Innsbruck

Innsbruck all inclusive – with the Innsbruck Card the city is all yours. This great value pass is your key to all the city sights, including numerous interesting museums and galleries such as the Imperial Palace, Tyrolean State Museum Ferdinandeum, splendid Ambras Castle, the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum and the Tirol Panorama Museum with its unique giant panoramic painting. With the Innsbruck Card you enjoy free travel on all public transport in the city and as far as Igls and Hall. Furthermore, you are entitled to one return trip on each of the seven cable cars (according to the season) in Innsbruck and the surrounding villages. Also included in the price of your Innsbruck Card is access to the Bergisel ski jump, an unmistakable city landmark well worth visiting all year round. A free shuttle bus service takes you to the glittering Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens. Exploring the town on two wheels is just your thing? Simply pick up a zippy city bike from DIE BÖRSE, a friendly inner city sports store and equipment rental, and you are free to roam the streets of Innsbruck for the next three hours. In addition to all this, you travel free of charge on the ‘Sightseer’ hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus which takes you to Innsbruck’s main points of interest in all comfort. Make sure to take an informative walk through the medieval lanes of the historic Old Town with a knowledgeable ‘Per Pedes’ city guide (tours available in English). Innsbruck Cards are available for a duration of 24, 48 or 72 hours.

What makes the experience of winter in the skiing region of Innsbruck so enjoyable is the successful harmony of city and mountain. The fun of skiing meets city flair, shredding meets sightseeing, surfing through deep snow meets dancing through the streets. Since the 2019/2020 winter season, the SKI plus CITY Pass has made it possible to combine all these pleasures, and the pass includes 22 lifestyle, cultural and sightseeing offers as well as 3 swimming pools and 2 transport services. The SKI plus CITY Pass, which can be used and combined with great freedom, enables you to plan your stay in the Innsbruck region with complete flexibility. In the morning you can be skiing over perfectly groomed slopes, in the afternoon it’s après-ski with art, culture or shopping, and in the evening you can take a dip in a swimming pool to chill out and soothe those aching muscle. Or perhaps you’d prefer to start the day with a shopping trip and tackle the slopes in the afternoon? No problem! How and when you make use of the offers depends entirely on your own mood and preferences. And, best of all, thanks to the free ski bus system, it’s easy to get about from A to Z, from Altstadt to Zoo, and the Hop-on Hop-off Sightseer bus, also included in the pass, takes you from sight to sight. So what are you waiting for? Let's explore #myinnsbruck!

Simply stroll through the city centre and you learn a lot about the town’s history. Habsburg emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519), in particular, shaped the image of Innsbruck during its transition from medieval times to the Renaissance era. He made the city the centre of an empire that stretched from Spain to Burgundy and Hungary. It was under Maximilian’s reign that Innsbruck’s glittering landmark – the Golden Roof - was constructed.

While the view down the splendid Maria-Theresien-Strasse towards the medieval old town is crowned by the majestic Nordkette mountain chain; the baroque Triumphal Arch is set off by the Bergisel ski jump, Innsbruck’s spectacular new icon designed by top architect Zaha Hadid.

Innsbruck’s gothic city tower was built in 1442-1450 as part of the former town hall, it rises 51 metres above the old town. Formerly used by watchmen on the lookout for enemies or fires, it now offers fabulous views of the entire historical city centre and beyond.

It was above all Archduke Ferdinand II (1529–1595) who proved to be a significant patron of the arts by converting Ambras Castle into a splendid Renaissance residence for his wife Philippine Welser. Located on a hill to the south of Innsbruck, Schloss Ambras is still home to extensive collections of art and curiosities which rank until today among Europe’s most beautiful ‘curiosity chambers’.

The old city is enclosed by Marktgraben, Burggraben and Rennweg, marking the boundary along which the city wall once ran. The somewhat younger baroque and classical part of Innsbruck is located outside its perimeter. Here you find Maria-Theresien-Strasse with the Annasäule column at its centre, a statue that was erected as a token of gratitude for the victory of the Tyrolean people’s contingent over the Bavarian troupes in 1703.

Wilten Abbey Basilica is the most beautiful Rococo church in Austria with a rich history. It is home to the famous Wilten Boys’ Choir. The historic church was restored in the mid-18th century and now offers festive gold, delicate colours and elegant stucco. It is open for visitors anytime.

This original 15th century Gothic mansion is an outstanding example of bourgeois grandeur in the Old Town, in later years richly decorated with stuccos. The house is named for Sebastian Helbling, who operated a small Café in there in 1833. The historic structure was completely refurbished in the years 1979 and 1980.

The court church is situated on the east side of the old town next to the Hofburg Imperial Palace. Habsburg emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519) planned an escort of life-size bronze figures, which were designed by prominent artists of his time. The twenty-eight so-called “Schwarze Mander“ (black men) were worked on by painter Albrecht Dürer as well as casters Stefan Godl, Peter Vischer and Peter Löffler, among others. The statues were not completed, however, until Maximilian’s grandson Ferdinand I took over and had this significant piece of Renaissance art displayed in Innsbruck’s Hofkirche.

Adjacent to the court church you will find the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum which since 1929 has accumulated a fascinating collection of every day objects of rural, urban and aristocratic life in former days, when the Trentino area and the Ladin valleys of the Dolomites were still part of the Tyrol. Following extensive refurbishments in 2009, the collections – which range among the most beautiful and impressive in the Alpine region – can be viewed in new splendour.