the city of Maximilian I, between the Golden Roof, the Hofburg and the Hofkirche, with the Nordkette reached from the centre by funicular, the Christmas markets and the Bergisel ski jump
Innsbruck is the city of the bridge over the Inn, which gives it its name, closed in by mountains: to the north the wall of the Nordkette, to the south the Brenner. It was the city of Emperor Maximilian I, who had the Golden Roof built here and wanted the tomb with the twenty-eight bronze statues that today stands in the Hofkirche, and then of Maria Theresa, who rebuilt the Hofburg. From the old town a funicular designed by Zaha Hadid takes you in eight minutes to the Hungerburg, and two cable cars go on up to 2,334 metres, above the Karwendel. It has hosted the Winter Olympics twice, and every winter the Bergisel ski jump hosts the Four Hills Tournament. In December the old town belongs to the Christmas markets and to the Krampus. For those travelling by motorhome Innsbruck is the first city beyond the Brenner, one toll away from Italy: the motorhome stays at the campsite, because throughout Tyrol sleeping outside campsites is forbidden, and you go into the centre by bus.
Sleeping
Stops and overnight stays
Innsbruck has only one campsite inside the city, the Kranebitterhof, to the west towards the airport. The others are in the villages around: the Natterer See on the plateau to the south-west, Judenstein at Rinn on the other side of the valley. There is no motorhome-only stopover, and sleeping in a motorhome outside campsites is forbidden throughout Tyrol. For the November markets the Kranebitterhof and the Natterer See remain; Judenstein reopens on 1 December.
Camping Kranebitterhof
Kranebitter Allee 216, 6020 Innsbruck
the only campsite inside Innsbruck, west of the city below the Nordkette, with an Italian restaurant that is also where reception is. Every pitch has an electricity hook-up and water; grey water and chemical toilet emptying is for guests only. You cannot book: you arrive, choose a free pitch by driving straight up, and then go to reception. Departure is by 11:00. The operator writes that it is open all year, but also that opening hours may change and that it is best to ask. It does not say whether there are showers and wifi, how many pitches it has, or which bus goes to the centre: line K goes to Kranebitten station. It does not give the Welcome Card
ElectricityWaterGrey waterChemical toilet
The operator's price list says 60 euros a night for two adults with a motorhome, 31 for one adult alone, 11 for each extra adult and 7 for a child from 3 to 14 years, with the tourist tax of 3 euros per person already included. It does not give the year, it does not give the seasons, and it does not say whether electricity is included · +43 512 279558 · kranebitterhof.at
a large campsite on a small lake on the plateau south-west of the city, with 180 terraced pitches, some of them reinforced for heavy motorhomes. The Standard pitch takes motorhomes up to six metres, with a 6 amp socket; the Komfort and Luxus pitches have all hook-ups and a 16 amp socket. It is open all year: water filling and emptying at the pitch work until the first frosts, the motorhome service station always. Reception is open from 8:00 to 18:00, the barrier can be passed from 7:00 to 23:00; arrival is from 14:00 and departure by 11:00. Line 401 to Innsbruck central station stops in front of the campsite: the operator says twenty minutes, with roughly one bus an hour, and from the station you walk to the old town. From two nights the bus is free with the Welcome Card, which you receive on arrival
For one night in December 2026, from the 10th to the 11th, the operator's booking system asks 60.50 euros for two adults on the Standard pitch, 62.50 on the Komfort and 64 on the Luxus, with the tourist tax included; from 28 to 29 December the Standard costs 76 euros. Every pitch includes 5 kWh of electricity a night, and each extra kWh costs one euro · +43 512 546732 · natterersee.com
the campsite of the municipality of Rinn, at 900 metres above the Inn valley, next to a small Baroque church, reopened in May 2026 after works: winter 2026-27 is its first. It has fourteen reinforced pitches for motorhomes, with electricity; in winter there is no water filling or emptying at the pitch, and the drinking fountains are closed, while the toilet blocks are heated and open day and night. The barrier reads the number plate: arrival is from 15:00 to 18:00, until 21:00 with a paid booking, and departure by 11:00. For Innsbruck you take bus 549 to Rinn and there line 540 to the central station; the operator does not say how long it takes. From two nights the Welcome Card lets you travel free. In November it is closed: for the first days of the markets it is no use
14 motorhome pitches
ElectricityToiletsShowerWi-Fi
With the winter 2026-27 price list, in December each adult pays 8.50 euros a night and the reinforced pitch 23.50 euros, with electricity included; the tourist tax is 4 euros and the environmental contribution one euro per person. For one night in December the booking system asks 50.50 euros for two adults, all included; the operator adds 5 euros per booking for those staying only one night. From 1 January 2027 an adult costs 9 euros and the pitch one euro more · +43 664 2428500 · camping-judenstein.at
In Innsbruck the motorhome stays at the campsite and you get around the city by bus and tram: sleeping in a motorhome outside campsites is forbidden throughout Tyrol, and in the centre there is only one car park that takes motorhomes by day.
