Austria

At the bottom of the tranquil Alpbachtal Valley, there is a picturesque village that ticks all the boxes of a rural Tyrolean hamlet: exceptional mountain scenery, farmhouses dotting the slopes, for there are more than one hundred working farms, traditional wooden chalets, and balconies brimming with colourful flowers.

Occupying a dramatic position on the western shores of the fjord-like Hallstättersee, the sleepy alpine village of Hallstatt is probably the most photographed place in Austria and the jewel of the Salzkammergut. Its pastel-colored houses are clustered together so tightly that many are accessible only from the lakeside, while the old street runs above the rooftops creating a sense of timelessness that is difficult to put into words.