Walk through the rambling lanes of Innsbruck’s old town and you will feel as if you have stepped back in time. Rows and rows of medieval houses will greet you and while some are painted in pretty pastel shades others have gorgeously embellished facades and stained glass windows. No two are exactly alike and you will actually start expecting a fancily dressed Tyrolean lord to come parading down the stairs.
The Old town is full of attractions; the Golden Roof with its 2738 gold plated tiles, the imperial Hofkirche and the grand Hofburg but there are plenty of lesser-known surprises too. There is the ornate building duo; Helblinghaus and Katzunghaus. The Tyrolean State Theater, City Museum, Watchtower all reflect the cultural heritage of this beautiful city. The old town is also famous as the best place to go shopping for souvenirs and fresh produce and the best haunt for local non-fussy food in charming open-air eateries.
History
Altstadt means Old town and it refers to the historical centre of Innsbruck that dates back to 1000 years and more. Innsbruck grew and expanded from the original ‘Old town’ and the bridge over the river Inn. Once upon a time, important trade passages between Germany and Italy happened over this bridge. In fact, the name ‘Innsbruck’ originated from the term ‘bridge over the Inn’… built in the middle of the 12th century the bridge is the symbol still seen on the city’s seal and coat of arms.
When you walk through Old town you will see the symbol of the bridge on various parts of the old buildings that dominate this area. The most remarkable part of Innsbruck’s history started around 1313 when a market on the north banks of Inn River was established by Bavarian Andech counts (this is now St Nikolaus suburb). Around 14th century Berthold V of Istria acquired a large plot of land from the Wilten monastery on Inn’s south bank and built another big market and city structure along with a moat and city wall. This then morphed into Innsbruck’s Old town.
From the 15th to the 18th century the best historical sites of Innsbruck were constructed including Court Church, Golden Roof, and Imperial Palace etc. as the Habsburg dynasty came into power.
The old town was bombed about 22 times during the Second World War but it’s still very nicely preserved. The old town is full of awesome architecture and you will find beautiful houses and palaces with Gothic/ Renaissance/ Tyrolean style around. The Alps surround most of the old town and offers a rather remarkable setting.
Innsbruck is quite a compact city and most of its historical attractions are well concentrated in its old town. Some leading attractions of Innsbruck like Hofkirche, Hofburg, St James Cathedral, Golden Roof and many of its best museums lie in Old Town so there will not be a dearth of things to look at and do.
If you have an Innsbruck Card or at least an Innsbruck welcome card then you can save a lot on the entry fees on these historical attractions. Such Travel passes in Innsbruck are easily available at tourism offices, hotels and even tobacco shops. Some of the top things to do in Altstadt are going on walking tours, checking out individual attractions, shopping, sampling the local food and photographing the wonderful ambience around.
Walking Around The Old Town
The principal street of the old town is Herzog Friedrich Strasse that’s on the right bank of the river Inn… most people prefer to centre their walk around here. You can walk from here to the bridge on the river Inn for photographing the pretty houses on the banks. You can do a self-guided historical walk covering all the famous historical monuments that lie on the left side of the old town. You can even walk to the old town from Hauptbahnhof /Autobushof… this place simply invites everyone to ‘walk’.
If you want to do self-guided walks then go up to the tourist information office on Buggraben and take a tourist map that will help you navigate the old town.
Or else, Viator offers nice guided tour options. There is a 90-minute tour that takes you all across Old town and looks at Golden Roof, Innsbruck Cathedral, Court Church, Imperial Palace and the guide briefs the group about the magnificent stories connected to this place. You can check book the tour from this Viator website.
If you are instead looking to take a guided tour, you can choose one from the several Innsbruck local tours offered on this Viator website.
Restaurants & Cafes
There are plenty of nice restaurants in the Old town but you will see loads of people enjoying slices of pizza sitting along the roadside. Coffee is another winner, people sip it all throughout the day but they do so leisurely sitting on a chair/ bench and there is always a ceramic cup and saucer as opposed to a takeaway paper cup. There are some amazing and unnamed gelato shops in the old town and the gelato is sometimes arranged prettily like a flower in a cone.
