Things to Do in Innsbruck: 12 Activities for Every Season

Indoor Activities in Innsbruck

If the weather doesn’t cooperate and you’re dealing with a rainy day or it’s just too cold to be outside, Innsbruck has plenty of great indoor options to keep you busy.

Experience Tirol

• Admission: €24 (adults), €19 (reduced), €15 (children ages 6–14)
• Open: Mon – Fri: 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM, Sat: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM, Sun: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
• Tickets: available to buy online (website & GetYourGuide)
• Location: in the center of Innsbruck (open in Google Maps)

Experience Tirol is an interactive museum where you travel through 5 different worlds in just 1 hour.

Each of the five worlds gives you a glimpse into a different aspect of the Tyrol region: history, nature, sports, traditions, and art.

Modern technology like virtual reality brings it all to life in a seriously impressive way — this is no dusty traditional museum, but a genuine experience!

That’s exactly why Experience Tirol works so well for kids too — the little ones don’t just learn something, they have a ton of fun doing it.

Museums in Innsbruck

Visiting a museum is one of the best things to do in Innsbruck on a rainy day — you learn about the city and the region while staying warm and dry.

Which museum is worth your time really depends on what you’re into. Here’s a quick overview of the most interesting ones:

• Ambras Castle: ideal for history buffs. This historic building houses old armories as well as art and glass collections. Admission: €16 (online). Buy Ambras Castle tickets online.
• THE TIROL PANORAMA with Kaiserjäger Museum: perfect for art and history enthusiasts. It features a giant panoramic painting — a masterpiece of Tyrolean art — and tells the story of the Battle of Tyrol in 1809. Admission: €9.
• AUDIOVERSUM Science Center: great for families and science fans. Interactive exhibits include a Sound Gallery and a hair cell animation. Admission: €12.00.
• Tyrolean Folk Art Museum: excellent for art and culture lovers. Learn about Tyrolean traditions and art history. Admission: €9.
• Bell Museum: a project by the Grassmayr bell foundry — perfect if you want something a little different. Find out how bells are cast, explore the production process, and step into a dedicated sound room. Admission: €10.

Our tip: There’s a combination ticket for €14 that covers THE TIROL PANORAMA with Kaiserjäger Museum, the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum, and the Hofkirche Innsbruck. You can pick it up on-site at any of the three museums.

KI Climbing Center

• Admission: €16.50 (day ticket)
• Open: Mon – Sun: 9:00 AM – 10:00 PM
• Tickets: purchase on-site
• Location: about 2.5 kilometers from the center (open in Google Maps)

Can’t sit still even when the weather’s bad? The KI Climbing Center is one of the best sporty indoor activities Innsbruck has to offer — and climbing is seriously on trend right now.

You’ve got 550 routes for roped climbing to choose from, ranging from beginner to expert level. Most are indoors, but there’s an outdoor section too.

More of a bouldering fan? The KI has a dedicated bouldering area with nine different difficulty levels.

There’s also a weight room and various training areas, plus a bistro for refueling between sessions.

Climbing is a particularly great activity for younger visitors — it’s also a super easy way to meet like-minded people.

Olympic Village Swimming Pool

• Admission (4-hour ticket): €12.20 (adults), €7.30 (teens), €4.90 (children)
• Open: Mon – Fri: 11:00 AM – 10:00 PM, Sat, Sun: 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM
• Tickets: purchase on-site
• Location: about 6 kilometers outside the center (open in Google Maps)

The Olympic Village is a sports complex in Innsbruck with numerous sports halls, training centers, and residential buildings. The neighborhood itself isn’t particularly scenic.

What it does have, though, is a really great family pool complete with giant water slides, various pools, and a sauna area.

It’s best suited for fun and relaxation rather than serious lap swimming. If you’re looking for a proper swimming pool, the Hallenbad Höttinger Au indoor pool is the better alternative.

Therme Längenfeld

• Admission (day ticket): €59 (adults), €35.50 (children)
• Open: daily 9:00 AM – 11:00 PM
• Tickets: available to buy online
• Location: in Längenfeld (open in Google Maps)

If you want to spend a day fully switching off during your trip to Innsbruck, a thermal spa day is hard to beat. One of the best and largest thermal spas in all of Austria is the AQUA DOME in Längenfeld.

It really has everything: multiple pools indoors and outdoors, a sauna landscape, a fitness center, restaurants, and even a children’s world.

By car, it’s about a one-hour drive to Längenfeld. By public transit, plan for about one and a half hours.

By the way: The AQUA DOME also has its own hotel, the Aqua Dome 4-Star Superior Hotel. Staying here means you can enjoy the thermal spa to the absolute fullest.

Outdoor Activities in Innsbruck in Summer

When the sun’s out and you’ve already ticked off the top sights in Innsbruck, there’s nothing better than heading outside for some adventure. This is what Innsbruck is really known for, after all!

