By Car in Innsbruck & Tirol

By Car

To get to Innsbruck, exit from the east-west autobahn (Route A12/E60) or from the Brenner autobahn (Route A13/E45) running south to Italy. Driving is the best way to see the rest of Tirol, since it allows you to wander off the main routes at your pleasure or to stop and admire the view. Roads are good, but a detailed highway map is recommended. Curiously, most of the road signs in Austria name the upcoming cities and towns, but not the distances to reach them.

The autobahns are fastest, but for scenery you're best off on the byways. One important exception is the 1¾-km (1-mi) Europa Bridge on the Brenner autobahn running south into Italy, although if you follow the parallel route from Patsch to Pfons, you'll have the views without the traffic. Roads with particularly attractive scenery are marked on highway maps with a parallel green line. To drive on Austria's autobahn, a vignette, or sticker, is required, for sale at almost all service stations. A 10-day sticker costs EUR 7.60, a 60-day EUR 21.80.

Car Rental Agencies

Avis (Tourist Center, Salurner Strasse 15, Innsbruck. 0512/571754. 0512/577149). Budget (Voliergasse 62, Innsbruck. 0512/588468. 0512/584580). Europcar (Haller Strasse 165, Innsbruck. 0512/206360. 0512/206422).

Parking

Since the Innsbruck Altstadt is a pedestrian zone and much of the rest of the downtown area is paid parking only, it's best to leave your car in a central garage unless your hotel has parking. Private cars are not allowed on many of the Altstadt streets, and parking anywhere near the center in Innsbruck requires vouchers, which you buy from blue coin-operated dispensers found around parking areas. Each half hour normally costs EUR 0.50-EUR 1. Maximum parking time is 1 1/2 hours. Large blue P signs direct you to parking garages. The bus is about as convenient as a car for reaching the ski areas if you have to cope with chains and other complications of winter driving.