# Two nights in Innsbruck from Munich by train: the Nordkette, Ambras castle, Swarovski Kristallwelten and Tyrolean cooking

Direct train from Munich, a hotel in the old town, the Nordkette and the Alpenzoo, Ambras castle, Swarovski Kristallwelten and Tyrolean cooking on the Hofgasse.

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/austria/tyrol/innsbruck/itineraries/two-nights-with-nordkette-from-munich · Revisado: 2026-11-12

Dónde: Innsbruck

Innsbruck fits into two nights and can be reached without a car: from Munich there are direct trains of around 1 h 45, the station is twenty minutes' walk from the old town and the mountain starts in the centre. In a weekend you see the Golden Roof, go up by funicular and cable car to 2,256 metres, visit the castle of a collecting archduke and the crystal halls of Swarovski, and eat Tyrolean cooking on the street next to the hotel.

## How do you get there from Spain?

By plane to Munich (MUC), which has direct flights from Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga and other Spanish cities; see the "By plane" panel on the Innsbruck listing. From the airport, the S-Bahn S1 or S8 takes you to Munich's main station and from there the direct train to Innsbruck leaves. If you are already in Munich, it is just the train: around 1 h 45. Check the day's timetables on the ÖBB or Deutsche Bahn websites.

## Where to sleep?

AccommodationAreaWho it is for

Altstadthotel Weisses KreuzOld town, 100 m from the Golden RoofFor walking to everything and to the funicular, in a house from 1465

Hotel BierwirtAmras, next to Ambras castleIf you arrive by car: free parking and the C bus to the centre

Ferienparadies Natterer SeeNatters, 7 kmWith a motorhome or tent, beside a lake and open all year

## And if there is no Nordkette?

The Nordkette closes for maintenance from 2 to 19 November 2026 and from 26 to 30 April 2027, and with the summit in cloud you see nothing. On those days, go up the Zaha Hadid Bergisel ski jump: funicular and lift to a terrace with the city at your feet, for €12. From November to May it is closed on Tuesdays.

## With children

Innsbruck is comfortable with children. The Alpenzoo is on the same funicular line, the Seegrube has easy paths and Swarovski has a park and play tower. For sleeping with kids, the Weisses Kreuz provides extra beds and cots in some rooms; ask when booking. If you go by car or motorhome, the Natterer See campsite has a children's programme and a bathing lake in summer.

## El plan

### Friday · 16:00 · Train from Munich
Direct train to Innsbruck. From the station, twenty minutes on foot or tram 5 to the Weisses Kreuz.

### Friday · 18:30 · Old town and the Golden Roof
A walk along the Herzog-Friedrich-Straße to the balcony of the 2,657 golden tiles, in the afternoon light.

### Friday · 20:00 · Dinner at Das Schindler
Ten minutes on foot along the Maria-Theresien-Straße. Three-course menu of your choice for €74. Book by phone: there is no online booking.

### Saturday · 9:00 · The Nordkette
Early breakfast and five minutes on foot to the Altstadt station. Funicular to Hungerburg and cable cars to the Seegrube and the Hafelekar, at 2,256 m: €59 return. Buy the 48-hour Innsbruck Card, €79, if you are also going to do the zoo, Swarovski and transport.

### Saturday · 13:30 · Alpenzoo
Go down by funicular to the zoo stop: about 2,000 animals of Alpine species on the hillside. Open every day; in winter, until 17:00.

### Saturday · 19:00 · Dinner at the Gasthaus Goldenes Dachl
On the Hofgasse, two minutes from the hotel. Tyrolean cooking until 21:30: Gröstl, tafelspitz or Kaspressknödel.

### Sunday · 8:00 · Breakfast at the Strudel-Café Kröll
Open from 7:00 every day. A savoury strudel and a sweet one.

### Sunday · 10:00 · Ambras castle
Bus from the centre. Armour, the cabinet of art and wonders and the Spanish Hall. From €16 online; closed in November.

### Sunday · 12:44 · Swarovski Kristallwelten
Go back by bus to the centre and take the 12:44 shuttle at the Congress/Hofburg stop; at 13:08 you are in Wattens. Eat there, at the Daniels restaurant, open from 9:30 to 19:00. Entry, €25 online; the return shuttle, €13.

