Christmas market in Innsbruck
We planned a bobsleigh ride in Innsbruck on Sunday 15th of December and to have no time pressure and get the most out of trip we wanted to be in Innsbruck Saturday afternoon to enjoy the Christmas market in Innsbruck. In fact there are several Christmas markets in the city centre and we visited 3 of them.
There is a bigger Christmas market in the old city center where there was live music, food and drinks. There are all kinds a small streets which you should not overlook. Divided by a main street you get access to another part of the Christmas Market.
Near the river you have another Christmas market where they sell goods, food and drinks. There were some covered areas with heating to enjoy some gluhwein or something else. There is a uniform cup with a deposit that you can use everywhere.
Across the river you have yet annother smaller Christmas market, but this one only has few stands. During Christmas period Innsbruck was a very cosy city with a lot of atmosphere and decorations. We really enjoyed our everning which we ended with a dinner in Stiegl Braeu. A delicious pub dinner with friendly staff.
Sunday morning city walk
After breakfast in our appartment we went for a short morning city walk. Just like the day before we were spoiled on a nice blue sky which made it an extra nice experience. We passed again by the Christmas market but during daytime without people and lights it’s only half of the fun.
From the the appartment and we headed via some churches, squares and the Cathedral towards the old city center. Make sure to spend enough time in the old city center, where you have plenty of connecting streets which make it cosy. You have small shops, bars and restaurants. You might also spot childhood house of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
A long side the river we saw the Hungerburgbahn which can bring you to the Hungerburg district, but when we checked it was quite pricey. I we made correct conclusion it was 29 euro for a ticket, so we moved on.
Around noon we moved to the Bergisel ski jump located just outside the city center and famous as it hosts the third competition of the prestigious Four Hills Tournament in the FIS Ski Jumping World Cup. The venue also hosted the Olympic Winter Games in 1964 and 1976.
Entrance fee is 9.5 euro per person and I’m glad we decided to enter the venue. We started to go up the hill with the mountain train. When you come next to the landing zone, you really see how steep the hill is and how crazy this sport must be. I’m keen to put all kinds of challenging things on my (travel) bucket list, but I’m convinced this will never make it 🙂
When you leave the mountain train, you can take the elevator up to the Sky restaurant. We arrived around 11:45 and lunch only starts at 12:00. The last people that enjoyed the breakfast were about to leave and like this we could get a window seat. The view from there is impressive. The ski jump in front of the city and the hills on the back. Obviously the blue sky made it even more memorable. We started with a glass of cava as aperitief and took a light lunch. The service was friendly, fast and the food affordable and tastefull.
After our lunch we went down from the tower by stairs and that are quite some levels. I think it’s 50 meters. We continued with exploring the landing zone and Olympic Flame area. Including lunch the visit took just below 2 hours and we can really recommend it.
AirBnb: Bright Apartment In The Attic With Free Parking!: We found this affordable place which is located on walking distance from the old town. The appartment was clean and had everything we needed for a short stay in the city. Parking in the city can easily become quite expensive. An extra asset is the free parking spot in front of the house. Just next doors you find a Spar supermarket which is very convenient to buy some breakfast or some drinks.
