From Innsbruck
 

I need a recommendation for sights from Innsbruck. We have 3 free nights at the Hilton there so we want to use them. From another post, it sounds like Innsbruck is not so impressive. What are your recommendations to do with our three days. We'll have a car and two teens.

GB:<BR><BR>It is not that Innsbruck is not impressive, it is just that it surprises people that it is more of a city than the quintessential Alpin Hamlet!<BR>That being said. Do the 'Old Section&quot; of Innsbruck. Take a short ride up to &quot;Hall im Tirol&quot; for a look see.<BR>Take a ride along the lovely alpine road that leads up and thru:<BR>Seefeld, Mittenwald and on to Garmish!<BR>Or..take a trip over the Brenner Pass Into Italy!<BR>One thing about Innsbruck, besides being a beautiful city on its own right, it is close to many other wonderful towns and attractions!<BR>JOHN<BR><BR>

Innsbruck is sandwiched between two alpine mountains. You can walk to one, take a funnicular followed by a 2 stage ski gondola to a place so high you are above the clouds. From the midstation you can walk down if you like. On the other side (a short city bus ride) you can go up the other side and be higher than the planes taking off at the Innsbruck airport. There is a summer tobogan run nearby too if you are there in summer. Or you can travel a little bit west and go walking on an actual glacier that is moving. Touristy but fun was a traditional alpine music show complete with yodelers, lederhosen and alpen horns. You can also take a train to a nearby town where you can take a boat ride on an alpen lake.

From Innsbruck you could be in the DOLOMITES in a couple of hours. Head for Val Gardena or Lake Braies. You could even do the Sella Ronda tour for some of the most stunning scenery!<BR><BR>Steve<BR><BR>

There is also a bobsled ride you can do (for about 30 euros I think) that your kids might find fun. It's on the Olympic bobsled track. Also if you ski there are lots of places to do either cross country or downhill nearby. There will be a world championship (or cup, not sure) cross country race in Seefeld in Feb. Also Kitzbuehel (sp?) can be done as a day trip to watch the world cup races. try www.innsbruck.at for more info

I can recommend an excursion to the &Ouml;tztal, which is west and south of Innsbruck. We rented an apartment in the valley for a week two years ago.<BR>If you drive to Solden, there is a highway called the Gletscherstrasse that leads to a glacier where thereis skiing virtually year round. It is cold up there, so be prepared. The scenery is gorgeous.<BR><BR>You can also drive over the very steep Timmelsjoch to Italy. We just went as far as the top of the pass on the Austrian side. It was cloudy that day, and I did not want to continue in the clouds and fog.<BR><BR>Also, if you are interested, the Austrian department of antiquities has reconstructed a village that is a faithful replica of the village that &Ouml;tzi, the Iceman, probably lived in.<BR>I visited the place and was impressed at the accuracy of the recreation. The animal science geneticists have been able to figure out the type of livestock that existed about that time and they have produced farm animals that they think resemble closely those of that time. Most interesting if you have any interest in that sort of thing.<BR><BR>The Iceman himself now may be visited in the museum in Bozen, or Bolzano if you want the Italian name. He has his own private air conditioned bed chamber.<BR><BR>

Bob - LOL!

A couple of possibilities: the Swarovski crystal factory is located in Watten, about 10 miles east of Innsbruck, off of A12. Factory tours are available, or you can venture into their tempting showroom.<BR>Another day trip would be to take 177 north to Mittenwald where you could spend an hour or so. Then on to Garmisch - Partenkirchen for lunch. If you desire, you could drive on to King Ludwig's castles - Linderhof and/or Neuschwanstein. Return to Innsbruck via 314/189. Beautiful Scenery and sights.<BR><BR>Regards,<BR><BR>Jinx Hoover<BR>

Thanks for the great ideas. Also, how long a drive or train ride is it to Vienna?

The train ride from Insbruck to Vienna is long. The best travel time is 5 hours and 5 minutes to the West Train station in Vienna. <BR><BR>Trains leave at 7:30 and 9:30 and 11:27 in the morning and at various other times during the day. <BR><BR>I don't think a day trip is practical.<BR>Munich is 1:48 away on the express ICE train that involves no changes.<BR>Although there are several trains to Munich during the day, some of them are quite slow and involve two changes.<BR>

I looked at the map and it looks like it would take five hours to drive as well. I was thinking of staying overnight in Vienna because we can have a free night there as well. But, it looks like the travel time is better spent visiting Salzburg or Dolomites. (We coming from Munich, and going to Cinque Terre)

Teen boys? Go to Playcastle Tirol in Seefeld, about 15 minutes west of Innsbruck. We stumbled on it on a rainy day. If your boys are like mine, they'll think they've died and gone to heaven. It has (for one admission price, with rentals):<BR><BR>A two level roller skating rink. There is a kind of skaters escalater up, and you can come back down the big ramp. There are also cool small ramps on the rink. Inside the center of the rink is a pickup roller hockey game. <BR><BR>A climbing wall -- put on the harness and climb two stories with supervision.<BR><BR>An obstacle course on the ceiling. You put the climbing harness on, and then you maneuver around these climbing things dangling 3 stories above the...<BR><BR>Skateboard bowl and ramp, across from the ... <BR><BR>Room full of about 20 Sega game machines (I think it was Sega). Room full of floor cushions, showing an action movie right on the wall. Room full of legos. Room full of model trains. Room full of stuffed animals, with a story-telling tree (in German). Other similar rooms. <BR>Swimming beach, indoors, with sand, for the little kids. Not typically Austrian, I know, but its the main thing my kids talk about. <BR><BR>They also hooted it up at the Tirolan show we took them to, lots of yodelling and thigh slapping. And they liked the gondola ride up the mountain, with a stop at the alpen zoo. It is an easy day trip to Neunschwanstein Castle from Innsbruck. <BR>

I am glad to hear about the skate rink. I am taking my 3 teens and this sounds like something they would like (they are agressive skaters). Is it easy to find in seefeld?

I think you are referring to my remarks yesterday about Innsbruck, but I want to stress they were relating to Innsbruck as a downhill ski base! I also vote for Seefeld, as mentioned in the other post, it is very charming and was an Olympic venue.