Around Innsbruck. From Reutte to Brenner

Last Updated on 09/02/2024

There are many attractions around Innsbruck within an hour and a half by car. The surroundings of Innsbruck include Fernpass with its lakes and the Zugspitze, and Reutte with its bridge and fortresses, and the Ötz Valley, and much more.

East:
Rhine Delta Bodensee, Appenzell attractions
Swiss side of Lake Constance
Vorarlberg attractions. From Bregenz to Ischgl
Lake Constance map of attractions
North: What to do in Allgäu map,
Upper Bavaria Map of attractions
West: Inn valley attractions on the map – from Innsbruck to Kufstein

Note the desire of the Austrian authorities to restrict transit traffic through Tyrol in Italy. There is a decision to close some of the highways exits and the intention to introduce new paid sections. And in general, who cares about nerves, it is advisable to avoid Fernpass and the Brenner Highway on weekends in the summer.

Everything important that you can see in the region – with notes and links.

• 1 – top
• 2 – very good, although not so well known
• 3 – good for a short vacation or a layover. Several medium-level interesting places
• 4 – local or specific, not for everyone

Marks without brackets – I was there (there are links to the posts). With brackets – I wasn’t there. Of course, the notes are subjective

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1. Pfunds, Nauders

Pfunds – customs fortress Altfinstermünz (link), small history museum, mill

Nauders – chair lift, castle 19th century (link)

Switzerland nearby

Samnaun – cable cars (link), Flying Fox, thermal pool
Zernez – cable cars (link), Tarasp Castle (link)

Italy nearby

Reschenpass – lake at the pass. This pass is used to bypass the Brenner. It is quite low and free of charge, if you don’t go further on the autobahn, but go along the local roads to Fernpass. On the Italian side, a small serpentine section, further past the lake and quite quickly and with a decent slope down the galleries from the Austrian side. The road in Austria goes along the Inn Valley. The autobahn starts abruptly from the tunnel to the Landeck detour. It is important to turn back on time, if you will not pay.

Malles Venosta – Benedictine abbey Abbazia di Monte Maria with museum (link)

Sluderno – Castel Coira (Churburg, link) medieval castle that has never been destroyed, with the largest collection of armor in the world

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2. Ried, Serfaus, Fiss, Kautertal

Serfaus, Fiss, Ladis – several cable cars, amusement parks at the top: 2 coasters (Flitzer, Familien-Coaster), 2 Flying Fox (Flieger, Sauser), giant swings. Link Rope park

Ried – Via Claudia Augusta multi-day route passes through the village
Fallender Bach waterfall and Anton Renk Wasserfall
Roman bridge in Tösens

Kautertal – side gorge, panoramic road, at the end of the cable car to the glacier (link)

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3. Landeck, Zams

Landeck – a small old town, a castle with a museum.

Zams – cable car, gorge Zamer Lochputz, coaster (link)

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4. Lechtal

Cycling road along Lech.

Austrian wood carving school

Holzgau – suspension bridge

Elbigenalp – cable car, coaster (link)

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5. Tannheimertal

Lake, rope park, cable cars (link)

Vitalpsee

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6. Reutte, Plansee

Cycling road along Lech.

Ruins of the Ehrenberg fortress (13th century, link), Fortress Schlosskopf (18th century) and Fort Claudia (17th century) – are located on the neighboring hills, two of the three fortresses are connected by the longest suspension bridge. A funicular lifts up to the Ehrenberg fortress.
Historical Museum downstairs (few exhibits)
Thermal pool

Read about Reutte castles here.

Plansee – boating

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7. Ehrwald, Biberwier, Lermoos

Read about Zugspitze and Garmisch-Partenkirchen.

Cable cars in Ehrwald (on the Zugspitze, link) and in Lermoos (link). Small zoo and fun for children, rope park (Bichlbach), summer toboggan (Biberwier)

Lakes near the Fernpass: Blindsee and Weißensee on the north side of the pass, Lake Fernsteinsee – behind the pass.

Read about region Zugspitze Arena:
Part 1 Ehrwald, Lermoos, Bichlbach,
Part 2 Lakes

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8. Imst

Between Nassereith and Imst – brewery with 200 years of history Schloss Starkenberg.

Imst – Gorge Rosengartenschlucht from the center of Imst to Imst Hoch, cable car and coaster (link).

