Innsbruck area guide · by local hosts
For a first visit, stay in the centre. Choose the Old Town or Maria-Theresien-Straße if sightseeing comes first, and the station side or Wilten if you plan day trips by train. All four are within about 15 minutes’ walk of both the Golden Roof and the main station, so you won’t need a car. Igls and the villages above the city suit skiers and hikers with a car.
We host three holiday apartments here – two in Wilten and one in Sistrans – and have marked them below. Walking times were measured with OpenStreetMap foot routing from a central point in each area (November 2026) and rounded.
At a glance
A first visit focused on sightseeing
Main station: about 15 min · Golden Roof: on the doorstep
Sightseeing, shopping and short walks in every direction
Main station: about 10 min · Golden Roof: about 5 min
Train day trips and late arrivals
Main station: up to 5 min · Golden Roof: about 15 min
A residential base close to the station
Main station: about 10 min · Golden Roof: about 15 min
Events at the Olympiahalle or Tivoli stadium, longer stays
Main station: about 15 min · Golden Roof: about 20 min
Quiet streets, trade fair visitors
Main station: about 20 min · Golden Roof: about 20–25 min
River views and a short walk to the Old Town
Main station: about 20–30 min · Golden Roof: about 5–15 min
Views and a village feel close to the centre
Main station: about 20 min · Golden Roof: about 5–10 min
Skiing and hiking on the Patscherkofel
Main station: tram or bus · Golden Roof: tram or bus
Travellers with a car, skiers, families who want quiet
Main station: by car or bus · Golden Roof: by car or bus
Area by area
Best for: a first visit focused on sightseeing
Innsbruck’s medieval centre on the south bank of the Inn, with the Golden Roof, St. James’ Cathedral and the Imperial Palace (Hofburg). The lanes are a pedestrian zone, and the Nordkette funicular starts about 5 minutes away at the Altstadt (Congress) station, Rennweg 3.
Good to know: Taxis are allowed into the pedestrian zone – handy if you don’t want to roll luggage over cobblestones from the station.
Best for: sightseeing, shopping and short walks in every direction
The main boulevard just south of the Old Town, a pedestrian promenade since 2009 with Baroque palaces, St. Anne’s Column, the Triumphal Arch and two shopping centres. The Hofgarten park is a short walk away, and almost every IVB tram and bus line passes through the inner city.
Good to know: Halfway between the station and the Golden Roof – the most central spot on this list.
Best for: train day trips and late arrivals
The station sits on the eastern edge of the inner city. Four rail lines meet here, the regional bus station is next door and the Stubaitalbahn tram runs from here to the Stubai Valley. Many hotels line the streets between the station and Bozner Platz.
Good to know: The best choice if you plan several day trips by train – Salzburg, Munich, Verona and Zurich all have direct trains.
Best for: a residential base close to the station
South of the Triumphal Arch and one of Innsbruck’s oldest districts – the Roman fort Veldidena stood here. Wilten Basilica, which Innsbruck’s tourism board calls the most beautiful Rococo church in Austria, Wilten Abbey and the Saturday farmers’ market on Wiltener Platzl are all here. Trams 1 and 6 and the Stubaitalbahn start in Wilten, and the Bergisel ski jump is on its southern edge.
Good to know: Our apartments Maria & Joseph are here, about 8 minutes on foot from the main station – with the free Welcome Card from 2 nights.
Best for: events at the Olympiahalle or Tivoli stadium, longer stays
East of the centre across the Sill river and Innsbruck’s most populous district, with around 20,000 residents. It is home to Tivoli stadium, the Olympiahalle and Rapoldipark.
Good to know: Pick an address on the city side of Pradl if you want to walk to the station.
Best for: quiet streets, trade fair visitors
Northeast of the centre between the Inn and the railway, known locally as the villa district – its 19th-century villas are protected as an ensemble. The Messe Innsbruck exhibition centre is here, with its own S-Bahn stop (Innsbruck Messe) since 2021, and the Hungerburg funicular stops at Löwenhaus.
Good to know: Further from the station than the centre or Wilten, so you will use trams or buses more often.
Best for: river views and a short walk to the Old Town
Across the Inn bridge from the Old Town and the oldest part of Innsbruck, a market settlement from around 1170. Its row of colourful houses along the river is, according to the tourism board, probably the most photographed view in Innsbruck after the Golden Roof. Innstraße has shops and cafés.
Good to know: Close to the Old Town, but of the in-town areas the longest walk to the main station.