The Brenner: the whole A13 Brenner motorway has its own toll, and you drive it without a vignette. In 2026 a motorhome up to 3.5 tonnes pays 12.50 euros for the whole stretch, at the Schönberg toll barrier or in advance with the digital toll, which opens the barrier by reading the number plate. Innsbruck Süd is the last exit without a vignette: beyond it, on the A12, the vignette is required
The Lueg bridge, on the A13, is being rebuilt: you drive on one lane in each direction, with two lanes on heavy traffic days, and on those days vehicles over 3.5 tonnes cannot use the right-hand lane. ASFINAG publishes the calendar of the two-lane days
The vignette is required on the other Austrian motorways for motorhomes up to 3.5 tonnes. In 2026 it costs 9.60 euros for one day, 12.80 for ten days, 32 for two months and 106.80 for a year. The two-month and one-year vignettes bought online are only valid from the eighteenth day after purchase. From the 2027 vignette year, which begins on 1 December 2026, there is only the digital one, linked to the number plate
Over 3.5 tonnes the vignette and the Brenner ticket are not valid: you pay a per-kilometre toll with the GO-Box, on the A13 too
Sleeping in a motorhome outside campsites is forbidden throughout Tyrol under the 2001 Tyrolean camping law, with a fine of up to 600 euros. Only a stop needed to rest before driving again remains allowed
By day you can leave the motorhome at the Innrain 149 car park, near the Innsbruck-West exit: from 1 March 2026 it costs 25 euros for 24 hours, for parking only, because sleeping there is forbidden. You go into the centre by buses C, M and N1, or in a quarter of an hour on foot along the Inn. The Olympiaworld park and ride costs 21 euros a day, from 6:00 to 24:00, with the bus for five people included, but neither of the two operators says whether it takes motorhomes
Paid parking in the city is in the blue zones, with a limit of 90 or 180 minutes. From 2 November 2026 you pay Monday to Friday from 8:00 to 21:00 and on Saturday from 8:00 to 18:00. With a motorhome you do not drive into the centre: the old town is pedestrianised
Bus and tram tickets are not sold on board: you buy them from ticket machines at the stops, at retailers or with the IVB app. A single ride costs 3.30 euros, 24 hours 7.30, 24 hours for two adults and three children 10.80, a week 28.40
The Welcome Card: if you sleep at least two nights somewhere that gives it, you receive it free, and travel free on all public transport in the Innsbruck region, including regional trains and ski buses; from three nights there is also a 20% discount on the Nordkette cable cars. Among the campsites the Natterer See and Judenstein give it, the Kranebitterhof does not
The Innsbruck Card includes buses and trams, the ride up the Nordkette to the top, the Alpenzoo, the Hofburg, the Hofkirche, the city tower, the Bergisel ski jump, Ambras Castle and the shuttle to the Swarovski Crystal Worlds. It costs 69 euros for 24 hours, 79 for 48 and 89 for 72; children from 6 years pay half
Up the Nordkette you go from the city by the Hungerburgbahn funicular, then by cable car to the Seegrube and the Hafelekar. Until 1 November 2026 the return trip costs 14 euros to the Hungerburg, 50.40 to the Seegrube, 56 to the Hafelekar. The cable cars are stopped for maintenance from 2 to 19 November 2026, and the winter season runs from 20 November to 25 April 2027
Seeing
Sights
The centre lies between the Maria-Theresien-Straße and the river: a walk that starts from the triumphal arch, goes up the street to St. Anne's Column, enters the old town, passes under the city tower and the Golden Roof, goes down to the bridge over the Inn and the colourful houses of Mariahilf, comes back to the cathedral, the Hofburg and the Hofkirche and ends in the Hofgarten. Next to the Hofgarten the funicular to the Nordkette starts, with the Alpenzoo stop halfway up. The Bergisel and Wilten are to the south, with tram 1; Ambras Castle to the south-east, by bus; the Swarovski Crystal Worlds at Wattens, twenty kilometres away, by shuttle. Tap a marker on the map to open its entry below.
