Innsbruck advice
 

Looking for advice for 1 day family visit to Innsbruck July 2015. We will have spent the night near the haufbahnhof. Specifically should we buy tickets for the 6:35pm train or the 8:40pm train to Munich? Both are 1:45 direct IC trains.

Earlier train: arrives at Munich Ost before dark so 500m walk to hotel easy, this is the daily direct train from Venice so is likely to be nearly full and hard to get seats together. Would probably end up picnicking on the train since we would need to be picking up luggage about 6.

Later train: 40 euros less since the most discounted tickets still available, arrives Munich Ost after dark at 10:15 pm (relatively safe area?), probably less crowded so seats together, allows a full day with dinner in Innsbruck so day less rushed, however may make it a challenge getting everybody up fed and in the car for a full day in Fuessen the next day via rental car.

Also: Innsbruck advice, we plan to take the Nordkettenbahnen so it’s only 3 euros more to get the Innsbruck 24 hour card, so what should we do with our day? Will we run out of things to do by 4pm or can we fill up the day making the 8:40 pm train more practical?

I enjoyed taking the mountain tram from Schloss Ambras on the southern edge of central Innsbruck - the castle is fascinating in many ways - then hop on the mountain tram to Igls and the Olympic Ski Jump area and an area of forests and hiking paths, etc. Was the highlight of our Innsburck experience - along the the big church and parks around it in the center.

Why would you pick that mountain as opposed to the northern one that connects right to the old town?

Actually I have not gone on the other and from looking it up that may be the more awesome experience - I'd probably go for that- but the Schloss Ambras is right in town. The Igls trip is nice but not as awesome nearly as the one you gave - too bad you have but one day.

I think Munich-Ost station - which may be evven closer to the center of town - the Marienplatz - always seemed safe to me as every area of any town in Germany I have been in seems. Would not worry bout that. Try to stop by the famous Wiesskirche en route to Fussen - simply looking on the outside gloriously decorated on the inside:

https://www.google.com/search?q=wies...=1600&bih=1075

You should better have different plans and decide on the spot. Nordkettenbahnen are an idea, but the weather has to be clear - from the city center you can check if the top station is in a cloud, in which case you switch to plan B. Plan B could be Ambras castle, that is very nice (the Spanish Hall is fantastic) - but if it is raining you would get quite wet, in which case you switch to plan C - for example, Hofburg and Hofkirche in the city center that has some arcades. Even shopping centers in Innsbruck are nice visits - the Kaufhaus Tyrol is a daring example of how you can put a modern building in the middle of baroque buildings; the way the Rathaus was partly transformed in a shopping mall is an interesting example of contemporary architecture. Spend a few minutes looking for the hotel Penz, on the back of the Rathaus; the architect who designed its black glass front in which a baroque house is mirrored has to be a genius.

Almost everything in Innsbruck shuts up at 6.30pm and after that time there is little to do but having dinner.

Thanks for the advice, I think I will go for the later (and cheaper) train so that we have the whole day. Even though that means a late start the next morning.