Before Christmas, we decided to drive to Austria to explore a little town called Hallstatt. I had suggested it in advance before flying to Europe; it was a few hours' drive away from Zagreb, where my boyfriend is from. The reason I wanted to visit was because of the picturesque view of this quaint town and the lake that surrounds it. I had seen it all over Pinterest years back, and since I had never been to Austria, I thought it would be a good way to end my year by visiting a new country in Europe.

The temperature is colder in Austria because it is, after all, a mountainous country. My boyfriend organized everything and decided to book accommodation in Obertraun, another village in Upper Austria around 5km away from Hallstatt. It's also a very peaceful, charming place to stay. We stayed at this resort called Dormio Resort Obertraun; it's a really nice area. We were surrounded by mountains, and right when we step out of your apartment, we had the view!

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There wasn't much we wanted to do while we were there since it was snowing a lot, but Obertraun has many skiing areas and places where you can hike up to see the city from the mountains. You can even swim by the lake right beside the resort's park. However, since it's winter, activities are quite limited. If you decide to visit during spring or summer, click here for fun things to do in Obertraun.