By Gemma Tedaldi | Published: 8th March 2020 | Updated: 12th December 2024
Innsbruck is somewhere you really have to see to believe. With a colourful historic old town, flowing blue river and towering mountains looking down over the city it is somewhere you could wander around for days! However, on our whirlwind trip through Austria, we only had 24 hours in Innsbruck… Needless to say, we made the most of it and have a wonderful list of things you should do to if you’re short on time. So, without further ado, here’s how to spend a jam-packed 24 hours in Innsbruck.
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Is Innsbruck worth visiting?
If you like being in the city but also getting out into nature, then Innsbruck is definitely worth visiting. With such great access into the surrounding mountains, and a teeming city life Innsbruck is one of the most diverse places we have visited in Austria.
How many days do you need in Innsbruck?
We spent only one, but really wish we could have had a couple more days. Ideally, we think 3 to 4 days would give you everything and more from Innsbruck, so we will be going back for sure.
When to visit Innsbruck
We visited Innsbruck just before the summer really hit and although it was still a little cold, it was perfect. There were fewer people around, (albeit still quite a few for not being the European school holidays), and there was even a tiny bit of snow left on the mountains! We would however love to go back and visit in the winter and get the real snowy Christmassy vibe!
Getting to Innsbruck
The nearest airport is Innsbruck Airport, also known as Flughafen Innsbruck, only 6 minutes by public transport to the centre of Innsbruck, or 1-hour walk. The nearest train station is Innsbruck Hbf which stops directly in the city centre. We visited Innsbruck during our campervan trip around Europe, so actually drove through Austria to Innsbruck. It’s really easy to get to Innsbruck from all over Austria via the A12, A13, 171 or 182.
Getting around Innsbruck
The easiest way to get around Innsbruck is on foot or public transport. As it is a city, there are few places to park up other than within a designated car park. We parked on the outskirts to the east of the main city centre but within a short walk of both the Nordkette station and the centre of Innsbruck. Plus, if you explore on foot you find all the best Sacher Torte’s!
How to spend 24 hours in Innsbruck
First things first. You need some sustenance before all the walking you are going to be doing. So make sure you head to Café Sacher Innsbruck and grab yourself a slice of the famous Viennese Sacher-Torte. Created in 1832 this chocolate cake with apricot jam is a wonderful indulgence that you just have to try in Austria. Whats not to like, chocolate and apricots in a cake! The café is also right next door to the Hofburg, a beautiful imperial palace well worth a look in.
Now on to the real exploring. From the Café Sacher Innsbruck, head back out of the main town along the river north past the famous Dom zu St Jakob Cathedral, (also worth a peek inside if you fancy it), and to Innsbruck Löwenhaus/ORF. From here take the route up to the lowest Nordkette Station. This will take you on up the mountains overshadowing Innsbruck via the Nordkette funicular railway so you can explore to your heart’s content. With multiple stops on the way to the very top, you can hop on and off to do something different at each station. It is really easy to use with a simple queuing system so that there are a set number of people in each car up and down. The first main stop is Hungerberg, (designed by Zaha Hadid), followed by Seegrube and finally Hafelekar.
Planning your own trip to Austria? Be sure to download Wise by far the best currency conversion app around. We use it daily living on the border of two countries and it is a game changer when travelling!
From the final Nordkette stop at Hafelekar, you can keep on going up into the Karwendel Nature Park, Austria’s largest Nature Park, and the top of Innsbruck, just with your feet instead! We walked up and around through the high alpine terrain to the highest point in Innsbruck, Hafelekar Peak at 2,334m, (marked with a cross), and the views surrounding the city and in every other direction are truly amazing. We even found some snow up there in the middle of July, so make sure you wrap up warm just in case!
Whilst hiking around the Karwendel Nature Park, be sure to keep an eye out for some of the local wildlife, you may hear them before you see them…
Before you make your way back down be sure to stop in the Restaurant Seegrube by the Hafelekar station for a hearty mountain meal and a local brew. The views are just stunning, and with the live music and some good company, it has to be one of the best restaurants to stop by in Innsbruck!
Check out our Romantic Road of Austria post if you just can’t get enough of this wonderfully diverse country!
From the high life in the mountains, now is time to get back down to the Altstadt and get exploring. Make your way back the same way you came up via the Nordkette stations back down to Hungerberg.
With numerous alleyways and quaint little shops to discover, just let your feet take you as you wander. If you want to see all the typical tourist sights make sure to find the Goldenes Dachl, Helbling House and the Spitalskirche whilst weaving in and out of the colourful side streets. You will see the people at the base of the Goldense Dachl before you see it yourself as it is considered the city’s most famous symbol, and rightly so as 2,657 copper tiles cover the roof! Helbling House is right across from the Goldenes Dachl and is the most ornate building we came across whilst in Austria, and you can’t miss the Spitalskirche as it is a stunning pink building which is a hospital church. A short walk from there is also the Annasäule, a historic landmark column that is also in a distinctive pink marble. The main places you simply have to wander along are the Herzog Friedrich Straße, Maria Theresien Straße and any of the quaint side streets in between.
For the final stop of your 24 hours in Innsbruck, (before more Sacher Torte or a cheeky strudel any way…!), head out of the old town to the west towards the river and Innbrücke bridge and Marktplatz Innsbruck. From here you can gaze in awe at the Colourful Houses of Innsbruck across the other side of the river and up to the never-ending mountains you were on only a few hours ago! This side of the river is also worth a wander through if you have the time, it’s not as touristy as the Altstadt so might be just what you need after a day of typical tourist activities.
And there you have our guide on how to spend 24 hours in Innsbruck. Like we previously mentioned, if you have more time to spend in Innsbruck then go for it, for us it was the perfect amount during our Europe campervan trip, but we would still like to go back and see the city for a couple more days in a different season.
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Gemma Tedaldi
Gemma is the owner and author of The Travelling Tedaldi, a travel blog helping travellers to discover the best road trips and travel itineraries throughout the UK and Europe. When she isn’t writing about her favourite travel destinations, she can often be found out exploring local hikes or planning future trips.
