Details

Open A third party says the church is open Tue–Fri 10:00–16:00, Sat 11:00–19:00, Sun 09:00–13:00, closed Mon (the sources disagree; another one says Tue–Sat 10:00–18:00). Probably open on 10-27 (Tue), 10-30 (Fri) and 10-31 (Sat), but the hours are not checked on the official site.

Notes The homepage of the official site votivkirche.at does not give the church's opening hours or say whether it charges. That the church is free comes from a third party (WebSearch snippet) and is not checked on the official site.

Ticket price source Third party wien.info, relayed, not checked on the official site; the homepage of votivkirche.at has no opening hours; checked 2026-10-22

Source 5 posts in the materials

Rain OK to go

The '∞' light sculpture between the two towers is about 28 × 6 m. It was lit on 2025-12-16 and was due to come down in 2026-08, but the Archdiocese of Vienna announced an extension to the end of 2027-05 (reported by vol.at and news.at, searched in the main session on 10-30 19:4x); what time it is switched off each night was not found. Seeing it from outside the church is enough, no need to go in, no ticket. The user went to see it around 20:05 on the night of 10-30. The user said they would skip the light show inside the church: the Light of Creation show does not run every day (only on selected dates at 18:30, 20:00 and 21:30, about 30 minutes each), and whether there are shows on 10-30 or 10-31 was not found; the twin towers' night lighting can be seen from outside every day. It originally had no coordinates, and transit.py looked up the name and found Süchteln Vorst Kirche in Germany; after adding coordinates it works fine

Official siteLink 1

Checked: not verified

Image: Linie29 · Photo from 2025-12-18 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

• Rain probability in Vienna tonight is 0–3% (Open-Meteo 18:4x), so carry on as planned. If it really rains, skip Votivkirche and go straight to dinner with the second plan.

• 10-31 (D-71): the companions go to Swarovski in the morning (09:00), then go back to the hostel for the suitcases and check out (before 11:00), and head to the airport in the morning; my suitcase stays at the front desk, 10:00 Kunsthistorisches Museum, lunch at Naschmarkt, Secession, Café Sperl, optionally the National Library hall, a rest at the hostel bar in the evening, 22:53 to the airport for the night (flight at 07:45 on 11-01). Karlskirche and Belvedere were visited on 10-27, so they are not scheduled.
• Ask the front desk when checking in tonight: can luggage be stored until early evening after check-out on 10-31.
• Tomorrow afternoon, 14:00–18:00, rain probability is about 60% (Open-Meteo 18:4x), so plan the afternoon indoors.

Costs per person; the data comes from the "Tickets and reservations" page and is not written separately here. Buses, metro, trains and boats count as transport; cable cars and sight admissions do not. Walking costs nothing and is not listed.

• 541 → 543 to Hallstatt Lahn; 544 → 541 back to Bad Ischl. Unlimited rides all day€13.25
  Freizeit-Ticket OÖ (€26.50 per ticket, shared by 2 adults) · whole group · 4 people buy 2 tickets (€53.00 in total), 1 ticket per 2 people · buy on the spot · Tickets and reservations →
  Recommended default. Covers buses and regional trains in Upper Austria; does not cover IC trains, cable cars or ferries.
• Hallstatt station ↔ Hallstatt Markt ferry€8.00
  One-way ferry ticket (cash) · whole group · 1 ticket per person per trip · No longer needed · Tickets and reservations →
  At 11:30 on 10-30 the user asked whether the Freizeit ticket works on the boat; the main session said no.
• Bad Ischl → Wien Hbf (originally the 09:24 150 → Salzburg, change to RJX 63, or SV170 → Attnang)Price depends on the order, or was not found
  ÖBB ticket (bought) · companions · Bought · Tickets and reservations →
  Tickets already bought; no price recorded, not estimated, follow the order.
• Bad Aussee → Wien (via Bad Ischl, Attnang-Puchheim); on 10-30 I actually boarded at Bad Ischl€39.40
  ÖBB Standard-Ticket (youth card) €33.10 + seat reservation €3 (+ unused 1-hour bus ticket €3.30) · me · Bought · Tickets and reservations →
• Evening of 10-30, Wiener Grill Haus → lodging (originally Hietzing U4 + U1)€0.00
  Not bought (on 10-30 at 23:32 the user said "I'm back now and have not bought a transport ticket") · whole group · No longer needed (on 10-30 at 23:32 the user said they came back without buying a transport ticket) · Tickets and reservations →
  The return was originally planned with a 24-hour ticket bought in WienMobil (D-72); it was not actually bought. The 24-hour ticket was moved to the morning of 10-31 (bk-1031-wl24, D-73), and was not bought that morning either (D-74).

Another way to buy, or alternatives

• Evening of 10-30 in Vienna: Wien Hbf → lodging; lodging → Karlsplatz (tram O + U1); Karlsplatz → Hietzing (U4); Hietzing → Karlsplatz → our U1 stop (U4 + U1)Included
  7 Tage digital ticket bought on 10-27 (not recorded whether it was bought on 10-27; if not, buy a 24-hour ticket for €9.70 in the WienMobil app, or a single ticket for €3.00 each time) · whole group · Included · Tickets and reservations →
  Alternative:7 Tage (planned on 10-27, not recorded whether bought), not counted in the total
  7 Tage ticket planned on 10-27, not recorded whether bought; for the return on the evening of 10-30 a 24-hour ticket was planned, but no ticket was actually bought (bk-1030-wl24, per the user at 23:32 on 10-30)

On 10-30 the plan changed to all 4 going to Hallstatt together (D-63), by bus all the way (decided by the user at 11:32). For the lake region, buy 2 Freizeit-Tickets (€53); luggage is stored at the café next to Bad Ischl station (pick up before 19:00, cost not stated); back to Vienna on the already-bought ÖBB standard ticket, actually leaving Bad Ischl at 15:56 and taking IC 743 at Attnang (D-66). In Vienna: taxis to the church and the restaurant; for the return a 24-hour ticket (€9.70, D-72) was planned, but no ticket was actually bought (the user said at 23:32 "I'm back now and have not bought a transport ticket"), and the 24-hour ticket was moved to the morning of 10-31 (D-73). The ferry is no longer used. The earlier Altaussee split-up plans, the three plans for coming back from Hallstatt at 17:03/16:03/18:00 (D-65), the evening plans with Swarovski plus Figlmüller (D-66), and the Karlskirche night-view version (D-67, replaced by D-70) are in the git history.