Innsbruck

Holy shit!

By Michael Wilson

October 5^th, 2016

What an entrance

I didn’t know too much about Innsbruck as I boarded the flight, other than there were lots of cool mountains to see and loads of hiking routes. From the moment I stepped off the plane, I couldn’t believe my eyes, we were surrounded by incredible scenery for as far as the eye could see.

I arrived early afternoon so I spent the first day getting my bearing around the town. It’s a lovely mix of old and new with plenty of character. Oh, and there’s an incredible mountain backdrop everywhere you look!

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Alpine zoo

Day 2 and I had decided to take one of the Zara Hadid designed cable cars up to the top of Hafelekarspitze. The first stop however, is the Apline zoo so I decided to get off and see the animals. It was pretty awesome to see a completely different type of animal from your usual zoo. The mountain goats were funny to watch bouncing up and down the rocks.

Through the clouds to another world

After a few more stops up the mountain, it was time for the last cable car to take us into the clouds to our final stop atop the mountain. The landscape up there was incredible, the whole place was continually shifting as breaks in the cloud would reveal new areas to see. It felt like being on the moon with the harsh rocks jutting out into the sky.

The views!

As you can imagine the views of Innsbruck are pretty spectacular from this height. One particularly nice place to take in the sights is from Nordkettenbahnen. The cable car stations are beautifully organic shapes and worth a visit on their own but when they transport you to such beautiful locations then they’re a must.

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Patscherkofelbahn

Day 3 and I decided to climb another mountain on the other side of town, Patscherkofelbahn. Where Hafelekarspitze was dense with rock, Patscherkofelbahn is more of an alpine forrest with incredible hiking routes for all fitness levels.

It was a clearer day so it meant I could see for miles and really take in what an incredible place I was staying. On one of my hiking routes I came across a wooden hut, which someone had built and started to really consider doing the same myself. Can you imagine waking up to those views every morning?!

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Hike to the top

After a few hikes I decided it was time to get myself to the very top, a decision I was starting to regret when the sun was beating down on my back and the incline was basically straight up for 2.5km. However, after a short while, the alpine trees stopped blocking my views and a big smile took away all the discomfort my legs were feeling.

I made it to the top and treated myself to a beer and a frankfurter :-)

Bergisel Ski Jump

I wanted to visit another Zara Hadid structure so after heading down the mountain I made my way to Bergisel ski jump. Innsbruck is obviously an amazing place to go skiing in the winter and they’ve hosted the winter Olympics numerous times, with this ski jump being used in all of them. Since then, a new viewing gallery and restaurant has been designed giving people access to the top of the jump. Standing at the top looking down did not make me want to try out ski jumping.

The surrounding villages of Innsbruck are also really worth your time. They were exactly the stereotype I had in mind when I was thinking of Austria. Beautiful chalets, lovely farms and of course incredible backdrops.

Ambras Castle

I took a slight detour on my way home via Ambras Castle. The grounds surrounding it are beautiful to walk around or sun bathe in as I noticed a lot of people seemed to be doing.

The 16th century castle can be explored and is also home to various exhibitions and an armoury museum. The lavish hallway was the highlight for me.

Wacker Innsbruck

The local football team, FC Wacker Innsbruck were playing at home while I was visiting so I decided to check them out. Apparently, they’re the 3rd most successful club in Austrian history but they seem to have fallen on hard times as they languish near the foot of the second division.

One thing that was hard to argue with though was the stadium and its setting. A 16,000 seater stadium (which only attracted 1,800 fans the night I went along) with mountain tops poking out from all corners.

Time to say goodbye

It was time to get my flight home. Seeing as the place was so beautiful, I decided a walk to the airport would be the best way to say goodbye, while taking in the last sights of the scenery.

That’s 20 places I’ve visited in 20 months now and people always ask me where’s been my favourite place to visit. I’ve been to some incredible places in the last 2 years but right now, it’s difficult to look past Innsbruck.