Outdoors · Innsbruck · Austria
5 best outdoor things to do in Innsbruck
Parks, viewpoints and open-air sights for the dry, bright days.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Bbb, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
Start with Nordkette cable cars, Alpenzoo and Schloss Ambras. Together the 5 picks below take roughly 11–15 hours across 4 areas; 1 is free.
Key facts
- Places in this guide
- 5
- Free entry
- 1
- Time to see them all
- 11–15 hours
- Areas
- Hungerburg, Amras and Saggen
Outdoors in Innsbruck
Viewpoint · Hungerburg
1.Nordkette cable cars
Check the webcams before buying and go up in the morning, when clouds often build over the peaks later in the day.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Iconic
- Views
- Active
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
- Kids
Zoo · Hungerburg
2.Alpenzoo
Ride the Hungerburgbahn to its Alpenzoo stop, then walk back down to the old town afterwards in about 20–30 minutes.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Outdoors
Castle · Amras
3.Schloss Ambras
Take the shuttle or tram and bus from the centre and allow time for the park.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
- Outdoors
Garden · Saggen
4.Hofgarten
Bring lunch from the old town and eat it by the ponds.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Nature
Nature · Igls
5.Patscherkofel
Walk the Zirbenweg in one direction and take the Glungezer lift down from Tulfes, then the bus back.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Active
- Views
- Nature
- Outdoors
Grouped by area
| Area | Places | Time needed |
|---|---|---|
| Hungerburg | Nordkette cable cars and Alpenzoo | Half a day + 2–3 hours |
| Amras | Schloss Ambras | 2–3 hours |
| Saggen | Hofgarten | 45 minutes |
| Igls | Patscherkofel | Half a day |
Booking and timing
Of these 5, 1 free, 3 mid-priced, 1 expensive. None needs booking far in advance. The longest visit is Nordkette cable cars; group the rest by area to save travel time.
How to fit them into 4 half-days
Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.
- Half-day 1 (Hungerburg): Nordkette cable cars, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 2 (Hungerburg): Alpenzoo, at least 2 hours.
- Half-day 3 (Amras and Saggen): Schloss Ambras → Hofgarten, at least 3 hours.
- Half-day 4 (Igls): Patscherkofel, at least 3 hours.
The best months to be outside
- September: highs of 21°C (70°F), about 10 rainy days, moderate crowds. Often stable, clear weather for hiking, with cattle brought down from the high pastures in the valleys.
- October: highs of 16°C (61°F), about 9 rainy days, quiet crowds. Golden larches and crisp air; huts close through the month and the first snow can fall on the peaks.
- April: highs of 16°C (61°F), about 10 rainy days, quiet crowds. Changeable spring weather; ski season ends and some cable cars pause for maintenance between seasons.
The neighbourhoods they are in
- Mariahilf and St. Nikolaus — Colourful riverfront houses and old inns on the north bank of the Inn
- Saggen — Late-19th-century villas and leafy streets east of the Hofgarten
- Hungerburg — A sunny plateau above the city at the first station of the Nordkette lift
- Igls — A spa village on the southern slopes at the foot of the Patscherkofel
More of Innsbruck
Questions travellers ask
+Where should I start in Innsbruck?
Nordkette cable cars. The Hungerburgbahn funicular, with stations designed by Zaha Hadid, climbs from the Congress stop near the old town to the Hungerburg; two cable cars continue to Seegrube at about 1,905 metres and Hafelekar at about 2,256 metres.
+Which of these are free in Innsbruck?
Hofgarten.