Innsbruck in Winter: What to Do, Weather and Closures

Winter Month by Month

The table below lists what changes in each winter month, using the dates the venues publish on their own sites. Use it to pick the month that fits your trip.

The Mountain at the Edge of Town

The Hungerburg funicular leaves Congress station at Rennweg 3 and reaches Hungerburg in 8 minutes. Two cable cars continue to Seegrube at 1,905 m and the Top of Innsbruck. The cars run every 15 minutes, and continuously when guest numbers are high.

That is why winter here works for people who never ski: the snow is one short ride from a café in the Old Town.

Dress for the Height You Visit

The table below shows the heights of the main winter destinations, as each operator gives them. The higher you go, the colder and windier it gets, so pack for the top, not for the street.

Packing and Forecasts

The Nordkette ticket listing warns that you are entering the high Alps and asks for weather-appropriate clothing. Wear layers, waterproof boots and gloves for the summit, even on a sunny day in town. Check the forecast on the morning of your mountain day.

If clouds sit on the top, Seegrube at 1,905 m can make a better stop, and its restaurant is open all year.

Mountain

The Nordkette is the headline. The Hafelekarbahn runs from Seegrube to the Top of Innsbruck, where the Karwendelblick viewpoint looks over Austria's largest nature park. The Top of Innsbruck Nordkette Cable Car Ticket costs $66 and covers the funicular and both cable cars to Hafelekar. Every Sunday in Advent, Seegrube holds an Advent brunch from 10:00 to 13:00.

South of the city, Patscherkofel runs its winter season from 12 December to 29 March. The Innsbruck Card includes one round trip on each mountain.

Old Town

The Golden Roof, built between 1497 and 1500, carries 2,657 gilded copper shingles. Its museum opens Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00. The Hofburg is a 3-minute walk away and runs the special exhibition Sisi as a Media Star until 10 January.

The City Tower stays open until 20:00 from 15 November to 23 December, with 133 steps to a platform 31 m high.

Bergisel and Wattens

Bergisel hosted Olympic ski jumping in 1964, 1976 and 2012. From November to May it opens Wednesday to Monday 9:00 to 17:00. Its Kaiser Christmas market runs on six weekends from 13 November to 20 December.

Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens opens daily 9:00 to 19:00. The Swarovski Crystal Worlds Ticket and Shuttle from Innsbruck costs $38 and covers entry and the round-trip shuttle.

Market Hours at a Glance

The table below lists each Innsbruck Christmas market with its dates and daily hours, as the Christkindlmarkt organiser publishes them.

What Stands Out

The Old Town market has a 20 m real Christmas tree and a viewing platform. On Marktplatz, the Swarovski Christaltree is 17.5 m high with more than 112,400 crystals, beside a carousel and a puppet theatre. St Nicholas visits the St. Nikolaus market on 6 December at 18:00. The Hungerburg market has a Saturday storytelling hour from 16:00 to 17:00.

The Innsbruck Christmas Markets Guided Tour costs $125.04, lasts 2 hours and includes mulled wine or a hot drink and a Kiachl.

Winter Tickets Compared

The table below lists the adult prices of the main winter tickets, from each operator's own price page. The Nordkette fares apply from 20 November to 25 April.

Card or Single Tickets

The Innsbruck Card includes one ascent and descent to the Top of Innsbruck, one Patscherkofel round trip, public transport and entry to 22 museums and attractions, including Bergisel, the Hofburg, the Alpine Zoo and Swarovski Crystal Worlds. Set the card price beside the single tickets you plan to use and compare. From 2 to 19 November the card is sold only in person at the tourist information office.

The Innsbruck Card with Public Transport costs $77.

Outdoors Without Skis

Ride the Nordkette for the view, or stop at Hungerburg for its Christmas market, reached by the funicular straight from the city centre. The Alpenzoo opens 9:00 to 17:00 in winter time, with about 2,000 animals from about 150 species. The Alpenzoo and Top of Innsbruck Combo Ticket costs $71 and covers both.

Indoors

TIROL PANORAMA shows the Giant Panorama Painting of the 1809 Battle of Bergisel on 1,000 square metres. It opens Wednesday to Monday 9:00 to 17:00. Inside the Court Church, Maximilian I's tomb is surrounded by 28 bronze statues.

The Tyrolean Folk Art Museum opens daily 9:00 to 17:00. Under 19s enter the Tyrolean State Museums free, and the adult single ticket costs €9.

One Winter Day

Ride the Nordkette in the morning while the light is good. The funicular takes 8 minutes to Hungerburg, and the cable cars run every 15 minutes. Come down for the Golden Roof Museum, open until 17:00, and the Hofburg, last entry 16:30.

Spend the evening at the Old Town and Marktplatz markets, open until 21:00 up to 23 December.

Two Winter Days

On day two, visit Bergisel in the morning, then take the shuttle to Swarovski Crystal Worlds, open until 19:00 with last entry at 18:00. The 48-hour Innsbruck Card covers both days, including the shuttle. Skiers can swap day two for Patscherkofel from 12 December.

For longer plans, read how many days in Innsbruck.

Winter Closures

The table below lists each closure that falls between November and April, as the venues announce them on their own sites.

Holiday Hours

Over Christmas, the Maria-Theresien-Strasse market opens 11:00 to 15:00 on 24 December and 11:00 to 19:00 on 31 December. The Hungerburg market opens 12:00 to 15:00 on 24 December and closes at 18:00 from 25 December. Patscherkofel opens for the winter on 12 December.

Roof, Ski Jump and Cable Car

Emperor Maximilian I had the Golden Roof built between 1497 and 1500 on the south facade of the Neuhof, with 2,657 gilded copper shingles. Bergisel hosted Olympic ski jumping in 1964, 1976 and 2012, and its tower was designed by Zaha Hadid. The Hungerburg funicular, also by Zaha Hadid, opened in December 2007 and links the Old Town with the Nordkette.

The Winter Case

From an Old Town hotel you can stand at the Top of Innsbruck station at 2,256 m in the morning and walk the Old Town market in the evening. Patscherkofel adds a second mountain from 12 December. For the full comparison, read Innsbruck vs Salzburg.

Base and Dinner

The Altstadt puts the Old Town and Marktplatz markets and Congress station at the door. Maria-Theresien-Strasse keeps its market open until 6 January. Hungerburg gives quieter evenings with a market of its own. Compare the areas in where to stay in Innsbruck.

For dinner, the Gault&Millau Austria guide gives Oniriq on Bürgerstraße 13 four toques and 18/20. Das Schindler on Maria-Theresien-Straße 31 holds two toques, and die Wilderin on Seilergasse 5 holds two toques with 13.5/20. The MICHELIN Guide lists Restaurant Café Arkadenhof and lichtblick on Maria-Theresien-Straße.