1
Maria-Theresien-Straße, St. Anne's Column and the Triumphal Arch
Square · free entry · 47.26567, 11.39420
Maria-Theresien-Straße, 6020 Innsbruck
the new town outside the walls, bought by Meinhard II in 1281, which only took the name of Maria Theresa in 1873. Halfway along stands St. Anne's Column: on 26 July 1703, St. Anne's Day, Tyrol freed itself of the Bavarians who had entered in the War of the Spanish Succession, and the column, almost thirteen metres high, was inaugurated with a procession on 26 July 1706. It is by Cristoforo Benedetti, from Trentino, with the Immaculate Virgin on top and four saints at the base; today they are copies, and the originals are in the old Landhaus. At the end of the street, to the south, the Triumphal Arch was built in 1765 for the wedding of Archduke Leopold, Maria Theresa's son, celebrated on 5 August; the north side, the sad one, remembers Emperor Francis Stephen, who died in Innsbruck during the festivities, on 18 August. From the street you look straight at the Nordkette.
the main street of the old town, which the Counts of Andechs founded on the right bank of the Inn, linking it by a bridge to the market on the other bank. It had five gates: the one on the Inn was demolished in 1790. The houses have their façades raised to hide the roof, as in the Inn valley and in the Salzburg region, and arcades run along the sides: their vaults are worth looking at. At the Goldener Adler, the inn with the list of illustrious guests carved in marble, Andreas Hofer stayed; a little further on are the stucco-decorated façade of the Helbling House and the Trautson fountain, the only one of the old town's eight fountains still in its place.
in 1442 the town bought and demolished a house next to the old town hall to make room for the tower, which the documents record as finished in 1450; in 1560 the master builder Caspar Schäbl gave it the spire it still has. It is 51 metres high. For almost 450 years the watchmen who raised the alarm for fires and storms lived in it, and the lower floors were the prison. You climb 133 steps to the terrace at 31 metres, from which you see the rooftops of the old town, the Golden Roof from above, the cathedral and the mountains all around.
Opening hours every day 10:00-17:00; from June to September until 20:00, and also until 20:00 from 15 November to 23 December and on 31 December. There is no lift: you can only walk up · the city's combined ticket with the Golden Roof museum and the Stadtmuseum costs 10.50 euros, family 21; free with the Innsbruck Card. The official sources do not give the price of the tower alone · +43 664 8865 4338 · city.tower@innsbruck.info
the ceremonial balcony that Emperor Maximilian I had added between 1497 and 1500 to the façade of the government palace, covered with 2,657 gilded copper shingles. Niklas Türing the Elder built it and carved its reliefs, and the frescoes are attributed to the court painter Jörg Kölderer; in the reliefs Maximilian appears with his two wives. For centuries the building was offices and even a barracks, and it only became the symbol of the city at the end of the nineteenth century, with tourism. The museum, inside the palace, tells the story of Maximilian and of the passage from the Middle Ages to the modern age, with games for children, and lets you look out from the balcony over the old town.
Opening hours the roof can always be seen from outside. The museum from May to September every day 10:00-17:00; from October to April Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-17:00, closed on Monday · 6 euros, reduced 3, family 12.50; free under 6 years and with the Innsbruck Card. With the Stadtmuseum 7.20 euros, family 14.50; with the Stadtmuseum and the city tower 10.50, family 21 · +43 512 5360 8351 · innsbruck.gv.at · goldenes.dachl@innsbruck.gv.at
The bridge over the Inn and the colourful houses of Mariahilf
Walk · free entry · 47.26823, 11.38715
Dr.-Sigismund-Epp-Weg 1, 6020 Innsbruck
the bridge over the Inn is the one that gives the city its name, and it has been on its seals since 1267. On the other side, at Mariahilf and St. Nikolaus, the row of colourful houses along the river, with the Nordkette behind, is the postcard of Innsbruck: you look at it from the promenade on the old town bank, and it is beautiful in the evening too, with the lights reflected in the water. Towards the west is the Mariahilf Church, built in 1647-1648 by Christoph Gumpp, the first of the family of architects who designed half of Innsbruck: a Baroque rotunda with a dome, wanted as a votive offering by the Tyrolean Estates for a war that was avoided. On the high altar, since 1654, is the copy of Cranach's Madonna; the original is in the cathedral, on the other side of the river.
the church of St. James was rebuilt after the earthquake of 1689 by Johann Jakob Herkomer and Johann Georg Fischer, between 1717 and 1724: it is one of the masterpieces of Tyrolean Baroque. The ceiling frescoes, with St. James interceding for Tyrol, are by Cosmas Damian Asam, the stucco by his brother Egid Quirin. On the high altar is the Madonna of Succour by Lucas Cranach the Elder, painted around 1537, a gift to Archduke Leopold V that was brought here from the Hofburg in 1650: it is the most copied image of the Madonna in the Alps. In the left aisle is the bronze tomb of Archduke Maximilian III. It has been a cathedral since 6 August 1964, when Innsbruck became the seat of a diocese. At noon the carillon plays, the largest in Austria.