Best for: views and a village feel close to the centre
On the slope at the foot of the Nordkette, with old farmhouses and views over the Old Town; the old village centre has kept its character. Hötting joined Innsbruck in 1938 and reaches up to part of the Hungerburg.
Good to know: Walking times are for lower Hötting near the river – much of the district is uphill, so check the exact address.
Best for: skiing and hiking on the Patscherkofel
A sunny village at about 870 m on the Patscherkofel, with the Patscherkofelbahn cable car and the bobsleigh track of the 1964 and 1976 Winter Olympics. Tram 6 runs about once an hour between Igls and the city, and bus J also connects.
Good to know: Mountain air with the city in reach – but evenings in town depend on the timetable or a car.
Best for: travellers with a car, skiers, families who want quiet
The plateau south of Innsbruck belongs to the official “Innsbruck and its holiday villages” region. The tourism board describes Sistrans (919 m) as a quiet spot on an alpine plateau with views of the Nordkette; Lans has the Lanser See swimming lake, and tram 6 stops at Aldrans, Lans-Sistrans and Lanser See.
Good to know: Our Apartment Landkind is in Sistrans – free parking with an EV charger, about 7 minutes’ drive to the Patscherkofel; from 2 nights the Welcome Card makes the bus into town free.
Without a car
Arriving by train or plane? Our page on Innsbruck without a car covers the trip from Munich Airport, Zurich and Innsbruck Airport.
An IVB single ticket costs €3.30 and a 24-hour ticket €7.30 (ivb.at, November 2026). Digital tickets must be bought before you board.
Stay two nights or more in one of our apartments and you get the free Welcome Card: public transport across the Innsbruck region (IVB buses and trams except the Hungerburg funicular and the Sightseer, VVT regional buses and ÖBB regional trains). From three nights the Welcome Card plus adds free or discounted rides on selected lifts. Not every host offers it, so ask elsewhere before you book. It does not cover trains to Hall, Wattens or Seefeld.
For 24, 48 or 72 hours (adults €69, €79 or €89): 22 museums and attractions, one trip up and down on selected cable cars, public transport and the Sightseer bus.
Our apartments
Each with its own kitchen and self check-in, booked direct with no portal fees. From two nights you also get the free Welcome Card – buses, trams and regional trains around Innsbruck included.
Wilten, 8 min walk to the main station
26 m² (280 sq ft) · up to 4 guests · from €98 / night
View →Wilten, 8 min walk to the main station
70 m² (750 sq ft) · up to 7 guests · from €116 / night
View →Sistrans, free parking & EV charger
60 m² (650 sq ft) · up to 4 guests · from €119 / night
View →“From” guide prices – the rate for your dates and group size is shown in the booking calendar.
Direct booking
Pick your dates and number of guests – Maria fits up to 4, Joseph up to 7. For Landkind in Sistrans, use the calendar on its page.
Booking is handled by our partner PeakStay – you will be redirected there.
FAQ
The centre: the Old Town or Maria-Theresien-Straße if sightseeing comes first, the station side or Wilten if you plan day trips by train. All four are within about 15 minutes’ walk of both the Golden Roof and the main station, so you will not need a car.
They are only about 15 minutes apart on foot. The Old Town puts the sights on your doorstep; the station side or Wilten is better for luggage, late trains and day trips to Salzburg, Munich or the Stubai Valley.
Yes, if you like a residential feel close to everything: about 10 minutes on foot from the main station and 15 from the Golden Roof, with Wilten Basilica, a Saturday farmers’ market and trams 1 and 6. Our apartments Maria and Joseph are at Michael-Gaismair-Straße 7 in Wilten.
Anywhere between the main station and the Old Town – the centre, the station side or Wilten. From there you walk to the sights and take a train, tram or ski bus for everything else. Getting here by train is covered on our page on Innsbruck without a car.
With a car, Igls or the villages on the plateau are closest to the Patscherkofel – our Apartment Landkind in Sistrans is about 7 minutes’ drive from the base station. Without a car, stay central: ski buses run from the city to the surrounding ski areas and are included with the SKI plus CITY Pass.
It is Innsbruck’s free guest card for stays of two nights or more at participating accommodation, with free buses, trams and regional trains across the region. It cannot be bought – each host decides whether to offer it. All our guests get it from two nights, and the Welcome Card plus with lift benefits from three nights.
Somewhere with its own parking. In the centre you mostly park in garages or short-stay zones – around our apartments in Wilten, for example, the nearest car park is at the main station. Apartment Landkind in Sistrans, above the city, has free parking with an EV charger.
Prices and ticket conditions as of November 2026; walking times via OpenStreetMap (routing.openstreetmap.de).