Things to do · Innsbruck · Austria
17 best things to do in Innsbruck
17 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Hafelekar, CC BY-SA 3.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Innsbruck are Golden Roof, Nordkette cable cars and Bergisel Ski Jump. Of the 17 picks below, 6 are free, 7 work on a rainy day and 6 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Golden Roof
- Free sights
- 6
- Good on a rainy day
- Hofburg Innsbruck
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Golden Roof | Altstadt | 30 minutes | Free |
| Nordkette cable cars | Hungerburg | Half a day | Expensive |
| Bergisel Ski Jump | Wilten | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Hofburg Innsbruck | Altstadt | 1–1.5 hours | Mid-priced |
| Hofkirche | Altstadt | 45 minutes | Low cost |
| Tyrolean Folk Art Museum | Altstadt | 1–1.5 hours | Low cost |
| Alpenzoo | Hungerburg | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Tirol Panorama | Wilten | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Schloss Ambras | Amras | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Maria-Theresien-Straße and St. Anne's Column | Innenstadt and Maria-Theresien-Straße | 45 minutes | Free |
| Innsbruck Cathedral | Altstadt | 30 minutes | Free |
| Stadtturm | Altstadt | 30 minutes | Low cost |
| Hofgarten | Saggen | 45 minutes | Free |
| Wilten Basilica | Wilten | 30 minutes | Free |
| Patscherkofel | Igls | Half a day | Mid-priced |
| Grassmayr Bell Foundry | Wilten | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Inn riverside and Mariahilf houses | Mariahilf and St. Nikolaus | 45 minutes | Free |
The 17 best things to do
Landmark · Altstadt
1.Golden Roof
The late-Gothic oriel balcony on Herzog-Friedrich-Straße is roofed with 2,657 fire-gilded copper tiles and was built around 1500 for Emperor Maximilian I to watch events in the square below. A small museum inside covers Maximilian's life, and the Baroque-stuccoed Helblinghaus stands opposite.
Come early in the morning or after dark, when the square is quiet and the roof is lit.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Photo spot
Viewpoint · Hungerburg
2.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. From the top, views stretch over the Inn valley to the Stubai and Zillertal Alps.
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
Architecture · Wilten
3.Bergisel Ski Jump
The ski jump on the Bergisel hill, rebuilt to a design by Zaha Hadid and opened in 2002, hosts a Four Hills Tournament event every winter. A funicular and lift take visitors up to the viewing platform and café near the top, looking down the jump to the city and Wilten cemetery.
Have a drink in the café near the top for the view straight down the in-run to the city.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Architecture
- Kids
- Iconic
Palace · Altstadt
4.Hofburg Innsbruck
The Habsburgs' Tyrolean residence was rebuilt in Rococo style under Maria Theresa in the 18th century. Its state rooms include the Giant's Hall with ceiling frescoes and portraits of the empress's family, and the Empress Elisabeth (Sisi) apartments.
Combine it with the Hofkirche and the Hofgarten, both a minute's walk away.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Religious site · Altstadt
5.Hofkirche
The Court Church holds the cenotaph of Emperor Maximilian I, surrounded by 28 larger-than-life bronze statues of his ancestors and heroes, among them King Arthur, cast in the 16th century. The Tyrolean hero Andreas Hofer is buried here, and the adjoining Silver Chapel has a Renaissance organ.
A combined ticket covers the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum in the same building.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Museum · Altstadt
6.Tyrolean Folk Art Museum
Next to the Hofkirche, the Tiroler Volkskunstmuseum displays wood-panelled farmhouse parlours, costumes, painted furniture, nativity scenes and crafts from across the Tyrol.
Head upstairs to the reconstructed panelled rooms from Gothic to Biedermeier periods.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Zoo · Hungerburg
7.Alpenzoo
On the slope below the Hungerburg at about 750 metres, the Alpenzoo keeps only animals native to the Alps, including ibex, brown bears, wolves, lynx, bearded vultures and otters, in enclosures set into the hillside.
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
Museum · Wilten
8.Tirol Panorama
On Bergisel, this museum displays a 1,000-square-metre circular painting of the 1809 Battle of Bergisel, in which Tyrolean militia under Andreas Hofer fought Bavarian and French troops. The Kaiserjäger military museum is linked by a corridor.
Visit with the Bergisel Ski Jump next door on the same afternoon.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Rainy day
Castle · Amras
1.Schloss Ambras
Archduke Ferdinand II's Renaissance castle on the city's southeastern edge houses his Chamber of Art and Curiosities, an armour collection, the coffered Spanish Hall and a Habsburg portrait gallery with works by Titian, Velázquez and Van Dyck. The park has a waterfall and peacocks.
