INNSBRUCK (Austria)
What to see in Innsbruck - we will not go to the city, but we will visit the Olympic ski jump and take the cable car to the Top of Innsbruck - the views are worth it!
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Experience Innsbruck with Get Your Guide:
Almost every year we go to the Alps to ski past that ski jump, it cannot be overlooked above the highway near Innsbruck.
Ski jump Bergisel - Innsbruck
The ski jump rises above the Alpine highway on the left side towards Italy. You can't miss it. I've always wanted to visit it, the bridges just fascinate me. And even more so those who are able to dive head down and jump! If you are somewhere nearby, I definitely recommend a trip, it is something else.
The bridge is located on the Bergisel hill above Innsbruck. The arena can hold up to 26,000 people, the stadium around the bridge is really huge. The Tour of Four Bridges is held here every year. At the same time, it is one of the most important venues of the Ski Jumping World Cup. The Olympic Games have already been held here twice. The current bridge was built in 2003 according to the design of Zaha Hadid (Iranian architect). It is made of reinforced concrete and measures 134 m. A cogwheel goes up around the bridge and there is an elevator in the tower, you don't have to climb up on your own. The tower also houses the Bergisel Sky restaurant with a great view of Innsbruck. Upstairs is an outdoor observation deck directly above the runway, respect to all jumpers!
Open hours:
June - October:
Monday to Sunday from 09:00 to 18:00 h.
November - May:
Wednesday to Monday from 09:00 to 17:00. Closed on Tuesdays.
Address:
Enter the street Bergisel 2, Innsbruck - Wilten in the navigation (this is the address of the restaurant in front of the parking lot) and drive until the end to the paid parking lot. The bridge is then a short walk away, how else but up a hill.
Admission:
11 Euros for adults, 5.5 Euros for children (June 2023).
Nordkette cable car Innsbruck
Nordkette is part of the largest nature park in Austria called Karwendel. You can buy tickets HERE and you don't have to wait in line.
We had no idea about this cable car. Only when we looked around from the jumping tower did we think that something was moving on the opposite hill behind Innsbruck. After zooming in, we found out that it was a cable car and that it was going pretty damn high, so we googled it. You don't have to, I'll write it down for you.
When you drive from Salzburg via Innsbruck to Italy, the cable car is on the right on the hills. You have two options to get to it. If you want to ride through the city as well, you can get on a cogwheel right in the city, and it will take you to the start station of the cable car, which is a bit uphill. You can also take the switchbacks to the station by car. We went by car.
The Hungerburg cogwheel has a boarding point by the river, called Löwenhaus/ORF, at the intersection of Rennweg and Karl-Schönherr Strasse. You can also park here, but the parking lot is not very big. A round trip by cogwheel costs 11.4 Euros (June 2023), the journey takes 8 minutes. There are several stops along the way. One of them is the Alpine ZOO Innsbruck, you can buy a combo ticket for the ZOO + cable car. It is one of the highest ZOOs in Europe (at 750 m above sea level). You can admire 150 species of fauna from the entire Alps.
So if you want to drive to the cable car station, enter the address Hungerburgweg 7, Mühlau in the navigation. You arrive directly at the paid parking lot next to the cable car, you pay at the machine. The cable car is right below the parking lot. Before that, I recommend going to Hermann-Buhl platz right next to the cable car. There is a cogwheel exit station and you will be totally captivated by the design building by Zaha Hadid (a well-known architect originally from Iraq).
Tickets for the cable car are bought under the boarding station in the booth, you can pay by card. The ticket costs 44 Euros. If you go up until 9:30 or after 3 p.m., these happy hours are a bit cheaper, the ticket costs 35.2 Euros. To go all the way up to the Top of Innsbruck point, you need to change once. Already from the intermediate station (Seegrube - 1905 m above sea level) you have a beautiful view of Innsbruck, there is also a restaurant. The restaurant is also at the very top. You can walk a short distance to the top, there are several viewpoints on different sides and the views are really breathtaking. The top station of the cable car is called Hafelekar and is at an altitude of 2334 m above sea level.
An interesting fact is that every first Friday of the month you can also go up (that is, only to the intermediate station) in the evening and enjoy the view of Innsbruck illuminated at night. The ticket costs 26 Euros. The cable car runs from 6 - 11:30 p.m. And such a romantic high-mountain dinner with a view is not a bad idea, just hit that first Friday :)
Children, students, teenagers and seniors have discounts on all tickets.
Timetable:
The Hungerburg cogwheel from the center runs on weekdays from 7:15 a.m. to 7:15 p.m., on weekends and holidays from 8 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. It runs every 15 minutes.
The Seegruben cable car to the intermediate station runs daily from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (from June to September until 6:30 p.m.). It runs every 15 minutes.
The Hafelekar cable car from the intermediate station to the top runs daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (from June to September until 6 p.m.). It runs every 15 minutes.
Summary:
The Hungerburg cogwheel runs from the center, then you take the Seegruben cable car to the intermediate station and the Hafelekar cable car takes you all the way to the top. Or you can drive to the Seegruben cable car and skip the cog. I hope you understand :)
Although the tickets are really expensive, I must say it was worth it. Then no one chases you down, so you can stay at the top as long as you want and the top station is amazing, take a look at the photos. You just have to have good weather, otherwise it's obviously a waste of money if you don't see anything. I recommend getting dressed. Even though we were in July, it was quite windy up there, so I was glad to have long pants and a jacket.
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