Opening hours every day from 8:30; for visits Monday to Saturday from 10:15, Sundays and holidays from 12:30. It closes at 19:30 in summer time and at 18:30 in winter time · +43 512 583902 · dibk.at · dompfarre.innsbruck@dibk.at
the palace grew up around a stretch of the medieval walls and their towers. Frederick IV, who ruled Tyrol from 1406, moved the residence from Merano to Innsbruck, and Maximilian I enlarged it with the dowry of Bianca Maria Sforza. Its present appearance is Maria Theresa's: after the wedding of her son Leopold, in 1765, and the death of her husband right here, she had it rebuilt between 1765 and 1773, and the façade on the Rennweg is by her architect Nicolaus Pacassi, the same as at Schönbrunn. You visit the state rooms, with the Giants' Hall, the imperial apartments including Sisi's, and the exhibition on Maximilian.
Opening hours every day 9:00-17:00, with last entry at 16:30. The website does not give the closing days · in 2026 the imperial apartments cost 10.50 euros, reduced 8; the exhibition on Maximilian and the one on Sisi 8.50 each, reduced 6; everything together 21 euros, reduced 16. Free up to 19 years and with the Innsbruck Card · +43 512 587 18 619 · burghauptmannschaft.at · hofburg.ibk@burghauptmannschaft.at
the church that Emperor Ferdinand I built between 1553 and 1563 for the funeral monument of his grandfather, Maximilian I: the tomb is empty, because Maximilian is buried at Wiener Neustadt. Around the cenotaph stand the Schwarze Mander, the black men: twenty-eight larger than life bronze statues, ancestors, relatives and models of the emperor, from Mary of Burgundy to King Arthur. The first was cast in 1509; Arthur and Theodoric were cast in 1513 by Peter Vischer to a design by Albrecht Dürer; the last dates from 1550, and the kneeling emperor on top was only cast in 1584. Also worth seeing are Jörg Ebert's organ, of 1558, one of the oldest in the world still played, the Silver Chapel with the tombs of Archduke Ferdinand II and Philippine Welser, and the tomb of Andreas Hofer. The Folk Art Museum, in the former Franciscan monastery next door, has fourteen complete panelled parlours from Gothic to Rococo, nativity scenes and costumes.
Opening hours the Hofkirche Monday to Saturday 9:00-17:00, Sundays and holidays 12:30-17:00, last entry at 16:30; you enter through the museum. The museum every day 9:00-17:00. On 24 December both 9:00-16:00 with free entry; on 25 December the museum is closed and the church is open 12:30-17:00, free; on 31 December 9:00-14:00; on 1 January the museum is closed and the church open 12:30-17:00 · 9 euros, reduced 7, for the church or for the museum; the Tiroler Landesmuseen ticket, 14 euros, reduced 11, is valid for a year for one entry to each museum, including the church, the museum and the Tirol Panorama. Free up to 19 years and with the Innsbruck Card · +43 512 59489 510 · tiroler-landesmuseen.at · volkskunstmuseum@tiroler-landesmuseen.at
the court garden next to the Hofburg, almost ten hectares. From 1564 Archduke Ferdinand II made it an Italian garden, with fountains, pergolas and the maze; under Maria Theresa it became Baroque, and from 1857 it was redesigned as an English park, and has stayed that way. In the middle is the music pavilion of 1773. Once it was reserved for the court, today it is the city's park, with giant chess; from mid November to the end of January, in the evening, it hosts the Lumagica light park.
Opening hours from November to February 7:00-17:00; in March 7:00-19:00; in April 6:30-20:00; from May to July 6:30-21:00; in August and September 6:30-20:00; in October 6:30-19:00. When it snows it opens at 8:00 at the latest · +43 512 584803 · bundesgaerten.at · office@bundesgaerten.at
from the city to the mountain without moving the motorhome. The Hungerburgbahn, the funicular designed by Zaha Hadid and opened in December 2007, starts from the old town and reaches the Hungerburg in eight minutes; its stations have white, curved roofs inspired by the shapes of ice. From the Hungerburg one cable car goes up to the Seegrube, at 1,905 metres, and another to the Hafelekar, at 2,334, above the Karwendel nature park, the largest in Austria. The historic cable car stations are by the Tyrolean architect Franz Baumann, between the two world wars. At the Seegrube there is a restaurant open all year; from the Hafelekar the Goethe trail and the via ferrata start. Dogs go up with a muzzle and on a lead.
