Let’s check out Innsbruck Austria city today with a city exploration. The small city capital of Austria is geographically on the most western state of the Austrian Tyrol and near the Inn Valley. Besides the mountainous sights, the city is also known for its Imperial and modern architectures.
A small cosy mountain city
Directly translated, Innsbruck means “bridge over the Inn“. Moreover, Innsbruck is not a large city, sitting at under 11 thousand hectares in size housing a population about 300 thousand. The in city town itself is not large and can be explored by foot. On your walk around the city, like most European countries, there is a strong sense of tranquillity.
Innsbruck 360 panorama of the old town city square
Also, there is a degree of chill-ness which resonates throughout the city. It has a very laid back culture with people relaxing and chatting in cafes even on work weekdays.
Innsbruck is the capital of Tyrol and fifth-largest city in Austria. Additionally, Local public transport is provided by Innsbrucker Verkehrsbetriebe (IVB), a public authority operating a network of bus and tram routes. The Austrian city sits alongside the River Inn which serves as a trade artery.
Also, the city is connected via Alpine highways to Italy and Switzerland, like the Inn Valley Autobahn and Brenner Autobahn Pass. Innsbruck is located along the A12/A13 highway corridor. Hence, this freeway access makes the mountainous city relatively assessable and connected Verona, Italy and Munich, Germany. Also, driving in is a recommended mode of transport due to the low traffic in the city too.
A ski destination
Furthermore, notably, Innsbruck town center is quiet. You can see nice snow-capped mountains visible in the far distance. No wonder the city in the Alps that’s long been a destination for winter sports.
Moreover, the city’s relatively high elevation of 574 meters in snow-capped mountains makes the spot popular skiing. Due to its location between high mountains, Innsbruck serves as an ideal place for winter, ski-jumping in summer. In addition, the Winter Olympic Games were held in Innsbruck twice with the first in 1964 and 1976. On 1984 and 1988, the city also hosted the Winter Paralympics. It also hosted the first Winter Youth Olympics on 2012.
The buildings in Innsbruck Austria comprises of a mix of old and modern. Classic structures and fort like brick buildings are found here in the city center. While more of the newer structures spots a more contemporary modern design. For example, the, if you like skiing, the Nordkette funicular, also known as the Nordkette Cable Car. It serves the mountains for skiing in winter and hiking or mountaineering in warmer months, operating year-round. Also, it has a rather futuristic design, designed by architect Zaha Hadid, it climbs up to 2,256m from the Innsbruck city center.
Swarovski flagship store
Furthermore, Innsbruck Austria is also known for its arts crafts, imperial and modern architectures. Also, Innsbruck is also home to the Swarovski brand of jewellery. Also, their range of synthetic crystals are well-known globally. Moreover, the store here is a flagship one housing a large store collection.
Interestingly, the store has a crystal studded staircase spanning two floors. Also you can find several items here not typically found in Singapore. This includes limited Innbruck editions and a men’s collection for instance.
All in all, Innsbruck Austria is a small cool city to visit along the way as a capital city. You are good for an entire day, especially if heading up the mountains, or just for Innsbruck rather chill and relaxing atmosphere typically found in European countries.
