I'd never even heard of Innsbruck when I embarked on my European tour in 2002. My good friend I was travelling with was wanting to visit on account of her parents' recommendations, so I agreed and was pleasantly surprised.
Innsbruck is simply one of the most beautiful places in Europe. Surrounded by the Alps on one side and the Tuxer mountain range on the other, it is quite impossible to avoid turning a corner in this small city without confronting yet another breathtaking view of snow-capped peaks.
The city has a very relaxed feel, befitting a locale with only just over 100,000 inhabitants. This is never more in evidence than at the Hauptbahnhof (train station) which
looks more like an outer suburb stop than a main disembarkation point.
We booked into our hostel, which was located about 15 minutes from the main attractions by bus. The city has excellent transport in this respect - the buses are clean, on time and cheap - around £2 for an all-day pass.
The main touristy area is in the heart of the Old Town, surrounding the Golden Roof, an outcropping from a building which holds a balcony where Emperor Maximillian watched performance artists. A museum on the emperor is located inside the building and costs about £5.
Across from the Roof is City Tower, which can be climbed (148 steps) to its summit so you can take in the panoramic views that Innsbruck has to offer. We spent almost an hour up here as we could not get enough of the scenery.
In this general vicinity is the baroque church St James Cathedral, and many examples of 15th and 16th century architecture. If you look around closely, some of the buildings still have signs hanging off them of the establishments they once held - I saw one for an inn dating back to the 1600s.
All this is located in a fairly small place, and was filled with tour groups when we were there. Added to this is the associated tourist trap essentials - tacky souvenir shops, expensive restaurants and little room to move.
However, there are plenty of things to do outside this area. You have the Alpenzoo, which can either be accessed by walking up a hill or taking a cable car (which is more fun, I ask?). The zoo contains a wide variety of species and cost about £6-8 for entry. A few enclosures were under development when we visited.
If you travel by bus to Wattens (£4), which is about half an hour away, you can visit the Swarovski Crystal Worlds - home of the world's most exquisite and expensive crystal. They try to set it up as an attraction, but fail miserably. You pay about £6 for entrance for a series of sparsely decorated rooms with a few mannequins adorned with crystals. Sad but true, the best part of the exhibit was the gift shop, which contained a veritable shedload of all things crystal. I had my eye on an exquisite viking galleon, roughly the size of my hand - €100 was a bit steep though!
Another visit you can make outside town is Schloss Ambras, a medieval castle that was extended in the 16th century by Archduke Ferdinand II for his secret wife. One of the building holds a massive collection of portraits for the family - I can only guess as they all looked pretty similar. Another housing contains a vast array of armoury and weapons - very nice.
There is also the Imperial Church and Palace in Innsbruck, but we didn't get the chance to visit these. Skiing is very popular and can be done all year round.
If you're in the mood for a souvenir, have a look around for a cuckoo clock shop near the Old Town Square - the prices are steep but you'll find it hard to resist!
The people of Innsbruck are very friendly and quite helpful, and the majority speak English very well.
One thing to note is that the night-life is next to non-existent. There aren't too many young people in evidence in Innsbruck, suggesting they all move away once they're old enough. One pub I visited called last drinks at 9pm, and this was just off the Old Town Square!
But if you're looking for a great, relaxed place to add on to your itinerary for a Europe trip or just a weekend away, Innsbruck is perfect.
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Aug 23rd, 2003
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