Opening hours from 2 to 19 November 2026 all the lifts are stopped for maintenance, and the winter season runs from 20 November 2026 to 25 April 2027. In autumn the funicular runs Monday to Friday 7:15-19:15, Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 8:00-19:15; the Seegrube cable car 8:30-17:30, on the first Friday of the month until 23:30; the Hafelekar one 9:00-16:45. The operator has not yet published the winter timetable · return, until 1 November 2026: to the Hungerburg 14 euros, to the Seegrube 50.40, to the Hafelekar 56, with reductions for seniors, students, young people and children; the funicular with the Alpenzoo 23 euros. Up to 6 years free with a parent. With the Innsbruck Card one ride up and one down to the Hafelekar. Winter prices have not yet been published · +43 512 293344 · nordkette.com · info@nordkette.com
Point of interest · paid entry · 47.28174, 11.39766
Weiherburggasse 37a, 6020 Innsbruck
the zoo of Alpine animals, at 750 metres on the slope of the Nordkette, opened on 22 September 1962 by Hans Psenner. About two thousand animals of 150 species, the most complete collection of Alpine fauna in the world: brown bears, beavers, ibex, chamois, roe deer and almost all the fish of the Alps. In winter you can see almost all of them, except the marmots, the reptiles and the amphibians, which hibernate; the young are born between April and June. You get there by the funicular, Alpenzoo stop, or by bus W from the Marktplatz: the car park is small and paid, and the operator does not say whether motorhomes fit.
Opening hours every day, 9:00-18:00 in summer time and 9:00-17:00 in winter time · 16 euros, students and pensioners 13, from 6 to 17 years 9, from 4 to 5 years 4; in the last hour before closing you pay less. With the return funicular 23 euros. Free with the Innsbruck Card. Dogs are not allowed · +43 512 292323 · alpenzoo.at · office@alpenzoo.at
at Wilten stood the Roman fort of Veldidena, and beneath the basilica the remains of a fifth century church have been found. The basilica, the parish church, was rebuilt in the mid eighteenth century, with frescoes by Matthäus Günther and stucco by the Feichtmayrs of Wessobrunn: it is considered the most beautiful Rococo church in Tyrol. Under the canopy of the altar is the Madonna of the Four Columns, a late Gothic statue that still draws pilgrims. Across the road is the abbey of the Premonstratensians, who arrived in 1128. Legend has it founded by the giant Haymon, who killed a dragon in the Sill gorge: the dragon's tongue is in the abbey museum. From here you walk up to the Bergisel in a few minutes.
Opening hours the basilica every day 7:30-18:00, not during mass. The abbey church and the library can only be seen on a guided tour, to be arranged · +43 512 583385 · office@basilika-wilten.at
the hill south of the city where on 13 August 1809 Andreas Hofer's Tyroleans defeated the Bavarian army under French command. Zaha Hadid's ski jump, finished on 14 September 2002, is a 50 metre tower with a restaurant at 40 metres and the terrace above: you go up by funicular and lift, or on foot by 455 steps, and from up there you see the whole city with the Nordkette in front. There was ski jumping here at the 1964 and 1976 Olympics, and every winter the Four Hills Tournament stops here. The Tirol Panorama, opened in 2011, houses the circular painting of more than a thousand square metres of the battle of Bergisel, which Michael Zeno Diemer painted in 1896: you stand in the middle, on the platform, as if inside the battle.
Opening hours the ski jump from November to May Wednesday to Monday 9:00-17:00, closed on Tuesday; from June to October every day 9:00-18:00; last entry half an hour before closing. The Tirol Panorama Wednesday to Monday 9:00-17:00, closed on Tuesday; on 24 and 31 December 9:00-14:00, closed on 25 December and 1 January, and on 3 and 4 January 2027 the museum and the car park are closed for the Four Hills Tournament · the ski jump 12 euros, seniors and students 11, from 6 to 14 years 6.50, family 24, with the funicular and the lift to the terrace; the Tirol Panorama 9 euros, reduced 7, free up to 19 years; both together 16 euros, family 32. Free with the Innsbruck Card. The car park costs 4 euros for 90 minutes and 21 a day · +43 512 589259 · bergisel.info · office@bergisel.info
in 1564 Archduke Ferdinand II, ruler of Tyrol, came to live here with Philippine Welser, the daughter of Augsburg merchants whom he had married in secret, and turned it into a Renaissance castle. Below the upper castle he had the Spanish Hall built, the banqueting hall, and the rooms for his collections: armour, the Chamber of Art and Curiosities, portraits, curiosities. It is the oldest museum in the world still in the place where it was born, and today it is part of the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. In the upper castle there is also Philippine Welser's bath. The park is large and you can walk round it with a dog on a lead. You get there by bus M, Schloss Ambras stop: the parking spaces in the Schlossstraße are few and paid.
