47.27° N · 11.39° E
The capital of the Tyrol, in the Inn valley, twice host of the Winter Olympics (1964 and 1976). A funicular and a cable car climb from the centre to the Nordkette, above 2,000 m.
Part of Alps
What to do
Each plan says how long it takes, who it's for and whether you can book.
Funicular and cable cars from Innsbruck's old town to the Seegrube (1,905 m) and the Hafelekar (2,256 m); €59 return.
André Heller's Giant and its crystal chambers in Wattens, 20 km from Innsbruck, with a children's park; open daily and €25 online.
Zaha Hadid's Olympic ski jump above Innsbruck: funicular and lift to the 50 m tower with a viewing terrace; €12 admission.
Itineraries
Days and weekends already planned out, with how to get between each stop and who to book with.
Plan the trip
Each choice narrows the next: the season shapes how best to travel, and how you travel decides where you stay and where you eat.
When to go
From June to September for going up the Nordkette and walking; December for the Christmas markets. In winter you can ski at the city's doorstep. November is the quietest month: the Nordkette and Ambras Castle close.
How you travel
Choose how you're travelling and we'll tell you where to stay, how to get around, where to eat and which services you'll need. We only show the ways of travelling that make sense here.
Innsbruck is one of the easiest Alpine cities without a car: there are direct trains from Munich, the main station is twenty minutes' walk from the old town and the mountain starts in the centre, with the Nordkette funicular. Swarovski Kristallwelten has a shuttle from the station and Ambras a bus. The Innsbruck Card includes public transport.
A car is superfluous in the old town, which you can only enter in the small hours to unload, but it is useful if you sleep outside the centre, if you arrive in a motorhome or if you want to combine Innsbruck with Wattens and the nearby valleys. Sleep where parking is easy and enter the centre by public transport.
Innsbruck has its own airport (INN), a few kilometres from the centre, but according to Geocalia's route table it has no direct flights from Spain. The usual way is to fly to Munich (MUC), which does have them from several Spanish cities, and continue by train: from Munich's main station there are direct trains to Innsbruck, and from the airport you go with one change.
Who you're with
A trip with a toddler is not the same as one with a teenager. Pick yours to see what works and what to bear in mind.
Innsbruck is easy with children: short distances, transport included in the Innsbruck Card and plans that mix mountain and city on the same day.
Teenagers like Innsbruck for its sporting side: the Olympic ski jump, the high mountains a funicular ride away and a city that is easy to explore on their own.
With children under six, Innsbruck is done at their own pace: short funicular stretches, animals up close and a park with games.
Where to stay
We show you what suits the way you travel.Change how you travel
Why we like it: Four-star hotel in a 1465 house in the old town, less than 100 m from the Golden Roof, with 48 rooms, a rooftop bar and 24-hour reception.
Why we like it: Four-star family hotel in Amras, next to Ambras castle, in a house from 1615: 62 Tyrolean rooms, a sauna, a restaurant and free parking.
Why we like it: Five-star campsite beside a bathing lake in Natters, 7 km from Innsbruck: 180 terraced pitches, mobile homes and lodgings, open all year.
Where to eat
From set lunch menus to Michelin stars. We mark the price level and what to order at each place.
What to order: the Tiroler Dachl Gröstl (€19.80), the tafelspitz soup with Kaspressknödel (€9.80) or the Tyrolean veal schnitzel (€33.50), and for dessert the Kaiserschmarrn.
What to order: a savoury strudel, spinach or vegetable and potato, and a sweet one of apple (€6.40) or curd cheese and sour cherry; if you don't know which, the assortment of three small ones.
What to order: the three-course menu of your choice (€74) with the organic Angus beef tartare, the Schwaz char or the Wiener Schnitzel, and for dessert the Wiener Melange of Topfenknödel and Kaiserschmarren.
Nearby
The closest places, whichever country they are in.
48.14° N · 11.58° E
By planeCar-free
46.62° N · 12.30° E
By carOn footCampingBy campervanLuxuryBy plane
47.04° N · 12.84° E
By carBy motorbikeBy campervanCampingOn footBy bike
Tips
The Nordkette alone costs €59. With Swarovski or the Alpenzoo on the same day, the 24-hour card already pays off.
Clouds often roll in over the Nordkette during the day.
Everything is on foot or a tram ride away, including the funicular station.
You see it in five minutes. What sets Innsbruck apart is having the mountain right above it: go up the Nordkette.
Innsbruck has an airport, with seasonal flights, but the usual way is to fly to Munich, Zurich or Vienna and continue by train: from Munich it takes under two hours. The central station is a ten-minute walk from the old town.
The centre can be explored on foot and the rest by tram and bus. If you are going to make more than two visits in a day, the Innsbruck Card is worth it: €69 for 24 hours, €79 for 48 hours and €89 for 72 hours, with the Nordkette, the Hofburg, the Alpenzoo, Swarovski Kristallwelten and its shuttle, public transport and the sightseeing bus. If you sleep two nights or more, your accommodation usually gives you the Welcome Card free, with transport and discounts, but without admissions.
You hardly need to book anything: the Nordkette and the museums are bought on the day, and Swarovski is a little cheaper online. In November 2026 the Nordkette closed from the 2nd to the 19th, and Ambras is closed all month.
For two nights, sleep in the old town: the Altstadthotel Weisses Kreuz, in a house from 1465 a hundred metres from the Golden Roof, is five minutes from the Nordkette funicular. If you are driving, the Hotel Bierwirt, in Amras beside Ambras Castle, has free parking; with a campervan or tent, the Ferienparadies Natterer See campsite is 7 km away, beside a bathing lake, and open all year.
To eat, the Gasthaus Goldenes Dachl serves Tyrolean cooking every day, Sundays too, with the kitchen open from 11:30 to 21:30. For breakfast or an afternoon snack, the strudel at the Strudel-Café Kröll, on the same Hofgasse. And for a special dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, Das Schindler, on the Maria-Theresien-Straße.
If you are coming from Munich, you have two day plans by train, the Nordkette and the old town or Ambras and Swarovski Kristallwelten, and a two-night getaway.
Questions
Yes, if you do the Nordkette and at least one other visit on the same day. It costs €69 for 24 hours and includes transport.
Two: one for the old town and the Nordkette, another for Swarovski, Bergisel or Ambras.
Yes. The Alpenzoo, the Swarovski park and the Seegrube work very well with little ones.
Yes. The Nordkette funicular leaves from the old town.
Geocaliahttps://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/tyrol/innsbruck
