Spending time in Innsbruck, Austria was a last-minute addition to our travels, to be honest. We wanted to make our 16-day trip around the Alps with our kids a loop. So a little piece of Austria it was!
But we found that this was one place where we wished we had stayed longer. We fell in love with the Stubai Valley, the vibe of Innsbruck, and the Austrian food and culture.
Innsbruck is the capital of Tyrol (sometimes spelled Tirol), which is a state in Austria. Here, you will find museums and artifacts celebrating Tyrolean life, culture, and history. Tyrol is well-known for its ski resorts, which we saw evidence of even though we were there in the summer. When we drove out to the Stubai Valley, there were ski ads, ski magazines, and ski chalets all over. I would love to go back and experience that.Â
The snow life is also why Innsbruck has been chosen in the past to host two Winter Olympics, two Winter Paralympics, and the first-ever Winter Youth Olympics.
But, again, we were there in summer. It was still a great experience.
Innsbruck is in the Alps and has the Brenner Pass. This pass forms the border between Italy and Austria, with the lowest altitude of most passes in the area. It has been popular as a slot for trade and transportation since as early as the 1200’s.
Driving in this region, we were struck by the expansive natural beauty combined with the easy access to outdoor adventures. There were hanging bridges and hiking paths everywhere, and to get to the Stubai Valley to explore untouched areas and hiking huts in the middle of nowhere was a quick 20-30 minute drive from downtown Innsbruck.
We were also taken with the culture. Many bypass Innsbruck for Salzburg and Vienna, but there is a vibrant Austrian culture here, complete with classical music, stringed instruments, dumplings, ice cream, mountains, old buildings, and cold beer.
Our Adventure in the Alps
Table of Contents
Getting to Innsbruck
We had a car during our entire European trip (I will talk about why in an upcoming summary post about our trip, so stay tuned). We found Innsbruck easy to navigate by car. Paid overnight public parking is available in many locations (although it did take us a bit to figure out how to work the payment machines). Street parking is pretty restrictive.
Innsbruck is closest to Munich airport and there is a smaller Innsbruck airport available if you choose to pay more to fly directly in.
Innsbruck is also easily accessible by train. Major cities connect, such as Zurich and Munich. There are many options for getting to Innsbruck.
Getting Around Innsbruck
Once in Innsbruck, we stayed by the Altstadt (or Old Town) so we could walk to most places of interest. I highly recommend that. Being near the downtown area with the outdoor beer gardens and live music was perfect.Â
Our room was on the top floor, with no elevator and no air conditioning. This is Europe, after all, and many of these buildings are old. But, unlike Lucerne, not having A/C was completely acceptable here. (This is the Airbnb we stayed in. It wasn’t really two bedrooms, perse, but it fit our needs and had a beautiful view.)
We were glad, though, that we had our car to get out to the Stubai Valley to explore – see below for more.
Top Tips About Innsbruck
This was the first location during our entire trip where we needed cash. Not as much in the Altstadt, but anywhere outside of the downtown area and for any tips, it was cash only. We had an embarrassing experience of having lunch at one of the hiking huts and not having enough cash to cover the meal. We, of course, found cash and came back, but it was an uncomfortable experience.
We only had two nights in Innsbruck since we were en route to Milan and back to home. But we could have easily filled more time.
Top Things to do in Innsbruck, Austria
Walk the Riverside and Old Town Innsbruck
We loved strolling the streets here, especially taking in the river. After our stops in Fussen and Lucerne, we became enamored with the color of the Alpine water (it reminded me of my time in Annecy, too!).
The river is the River Inn – Innsbruck means “bridge above the Inn.” And Inn = the name of a river, not the name of lodging for travelers, to be clear.
The river is a large tributary of the Danube and 322 miles long. Across from the Altstadt of Innsbruck, there are centuries-old houses of various colors sitting on the river. This is one of the most scenic spots in town.
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The Altstadt of Innsbruck is charming. It is a maze, with tiny streets that meander and businesses that pop out and surprise you. As you walk, you peer back into restaurants that seem to stretch on, wondering what delights are contained within.
People were milling about, street performers playing, and ice cream stops were all over. It was fun to see where our feet took us.
See the Golden Roof
When I first saw this recommendation on the Internet, I thought it was silly. It’s just a roof on a patio!
But it turns out it was beautiful. This is the city’s most famous landmark for a reason.
It isn’t actually gold: it is 2,657 copper tiles. It was built in 1500 by Emperor Maximilian I to mark his wedding to Bianca Maria Sforza. They used the balcony to observe festivals, tournaments, and other events that took place in the square below. Everything feels like it is been suspended in time.