Opening hours every day 10:00-17:00, closed for the whole of November. The Habsburg portrait gallery can only be seen from April to October. The park from November to February 7:00-17:30, then longer, until 21:00 in summer · 18 euros at the ticket office, 16 online; reduced 14 and 12; free up to 19 years and with the Innsbruck Card · +43 1 525 24 4802 · schlossambras-innsbruck.at · info@schlossambras-innsbruck.at
opened in October 1995 for Swarovski's hundredth anniversary, at Wattens, twenty kilometres from Innsbruck. You enter through the head of André Heller's Giant, a grassy hill with glittering eyes and a waterfall pouring from its mouth: inside are the chambers of wonder, each entrusted to an artist or a designer. Outside are the park, with the crystal cloud, and the Alpine garden. For motorhomes there are ten spaces in the free car park, but only during opening hours: sleeping there is not allowed. Without the motorhome you go by shuttle, five times a day from the central station.
Opening hours every day 9:00-19:00, with last entry at 18:00 · 25 euros online, 27 at the ticket office; from 6 to 17 years 9; up to 5 years free. With the shuttle from Innsbruck central station 38 euros, children 16. Free with the Innsbruck Card, shuttle included · +43 5224 51080 · kristallwelten.swarovski.com · reservations.kristallwelten@swarovski.com
Innsbruck has the mountains in its calendar too: ski jumping from the Bergisel at the beginning of the year, the mountain race in May, climbing in June. But the season that changes it most is Advent, the Bergweihnacht: seven markets, from the Golden Roof to the Hungerburg, the light park in the Hofgarten and the Krampus in the streets.
Next: Innsbrucker Herbstmesse · 7-11 Octtomorrow
7-11Oct
Innsbrucker Herbstmesse
at the beginning of October
the autumn fair, the oldest in Tyrol, held since 1923: five days at the exhibition grounds a short walk from the centre, with craftsmen, products of the region, things for the home and for winter and radio concerts. It is open every day from 10:00 to 18:00. Entry costs 9 euros, 6 reduced and 16 for a family, and is free for children under 12, in the last hour of each day and from Wednesday to Friday until noon. The ticket is also valid on public transport throughout Tyrol
tomorrow
13 Nov › 23Dec
Old Town Christmas Market
from mid November to 23 December
the city's most traditional Christkindlmarkt, in front of the Golden Roof: sixty-five stalls, a real fir tree twenty metres high and a terrace from which you look over the whole square. Every afternoon, until 23 December, the Amras musicians play Christmas music from the balcony of the Golden Roof; in the lanes around, the Märchengasse and the Riesengasse hide twenty fairy tales and five giants, and in the Kiebachgasse the fairy tale theatre performs at 16:30 and 17:30. It is open every day from 11:00 to 21:00, with the stalls until 20:00. In 2026 it closes before Christmas: after that, in the centre, the Maria-Theresien-Straße market remains
13 Nov › 6Jan
The other Christmas markets
from mid November to Epiphany
on the Marktplatz, along the Inn, the family market: some seventy stalls, the merry-go-round, the puppet theatre and the Swarovski crystal tree seventeen and a half metres high, which on Friday, Saturday and Sunday lights up every hour with a light show; it closes on 23 December. In the Maria-Theresien-Straße, the shopping street, thirty stalls open from 25 November until Epiphany. On the Hungerburg, eight minutes from the centre by funicular, the panoramic market, ten stalls with the city at your feet, also until Epiphany. Then the smaller ones: the Wiltener Weihnachtszauber on the Wiltener Platzl and the St. Nikolaus market on the Hans-Brenner-Platz, open only in the evening from 16:00, and the Kaiserweihnacht at the Bergisel, below the ski jump, on the six Advent weekends. People eat Kiachl, fritters of yeast dough, with sauerkraut or with lingonberry jam
13 Nov › 23Dec
LUMAGICA
from mid November to the end of January
the light park in the Hofgarten, the garden of the Hofburg: a walk among the light works of more than fifty artists, with music and a projection show. It is open from 17:00 to 20:30, with last entry at 19:00: every day until 17 January except Christmas Eve, then only Thursday to Sunday. The online ticket costs 19.90 euros, 17.90 reduced and 14.90 from 6 to 14 years; at the ticket office 22.50, 20.50 and 16.50, and in the Christmas holidays two euros more. Children under six go in free. The entrance is next to the Tiroler Landestheater
13 Nov - 23 Dec · 25 Dec - 17 Jan · 21-24 Jan · 28-31 Jan
21-22Nov
Alpinmesse
at the end of November
the mountain sports fair, with the Alpinforum conference: two days at the exhibition grounds devoted to mountaineering, ski touring, climbing and mountain safety, with manufacturers and Alpine associations
29Nov
Krampus and Perchten
between late November and early December
the Krampus is the fur-covered devil, with horns, cowbells and a carved wooden mask, who accompanies St. Nicholas with chains and a birch rod; the Perchten are the winter spirits of Alpine tradition. On 29 November at Igls, above the city, St. Nicholas arrives at 17:00 and from 17:45 the Krampus run through the village centre; on 3 December at 18:30 the Krampus of East Tyrol parade through the old town; on 6 December from 17:00 St. Nicholas and the Krampus go up to the Hungerburg market; on 7 December at 18:00 the Perchten arrive at the Maria-Theresien-Straße market. They are genuinely frightening for small children. On 4 December at 17:00 St. Nicholas comes down without the Krampus, with angels and musicians, from the church of St. Nikolaus to the old town
