Nestled in the idyllic scenes of Tyrol, Austria is the city of Innsbruck. The city offers a wide variety of things to do and will leave you thirsting for even more time in this beautiful country. For those tight on time, the desire to see the best of the sights is strong. Never fear, it is entirely possible to see a lot in the short time you may have.
1. Ambras Castle
Ambras Castle is one thing I recommend doing first, especially if you are taking the train. It is in the opposite direction of most of the other stuff you will spend time exploring, so it just makes sense to get it done first. The Castle features an armory, lots of really cool suits of armor as well as countless portraits of royals. In the courtyard of the upper castle are wonderfully detailed frescos that are in really good condition. From the top of the hill you get really nice views of the city as well.
I recommend having a printed out map of the hiking trails to get up as the free city maps don't have them on it. This made traversing the hill more difficult, but we did ultimately make it.
2. Hofburg Palace Innsbruck
Hofburg Palace in Innsbruck is admittedly smaller than the Hofburg Palace in Vienna, but that doesn't mean it isn't a cool place to check out during your trip. Inside you can see the Kaiser's apartment, which is really beautiful. Some of the smallest rooms in the place still were bigger than two of my dorm rooms put together and were certainly decorated with more intention (not to mention a way bigger budget). It will take you anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to explore the many rooms of the building.
Hofburg is located in the old town of Innsbruck, near many of the other attractions the city has to offer. For those 19 and under, admission is free, which we found to be very nice for our tight budgets.
3. The Golden Roof
The Golden Roof is honestly one of the most iconic sites in Innsbruck. We were content just looking at the exterior, although there is a museum inside as well. Some mornings there is a band which will come out onto the balcony and play a song, which is so incredible it gave me chills. Depending on if you go into the museum, the amount of time will vary.
The golden roof is also located in old town. To be completely honest, you can't escape the golden roof, it felt like every corner you turned you got to see it from some other angle or alleyway.
4. Stadtturm Tower
Right in the same plaza as the Golden Roof is a really cool tower called Stadtturm. If you look closely, you can see people up at the top. Well you get the chance to be one of those people! For only 3.50 euros — the adult price — you can climb up a rather impressive set of spiral staircases up to the top of the tower. From the top, you get an amazing view of old town Innsbruck. This was something we didn't know about until we got there and decided to do it on the spur of the moment. We are definitely glad that we did because the views were like no other.
5. Court Church/ Hofkirche
Located right next to the Hofburg Palace is the court church, or Hofkirche. There is an admission fee, but the price varies by age. The church also has a museum that is cool to check out. The church is ornately decorated and has statues of past monarchs. It is definitely worth a visit during your day in Innsbruck.
6. St. Jakob's Cathedral
Before getting on the train to leave the beautiful city of Innsbruck, one of our last stops was St. Jakob's Cathedral, or the Dom. Admission is free to the church, but you may have to wait until afternoon if you come on a Sunday. The only fee would be if you want to take pictures. It costs a euro for the permit. I saw the sign for that and told my friends, "Let's wait to see if it's worth taking pictures of." It definitely was, so I made a beeline to the kiosk to buy that permit. Every inch of the cathedral had unique artwork and vibrant colors. From a purely artistic standpoint, it is to die for!
Hopefully you enjoy your trip to Innsbruck, Austria. I certainly did! There is just so much to see that you could really take more than 24 hours, but these are my top things you must check out!
