Innsbruck has a lovely location surrounded by the Alps in the Inn Valley at the crossing of some of the historically most important trade routes in Europe. It is at the northern end of the Brenner Pass, which presently allows Innsbruckers to zip to Italy in around half an hour if traffic allows but for centuries was a challenging but possible route through the mighty Alps. Trade made Innsbruck rich and the town still oozes prosperity.
Innsbruck has a small but interesting old town. From its main drag – Maria-Theresien-Straße – the Alps provide a constant backdrop and I was wondering if the locals ever tire of looking up at the mountains. The buildings in the old town are interesting too with facades from various eras. Numerous restaurants and cafés line the streets in the pedestrian zone inviting you to linger.
The symbol of Innsbruck is the Goldenes Dachl (Small Golden Roof), a small spectator balcony with a golden roof. It was built by Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I around 1500. Maximilian I loved Tirol and Innsbruck and visited on numerous occasions. The Maximilianeum explained the life and influence of this colorful ruler who is often described as the last knight. He laid the foundations of the Habsburg Empire on which the sun never set.
Maximilian I was also responsible for the creation of one of the most important Renaissance artworks in the German-speaking world – his mausoleum. As Maximilian and his entourage left huge debts in Innsbruck, the town refused the dying emperor entry and the Emperor’s Tomb is therefore empty. Construction of the mausoleum continued for around half a century before money ran out and although uncompleted, it is still a very impressive sight.
The Glockenmuseum (Bells Museum) is an interesting museum on the history and manufacturing of bells. It has several hands-on displays too.
To the south of Innsbruck is the Bergisel with a famous ski jump. Nearby is the lovely Schloss Ambrass with interesting museums and art in addition to the impressive building and parks.${QuickSuggestions} Innsbruck has a famously lovely location but approaching it by car from whatever direction forces you to travel through even more beautiful landscapes. Thus, after driving several hours from Salzburger Land along mountains and in the Inn Valley, the first views of Innsbruck were rather disappointing. This town of 130,000 is one of only three inside the Alps mountain range that exceeds 100,000 and its outskirts are not particularly impressive or beautiful. In the outskirts are numerous industries, the autobahns that go down the Inn Valley as well as through the Brenner Pass Italy are amongst the busiest in Europe, and with the exception of the wonderful ski jump at Bergisel even the fantastic winter sport arenas are not particularly beautiful from the outside. However, once inside the old town, things dramatically improve. Having spent the previous week in Vienna, Innsbruck clearly seemed provincial in comparison and the museums and palaces could not enthralled at the same level but the town is still beautiful and interesting. I particularly enjoyed being able to constantly see the lovely Alps from virtually any spot in town.
The Innsbruck Card sold by the tourist office offers great value for money. It allows unlimited use of the public transportation system as well as admission to all the major sights in town. Nothing makes the card pay for itself faster than ascending the mountains but even with low cloud cover preventing us from going up higher than Hungerburg, we still made a handsome saving on normal admission prices. The card currently sells for €24 for 24 hours, €29 for 48 hours, and €34 for 72 hours.${BestWay} Innsbruck’s old town spreads around the long Maria-Theresien-Straße, which makes a T-junction with Herzog-Friedrich-Straße at the Goldenes Dachl. These two pedestrian-only streets neatly keep traffic out of the center making parking at a parking lot at the outskirts of the old town advisable – few foreigners ever master the complicated Austrian street-side parking regulations.
Innsbruck has an excellent public transportation system with the trams, which runs through Maria-Theresien-Straße, particularly useful. Buses take visitors to sights further afield such as Schloss Ambrass. Numerous cable cars are available to the peaks in the region with the ride up to Hungerburg and from here to the top of Hefelkar (2,334 m/7657 ft) particularly popular. Low clouds prevented us from making this two-hour trip but the views from the top must be wonderful as it not only looks down at Innsbruck but also south to the Brenner Pass and Italy.
From journal Innsbruck - A Provincial Town with Heart