29 Nov · 3 Dec · 6-7 Dec
20Dec
Christkindleinzug
a Sunday in December
the arrival of the Christ Child: more than four hundred children dressed as shepherds and angels, with real sheep, accompany the Christkind on its cart from the Maria-Theresien-Straße to the square in front of the Tiroler Landestheater. It starts at 17:00, and it is free to watch
30-31Dec
Bergsilvester
on 30 and 31 December
New Year's Eve in the city. On the 30th, in the afternoon, the children's party in the old town and in front of the Hofburg. On the 31st it starts at 11:00 with music and late morning beer in the old town, at 15:30 the New Year's Eve run sets off, and from 21:00 there is open-air dancing in front of the Hofburg and on the Marktplatz. Last time, at midnight, the fireworks went up from the Seegrube, on the Nordkette; the 2026 programme has not yet been published
2-3Jan
Four Hills Tournament at the Bergisel
at the beginning of January
the Four Hills Tournament, the most famous ski jumping competition in the world, which since 1953 has passed through Oberstdorf, Garmisch, Innsbruck and Bischofshofen between Christmas and Epiphany; in 2026-27 it is the seventy-fifth, and there is also a women's competition. The bowl-shaped stadium below the Bergisel ski jump holds 22,500 people, all standing. On 2 January the women's competition at 15:30 and in the evening the men's qualification; on 3 January the men's competition at 16:30. The gates open at 13:00, and tickets should be bought early
5-8May
Innsbruck Alpine Trailrun Festival
at the beginning of May
four days of mountain running around the city, from the seven kilometre vertical with thirteen hundred metres of climb to the 43 kilometre marathon, up to the 112 kilometres of the Masters of Innsbruck. Registration for 2027 has been open since 9 September 2026
This year's dates are not out yet
Ostermarkt
in the weeks before Easter
the Easter market on the Marktplatz, with some thirty stalls of craftsmen and good things to eat, music and Tyrolean Easter customs. In 2026 it was open every day from 11:00 to 20:00, with free entry
Climbing World Cup
in June
the Kletterweltcup at the Kletterzentrum Innsbruck: a week of bouldering, lead and paraclimbing competitions, with the best in the world. In 2026 tickets ranged from 10 to 70 euros
Promenadenkonzerte
in July
the open-air concerts in the courtyard of the Hofburg: classical and modern music on summer evenings, like the promenade concerts of the nineteenth century. In 2026 the season began on 3 July. An hour after the concert starts there are reduced tickets at the entrance
Bridge Beat Festival
in mid July
three evenings of free music on the square in front of the Tiroler Landestheater, from 18:00 to 23:00: indie, jazz, pop, blues, folk and world music, sung in Tyrolean dialect too. In the morning, in the Hofgarten, the brunch with the musicians, on blankets and deckchairs
Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik
from late July to late August
the Innsbruck Festival of Early Music, founded in 1976, one of the most important Baroque music festivals in the world: operas and concerts on period instruments in the Tiroler Landestheater, in the Giants' Hall of the Hofburg, in the Hofkirche and in the Spanish Hall of Ambras Castle. It is directed by Ottavio Dantone, with his Accademia Bizantina. In 2026, at the fiftieth edition, tickets ranged from 10 to 60 euros
KRAPOLDI
at the end of August
the festival of street artists and contemporary circus: two days in the squares of the centre, then a week in the Rapoldipark, with clowns, acrobats, tightrope walkers and street theatre from all over the world
Remember
Useful tips
The motorhome stays at the campsite for the whole stay: sleeping outside campsites is forbidden throughout Tyrol, and you get around the city by bus and tram. Buy the ticket before getting on
From Italy you arrive on the Brenner motorway, which has its own toll and does not require the vignette as far as the Innsbruck Süd exit. If you are going to the Natterer See you leave there; if you are going to the Kranebitterhof, on the other side of the city, you need the vignette on the A12
For the November markets the Kranebitterhof and the Natterer See are open; Judenstein reopens on 1 December. The Kranebitterhof cannot be booked and does not give the Welcome Card, the Natterer See does both: from two nights the bus into the city is free
At the Kranebitterhof the operator writes that opening hours may change and to ask: phone before you set off
The market in front of the Golden Roof and the one on the Marktplatz close on 23 December in 2026. Between Christmas and Epiphany the Maria-Theresien-Straße, the Hungerburg and the Hofgarten light park remain
The Innsbruck Card pays off with the Nordkette to the top and two museums in one day, and it includes buses and trams. If you stay three nights at a campsite that gives the Welcome Card you get the cable car discount even without it
The Nordkette cable cars are stopped for maintenance from 2 to 19 November 2026, and Ambras Castle is closed for the whole of November. The Hofburg, the Hofkirche and the Golden Roof stay open
The Ferdinandeum, the Tyrolean State Museum, is closed for works until the end of 2028
On 3 and 4 January 2027, for the Four Hills Tournament, the Tirol Panorama and its car park are closed, and the competition stadium has standing room only
The Krampus on 3 December in the old town and the Perchten on 7 December in the Maria-Theresien-Straße fill the streets: if you have small children, watch from a distance
The Golden Roof museum is closed on Monday from October to April, the ski jump and the Tirol Panorama on Tuesday
Innsbruck · part two
and then?
