Our last stop on our 5-city tour was Hallstatt, known as the most beautiful town in Austria. It’s a little jewel of a town tucked into the Alps, waterfront to a deep blue lake. It’s so pretty, in fact, that the Chinese replicated the town in China.

Anyway, Hallstatt: gorgeous, but a real odyssey to get to. We took a standing-room only bus from Salzburg to a station high in the Alps. Although we were basically leaning against the driver the whole ride there, the ascent was jaw-dropping. The mountains soared all around us, opening to deep blue lakes so calm they reflected the mountains like glass. The leaves were all red and orange and gold; the mountains craggy and huge and scattered with sheer chalk-white cliffs that dropped into the water. I remember being so awed by the mountains, which seemed to me like slumbering giants– so powerful and peaceful at the same time.

The bus ride was worth the trip in itself. We drove by fields with oatmeal-and-coffee-colored cows, and little wooden houses tucked into hillsides. At one point an elderly lady got off at a stop that was nothing more than a barren patch connected to a winding dirt path, and we all wondered where she could be going.

We then arrived at a station and rushed to get on the next train to the town. After about a 25-minute ride we got off at a ferry port. Hallstatt sits across the lake; you have to pay to take a ferry to actually get to the town.

Unless, of course, you’re three very cheap students. We didn’t want to pay the 5 euros to ride there, and instead thought it would be nice to walk around the lake. Although it took a couple hours I’m glad we did the hike. The view was incredible, with the enormous cliffs and shimmering lake. We were the only ones around, so it was calm and peaceful, and nice to get away from people. The air was cool but the sun warm on our skin. The snow-capped mountains in the distance were hazy and comforting.

Once we got to Hallstatt, we were charmed by the colorful houses and quaint architecture. Cobblestones and 16th century buildings create a sweet alpine feel that makes the town very storybook.  There’s a few shops, but not much to do besides walk around and take it all in (and snap photos). I feel bad for the people who actually live there, because there were just swaths of tourists. But I have to say, it might very well be the prettiest town I’ve ever seen.

We got kebabs and fries from a food truck for lunch. Hallstatt sits at the base of a mountain, so after exploring the town we hiked up the mountain that rises above it and got a breathtaking view of the lake and a little waterfall. It was magnificent.

We were tired and cold by dusk, and almost missed the last(!) ferry across the lake because of confusing piers. It was nice to see the town one last time glowing rosy under cotton-candy clouds.

It was dark on the way back and we were sleepy. Back at the hostel we met some German girls staying in a room down the hall and they offered to share their vodka with us and we chit-chatted for a while before eating an Italian dinner at a nearby restaurant. We went to bed soon after, and I’m sure we all dreamt of fairytale towns that hung over lakes, surrounded by big mountains.