Innsbruck Travel Guide | My Life Trips

Innsbruck

Information

Innsbruck is a city in west Austria and the capital of the federal state of Tyrol, which is considered one of the most beautiful areas of Austria. The city is in a great location and it is very close to the famous Brenner Pass, one of the most important European roads for travelers.

Innsbruck is about half an hour from the Italian and German borders and is considered as the best destination to start your exploration to the magical world of the Alps! The city has about 132,000 inhabitants, and is certainly one of the most beautiful cities in Austria along with Salzburg and Graz and of course the capital Vienna.

What To See...

Old Town

The old town of Innsbruck is by far the most beautiful spot in the city! Although it is a hyper-touristic spot, we certainly recommend you to spend much of your time here. Around the central square, with its very special buildings and narrow alleys, are the most beautiful spots of this city, which you will definitely love.

Golden Roof

The Golden Roof, as its named, is one of the most characteristic buildings in the city and also one of the most photographed. It is located on Innsbruck’s main square in the old town, and will surely attract your attention during your visit.

Hofgarten

Hofgarten is Innsbruck’s most beautiful park, and is located just a few meters away from the main square of the city. We highly recommend you to visit it and relax by walking in a very beautiful landscape.

Maria Theresien Street

This is one of the most central streets of Innsbruck and here you will find many cafes and shops. Walking along this beautiful pedestrian street, you will end up on the main square, after you have admired the magnificent view of the Austrian Alps and also some very beautiful buildings. Definitely one of the most beautiful parts of the city.

Ambras Castle

Just outside the city of Innsbruck, about 4 km away, is located the castle Ambras. A Renaissance castle, well preserved with the background of the Innsbruck mountains, is definitely a very good choice if you want to get out just outside the city center. Opening hours are from 10:00-17:00 daily and the ticket costs 12 euros per person.

Stadtturm

One of the city’s landmarks is the Stadtturm tower. It is located in the central square and you can climb up to its top to admire the beautiful views of the city and the mountains. You can visit it daily from 10:00-20:00.

Hofburg Palace

A building that will surely attract your attention in Innsbruck, is the Hofburg Palace. Very close to the central square and St. Jakob’s Church, Hofburg Palace is an impressive 16th-century building, built in Baroque style that you should definitely visit.

Colourful Houses

The central square and the old town of Innsbruck may be perhaps the most beautiful spot in this city, but the most picturesque are these colorful houses right next to the Inn River. The image you will see is really stunning, with the imposing Alpine mountains, the river and the colorful houses composing a backdrop that looks like a painting.

Nearby Excursions

Innsbruck as mentioned above is an ideal place for short excursions, not only in Austria but also in Germany and Italy! Two of our favorite places in Europe are about a half-hour drive from Innsbruck. Of course, we refer to the Bavarian Alps and the Dolomites in Italy. Of course, Austrian Alps and Tyrol are just as good choice and the whole area around Innsbruck in general, is truly a blessed place.

Because for all of the above mentioned places, we have so many things to say, it is better to refer to them with more details in separate articles, because we believe that this area of Europe is definitely one of the most beautiful of this continent.

What To Eat

Austrian cuisine is one of our favorites and especially the Tyrol area has some of our favorite dishes, such as Kaiserschmarrn, tiroler gröstl and many others. In Innsbruck there are really good restaurants and surely your choices are too many. We will recommend you an excellent restaurant, with authentic Austrian cuisine at very good prices, not as touristy as the ones in the main square of the city though. The restaurant is called Gasthaus Spitzbua and is located just outside the city center. The food was excellent and everything we tried was really tasty. Here you will find most of the traditional dishes of the Austrian cuisine that we mentioned above, in very generous portions and excellent prices.

How to move

Innsbruck is not a small city, but most of the interesting sights are around the old town and the Inn River, except Ambras Castle. As in most cases, we always recommend to walk around the city and see its beauties, rather than going by public transport from sight to sight.

Innsbruck Airport is only 4 km away from the city center and is easily accessible by car (10 minutes) or by bus (35 minutes).

Where to stay

In Innsbruck there are several choices regarding the subject of your stay. In the center of the city and around the main square, as usual, you will find the more expensive hotels, with prices that can reach easily 200 euros. Just outside the city center there are more cheaper options in several good hotels. Our suggestion is to choose a cheaper room and spend your money on other activities such as excursions, car hire, etc. You can make your reservations via Booking.com

Booking.com