Get in
By plane
Innsbruck has its own international Airport. Currently regular scheduled flights are available from Amsterdam, Antwerpen, Frankfurt, Gothenburg, Graz, Hannover, London (Gatwick), Rotterdam, Vienna. SkyEurope is a discount airline that flies to Innsbruck. The Munich Airport, 2.5 hours away, is another alternative. There are vans that will meet you at the Munich Airport and take you directly to your lodging in or around Innsbruck for the price of a comparable train ticket.
There are also charter flights to several german cities - especially in winter.
The bus line F will take you to the city center (every 15 minutes / on sunday it departs every 30 minutes).
Other nearby Airports include Friedrichshafen, Klagenfurt, Munich, Salzburg and Zurich.
By train
Despite being a smaller city Innsbruck has fantastic train connections to all major cities in its neighborhood. The main station, Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof, is located at Südtiroler Platz (South-tyrolean square) in the east of the city center.
Regular (direct) trains operate from Venice, Bozen, Zurich, Munich, Graz, Vienna (via Linz and Salzburg) and many other destinations.
The Austrian train system is operated by the Österreichische Bundesbahnen, OEBB.
By car
Innsbruck is reachable through both of Tyrol's motorways: Inntalautobahn (A 12) and Brennerautobahn (A 13).
Get around
The basic map of the city costs only 1 euro at the TI. Big parts of the downtown area are declared (fee-based) short-term parking zones. For longer visits, it is recommended to park off-site and use public transportation.
By Public Transport
Public local traffic (buses, trams, trolleys) is operated by the Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe, Innbus, Verkehrsverbund Tirol and a couple of private operators.
Visitors should be aware that there sometimes are bus line letters/numbers that split up into different destinations (the bus line O, for example), and so it's important to pay attention to the
destination displays (outside and inside) and the spoken announcements. Tickets are 1.60 euro in the city center, which you can pay to the driver. Regardless of the door you enter, go to the driver and pay, exact change not necessary. Daily tickets are 3.60 euro and weekly tickets a bit more than 7. Buy these from the machines at some bus stops (just outside of Hauptbahnhof for instance) or at a tobacco shop. You must validate the ticket when you get on your first bus or tram.
The special bus line "TS" ("The Sightseer") connects the major sights like Schloß Ambras, Bergisel and Alpenzoo to downtown.
By Foot
From the Hauptbahnhof to the city center is a relatively short and enjoyable 20 minute walk. Walk out of the Hauptbahnhof, cross the street at the train station cross walk, turn to your right, and go down to the next street to your left. Walk on this street until Maria-Theresia Strasse, then turn right toward the city center. Taking this street all the way leads to the pedestrian zone and the Golden Roof. This is the classic walk into old Innsbruck. All of the major Altstadt sites are within a reasonable walking time.
See
The Innsbruck-Card offers free entrance to all of Innsbruck's sights, free use of public transportation (including the TS line). It also includes a one-time ascent&descent to Nordkette, Patscherkofel and Axamer Lizum and free entrance to Swarovski Kristallwelten in Wattens.
The Innsbruck-Card is valid for 24/48/72 hours and can be purchased at Innsbruck Information (Burggraben 3), the TI in Hauptbahnhof, and several museums and tourist offices. Tip: The Innsbruck card is pretty expensive, 23/28/33 euro for 1/2/3 day cards. And daily or weekly public transport cards are cheap - the "all inclusive" sales pitch is alluring to disoriented travelers, but make sure the discounts are worth the initial price. If you are not seeing these major entrance-fee sites, remember that you may buy more than one daily card at a time, as the 24 hours only starts once validated. Be sure to compare with the price of a weekly ticket too.
The bus line Sightseer (TS) connects the major sights in Innsbruck.
Churches and Cathedrals
Castles and Palaces
Buildings
: During sporting events, the jumping tower is not accessible, and a ticket is needed to enter the terrain. Free entrance with the Innsbruck-Card.
Memorials
Museums
Boulevards and Squares
Parks
Zoos
Do
In winter, the Nordpark can offer several ski routes. They are steep and offer a great view of the nearby Mountains and the city itself.
:One ascent&descent is free with the Innsbruck-Card.
:One ascent&descent is free with the Innsbruck-Card..
Buy
There are three shopping malls in Innsbruck: Sillpark (just outside downtown, take the tram line "3"), DEZ (bus lines C, S and T) and Cyta (in the suburb "Völs"). Furthermore, there are several warehouses, especially in the nearby village Neu-Rum.
There are numerous shops in central pedestrian areas like Maria-Theresien-Straße, the Old Town, Franziskanerplatz, Sparkassenplatz and Anichstraße as well as Museumstraße.
You will also find shops/stores in quarter centers of Wilten (tram lines 1, 6 and STB) and Pradl (tram line 3)
Souvenir stores in the Old Town offer souvenirs of varying origin, but the Tiroler Heimatwerk (Meranerstraße 2) offers real Tyrolean handycraft
Drink
The local beer of Innsbruck is Stiegl, from Salzburg. Unfortunately there is no widely accepted local beer from Innsbruck.