Tarrenz – Knappenwelt Gurgltal (an open-air museum dedicated to mining, link)

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9. Pinztal

Several cable cars, including the glacier (link). The new cable car, the highest in Austria, rises to a height of 3440 m. But you will still have to get to it with the help of a funicular that lifts a thousand meters inside the mountain.

Several waterfalls. Alpine lake Rifflsee

Various attractions, such as a mountain cart, a playground, a rope park (Link), an exhibition dedicated to fir, are concentrated at the beginning of the valley at Jerzens.

There is also a mountain goat center in the middle of the valley.

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10. Ötztal valley: Ötz, Umhausen

More about Stuibenfall Waterfall

Ötz – cable car, forest lake, picturesque bridge across the river.

Sautens – extreme sports entertainment center Area 47

Side valley Kühtal – cable car, chairlift

Umhausen – Waterfall Stuibenfall, prehistoric man Ötzi village, bird of prey show (link)

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11. Ötztal valley: Längenfeld, Sölden, Obergurgl

Längenfeld – thermal pool Aqua Dome.
Museum of Local History. Museum of woodcarvers. Suspension bridge. Large Playground Fun Park.

Sölden
3 cable cars, one chairlift and one funicular (link).
Suspension bridge.
Panoramic road Gletscherstrasse Sölden (2800 m, blue line on the map). You can take a bus along the road (www.oetztaler.at).
Freizeit Arena (pool and sports)

Vent
Cave of prehistoric people 7600 BC,
place where Ötzi was found,
chairlift, suspension bridge
Open air theatre.

Obergurgl, Hochgurgl
Two cable cars (link).
Panoramic road Timmelsjoch (green line on the map). You can take a bus along the road(www.oetztaler.at).
Motorcycle Museum.

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12. Along the Brenner highway and nearest Italy

A region for hikers and mountain climbers, there are few attractions, with the exception of Vipiteno.

Gschnitz – village of mills and waterfall

Steinach – cable car

Italy:
Vipiteno/Sterzing – old town, cable car (link), rope park,
Reifenstein Castle (Castel Tasso, link),
thermal pool

Nearby Gorge Stanghe (Gilfenklamm)
hunting museum in the palace Wolfsthurn

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13. Stubaital valley

From Innsbruck, take the Stubaitalbahn scenic railway to Fulmpes

Schönberg – panoramic view Panoramablick Gleins (an hour walk from the village)

Mieders – coaster, cable car (link)

Telfs – rose village, birds of prey (Link), thermal pool

Fulmpes – rope park, cable car (link), smyth

Neustift – cable car (link)

At the end of the valley there is a glacier with a cable car and an ice grotto (link). Below there is also Grawa Wasserfall (link)

Around Innsbruck

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14. Along Inn

Local towns and villages offer walks or climbs in the local mountains. There are several castles, but all of them are viewed only from the outside.

Stams – big monastery Stift Stams with museum (link).

Telfs – Klammsteig (climbing to the upper valley by stairs along the rocks, suspension bridge)

Pfaffenhofen – a city with a small historical center

Oberperfuss – cable car (link), disc golf

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15. Seefeld

Two thermal pools – in Seefeld and Leutasch.

Two cable cars (link) . Several little lakes

Gorge in Leutasch (link)

Scenic train route to Innsbruck. Also good access to the nearest Germany – Mittenwald, where there are a number of cable cars, gorges and from where you can walk to Ludwig’s mountain palace in Elmau

A map of sights in Allgäu

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16. Innsbruck

Read more about Innsbruck: Part 1 Town,
Part 2 Ambras castle and cable car

Old city. Palace and Hofkirche Chapel to visit.

Tyrolean Folk Art Museum Tiroler Volkskunstmuseum (link),
History and art museum of the region Ferdinandeum (link) .
History museum Museum im Zeughaus (link) .
Bell museum Glockenmuseum Grassmayr (link) .

Funicular to the zoo (link) goes directly from the center. From the end station of the funicular goes cable car to Nordkette (link) .

Not in the center

Bergisel – Olympic springboard (tram 1): hunting museum, panoramic view of Tyrol, observation deck (link) . Gorge Sillschlucht below

Ambras palace (tram 6, link) and further up the mountain Patscherkofel (cable car, playground, alpine botanical garden, link). You can walk along the mountain on top to the next cable car Tulfes, from where the bus returns

On the other side of the Brenner Highway – Mutters – two cable cars (link)

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