Innsbruck
EUROPE · FIESTA SIDE
A capital city with a 2,300m ridge at the end of the street: Habsburg arcades, student bars, and a cable car from the old town to the Alps.
The plan
Nordkettenbahnen to Hafelekar
Funicular then two cable cars take you from the old town to 2,269m in about 25 minutes. All three sections run in summer.
📍 Map & photos · €€€ · Website ↗
Goldenes Dachl and the old town
2,657 gilt copper tiles over Maximilian I's balcony, finished in 1500. The lanes and arcades around it are the real draw.
📍 Map & photos · €
Bergisel Ski Jump
Zaha Hadid's tower above the city. Daily 9am-6pm June to October, with a lift to the SKY restaurant and terrace.
📍 Map & photos · €€ · Website ↗
Swarovski Kristallwelten
20km east at Wattens: Chambers of Wonder, a giant head fountain and a walk-in crystal cloud. Daily 9am-7pm.
📍 Map & photos · €€ · Website ↗
Maria-Theresien-Strasse
The postcard street: Baroque facades in a line, the Nordkette filling the view at the end of it. Free, and best at dusk.
Getting there
Fly Innsbruck (INN)
Bus F reaches the centre in about 20 minutes. The approach flight down the Inn valley is one of Europe's most dramatic.
Railjet from Vienna or Salzburg
About 4h15 from Vienna and under 2h from Salzburg, through mountains the whole way. Sit on the left leaving Salzburg.
Train from Munich or Zurich
Around two hours from Munich on the Mittenwaldbahn, or three and a half from Zurich over the Arlberg.
When to go
Best time to go
June to September for hiking, or January to March if you came to ski.
Cheapest months
Late April to May and November: lifts shut, rooms cheap, valley green.
Priciest & busiest
The Christmas market weeks and the February-March ski peak.
If you've got one day
Morning
Coffee under the arcades of Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse, then the Goldenes Dachl and the Hofkirche's bronze knights.
Late morning
Hungerburgbahn from Congress up onto the Nordkette, then keep going to Seegrube for the city-and-Alps view.
Lunch
Eat on the Seegrube terrace at 1,905m, or drop back into town for a burrito at Machete on Anichstrasse.
Afternoon
Tram out to Bergisel Ski Jump, then walk down through the Wilten quarter, or carry on to Schloss Ambras.
Evening
Craft beer at Tribaun, a cocktail at Liquid Diary, and whatever is on at Treibhaus after 8pm.
Nearby & day trips
Stubai Glacier
Bus 590 up the Stubai valley to year-round snow, a glacier viewing platform and high-altitude walking trails.
Seefeld high plateau
35 minutes by train up a spectacular rack-assisted line to a gentle 1,200m plateau built for cross-country skiing.
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