Street in Innsbruck
Innsbruck’s Altstadt (Old Town) is a compact area of colorful medieval and Baroque buildings, arcaded streets, and the Hofburg Palace (Imperial Palace, paid), all framed by the Nordkette mountains. Free to walk. Maria-Theresien-Strasse connects the old town to the Triumphpforte (triumphal arch) and offers one of the most dramatic urban perspectives in the Alps: a straight street axis with 2,000-meter peaks at the end. Budget travelers walk the Altstadt and see a city that puts the Alps in every photograph for free.
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Other places worth the walk, and what each one costs.
Zaha Hadid designed this ski jump tower on the Bergisel hill south of Innsbruck for EUR 15 million, and the cafe at the top is one of the best free-entry viewpoints in any Austrian city. The Four Hills Tournament (Vierschanzentournee) draws 28,000 spectators to the stadium below on New Year's Day and millions of TV viewers across Europe.
Innsbruck's most recognizable monument is a balcony covered with 2,657 fire-gilded copper tiles, built for Emperor Maximilian I in 1500 as a royal box from which to watch jousting tournaments in the street below.
The Nordkette is the mountain range directly above Innsbruck, accessible by a cable car (Hungerburgbahn + Seegrubenbahn + Hafelekarspitze) from the city center. The cable car is paid.
Working out what Innsbruck costs?
The whole of Innsbruck