A great place to enjoy cheap yet delicious food in the Old Town is the open-air restaurants on Marktplatz in front of Markthalle. The middle of that area has lots of tables and benches where you can sit and soak up the sun and ambience while the fisherman type eateries around sell salmon, trout, sausages etc. in Austrian style. Food experimenters can even try Hirsch meat (deer meat), wild boar meat and deer bacon.
You will also find a lot of cafes like Das Konzept and pizza places like Pizza Mann near Sillpark mall. There are traditional Austrian restaurants like Kaiserstube and Asian restaurants like myIndigo as well as Indian ones like Jaipur on (Museumstrabe). For gourmet quality pizza there is Die Pizzerei on Bozner Platz and for great Baguettes, there is ‘Baguette’ on Suedtiroler Platz.
People Watching
The streets of the Old town are excellent for people watching and admiring curious stuff like silver-painted people posing as statues on the street. Be careful though, bikes will zip in and out of the streets without warning and there is always an overhanging smell of cigarette smoke in the air.
Shopping
The Nordkette store at Herzog Friedrich Strabe is definitely worth a visit even if you don’t buy anything… it’s simply too pretty to miss. You will get fancy gifts, exquisite jewellery and mountain themed souvenirs here. Also on the same street is the renowned Frey Wille that has been selling beautiful accessories and jewellery for more than 60 years. Luxury bags, belts and shoes are also found in abundance though the price tends to be steep.
The old town has its own Christmas Market that runs from November to January and it’s a treat to roam around here. You can pick up some really unique stuff like wood puppets, snow globes with the mountains etched inside, tree decorations and animals clad in typical Tyrol traditional costumes. The market sits just outside the Golden Roof in the old town. Locally made honey is another indigenous item you can buy… local beekeepers sell wild honey at the Saturday market sitting on Wilten Square.
You can also buy other traditional items here like Doggln (felt Tyrolean slippers) and Tyrolean bacon (ham flavoured with juniper berries), cured sausages and artisanal cheeses. Just a short walk away near Maria Theresien Strasse there is the Sparkassenplatz square selling seasonal and fresh produce of the best quality. You will even find Italy’s south Tirol farmers and other producers from Austrian Culinary Excellence zones selling here.
The Markthalle in Old town seems to be an old not so pretty concrete building at first but inside it’s a different story. Wine stands, beer booths, fresh strawberries and umpteen stalls selling hot Austrian coffee with tortes. There are some artisan stalls selling handcrafted leather goods, spices and schnapps.
If a mall is what you are looking for then Sillpark is your answer unless and until you want to walk to Maria Theresien Strasse that has more glamorous options like Kaufhaus Tirol and Rathaus Galaerien. One of the best places to shop in the Old Town is the Sillpark on Museumstrabe that contains retail stores from global brands apart from souvenir shops and independent boutiques. Check out stores like H&M, Primark, Spar supermarket, C&A, Fossil, Douglas, and Game Stop etc. There is a maze of big and small eateries here so you will never miss a place to rest your feet.
Horse Carriage Rides
The medieval look of Old town really calls for medieval forms of transport like a horse and carriage ride. You will find lots of horses and carriages parked near Hofgarten (right opposite Congress station). The carriage ride is available in different durations and route formats and the guide will brief you about the local history of the old town on the way.
Notable Landmarks
Most of the buildings in Old Town are remarkable and some of them have stucco work decorating their facades while full-fledged painted scenes deck their exteriors. Some of the buildings have German words painted on them and it’s fun using Google Translate to find out the kind of services that were once offered within their walls. You will notice a woodcarver, glassmaker, tailor and so many other tradesmen who once lived here.
Sightseeing in this city is incomplete without at least one photo stop in front of the Golden Roof. Built by Emperor Maximillian the Golden roof shimmers with 2567 fire tossed copper tiles.
Helblinghaus stands right across the Golden roof and though lesser-known, its splendid Goth and Baroque façade are remarkable. The Rococo accents in this Anton Gigl created masterpiece are unusual… there are bows, masks and even shells apart from the sculpture. You will find this beauty at Herzog Friedrich Strasse. Next to it, there is Katzunghaus that’s another Baroque style building done up with stucco and statuary.
Nearby there is the lovely Golden Eagle Inn that was once the favourite haunt of emperors as well as writers known as Goethe. Walk some more and you will reach the 57-meter high Stadtturm that’s a 14th-century watchtower. The tower rises high above Innsbruck and was once a prison… now it’s open to visitors and anyone who wishes to climb the many flights of steps to the top and there is a great view of the mountains and the city as a reward.