This can only be viewed from the outside.
Standing in the courtyard below, I could easily imagine myself as a commoner looking up at gorgeous imperial kings and queens under a gilded roof.
Visit the Hofburg Imperial Palace
The Hofburg Imperial Palace in Innsbruck was also completed in the 1500s. The Palace has had too many residents and too much important history to delve into here. But the Habsburgs owned it for more than 450 years. Today there are five “museums” inside to view.
Enjoy Music
Maybe because of the Sound of Music but more likely because of its incredible lineage of famous composers (Schubert, Mozart, Haydn) I associate Austria with a certain kind of music. Not pop music, but refined string-based music that harkens back to older times (there may be some kids dressed in curtains singing in harmony in these daydreams I have – there is a reason why Stowe, Vermont was so fun for my active imagination!).
The buskers in the downtown area of Innsbruck were phenomenal and played cello, harp, violin, viola, etc. They were all over and mind-blowingly amazing.
But if you want something that completely leans into Tyrolean heritage, you can consider the Gundholf Family’s show that’s been running for 55 years (good for the family). Or you can check out the Tiroler Landestheater.
Check out the Beer Garden Culture
Germany doesn’t have a monopoly on beer gardens! Mr. Family Trip and I enjoyed the atmosphere of Skiftskeller a lot.
This was a wonderful place to people watch, try a local beer, and also try some local food. We sat outside and watched Austria happen.
Eat Delicious Food
After eating pizza in Milan and brats in Bavaria, we weren’t expecting a lot from Austrian cuisine. But the Tyrolean flavors were fun and I was surprised!
We tried dumplings (which were HUGE), a classic staple of the region. We also stumbled into Markthalle almost immediately upon arrival into town. There were all sorts of wonderful foods to try here – followed by a Farmers Market outside the hall with dozens of street food stalls, live music, beer vendors, and more. All of this was right on the river. We loved it!
Visit the Stubai Valley
This was, by far, one of our favorite excursions of our trip. (I will share more on the hike we did in an upcoming post, so stay tuned.) To be honest, our tween was pretty moody this day so a pallor of attitude was cast over everything we did, but besides that real-life parenting moment, it was exquisite here.
We found a suspension bridge to hike to and over, and a hiking hut to have some lunch. If we go back to this area again, we’ll likely try to find a small house to rent in this Valley, we loved it that much.
Go Paragliding
Not what you expected, I am sure. But here we are – we did this. I recommend it in a heartbeat.
We all became enamored with this when we were near Interlaken. But the prices in Switzerland are (let me say it for the hundredth time) expensive. Plus, it was busier in Switzerland and harder to navigate launch places with traffic and tourists looking to do this.
In Austria, it was more affordable and we had some of the friendliest guides. It was easy to access and in general a phenomenal experience.
If you follow our Instagram stories, you recall that this adventure felt safer and more secure to me than walking over the suspension bridge (not joking).
I also found this even more secure and safe-feeling than hot air ballooning for some reason. So if you have even a curiosity about this, do it!
And do it in Stubai Valley. (We went with Tandem Stubai and had a really wonderful experience.)
With More Time
Ambras Castle. While we really wanted to be outside (this was our last stop on our vacation and we wanted to be in those mountains!), this would have been the next thing on our to-do list. Schloss Ambras says it is “the first museum in the world.” That seems like a bold statement but, regardless, it’s old. Learn more about Schloss Ambras here.
Swarovski Crystal Museum. This experience gets mixed reviews. I have noticed that those who love it tend to have small children. It seems unique and different. Learn more about the Swarovski Crystal Museum here.
Visit the Bergisel Ski Jump. Innsbruck hosted the Olympic games in 1964, 1976 and 2012. Bergisel is the Olympic games ski jump that towers over the the city. You don’t have to ski or jump though! By paying some Euros, you can take elevators to the top and enjoy the view. Learn more about the Bergisel ski jump here.
Go up the gondola. The Nordkette gondola takes visitors to the “Top of Innsbruck,” to Austria’s largest nature park. It looks great, but as I mentioned before, we were gondola-ed out (if that’s a thing). Learn more about the Nordkette gondola in Innsbruck here.
Austria feels as though it so often gets overlooked by American tourists for “sexier” places like France, Italy, Amsterdam. But I can’t say enough how much we loved the little sliver of this country we experienced. All the fun, all the beauty, half the traffic and better prices! We felt welcomed by the people and welcomed by the landscape.
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