38 Best Sights in Innsbruck, Tirol, and Vorarlberg, Austria

Just around the corner from the foot of the Meissnerstiege (Meissner steps) lies the parish church of St. Gallus, the oldest in the lower part of Vorarlberg, which combines Romanesque, Gothic, and Rococo elements. The interior is decorated simply but beautifully with pastel coloring and subtle stuccos and paintings, instead of the usual excessive gilding. Look out for the multiple depictions of legendary Irish monk St. Gallus with his bear companion, particularly on the remarkable silver altar in the left side chapel. Empress Maria Theresa donated the money for the main altarpiece; see if you can spot the monarch's features on one of the shepherdesses depicted there.

Hall in Tirol's most prominent building is this large, 13th-century Catholic church, boasting a dramatic interior of pinks, golds, and blacks with grand ceiling frescos. The undoubted highlight is the Waldaufkapelle, home to Florian Waldauf's rather gruesome collection of 45 skulls, said to be those of B-list saints. Waldauf, something of a fixer for Emperor Maximilian I at the beginning of the 16th century, began scouring Europe for relics to purchase, and eventually opened his prized collection to the public. Now, the skulls rest on individual embroidered cushions and are, rather oddly, topped with decorative headdresses.

Next door to the current Rathaus (town hall), on the corner of Anton-Schneider-Strasse, is this beautiful old Lake Chapel, topped with an onion dome. The chapel was erected over the graves of a band of Swiss citizens, whose 1408 attempt to incorporate Bregenz into Switzerland was rejected.

Go left from Belrupstrasse onto Maurachgasse. Walking up Maurachgasse, you'll reach the Stadtsteig guarding the entrance to the Old City, which bears the emblem of a Celtic-Roman equine goddess (the original is now housed in the Landesmuseum). Inside the gate are the coats of arms of the dukes of Bregenz and the dukes of Montfort, the latter crest now the Vorarlberg provincial emblem.

Innsbruck's looming City Tower was built in about 1460. It has a steep climb of 133 steps to the top, where the bulbous cupola was added in the 16th century, and from it there are magnificent views of the city and surrounding mountains. The 31-meter-high platform is a particularly good vantage point from which to view Helbling House on the corner across the square, right by Goldenes Dachl. This Gothic town house originally dates from the 15th century, though the colorful pink-and-white facade with its late-Baroque stuccos was added around 1730.

In the same complex as the Hofkirche (with the same entrance), this museum is regarded as the most important collection of folk art in the Alpine region. Its wood-paneled parlors house furniture, including entire room settings from old farmhouses and inns, decorated in styles from Gothic to Rococo. In particular, look out for the traditional Tyrolean tiled stoves. Other exhibits include costumes, farm implements, cow bells, carnival masks, and musical instruments.

One of the icons of Innsbruck, the Roman-style Triumphal Arch was built in 1765 to commemorate both the marriage of emperor-to-be Leopold II (then Duke of Tuscany) to Spanish princess Maria Luisa, and the sudden death of Emperor Franz I, husband of Empress Maria Theresa. The south side clearly represents celebration, while the north side shows mourning motifs.

Looming over Kornmarktplatz, this state-of-the-art museum with its facade of concrete flowers (look closely and you'll see they are molds of plastic bottle bottoms) has roots dating back 150 years. Today, it's home to four floors of exhibitions on the history, culture, and day-to-day life of Vorarlbergers. Expect everything from relics of Brigantium, the Roman administrative city that once stood where Bregenz is today, to Gothic and Romanesque ecclesiastical works, to videoed interviews with current residents. Information in English can be limited, but it's worth the entrance fee alone for the extraordinary top-floor blackout room with an expansive view over the lake. The exhibits in the atrium are free to view.