Walk for about 5 minutes from the Golden Roof and you will reach the Innsbruck Imperial Palace or the Hofburg. Its lavish interiors and extraordinarily magnificent Hall of Giants and Maria Theresa’s apartments are bound to impress.
Right opposite the Hofburg is the Church of the Black Men… Hofkirche contains an empty yet lavishly decorated tomb of emperor Maximillian surrounded by 28 larger than life statues of members of the Habsburg dynasty.
Tyrolean State Theatre in Innsbruck on Rennweg street is another must-visit destination in the old town… it hosts top class operas, plays and musicals. A rather folk-inspired ambience and huge seating capacity make this a good venue to catch an orchestra performance or a ballet show. Right next to the Tyrolean State Theater there is the Leopoldsbrunnen that probably qualifies as one of the widest fountains in Europe. Drunk elves with strange leaf-shaped moustaches are inserted on its base while goddesses line the edges of the fountain bowl. The fountain is topped by a statue of Archduke Leopold V (Tyrol’s ruler who is astride a horse). Across the street from this fountain, there is the Hofburg Imperial Palace.
Walking through the old town is in itself a lesson in history and culture but the City Museum explains Innsbruck’s local history in succinct terms. The metamorphosis of Tyrol’s capital into a tourism magnet and its change through the 12th and 13th centuries is clearly detailed. Learn a lot about Tyrolean art and browse through ancient documents while admiring the facades of lordly palaces that were lost to time. You will find this thought-provoking museum on Badgasse.
And of course, an Old town tour is incomplete without a stop at the Cathedral of St James with its exquisite frescoes and stucco work that reflects the artistic brilliance of medieval Innsbruck.
Though technically not a part of Old Town, many tourists prefer going to Maria Theresien Strasse for admiring another magnificent lot of buildings and attractions including Old Rathaus (town hall) that provides great views over the old town, House of Teutonic Order (Deutschordenhaus) and the Castle Giants House.
Another awesome activity you should do while in Old Town is to try to capture the views of the lovely colourful houses on the banks of the river Inn and admire the way the snow-capped mountains frame them. For the best photographs head over to the Market Square or the Inn Bridge and capture the view from these places.
If you are visiting with kids then check out Audioversum (near Triumphal Arch opposite Landhausplatz)… it has lots of interactive science exhibits, interesting experiment setups and an ambience that children love!! Even this isn’t technically a part of Old Town but it’s just a 3-minute walk away.
How To Reach
The old town is the core of Innsbruck and its largest artery is Herzog Friedrich Strasse. The southern boundaries of the Old Town end at Marktgraben and Burggraben while the divisive line between old and new town is Egger Lienz Strasse. Most of the attractions of the old town like Hofburg, Hofkirche and Golden Roof are on the right bank of the river Inn.
The old town is best explored by foot and you can easily use the two Inn river crossing points (Universitätssbrücke and the Alte Innsbrücke) to cross from one side to the other. From Hauptbahnhof (main train station) or Autobushof (central bus station), the Golden roof is roughly half an hour’s worth of walk. If you are coming by bus/ tram to the right bank of the Inn then the best stop is Marktgraben and for the left bank, the main stop is Museumstrasse.
In case you just have a day to explore then you can buy a public transit day ticket (learn more about transport passes here) from the tobacco shop (the ticket will cost around 5.10 euros). However, keep in mind that self-help machines only accept credit cards. You can easily reach whatever part of Old town you wish and shop, eat and museum hop on your own.
Many tourists prefer to stay in the Old town as most of Innsbruck’s historic attractions are centred here. Just some blocks away from Hofburg there is Grand Hotel Europa while the Western Plus Hotel Goldener Adler (a lovely historic building) is right opposite the famous Golden Roof on Herzog Friedrich Strasse. You can also check out the Hotel Maximillian (which serves the best breakfasts) that’s on the market square opposite the ski bus stop.
Many prefer to embark on the Nordkettenbahnen journey from the Congress station after checking out the old town. But ideally, these two very different kinds of visual treats should be reserved for separate days. The Old town contains enough attractions to keep visitors engaged for at least a couple of days.
A travel addict. Still celebrating the day when he quit his high-profile corporate job to pursue his passion for travel writing.