It can’t get any better than Tyrol when you’re a winter sports fan, visiting Austria during the cold season. The third largest Austrian region is popular for its famous ski resorts, like Sankt Anton, Kitzbuhel, Ischgl or Sölden, and for some of the finest slopes in Europe.
Innsbruck, the capital and main city of Tyrol, is located in a broad valley on the Inn river, and is surrounded by high mountains (well over 2,000 meters) to the North and South. It impresses with its long history, architecture (both medieval and modern), sporting opportunities and lively nightlife (there’s always a high number of students and tourists wandering the city streets). Innsbruck hosted twice the Winter Olympics in the past, so what more can you ask?
I have to say that it well surpassed my expectations; the holiday atmosphere and the architecture of the old city are amazing. I really felt relaxed while exploring its streets…and that was all I needed, after a day of snowboarding.
Accommodation
When planning your trip, have in mind that Innsbruck is not that big, and the center is at a walking distance from each point of the city. For my four nights stay, I chose an Airbnb apartment, 5 minutes away from the old city. Situated on the fourth and fifth floor of an older building, it offered a shared terrace with a stunning view over the mountains. I didn’t meet the owner, as he was out of town for the holidays, but the woman who greeted us was really nice, and despite speaking very little English, tried to offer as much information as possible. Who said that booking on Airbnb doesn’t have advantages?
I’ve encountered one small issue, not that common for this period of the year: due to the fact that it didn’t snow much in December, the slopes of Nordkette (nicknamed the mountain at the heart of Innsbruck) were closed. Bummer…I would have loved the view over the valley while snowboarding, it’s something.
So the only solution was to go further up the mountains, in my search for snow. First stop: Sölden. It’s one of the best winter resorts in Tyrol, and its stats are speaking for themselves: 33 mountain lifts, 146 slope kilometers and the record-breaking Giggijochbahn, having the world’s largest transport capacity per hour. And add to those the possibility of seeing Wildspitze, the second highest peak in Austria, at over 3,700 meters, and the spectacular Ice Q restaurant, used as a filming location for the 2015 James Bond movie Spectre.
The conclusion was clear as ice: a priceless experience, even though most of the snow on lower altitudes was artificial. My tip: go for the BIG 3 (the peaks beyond 3,000 meters: Gaislachkogl at 3,048 m, Tiefenbachkogl at 3,250 m and Schwarze Schneide at 3,340 m), all accessible by lifts. I only got to the first and third.
Guide to Innsbruck
Now let’s get back to Innsbruck, because I wish to give you some tips on what to do, since the city is totally lovely and well deserves a visit:
→ The old city is a wonderful place, filled with medieval buildings, restaurants, cafes and shops. What stands out, in my opinion? The Hofburg (Imperial Palace), former residence of the Austrian emperors, the Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof), the balcony from where the Emperor was watching the city’s tournaments or festivals, the Triumphal Arch and the Dom zu St. Jakob (or Innsbruck Cathedral).
→ Have a walk along the Inn river and enjoy the colorful houses of the Mariahilf-St. Nikolaus district, with the stunning mountains in the back.
→ Take the cable car and go up the Nordkette for a stunning view over the city and the valley. I decided to pass on this, since my plan was to do some snowboarding as well. Too bad the snow was missing…
→ Visit the Bergiselschanze, situated south of the city – I’ve only seen it from the outside. It is one of the important venues in the Ski Jumping World Cup, hosting each year the third competition of the Four Hills Tournament.
→ For the shopping addicts, I recommend Kaufhaus Tirol, Rathaus Galerien and Maria-Theresien-Strasse, which is the main street of the old city and is always crowded and packed with all kind of shops.
→ In terms of food, I haven’t tried so many restaurants. Vapiano (Leopoldstrasse 1), part of the German fast casual restaurant chain, is a decent option for eating pasta, pizza or salads. The food is fresh, and you can see them preparing it just in front of you. Tried it in Germany, tried it in Innsbruck, and it hasn’t let me down so far.
→ If you’re up for a burger, then try Ludwig das Burger Restaurant (Museumstrassee 3). Fast service, quality meat. Not the best fries and sauces, though.
→ And let’s not forget desserts: Strudel Cafe Kröll (Hofgasse 6) has great online reviews and that’s probably why it’s full of people all the time. They serve a lot of different strudels, with or without vanilla sauce – your choice. I went for the classic apple strudel, and the conclusion was that I had better ones.
→ If you want to try a sachertorte (one of the Austrian culinary specialties for almost 200 years), I highly recommend Cafe Katzung (Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse 16). It’s not that touristic, and you’ll find an intimate atmosphere inside. Their strudel with vanilla ice cream is much better than the one at Strudel Cafe Kröll.
It’s time to speak a bit about the second stop of my snow pursuit quest: Stubaier Gletscher, Austria’s largest glacier ski area. It’s not as impressive as Sölden, having only around 60 kms of slopes and 22 lifts. But the landscape it offers is at least as spectacular, in my opinion. The Top of Tyrol viewing platform (at 3,210 meters) was ranked among the ten most beautiful viewing platforms of the world. My tip: take a break and enjoy a hot drink at Bar Eiswürfel, while sunbathing at 2,300 meters.
The three days passed almost imperceptibly, so that moment I usually dislike (a lot) came again. It was time to pack my stuff and head towards my home country. This was my first snowboarding trip to Tyrol, and I really enjoyed it. I have to come back in the future for a longer period. One week sounds better…
Pfiat di, Tyrol!
Author: Marian Bulacu
Live. Love. Travel. Make a difference.