Innsbruck Tours, Tickets and Day Trips

Three Stations, Three Fares

The euro figures below are the official Nordkette tariff for the coming winter season. The dollar prices come from the ticket listings on this site, shown next to each ride so you can compare before booking.

The difference between the tickets is simple. The cheapest option is the funicular only, which climbs from the Old Town to Hungerburg in 8 minutes and stops there. If you want the mountain top, you need the full round trip through both cable cars. Families planning a zoo visit can take the combo that adds Alpenzoo entry.

How the Ride Works

The Hungerburgbahn funicular was designed by Zaha Hadid and opened in December 2007. It starts at Congress station in the Old Town and calls at four stations: Congress, Löwenhaus, Alpenzoo and Hungerburg. From Hungerburg, cable cars continue to Seegrube and on to Hafelekar, the Top of Innsbruck. The cable cars run every 15 minutes, and more often when guest numbers are high.

The valley station is at Rennweg 3, a short walk from the Golden Roof. At the top, the Karwendelblick viewpoint looks over Austria's largest nature park. Dogs ride along if they wear a muzzle and lead. For more detail, see Nordkette tickets and tours.

Seasons and Closures

The winter season runs from 20 November to 25 April. All three Nordkette cable cars close for maintenance from 2 to 19 November and again from 26 to 30 April. Plan mountain days outside those windows.

If you hold the Innsbruck Card, one ascent and descent to the Top of Innsbruck is already included, so you would not buy a single cable car ticket at all. Check the Innsbruck Card section below before you pay twice.

Three Ways to Book It

The three listings below differ mainly in transport. The shuttle ticket bundles entry with the round-trip bus from Innsbruck main station. The entry-only ticket suits travellers who drive or arrive by train to Wattens.

The private tour adds a guide who once worked for Swarovski and a car from your hotel. All three come with free cancellation up to 24 hours before the visit.

Hours and Closures

Swarovski Crystal Worlds is open daily from 9:00 to 19:00, with last entry at 18:00. It closes all day on 9 and 10 November. Book online where an adult ticket costs €25 against €27 at the door.

If you ride out with the shuttle ticket, note that a shuttle-only return costs €13 in cash on the bus. Audio guides in 10 languages cost €2 per person on the listings. More practical detail in the Swarovski Crystal Worlds tickets guide.

Day One: Old Town and Nordkette

Start with the Per Pedes Welcome Tour of Innsbruck Old Town, a 1-hour group walk for $21 that starts at the tourist office on Burggraben 3 and takes in the cathedral and the Hofburg. Then ride the Hungerburg funicular from the Congress station, 8 minutes to Hungerburg, and change to the cable cars via Seegrube at 1,905 m up to Hafelekar, where the station sits at 2,256 m and the summit reaches 2,334 m. The Top of Innsbruck Nordkette Cable Car Ticket at $66 covers the whole round trip. The official adult return fare is €59.00 to Hafelekar and €53.10 to Seegrube.

Day Two: Swarovski and the Hofburg

Take the Swarovski Crystal Worlds Ticket and Shuttle from Innsbruck at $38, which includes entry and the round-trip shuttle from the Hauptbahnhof to Wattens. Crystal Worlds opens daily 9:00 to 19:00 with last entry 18:00. Back in the city, the Hofburg is open daily 9:00 to 17:00 with last entry 16:30, and children up to 19 enter free.

Close the day with the Gundolf Family Tyrolean Evening Show at $43, a folk show of about 1.5 hours with a drink or dinner option.

A Third Day

With a third day, options widen. The Small-Group Neuschwanstein Day Trip from Innsbruck takes 6 to 8 hours, $238.71, with the castle ticket and the inside audio-guided tour included. Stay in town instead and combine Bergisel with the Tirol Panorama on the combo ticket for €16.00. Schloss Ambras costs €16.00 online, open daily 10:00 to 17:00 but closed the whole of November.

For planning help see how many days in Innsbruck, where to stay in Innsbruck, where to eat in Innsbruck and the Innsbruck map.

Neuschwanstein from Innsbruck

Two day trips reach King Ludwig's castle in Bavaria. The small-group trip costs $238.71 per person for 6-8 hours, up to 8 people in a van, with the castle ticket and the inside audio-guided tour included. The private trip costs $373.98 per person for 7-9 hours with pickup in or near Innsbruck.

Its castle tickets are paid in cash on site, €23.50 per adult and €2.50 per child under 18.

Paragliding and EBikes

In the Stubai Valley, a tandem paragliding flight costs $142.09 for 1 hour with a pilot and gear included. The cable car ride up is paid on site, €15. From May to October the meeting point is the Elferbahnen mountain station.

Back in the city, a guided eBike ride runs 4 hours above Innsbruck for up to 5 riders at $130.72. The bike itself is rented separately for €50, arranged by the operator.

On Your Own by Train or Bus

Hall in Tirol sits about 8 km away, inside the Innsbruck Card transport zone. The Seefeld plateau lies at 1,200 m. Lake Achensee is called Tyrol's largest lake.

The Stubai Glacier keeps slopes over 3,000 m open about 10 months a year. More options sit in the day trips from Innsbruck guide.

What the Card Includes

The Innsbruck Card gives one-time entry to 22 museums and attractions, among them the Bergisel ski jump, the Hofburg, the Alpine Zoo and Swarovski Crystal Worlds. It also includes one round trip each on the Nordkette and the Patscherkofel cable cars.

Transport is covered too: IVB buses and trams within Innsbruck and as far as Hall in Tirol, the Sightseer hop-on hop-off bus and the Swarovski shuttle. Children under 6 travel free. The card is also sold for 24 and 72 hours. You can buy it at the Nordkette Altstadt ticket office or the tourist information on Burggraben 3.

Card or Single Tickets

The prices below come from each official body, set side by side so you can judge for yourself. They are not added up here, because what a card saves depends on what you actually visit and how long you stay.

If your one- or two-day plan includes both the Nordkette and Swarovski Crystal Worlds, read those two fares next to the card price before you buy anything.

Buying It Through This Site

You can order the Innsbruck Card with Public Transport here for $77 per person on the listing, valid for 1 day, with free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance. Remember the voucher must be redeemed in person at the Tourist Information Center on Burggraben 3 before first use. More detail in the Innsbruck Card guide.

Christmas Markets

Seven markets with about 200 stalls run across the city between 13 November and 6 January. The Old Town market sits in front of the Golden Roof with 65 stalls and a 20 m tree. On Marktplatz the Swarovski Christaltree stands 17.5 m high. Maria-Theresien-Strasse trades until 6 January. The Hungerburg market is reached by the Hungerburg funicular straight from the city centre. A guided option is the Innsbruck Christmas Markets Guided Tour, a 2-hour private walk with a mulled wine and a Kiachl included. More detail in the Innsbruck Christmas market guide.

The table lists each market with its dates and hours as published by the market organiser.

Closures to Plan Around

November is the maintenance month. All three Nordkette cable cars close from 2 to 19 November and reopen for the winter season on 20 November, then close again from 26 to 30 April. Swarovski Crystal Worlds shuts all day on 9 and 10 November.

Bergisel stadium closes 9 to 13 November. Schloss Ambras closes for the whole of November. The Hofburg closes 11 January to 7 February.

The Patscherkofel gondola starts its winter season from 12 December. Check any of these dates against your plan, and see Innsbruck in winter for how a winter day fits together.