What to Expect
The best thing about Innsbruck is that its in-city transport systems are very tightly integrated. There is only one bus sightseeing operator sparing (or maybe depriving) tourists of many choices and even that operator is linked to the city’s IVB network. If you read how to get around Innsbruck page, you will know that IVB is an integrated system comprising of the city’s bus and tram networks.
The City Sightseeing bus is known as ‘City Sightseer’ here and it covers 18 points of interest across a roughly 18 km route in this compact city. The City Sightseer Bus is a part of the IVB network too and a 24-hour ticket allows ticket holders unlimited use of the city’s IVB networks that includes its bus and tram lines. This basically means that the City Sightseer ticket purchase can be used to travel along its main attraction routes using the Innsbruck IVB network for its applicable validity period. Also, the City Sightseer bus ticket can be purchased at any of the IVB transport stops and from most Sightseer bus drivers.
Keep in mind, that the Innsbruck City Sightseer buses are not very large (many are single-decker open-roofed vehicles). Therefore the buses sometimes arrive filled up at certain stops and you could have to pile in. In such cases, you won’t have access to audio headsets and the entire journey loses its value. Also, the back seats of the buses are high rise and you won’t be able to look out of the windows properly. The headphones that you get here are not disposable/ takeaway ones and others will have used them before you. The actual arrival/ departure of buses does not always follow the claimed and printed schedules so often tourists are seen waiting for buses that are late.
Innsbruck City Sightseer bus (i.e. hop on hop off bus) management fails to address these basic concerns and therefore the value of the Sightseer bus falls drastically and tourists who have been used to similar sightseeing buses in Rome, Paris etc. can be disappointed.
Despite its limitations, the City Sightseer bus is a good option to gain a working knowledge of Innsbruck and see most of its major attractions in a summarised fashion. Works well if you have just one day to spend in Innsbruck in which case you will probably want to see everything in one day. Also works well if you want to use the City Sightseer as an icebreaker date with the town, know its facets and then explore whichever attraction you like more later.
You can disembark at Landessportcenter and take line J to enjoy journeys to Innsbruck’s scenic routes like Patscherkofel and Nordkette cable car ride. You can take Line W (from Marktplatz) to reach Alpenzoo and Line F (Hauptbahnhof) to get to the train station and the airport. If you have just one day to spare in Innsbruck then disembark only at Maria Theresien Strass and explore the old buildings around before moving on to Altstadt core area that has most of Innsbruck’s best attractions like Hofburg, Hofkirche, Stadtturm etc.
Read: Getting around Innsbruck easily using public transport.
Bus Stops
There are 18 stops on this roughly 18 km long route. The tour happens in an air-conditioned bus that takes 1 hour 20 minutes to complete one round and there is a special 15-minute photo opportunity stop at the Tirol Panorama stop. The stops are as follows.
Marktplatz-Maria Theresien Street-Hauptbahnhof –Feridinadeum-Congress/ Hofburg- Lowenhaus/ORF-Bienerstrabe-Defreggenstrabe-Pacherstrabe-Landessportcenter-Schloss Ambras Innsbruck-Stift Wilten-Tirol Panorama/ Bergisel-Basilika Wilten-Triumphforte-Anichstrabe/Rathausgalerien-Mariahilfpark
As you can see the route is pretty comprehensive and the biggest stop here is at the Tirol Panorama with the Bergisel Ski Jump and Ambras Castle being close seconds.
The Sightseer will also take you through Pradl district and the picturesque Grunderzeit villas in Sagen besides crossing the Inn River and some of the best museums around the city centre apart from the Imperial Gardens. However, the bus barely skims the periphery of Old Town and that’s where the historical attractions are. If you need to see the old town you need to disembark because from the bus you can’t even take photos of Hofburg, Golden Roof etc.
Timings
The first Innsbruck City Sightseer Bus starts off at around 9.55 a.m. from Marktplatz/ Maria Theresien Street and a new bus runs every half an hour. The last bus of the day usually takes off around 5.15 p.m.
From May to September, buses take off as late as 6.30 p.m. too from select stations like Mariahilfpark, Rathausgalerien, Marktplatz, Maria Theresein Street etc.
Ticket Prices
An Innsbrucker Sightseer bus ticket will get riders discounted entry to some attractions like Schloss Ambras Innsbruck, Hofburg, and Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahnen journey, Patscherkofelbahn, Nordkette Shop and Audioversum. Tickets for the sightseer bus are sold at multiple sales points across the town and in many hotels, tobacconist’s shops.
A 24-hour ticket includes use of all IVB routes in Innsbruck city zone for one full day. For adults/ youth over the age of 16, a single ticket price is 17 euro. For children between the ages 6 to 15 the ticket price is 11 euros. For a family comprising of 2 adults and up to 3 kids, the ticket price is 49 euros.
The use of the Innsbrucker sightseer bus is free for holders of the Innsbruck Card. Incidentally, the Innsbruck Card is one of the best investments you can make if you want to save money on your holiday here.
There is a free audio guide available in multiple languages including English, German, Spanish, French, Arabic, Hindi and Chinese but it’s pre-recorded sparse commentary that does not really add optimum knowledge. There is a special audio guide version for children with narration by Reinhard Eboer that’s more fun to hear. A loud jarring music is played between stops and it would be best not to keep the earphones on all the time.
Pet dogs wearing a muzzle are transported free of cost on the Innsbrucker. The buses are wheelchair accessible.
Contact Details
The Sightseer office is formally located at The Sightseer, Pastorstraße 5 Innsbruck but their systems are not very well regulated. For more information about the City Sightseer bus, you should ideally contact either the IVB Information centre or the Innsbruck Information Centre.
IVB-Tourist Information Centre
Stainerstraße 2, Innsbruck
Timing: Monday to–Friday from 7:30 a.m. to–6:00p.m
Phone: +43 512 / 53 07-500; Email: [email protected], Website
Innsbruck Information Center
Burggraben 3, Innsbruck,
Timing: Monday to Sunday from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Phone: +43 512 / 53 56 0; Email: [email protected]; Website
A travel addict. Still celebrating the day when he quit his high-profile corporate job to pursue his passion for travel writing.