Innsbruck

The capital of Tyrol, ringed by the Alps, with a cable car straight up the Nordkette; the Golden Roof in the Old Town and Swarovski Crystal Worlds are popular stops for Chinese visitors.

Innsbruck is the capital of Tyrol in western Austria, set in the Inn valley and surrounded by Alpine peaks over 2,000 m high; the Nordkette to the north can be reached from the city center by cable car in about 25 minutes. The city was the court seat of the Habsburg emperor Maximilian I and hosted the Winter Olympics in both 1964 and 1976, making it one of the few places in Europe that is both a city and a mountain destination. Climate: Jun–Sep suits hiking, mountaineering and lake trips, with daytime temperatures of about 20–25°C and cool air at the summits; Dec–Mar is ski season, with resorts around the city such as the Nordkette, Patscherkofel and Axamer Lizum, and the more distant Stubai Glacier has a longer snow season; in December the Old Town hosts Christmas markets. Where to go: the Old Town (the Golden Roof, the Hofburg, the Hofkirche and Maria-Theresien-Straße) can be covered on foot; the colorful houses and riverside promenade of the Mariahilf district on the north bank of the Inn are a classic photo spot; the Nordkette cable car, the Bergisel ski jump and Ambras Castle are on the outskirts, 15–30 minutes by public transport; Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens to the east is about 30 minutes by car. Getting there: about 1 hour 45 minutes by train from Munich, about 2 hours from Salzburg, about 4 hours 15 minutes from Vienna and about 3.5 hours from Zurich; Innsbruck Airport mainly serves European routes. The Innsbruck Card (24/48/72 hours) covers city transport, one round trip on the Nordkette, Swarovski Crystal Worlds, major museums and castles, and suits intensive sightseeing. Suggested time: 2–3 days, plus 1–2 days of skiing in snow season. Note: mountain weather is changeable, so check cable car operations and the forecast before going up; most shops in Austria are closed on Sundays.

Top sights

• Golden Roof & Old Town – A late Gothic oriel balcony with 2,657 gilded copper tiles, the landmark of Innsbruck's old town.
• Nordkette Cable Car (Hafelekar) – About 25 minutes from the old town to an Alpine summit at about 2,300 metres, with views over the Inn Valley and the whole city.
• Swarovski Crystal Worlds – An art park at Wattens, the birthplace of the Swarovski brand. Beneath a giant head on the grass lies the Chambers of Wonder, filled with c…
• Imperial Palace & Court Church – The Habsburg Alpine residence. Highlights are the Giant Hall decorated in the era of Empress Maria Theresa and 28 bronze giants in the cour…
• Bergisel Ski Jump – A ski jump tower designed by Zaha Hadid, with a viewing platform overlooking the city and the jump. It hosted ski jumping at two Winter Oly…
• Ambras Castle – A Renaissance castle famous across Europe for Archduke Ferdinand II's Chamber of Art and Curiosities, its armoury and its Habsburg portrait…
• Maria-Theresien-Straße & St. Anne's Column – Innsbruck's main street, lined with Baroque buildings. From St. Anne's Column, the snowy peaks of the Nordkette rise behind the street, mak…
• Triumphal Arch – A triumphal arch built in 1765 by Maria Theresa to celebrate a royal wedding. One side is festive and the other mourns, making its story un…
• Innsbruck Cathedral (Dom St. Jakob) – A Baroque cathedral north of the old town, with trompe-l'oeil ceiling paintings by Asam and the altarpiece 'Rescue of the Virgin' by Lucas…
• City Tower – A 14th-century watchtower in the old town. Climb the 51-metre viewing gallery for a 360-degree view over the old town's rooftops and the su…
• Tyrolean State Museum Ferdinandeum – Tyrol's most important art and history museum, with rich collections from prehistory to the modern era, including Gothic wood carvings and…
• Tyrolean Folk Art Museum – A folk museum beside the Court Church, with several Tyrolean timber-panelled living rooms reconstructed and displays of costumes, furniture…
• Hofgarten – The royal garden north of the Hofburg palace, surrounded by old trees, lawns and palm greenhouses. It is a restful spot after a stroll thro…
• Alpenzoo Innsbruck – Europe's highest zoo, keeping only native Alpine animals. You can see bearded vultures, lynx, wolves and wild goats.
• Wilten Basilica & Abbey – Often called the most beautiful Rococo church in Tyrol. Its pale yellow façade and ornate stucco decoration are exquisite, and across the s…
• Das Tirol Panorama – A circular panorama hall on Bergisel displaying a giant 1809 panorama of the Battle of Bergisel, covering about 1,000 square metres.
• Grassmayr Bell Foundry & Museum – A family bell foundry with 14 generations and over 400 years of history, where you can watch bells being cast and ring bells with different…
• Patscherkofel – The 'city mountain' south of Innsbruck, home to the men's downhill race venue of two Winter Olympics, with a famous stone pine trail in sum…
• Axamer Lizum – The largest ski area near Innsbruck, a venue for alpine skiing at the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics, with wide slopes suited to advanced sk…
• Hall in Tirol Old Town – The best-preserved medieval old town in Tyrol. Its wealth came from salt mining and a mint, and the thaler silver coin was born here.
• Schwaz Silver Mine – Europe's largest silver mine in the 15th and 16th centuries. Ride a mine train 800 meters into the mountain and experience the world of med…
• Tratzberg Castle – A Renaissance castle on a hillside above the Inn Valley, with the Habsburg family tree hall and original interior furnishings. Chinese audi…
• Wolfsklamm Gorge – A waterfall gorge crossed by a 354-step wooden walkway, ending at a pilgrimage monastery on a cliff, St. Georgenberg.
• Lake Achensee – Tyrol's largest lake, with emerald waters surrounded by mountains. Explore it by century-old cog-rail steam train and by boat.
• Rattenberg – Austria's smallest city, with glassworks lining its medieval lanes, where you can watch glassblowing demonstrations.
• Seefeld in Tirol – A mountain plateau resort at 1,200 meters, host of the Nordic events at two Winter Olympics, reached by the Mittenwald Railway.
• Alpbach – A small village in a mountain valley, often called Austria's most beautiful village, with dark wooden houses whose balconies overflow with…

Where to eat

• Die Wilderin – An Old Town farm-to-table bistro emphasizing nose-to-tail dining and authentic seasonal ingredients, awarded two toques…
• Strudel-Café Kröll – A vaulted little café near the Golden Roof, serving over a dozen sweet and savory strudels from breakfast to afternoon…
• Restaurant Sitzwohl – A Michelin-selected restaurant on the second floor of the former Gilm School, known for its clean-structured, high-end…
• Lichtblick – A panoramic restaurant on the seventh floor of the RathausGalerien, selected by Michelin, featuring floor-to-ceiling gl…
• Gasthaus Anich – A historic tavern popular with locals, famous for its cheese dumplings and Tyrolean classics, offering a rotating weekd…
• Wirtshaus Weisses Rössl – A centuries-old tavern restaurant next to the Golden Roof, featuring game from its own hunting grounds, various Gröstl…

Itineraries

• Austria Classic Rail Itinerary – A scenic train journey from east to west connecting Vienna, Hallstatt, Salzburg, and Innsbruck
• Tyrol & Arlberg Alpine Road Trip – A road trip starting and ending in Innsbruck, connecting Arlberg, Ötztal, and Zillertal
• Austria Christmas Markets Rail Itinerary – Explore the festive markets of Vienna, Salzburg, Lake Wolfgang, and Innsbruck by train in November and December