### Sunday · 17:35 · Return
Shuttle to the main station, at 17:59, and direct train to Munich.

## Un consejo más

Check the Nordkette webcams early on Saturday. If the summit is clear, go up; if not, swap Saturday for Ambras and Swarovski and leave the mountain for Sunday.

## Cuándo no ir

Don't go in November: Ambras castle is closed all month and the Nordkette for a good part of it.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How much does the getaway cost?
Without the journey, with a hotel in the old town, the Nordkette, the visits, dinner at Das Schindler and meals, from about €350 per person for the two nights.

### Do I need a car?
No. The centre is done on foot and the rest by funicular, tram, bus and the Swarovski shuttle.

### Is the Innsbruck Card worth it?
With the Nordkette and two more visits in two days, yes: the 48-hour one costs €79 and includes public transport.

### What is the best time of year?
June to September for the mountains, and December for the Christmas markets. In winter you can ski at the city's gates.

## Dónde dormir without a car
- **Altstadthotel Weisses Kreuz**: The house
The Weisses Kreuz occupies a house in Innsbruck's old town that has been a meeting place since 1465, on the main street, the Herzog-Friedrich-Straße, less than 100 metres from the Golden Roof. The hotel says that in 1769 the young Mozart stayed here; the room where he slept is now the Mozart Suite. The current owners bought the building in 2017 and reopened it renovated in summer 2021.
It has four stars and 48 rooms, all different: from the small "Besenkammer" to suites with views of the Golden Roof. The life of the hotel is on the sixth floor: reception, open 24 hours, breakfast and the bar are there. There is a lift.
Rooms, breakfast and bar
Breakfast is served every day from 7:00 to 10:00. It is not an enormous buffet: it changes daily, with eggs made to order, barista coffee and products from local farms, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options if you let them know beforehand. The website does not publish room prices: you see them in its booking engine with your dates.
At the very top is the Blaue Brigitte, a blue bar under the roof with cocktails with and without alcohol. You don't book: you go up and sit down.
Some rooms have a sofa bed for one adult or two small children, with a supplement and always letting them know beforehand. A cot costs €40. Animals are not allowed.
Getting there and parking
From the main station it is about 20 minutes on foot. If you have a suitcase, tram 5 drops you at Anichstraße/Rathausgalerien, five minutes away. From the airport, the F bus reaches the centre in about 15 minutes without changing. A taxi can reach the door at any hour.
By car you can only enter the old town from 6:00 to 10:30, to load and unload in front of the hotel. After that, the hotel sends you to the Altstadtgarage, at Innrain 4, about 400 metres away: you take a ticket on entering and pay at reception a rate of €15 a day. That garage has no lift or chargers; for an electric car there are points at the Rathausgarage, five minutes away.
From here you have everything on foot: the Nordkette funicular station is five minutes away and the Gasthaus Goldenes Dachl and the Strudel-Café Kröll, on the Hofgasse, two.
- **Hotel Bierwirt**, desde 118 € / night: The house
The Bierwirt is an inn in Amras, the old village in the south-east of Innsbruck where the Ambras castle stands. According to the house, it was built in early 1615, a few decades after the castle took on its Renaissance form, and it has stayed in the same family for generations. The name comes from the time when travellers in carriages brought their own food and asked the innkeeper only for beer.
Today it is a four-star hotel with 62 Tyrolean-style rooms, almost none the same as another because of years of renovation, and a restaurant with Tyrolean cooking and several wood-panelled rooms. It is a quiet place, a few minutes by car from the centre, designed for anyone arriving by car or who prefers to sleep outside the old town.
Rooms and prices
There are singles, doubles, triples and quadruples, and one adapted room. All have a bathroom, television and free Wi-Fi. The prices it publishes for 2026, per room per night, start at €118 for the single, €158 for the twin and €166 for the standard double; the triple is from €219 and the quadruple, with a double bed and a sofa bed, from €246. Half board costs €35 per person.
Breakfast is a buffet with gluten-free options. The Finnish sauna, steam bath and saunarium are open Monday to Friday from 16:00 to 22:00; on Sundays and public holidays they are closed. The restaurant keeps the same rhythm: Monday to Friday from 16:30 to 22:00, with the kitchen until 21:30, and closed Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. If you arrive at the weekend, have dinner in the centre.
Animals are accepted only on request and in some rooms: ask before booking.
Getting there and parking
By car, leave the A12 motorway at Innsbruck-Ost and enter by the Bichlweg. There are 70 free outdoor spaces and an underground garage for €12 a space; if you book on its website, the garage is not charged and you can cancel free up to one day before. There is a garage for bikes.
Without a car it also works: the C bus from the centre stops in front of the hotel and the tram 3 stop is a few minutes away. The main station is about 3 km away and the airport 15 minutes by taxi. You can walk to Ambras castle.