What to taste, and where to go tomorrow.
Taste
Innsbruck's cuisine is the cuisine of Tyrol: a few things, made with what there was in the house. Tyrolean speck, salted, smoked over beech wood and cured, has been a protected geographical indication since 1997, and its price per pound is already written in a document of 1573. The Knödel dumplings, which legend has born at Hall, in an inn whose landlady had nothing else to give the soldiers: with speck, or with cheese, flattened and fried in butter, the Kaspressknödel, eaten one in broth and one with salad. The Schlutzkrapfen, half-moons of rye pasta with spinach and ricotta. The Graukäse, the grey and very lean cheese dressed with vinegar, oil and onion, which you find at the counter of the Markthalle. In December, at the markets, the Kiachl. And in the old town two addresses that have seen everyone pass through: the Goldener Adler, an inn since 1390, where Mozart stayed with his father in December 1769 and Goethe had lunch in September 1786, both on their way to Italy, and the Café Munding, a pastry shop in the same family since 1803.
the colourful houses of Mariahilf on the bank of the Inn, with the Nordkette behindPhoto: Leonhard Lenz, Wikimedia Commons, CC0St. James' Cathedral and the rooftops of the old town from the city tower, with the NordkettePhoto: Michael aus Halle, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the Herzog-Friedrich-Straße, with the arcades and the outdoor tablesPhoto: 罗布泊, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0the Golden Roof on the façade of Maximilian's palacePhoto: Leonhard Lenz, Wikimedia Commons, CC0the city tower, with the 1560 spire, above the houses of the old townPhoto: 罗布泊, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0the stucco façade of the Helbling House, with the city tower next to itPhoto: gertrudis2010, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the roof of the Hofburg and the green dome, with the snow-covered Nordkette behindPhoto: Wilfredor, Wikimedia Commons, CC0Maximilian's tomb in the Hofkirche, with the kneeling emperor and the bronze statues around itPhoto: Burkhard Mücke, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0two of the Schwarze Mander, the bronze statues of the HofkirchePhoto: Burkhard Mücke, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the façade of St. James' Cathedral, with the flower beds of the squarePhoto: Leonhard Lenz, Wikimedia Commons, CC0the nave of the cathedral up to the high altar, beneath the Asam frescoesPhoto: Álvaro de la Paz Franco, Wikimedia Commons, CC0St. Anne's Column in the Maria-Theresien-StraßePhoto: trolvag, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the Triumphal Arch at the end of the Maria-Theresien-StraßePhoto: Michael aus Halle, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the towers of the cathedral and the houses of the old town from the other bank of the InnPhoto: Sandor Bordas, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the houses of Mariahilf lit up in the evening, reflected in the InnPhoto: Leonhard Lenz, Wikimedia Commons, CC0a Hungerburg funicular car on the tracksPhoto: Wilfredor, Wikimedia Commons, CC0the city and the Inn valley from the Seegrube cable car, in summerPhoto: trolvag, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the cable car cabin between the Seegrube and the Hafelekar, above the snowPhoto: Ironbernietyrol, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the tower of the Bergisel ski jump, designed by Zaha HadidPhoto: Thomas Ledl, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0the Bergisel stadium and the city from the top of the ski jump, in July 2026Photo: Je-str, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0Ambras Castle, with the lower castle and the garden in frontPhoto: Michael aus Halle, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0the Spanish Hall of Ambras CastlePhoto: Mattes, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the market in front of the Golden Roof from above, with the illuminated fir tree, on 23 December 2016Photo: Simon Legner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Marktplatz market under the canopy of lights, on 5 December 2018Photo: Simon Legner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the speck stall at the old town marketPhoto: Arquus, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Kiachl stall at the old town marketPhoto: Simon Legner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0the Wilten market, on the evening of 18 December 2018Photo: Simon Legner, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
