Servus Austria- 10 Must-Do’s for Innsbruck

February 17, 2015 ♦

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There are some places where you don’t know what to expect before traveling there. Innsbruck was one of them. My stay there wasn’t really planned beforehand. Working for an airline you get cheap standby tickets. When there is an empty seat you get it, if there is none left you have to wait for the next flight. Innsbruck is a very popular destination especially in winter therefore the flights were all full and I had to stay in the city. After walking through the picturesque old town I didn’t mind being stranded anymore, I actually was very happy to get to see such a lovely, small city surrounded by mountains which I would have missed otherwise.

1. The best thing to do if you are visiting Innsbruck is to get the Innsbruck card. It is great value for money and absolutely worth getting. It is possible to get the card for 1, 2 or 3 days and with it you get free entry to all the museums and sights, lots of discounts and you can use it for public transport as well as the mountain railways. For the 1 day card I payed 33 Euros and got to see all the major attractions in that time.

2. Enjoy a walk in the lovely Old Town and head to the riverside to see the colorful houses next to the clear and blue Inns river.

3. My favorite sight was the Imperial Palace. There are 25 imperial rooms from the 18th and 19th century to see. The highlight is the Giant’s hall, the most magnificent festival and ceremonial hall in the Alpine region.

4. Start the day with a good breakfast at The Breakfast Club. The café has a student vibe and they serve breakfast during the entire day with regional and organic products for an affordable price. Can recommend the different style omelets as well as the rice pudding.

5. On a sunny day take the Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahn cable railways all the way up to Hafelekar for a great way of the Alps. Stops on the way are the Alpine Zoo, Hungerburg and Seegrube. Get out at Seegrube if you want to have lunch at the restaurant up in the mountains, sunbath or have a drink in the igloo Cloud 9 (on weekends there are also some great parties happening there).

6. We girls love everything that sparkles. A visit to the Swarovski Crystal worlds is a must. In a spacious crystalline landscape works of artists from throughout the globe can be admired. It is currently undergoing a big expansion and going to be reopened on April 30, 2015.

7. Choose the individual boutique hotel NALA as your home during your stay in Innsbruck. A trendy hotel in a central location with an exceptional design.

8. A visit to the Museum of “Tyrolean Folk art”. It focuses on the arts and crafts, cottage industries, popular religion, Christmas cribs, masks and costumes from Tyrol. My favorite part were the replicas of traditional Tyrolean style living rooms.

9. Have coffee and a brioche at La Cantina.

10. Some local favorites to go out for dinner are: Pizzerei, Stiftskeller, Ludwig, Il Colvento, Lucy Wong.