## Dónde dormir if you're driving
- **Hotel Bierwirt**, desde 118 € / night: The house
The Bierwirt is an inn in Amras, the old village in the south-east of Innsbruck where the Ambras castle stands. According to the house, it was built in early 1615, a few decades after the castle took on its Renaissance form, and it has stayed in the same family for generations. The name comes from the time when travellers in carriages brought their own food and asked the innkeeper only for beer.
Today it is a four-star hotel with 62 Tyrolean-style rooms, almost none the same as another because of years of renovation, and a restaurant with Tyrolean cooking and several wood-panelled rooms. It is a quiet place, a few minutes by car from the centre, designed for anyone arriving by car or who prefers to sleep outside the old town.
Rooms and prices
There are singles, doubles, triples and quadruples, and one adapted room. All have a bathroom, television and free Wi-Fi. The prices it publishes for 2026, per room per night, start at €118 for the single, €158 for the twin and €166 for the standard double; the triple is from €219 and the quadruple, with a double bed and a sofa bed, from €246. Half board costs €35 per person.
Breakfast is a buffet with gluten-free options. The Finnish sauna, steam bath and saunarium are open Monday to Friday from 16:00 to 22:00; on Sundays and public holidays they are closed. The restaurant keeps the same rhythm: Monday to Friday from 16:30 to 22:00, with the kitchen until 21:30, and closed Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. If you arrive at the weekend, have dinner in the centre.
Animals are accepted only on request and in some rooms: ask before booking.
Getting there and parking
By car, leave the A12 motorway at Innsbruck-Ost and enter by the Bichlweg. There are 70 free outdoor spaces and an underground garage for €12 a space; if you book on its website, the garage is not charged and you can cancel free up to one day before. There is a garage for bikes.
Without a car it also works: the C bus from the centre stops in front of the hotel and the tram 3 stop is a few minutes away. The main station is about 3 km away and the airport 15 minutes by taxi. You can walk to Ambras castle.
- **Ferienparadies Natterer See**, desde 55 € / pitch: The campsite
The Natterer See is a small bathing lake on the sunny plateau south of Innsbruck, in the municipality of Natters, and around it is a five-star campsite that opens all year. It is 7 km from the city, according to its website, with the Nordkette opposite and the forest behind. It covers 150,000 m² with 180 grass pitches of 55 to 160 m², all on terraces, and it has reinforced pitches for heavy motorhomes.
Besides pitches, it rents mobile homes, an apartment and glamping lodgings, such as wooden cabins, safari tents and floating houses. For one or two nights near Innsbruck, what fits best is the pitch, with a motorhome, van or tent.
Pitches, prices and services
There are five categories. The standard one has electricity and is close to the toilet blocks; the deluxe ones, with a hedge, also have water and drainage, and some face the lake. The prices it publishes start at €55 a night for the standard pitch for two people and €60 for the deluxe ones. In high season they ask for minimum stays of up to five nights, so book early or write to have them find you a gap.
All pitches have electricity, 150 have water and drainage, and there is an emptying area for motorhomes and electric charging points. Wi-Fi is paid separately. The toilet blocks, with private bathrooms for hire if you want them, are adapted. Reception is open from 8:00 to 17:00; the minimarket and the bistro breakfast operate all year, and the restaurant with pizzeria, according to this season's calendar, until Easter 2027.
Dogs are welcome on the pitches, up to three, but not in the lodgings or the bathing area.
Getting there
The practical way is to arrive by car or motorhome: it is 7 km from the centre of Innsbruck and you can leave the car on your pitch. The barrier closes from 23:00 to 7:00, so don't come back late from dinner in the city. The campsite also offers a bus transfer and small-car rental; ask for times and prices at reception.
In summer the lake is a bathing area with a slide and boat hire, and there is a children's programme.

