Most of the things to do in Innsbruck are close together. The Golden Roof, the Imperial Palace (Hofburg) and the Court Church (Hofkirche) are a few minutes apart in the old town, and right on its edge the Hungerburg funicular starts the climb that takes you, via the Seegrube at 1,905 m, to the Hafelekar at 2,256 m. Add the Bergisel ski jump, Ambras Castle, the Alpine Zoo and, about half an hour away by shuttle, Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens.
Two full days are enough for a first visit: one for the old town, the Hofburg and the Nordkette, another for Bergisel, Ambras or Wattens. If you plan several paid visits, do the maths on the Innsbruck Card (€69 for 24 hours in 2026). We checked every price on this page on the official websites in October 2026; they change with the season, so check again before you go.
Below are experiences from our partner Viator with prices and reviews, such as Nordkette cable car tickets with an audio guide, food walking tours, Tyrolean folk evenings, e-bike rides and tandem paragliding in the Stubai Valley. Availability only shows once you pick a date; if all you need is the cable car, you can also buy at the Nordkette ticket office.
The Golden Roof (Goldenes Dachl) is a late-Gothic oriel built for Emperor Maximilian I between 1497 and 1500 and covered with 2,657 gilded copper tiles. You can see it for free from Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse. Inside, the Golden Roof Museum tells the story of the building and its patron and lets you look out from the balcony itself.
According to the City of Innsbruck, entry costs €6 (reduced €3) and is included in the Innsbruck Card. It opens daily from 10am to 5pm between May and September, and Tuesday to Sunday at the same times from October to April. A combined ticket with the City Museum and the City Tower costs €10.50.
The Imperial Palace on Rennweg opens daily from 9am to 5pm (last entry 4.30pm). Inside are Maria Theresa's state rooms with the Giant Hall, the imperial apartments and a permanent exhibition on Maximilian I, plus, until 10 January 2027, a temporary exhibition on Empress Sisi as a media star. The imperial apartments cost €10.50 and a ticket for all three areas €21. Under-19s go in free.
Next door, the Court Church holds Maximilian I's tomb, ringed by 28 larger-than-life bronze statues known as the Schwarze Mander. It opens Monday to Saturday from 9am to 5pm and on Sundays and holidays from 12.30pm to 5pm; a single ticket is €9 and under-19s are free.
The Nordkette lift system has three sections. The Hungerburg funicular, designed by Zaha Hadid and opened in December 2007, runs from Congress station to the Hungerburg in about eight minutes, stopping at the Alpine Zoo. From there the Seegrube cable car climbs to 1,905 m and the Hafelekar cable car to the top station at 2,256 m, where a short walk brings you to a view over the Karwendel nature park.
A return from Innsbruck to the Hafelekar costs €56 for adults, to the Seegrube €50.40 and on the funicular alone €14; the operator lists these fares until 1 November 2026. Cars run every 15 minutes, and the Hafelekar section runs from 9am to 4.45pm in summer. The lifts close for maintenance from 2 to 19 November 2026, and the winter season runs from 20 November 2026 to 25 April 2027.
The Bergisel ski jump, with its tower by Zaha Hadid, hosted Olympic events in 1964 and 1976. An inclined lift and a tower lift take you up to the viewing terrace. Tickets cost €12 for adults and €6.50 for children aged 6 to 14 (valid until 31 December 2026). It opens daily from 9am to 6pm between June and October, and from 9am to 5pm between November and May, closed on Tuesdays.
Ambras Castle, on the southern edge of the city, became the home of Archduke Ferdinand II in 1564 and housed his collections. Highlights include the Spanish Hall and, from April to October, the Habsburg portrait gallery. It opens daily from 10am to 5pm and closes for the whole of November. Adults pay €16 online or €18 on site, and under-19s are free. Bus M stops right at Schloss Ambras.
Swarovski Crystal Worlds opened in October 1995. Expect the Giant with its waterfall, the Chambers of Wonder by international artists, and the park. It opens daily from 9am to 7pm, with last entry at 6pm.
The Day Pass costs €25 online or €27 at the desk, and €9 for children aged 6 to 17. The electric shuttle leaves Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof five times a day (first departure 8.40am, last return 7.05pm), takes about 28 minutes and costs €13 return. The Innsbruck Card covers both entry and shuttle.
The Innsbruck Card costs €69 for 24 hours, €79 for 48 hours or €89 for 72 hours; children from six pay half. It includes 22 museums and attractions, among them the Hofburg, Bergisel, the Alpine Zoo and Crystal Worlds, one return trip each on the Nordkette and Patscherkofel cable cars, buses and trams in Innsbruck and out to Hall, the Sightseer hop-on hop-off bus, the Crystal Worlds shuttle and three hours of bike hire. It starts on first use.
The sums are quick: a Hafelekar return (€56) plus Crystal Worlds at the desk (€27) already come to more than the 24-hour card. Several attractions close for maintenance from 2 to 19 November 2026.
The Advent season starts on 13 November 2026. The markets in front of the Golden Roof and on Marktplatz run until 23 December (daily 11am to 9pm), the one on Maria-Theresien-Strasse from 25 November to 6 January 2027, and the panorama market at the Hungerburg from 20 November to 6 January 2027.
According to the Nordkette, the slopes are about 20 minutes from the old town. Patscherkofel is Innsbruck's Olympic mountain, Axamer Lizum hosted the 1964 and 1976 Games and Kühtai sits above 2,000 m. The Stubai Glacier, roughly 45 minutes away, reaches 3,212 m. For 2026/27 the SKI plus CITY Pass bundles 12 ski areas with 265 km of pistes, 23 city attractions and ski buses; a two-day adult pass is €162.
The Hofburg, the Court Church, the Golden Roof Museum and Ambras Castle combine well into one indoor day. Crystal Worlds in Wattens is largely indoors too. The Nordkette is hardly worth it in low cloud, so check the webcams first.
Two full days cover the old town, the Hofburg, the Nordkette and one trip out to Bergisel, Ambras or Wattens. A third day leaves time for the Alpine Zoo and Patscherkofel, or a day's skiing in winter.
A return from Innsbruck to the Hafelekar costs €56 for adults and a single €33.60 (fares valid until 1 November 2026). The Innsbruck Card includes one return trip, with no extra ticket needed at the desk.
The simplest way is the electric shuttle from Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof: five departures a day, about 28 minutes, €13 return. Alternatively, take the train to Fritzens-Wattens and the connecting shuttle from there.
The Nordkette lifts close for maintenance from 2 to 19 November 2026, and Ambras Castle is shut all November. The Nordkette winter season and the Hungerburg Christmas market both start on 20 November.
From late April to early November all three Nordkette sections run their summer timetable. Advent brings the Christmas markets, and from late November to April the ski areas around the city are open.