Innsbruck and Tirol Hotels

For one reason or another, travelers do not stay long in Innsbruck itself. Innsbruck hotels report the average stay is usually two to three days in summer and one week in winter, so there is a fast turnover and, almost always, a room to be had. Even so, if you travel during the high season (July and August) or in the winter, it's best to book in advance. If you're driving, ask in advance about parking, since some hotels have free on-site spots, while others offer parking a short distance away. Hotel rates vary widely by season, the off-peak periods being March-May and September-November. Some travelers opt to set up their base not in Innsbruck but overlooking it, on the Hungerburg Plateau to the north, or in one of the nearby villages perched on the slopes to the south. In any case, the official Innsbruck Reservation Center, online at www.innsbruck.info or www.ski-innsbruck.at, offers a one-stop booking source for Innsbruck and the surrounding villages, as well as a trove of Visitor Information.

Room rates include taxes and service and, except in the most expensive hotels, almost always breakfast and one other meal. Halb pension (half-board), as this plan is called, is usually the best deal. However, most will offer a breakfast buffet-only rate if requested. Most hotels now take credit cards. If you're out for savings, it's a good idea to find lodgings in small towns nearby rather than in the resorts themselves; local tourist offices may be able to help you get situated, possibly even with accommodations in pensions (simple hotels) or Bauernhöfe (farmhouses). Note that the most expensive hotels in the posh resort towns of Kitzbühel, St. Anton, and Seefeld have room rates higher than our price-category norm; their rooms can occasionally reach as high as EUR 400.

Keep in mind that in hotel saunas and steam baths, nude people of both genders should be expected. Children under certain ages are usually not admitted.

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