Sleep
Budget
Cope
Religious services
Holy mass in catholic churches in Innsbruck (pdf):
Get out
Innsbruck is a city in western Austria, and the capital of the federal state of Tyrol. It is located in the Inn valley at the junction with the Wipptal (Sill River) which provides access to the Brennerpass, some 30 km south of Innsbruck. Located in the broad valley between high mountains, the Nordkette (Hafelekar, 2,334 m) in the north, Patscherkofel (2,246 m) and Serles (2,718 m) in the south, it is an internationally renowned winter sports centre. The name translated means the bridge over the Inn (Brücke=bridge)
History
Earliest traces suggest initial inhabitation in the early Stone Age. Pre-Roman place names show that the area has been populated continuously. In the 4th Century the Romans established the army station Veldidena (the name survives in todays urban district Wilten) to protect the economically important commercial road from Verona-Brenner-Augsburg. This road was destroyed during the Völkerwanderung in the 4th century. The first mention of Innsbruck dates back to 1187 (Oeni Pontum or oeni pons which is Latin for bridge (pons) over the inn (oenus)), which was an important crossing point over the river Inn. The city's seal and coat of arms show a bird's-eye view of the Inn bridge, a design used since 1267. The route over the Brenner Pass was then a major transport and communications link between the north and the south, and the easiest route across the Alps. The revenues generated by serving as a transit station enabled the city to flourish.
Innsbruck became the capital of all Tyrol in 1429 and later in 15th century the city became a centre of European politics and culture as emperor Maximilian I moved the imperial court to Innsbruck in the 1490s.
During the Napoleonic wars Tyrol was ceded to Bavaria, ally of France. Andreas Hofer led a Tyrolean peasant army to victory on the Berg Isel against the combined Bavarian and French forces, and then made Innsbruck the centre of his administration. The combined army later overran the Tyrolean militia army and until 1814 Innsbruck was part of Bavaria. After the Vienna Congress Austrian rule was restored. The Tyrolean hero Andreas Hofer was executed in Mantua; his remains were returned to Innsbruck in 1823 and interred in the Franciscan church.
In 1938 Austria was annexed by Hitler's Germany. Between 1943 and April 1945, Innsbruck experienced 21 bomb attacks and suffered heavy damage. The KZ Innsbruck-Reichneau concentration camp was located here.
People and Culture
A majority of Innsbruck's people are of Tyrolian ancestry, which therefore influences the culture of the city.
However, as with many European cities, there are small yet thriving minorities that co-exist with the European majority. These include Turkish, North Africans, Indians, Roma, and even Chinese and Nepali. Many of aspects of their culture can be found throughout the city, such as markets, restaurants, and shops; some even still speak their traditional language in everyday life. They, too, have had a lasting effect on the city of Innsbruck.
Climate
Source: Statistik Austria , City of Innsbruck Website
Culture and Sights
Entertainment
Innsbruck has many cinemas and little theatres (of which the biggest is the Tiroler Landestheater Innsbruck). As a very popular tourist destination, Innsbruck organises the following events every year:
Sports
Due to its location between high mountains, Innsbruck serves as an ideal place for skiing in winter, and mountaineering in summer. There are several ski resorts around Innsbruck with the Nordkette served by a cable car and additional chair lifts further up. Other ski resorts nearby include Axamer Lizum, Igls, Seefeld, Tulfes and Stubai Valley. The glaciated terrain in the latter makes skiing possible even in summer months.
The Olympic Winter Games were held in Innsbruck twice, first in 1964, then again in 1976, when the Denver, Colorado voters rejected a bond referendum to finance the games.
Along with St. Moritz, Switzerland and Lake Placid, New York in the United States, it is one of three places which have twice hosted the Winter Games. It also hosted the 1984 and 1988 Winter Paralympics.
Other notable events held in Innsbruck include the Air & Style Snowboard Contest from 1994 to 1999 and the Ice Hockey World Championship in 2005. Together with the city of Seefeld, Innsbruck organized the Winter Universiade in 2005. Innsbruck is also one of the host cities for Euro 2008 which is to be held in Switzerland and Austria.
Buildings
Museums
Churches
Parks
Economy and Education
Innsbruck is the cultural and economic center of western Austria and is one of the most famous and substantial tourist centres, with more than a million overnight stays. It is also a university city.
Economic data
In Innsbruck there are some 78,000 employees and about 8,000 places of work. 35,000 people shuttle every day into Innsbruck.
Tourism
Tourism is the most important source of income for the city authority, largely because of Innsbruck's beautiful town centre with its historic buildings, the friendly ambience and the extensive sport facilities both in winter and in summer.
Transport
Innsbruck is located along the A12/A13 corridor, providing freeway access to Verona, Italy and Munich, Germany. The A12 and A13 converge near Innsbruck, at which point the A13 terminates.
Innsbruck's main station is one of the most frequented railway stations in Austria. The Austrian east-west railway crosses the south-west route through the Brenner pass, connecting northern Italy and southern Germany.
Innsbruck Airport provides services to Frankfurt, London, and Vienna, as well as other places.
The town's tram-network consists of two city-lines and two lines in the surrounding area - the Innsbrucker Mittelgebirgsbahn to Igls and the Stubaitalbahn into the Stubaital. The network will be enlarged during the coming years to Hall in Tirol in the east and Völs in the west. There are also bus lines. The trolleybus service will be abandoned as the tram network is enlarged.
Education
Innsbruck's universities are also leading in Austria and the EU. The most famous is the University of Innsbruck (Leopold-Franzens-Universität in German), followed by the Medical Uni IBK and the MCI.
Politics
The results of the 2006 local elections were:
Miscellaneous
Twin Cities
Innsbruck is twinned with:
References
External links