## Dónde dormir if you're flying
- **Altstadthotel Weisses Kreuz**: The house
The Weisses Kreuz occupies a house in Innsbruck's old town that has been a meeting place since 1465, on the main street, the Herzog-Friedrich-Straße, less than 100 metres from the Golden Roof. The hotel says that in 1769 the young Mozart stayed here; the room where he slept is now the Mozart Suite. The current owners bought the building in 2017 and reopened it renovated in summer 2021.
It has four stars and 48 rooms, all different: from the small "Besenkammer" to suites with views of the Golden Roof. The life of the hotel is on the sixth floor: reception, open 24 hours, breakfast and the bar are there. There is a lift.
Rooms, breakfast and bar
Breakfast is served every day from 7:00 to 10:00. It is not an enormous buffet: it changes daily, with eggs made to order, barista coffee and products from local farms, with vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options if you let them know beforehand. The website does not publish room prices: you see them in its booking engine with your dates.
At the very top is the Blaue Brigitte, a blue bar under the roof with cocktails with and without alcohol. You don't book: you go up and sit down.
Some rooms have a sofa bed for one adult or two small children, with a supplement and always letting them know beforehand. A cot costs €40. Animals are not allowed.
Getting there and parking
From the main station it is about 20 minutes on foot. If you have a suitcase, tram 5 drops you at Anichstraße/Rathausgalerien, five minutes away. From the airport, the F bus reaches the centre in about 15 minutes without changing. A taxi can reach the door at any hour.
By car you can only enter the old town from 6:00 to 10:30, to load and unload in front of the hotel. After that, the hotel sends you to the Altstadtgarage, at Innrain 4, about 400 metres away: you take a ticket on entering and pay at reception a rate of €15 a day. That garage has no lift or chargers; for an electric car there are points at the Rathausgarage, five minutes away.
From here you have everything on foot: the Nordkette funicular station is five minutes away and the Gasthaus Goldenes Dachl and the Strudel-Café Kröll, on the Hofgasse, two.
- **Hotel Bierwirt**, desde 118 € / night: The house
The Bierwirt is an inn in Amras, the old village in the south-east of Innsbruck where the Ambras castle stands. According to the house, it was built in early 1615, a few decades after the castle took on its Renaissance form, and it has stayed in the same family for generations. The name comes from the time when travellers in carriages brought their own food and asked the innkeeper only for beer.
Today it is a four-star hotel with 62 Tyrolean-style rooms, almost none the same as another because of years of renovation, and a restaurant with Tyrolean cooking and several wood-panelled rooms. It is a quiet place, a few minutes by car from the centre, designed for anyone arriving by car or who prefers to sleep outside the old town.
Rooms and prices
There are singles, doubles, triples and quadruples, and one adapted room. All have a bathroom, television and free Wi-Fi. The prices it publishes for 2026, per room per night, start at €118 for the single, €158 for the twin and €166 for the standard double; the triple is from €219 and the quadruple, with a double bed and a sofa bed, from €246. Half board costs €35 per person.
Breakfast is a buffet with gluten-free options. The Finnish sauna, steam bath and saunarium are open Monday to Friday from 16:00 to 22:00; on Sundays and public holidays they are closed. The restaurant keeps the same rhythm: Monday to Friday from 16:30 to 22:00, with the kitchen until 21:30, and closed Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. If you arrive at the weekend, have dinner in the centre.
Animals are accepted only on request and in some rooms: ask before booking.
Getting there and parking
By car, leave the A12 motorway at Innsbruck-Ost and enter by the Bichlweg. There are 70 free outdoor spaces and an underground garage for €12 a space; if you book on its website, the garage is not charged and you can cancel free up to one day before. There is a garage for bikes.
Without a car it also works: the C bus from the centre stops in front of the hotel and the tram 3 stop is a few minutes away. The main station is about 3 km away and the airport 15 minutes by taxi. You can walk to Ambras castle.