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
Street · Innenstadt and Maria-Theresien-Straße
2.Maria-Theresien-Straße and St. Anne's Column
Innsbruck's main boulevard runs south from the old town, lined with Baroque palaces and cafés, framed by the Nordkette at one end and the Triumphal Arch of 1765 at the other. St. Anne's Column in the middle commemorates the 1703 withdrawal of Bavarian troops.
Stand by St. Anne's Column and look north for the classic photo of the street with the Nordkette above.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Photo spot
- Architecture
Religious site · Altstadt
3.Innsbruck Cathedral
The Cathedral of St. James was rebuilt in high Baroque style in the early 18th century, with trompe-l'oeil ceiling frescoes by Cosmas Damian Asam and stucco by his brother Egid Quirin. Above the high altar hangs Lucas Cranach the Elder's Maria Hilf, one of the most venerated images of the Virgin in Central Europe.
Look up at the painted dome illusions before approaching the altar.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Viewpoint · Altstadt
4.Stadtturm
The 14th-century city tower next to the old town hall has a viewing gallery at about 31 metres reached by a spiral staircase of around 150 steps. It gives a close-up view over the old-town roofs, the Golden Roof and the mountains.
Climb it on a clear day for photos of the Nordkette above the rooftops.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Low cost
- Views
- History
- Kids
Garden · Saggen
5.Hofgarten
The former imperial garden behind the Hofburg is a large landscaped park with ponds, old trees, a palm house and a music pavilion, used by locals for walks and picnics. Children enjoy the playground and the ducks.
Bring lunch from the old town and eat it by the ponds.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Nature
Religious site · Wilten
6.Wilten Basilica
The yellow-and-white Rococo pilgrimage church of Wilten, completed in the mid-18th century, has a pastel stucco interior and ceiling frescoes by Matthäus Günther. Across the road, Wilten Abbey has been a Premonstratensian monastery since the 12th century.
Combine it with Bergisel, a 10-minute walk uphill.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- Art
- Off the beaten path
Nature · Igls
7.Patscherkofel
Innsbruck's southern mountain rises to about 2,250 metres above Igls. A cable car from the village climbs to the summit area, where the Zirbenweg trail runs about 7 km through Swiss stone pine forest to Tulfeinalm with views over the Inn valley. In winter it is a ski area used for the 1964 and 1976 Olympic downhill races.
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
Museum · Wilten
8.Grassmayr Bell Foundry
A family-run bell foundry operating in Innsbruck for around four centuries, with a museum explaining casting and a sound room where you can ring bells and feel the vibrations. Bells for churches around the world are still cast here.
It is a 10-minute walk from the Hauptbahnhof and pairs well with Wilten Basilica.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Waterfront · Mariahilf and St. Nikolaus
9.Inn riverside and Mariahilf houses
The path along the Inn from the Innbrücke gives the classic view of Mariahilf's pastel houses against the Nordkette. The covered Markthalle by the river sells Tyrolean cheese, speck and bread.
Cross the Innbrücke at dusk for photos when the houses are lit and the mountains still glow.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Photo spot
- Couples
- Views
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Hofkirche, Tyrolean Folk Art Museum, Tirol Panorama and Schloss Ambras |
| History | Golden Roof, Hofburg Innsbruck, Hofkirche and Tyrolean Folk Art Museum |
| Views | Nordkette cable cars, Bergisel Ski Jump, Stadtturm and Patscherkofel |
| Outdoors and nature | Nordkette cable cars, Alpenzoo, Schloss Ambras and Hofgarten |
| With children | Nordkette cable cars, Alpenzoo, Bergisel Ski Jump and Stadtturm |
| On a rainy day | Hofburg Innsbruck, Hofkirche, Tyrolean Folk Art Museum and Tirol Panorama |
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Innsbruck?
Golden Roof. The late-Gothic oriel balcony on Herzog-Friedrich-Straße is roofed with 2,657 fire-gilded copper tiles and was built around 1500 for Emperor Maximilian I to watch events in the square below.
+What can you do for free in Innsbruck?
Golden Roof, Maria-Theresien-Straße and St. Anne's Column, Innsbruck Cathedral, Hofgarten and Wilten Basilica. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Innsbruck when it rains?
Head indoors to Hofburg Innsbruck, Hofkirche, Tyrolean Folk Art Museum and Tirol Panorama.