Day trips from Innsbruck
Hall in Tirol in ten minutes, Swarovski in half an hour, South Tyrol in about two hours — along the Inn and over the Brenner.
- Hall in Tirol
- 10 minutes by train
- The Zillertal
- 1 h
- South Tyrol
- About 2 h by train over the Brenner
Trips from Innsbruck run east along the Inn valley, where Hall and Wattens are ten to thirty minutes away, and south over the Brenner into Italy, with side valleys and glaciers in between. Everything here fits into one day and works by public transport — a car only shortens the way into the valleys.
Hall in Tirol — the nearest
Ten minutes east by train, a salt town with a medieval core. From 1477 a mint worked in Hasegg Castle, and in 1486 it struck the first large silver coins, forerunners of the thaler that gave the dollar its name. The 45-metre mint tower is climbed for the view over the old town and the Karwendel, and in the mint museum you can strike a coin yourself.
Wattens and the Kristallwelten
About twenty kilometres east; a shuttle from the main station takes about half an hour and runs several times a day. Swarovski opened the museum in 1995 for the firm's centenary: you enter through a hill shaped like a head with water pouring from it, and inside is a sequence of rooms made by different artists. There is a park with a playground alongside.
The valleys and South Tyrol
The Zillertal is a side valley an hour east, with a narrow-gauge railway that also runs steam in season, and Mayrhofen at its end. The Stubaital is closer and leads to a glacier: bus 590 from the main station reaches the Stubai glacier in about an hour and a quarter, and there is snow up there in summer too. South Tyrol is about two hours by train over the Brenner: Bolzano and Merano are Italian towns where German is spoken, and it is a journey where the border is felt in the food rather than the language.
How long each takes
All out and back from Innsbruck the same day — none of them needs a car
What to know in advance
- The Stubai glacier in July. There is snow up there even in midsummer, so go with a jacket and sunglasses, not in shorts.
- South Tyrol is another country. At the Brenner you cross into Italy, so your document goes with you.
- The Zillertal narrow-gauge railway. Steam runs only in season and to a published timetable — check before planning a day around it.
Before you go
Short answers to what people ask most before setting out.
Which trip from Innsbruck is best with only half a day?
Hall in Tirol: ten minutes by train, an old town, a mint and a tower looking out at the Karwendel.
Can I stand on snow in summer?
You can, on the Stubai glacier — about an hour and a quarter on bus 590 from the main station. There is snow up there even in midsummer, so take a jacket and sunglasses.
Do I need a document for South Tyrol?
Yes. At the Brenner you cross into Italy, even though German is still spoken locally.
Ready for Innsbruck?
Where to next
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How well does Innsbruck suit you?
→Six questions: a score for this place and others like it.
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