Hiking

Hiking is simply part of what Innsbruck is all about. There are so many trails around the city that sooner or later you really can’t help but lace up your boots.

We use the Komoot app to find hiking routes — you’ll find options at every difficulty level there.

The trails around the Nordkette are especially popular. This mountain range sits right next to Innsbruck and offers what feels like an endless variety of routes.

You can hike up from Hungerburg to one of the summits, for example, or take a shorter trail like the one to Arzer Alm.

Cycling

A fantastic alternative to hiking is cycling. Here too you’ve got several options — a relaxed ride along the Inn River or tearing down the mountains on a mountain bike.

If you’re coming to Innsbruck by car or train, we’d suggest bringing your own bike. It saves money and the hassle of tracking down a rental.

That said, rental shops are limited in Innsbruck. Here are two solid options:

• Crazybikes
• E-Bikestore Innsbruck

Another smart move is to book a hotel that offers bike rentals. At the Pradl-Elf-My-Apartment, for example, you can rent bikes directly.

Our tip: Innsbruck also makes a great stop on a multi-day cycling trip. We once cycled from Innsbruck all the way to Verona — and we stayed at the Nala Individuellhotel, which has a bike garage.

Climbing & Via Ferratas

We already covered the KI Climbing Center above — but you can also go climbing outdoors on real rock. That’s a whole different experience, since you’re out in nature with fresh routes to discover.

There are plenty of crags in the area around Innsbruck to explore, and you’re unlikely to run into tourist crowds. That makes outdoor climbing a real under-the-radar pick in Innsbruck.

Important: Only go climbing if you already have experience and the right equipment. Otherwise, make sure to go with a professional who can instruct and belay you.

A cool alternative is via ferratas — a mix of hiking and climbing where you follow a route equipped with fixed handholds and footholds.

You’ll need a via ferrata set to clip in and stay safe. Via ferratas should also always be tackled with someone who knows what they’re doing.

Rafting

For thrill-seekers, rafting is one seriously awesome outdoor adventure. You can’t do it right in Innsbruck, but the Imst Gorge — about 50 kilometers away — is one of the most famous whitewater rafting spots in Europe.

The adrenaline rush is guaranteed. In a group with a guide, you’ll shoot down churning water on an inflatable raft.

Just keep in mind that you need to be able to swim to join a rafting tour, and it’s not suitable for young children. On the tour we’ve linked below, kids must be at least 10 years old.

Rafting tour in the Imst Gorge from Innsbruck

Paragliding

If you can’t get enough adrenaline and adventure, paragliding might be the perfect thing to do in Innsbruck.

You take a gondola up to a launch point where your guide is already waiting. After a quick briefing, you’re off on a tandem paragliding flight.

You soar — always with your guide right beside you — through the mountain landscape, taking in absolutely stunning views. How long you’re in the air depends on the weather.

You can capture the whole thing with photos and videos during the flight. Honestly, it’s a one-of-a-kind experience!

Paragliding in Innsbruck

Outdoor Activities in Winter

Innsbruck is a fantastic outdoor destination in winter too. Especially from December through March, it draws countless winter sports enthusiasts from across Europe.

Skiing

In winter, Innsbruck is a brilliant base for skiing or snowboarding. Many slopes are less than an hour away including the drive and gondola ride.

Here are some popular ski resorts near Innsbruck:

• Patscherkofel: great for beginners. The gondola is just a 20-minute drive from Innsbruck.
• Nordkette: multiple runs for all levels. The gondolas depart right from the center of Innsbruck.
• Mutterer Alm: A lovely ski resort, especially for beginners and kids. 20 minutes by car to the gondola from Innsbruck.
• Axamer Lizum: Best suited for intermediate and advanced skiers.

Watching Ski Jumping

Ski jumping isn’t something you can just give a try on a whim. Frankly, the idea of hitting 90 km/h on the in-run and then flying 150 meters through the air sounds a little terrifying to us.

That makes watching the professional jumpers do it all the more exciting. And in Innsbruck, you can do exactly that. Every year in early January, the city hosts the third event of the Four Hills Tournament — one of the most prestigious competitions in ski jumping.

The jumping takes place at Bergisel — the hill sits on the edge of Innsbruck and is an iconic part of the city’s skyline.

Info and tickets for the Four Hills Tournament in Innsbruck can be found here.

Extra Tip: Events in Innsbruck

Beyond the Four Hills Tournament, there are plenty more great events that make Innsbruck worth a visit at any time of year. Here’s a quick overview:

• Early January: Third event of the Four Hills Tournament, ski jumping
• April/May: Innsbruck Alpine Trailrun Festival, Austria’s largest trail running event
• May/June: Innsbruck BeachEvent, an official beach volleyball tournament
• July: Nordkette Wetterleuchten Festival, an electronic music festival on the Nordkette
• July/August: Tiroler Volksschauspiele, theater festival in the neighboring town of Telfs
• December: Christkindlmarkt in the old town