I don’t think there’s anywhere more magical than spending a weekend in the Austrian Alps, especially in the winter. The crisp fresh air, beautiful white snow and cute buildings make it one of the best winter destinations I’ve ever been to!
I’m not sure what I expected when we first booked our trip. See, as a former ski racer I grew up watching the epic Kitzbuhel ski race on TV. It was always a destination that I vowed one day to go and visit. Last December, for my dads 60th birthday we thought it would be the perfect time and the perfect excuse to go.
Because Munich was the cheapest place for us to fly into, we had to take the train from there to Innsbruck. After a lot of research, I realized that Innsbruck was the perfect place for us to stay while we toured around. The thing I love most about Europe is their train systems. We were able to get a direct train at a fairly reasonable price as well. Plus it was super fast, definitely way easier than lugging all of our stuff to the airport.
So how did we spend a weekend in the Austrian Alps?
Day 1: Exploring Innsbruck
We arrived later in the afternoon to Innsbruck. The train station is really close to the main parts of the city so feel free to walk to your hotel if you’re able. We stayed at Hotel Sailer which was just on the edge of the city, making it really close to the train station.
Nothing in Innsbruck is particularly far away. We were able to walk everywhere we wanted to without a problem. That’s what I love about visiting smaller towns, you can see so much in such a little amount of time.
After dropping our bags off at the hotel we headed straight out for a bite to eat. The one thing I noticed about the restaurants in Innsbruck (and much of Austria actually) is that they allow smoking in the restaurants and they often smell very strongly of cheese. Now for me, I didn’t mind so much but my sister and mother have a very strong sense of smell so trying to find somewhere that was okay for everyone to enjoy a meal.
We wandered to Maria-Theresien-Strasse, the main strip in Innsbruck and found a nice spot with a great view of the street below. After our meal we walked around for a little. Because we had visited before New Years the city still had their little Christmas market up. Honestly, getting a chance to drink homemade mulled wine and take in the beautiful architecture of Innsbruck was amazing.
The rest of the evening enjoying some delicious Austrian beer and getting a good sleep for our busy day the next day.
| Click here for hotels in Innsbruck |
Day 2: Kitzbuhel and the Alps
As an avid travel planner, I pride myself on being able to figure out the logistics of places I’ve never been to. Trying to figure out getting to Kitzbuhel, sports equipment and tickets was much harder than I thought it was going to be. In the end, I managed to figure it out and everything went really smoothly. The OBB website and the Kitzbuhel websites were really important in the planning process.
Initially, we had considered getting a hotel in Kitzbuhel so that we could get up super early in the morning and go skiing. However, after looking at the prices we decided against it, we were on a bit of a budget after all. While it was a bit longer, it wasn’t as painful taking the train from Innsbruck as I thought it was going to be.
Most of the time you have to transfer trains when travelling from Innsbruck to Kitzbuhel. However, this worked out way easier than I thought because the train we had to transfer to was waiting right on the same platform when we arrived so it was just going from one seat to another basically.
Because we were travelling light, we rented everything (except ski suits) from the local shop. It wasn’t too expensive, about $40 CAD a person. The equipment was better quality than I thought as well.
In no time we were riding up the gondola ready to take our first runs. I had never been to a mountain that big so taking in the sheer magnitude of it was incredible. There were so many hills we all lost each other at some point. I guess that would be my best advice is pick a partner and at least stay with that person the whole time.
The skiing was incredible as well. Plus, where else in the world can you get an Apple Strudel in the middle of a mountain? Of our weekend in the Austrian Alps, this was by far my favourite part. Even if you’re not a skier or snowboarder I would recommend visiting as it’s such a cool place in the world to see.
After returning our equipment we wandered around quickly before catching the train back. The long day tired us out so we found somewhere close by to eat dinner and enjoyed some dinner at our hotel.
| Click here for hotels in Kitzbuhel |
Day 3: Innsbruck
On the last day on our weekend in the Austrian Alps was spent wandering around Innsbruck. We made a list of the top things we wanted to see and head out to explore.
Realistically, touring through Innsbruck should only take you a couple of hours. The first spot for the day was the Triumphal Arch. It’s a Roman-style arch that was built in the mid-1700s and is located on the southern-most point of Marie-Theressein-Straube.
Walking along the main street you can’t help but admire the beautiful little shops. Following that road, you’ll get to St. Anne’s Column and ultimately the main part of the city. Here you’ll find the Hebling House, The Golden Roof, Hofburg Palace and the Innsbruck cathedral.
The one thing you can’t miss when in Innsbruck is the area around the Markthalle. This is probably the most famous part of Innsbruck, all of the beautifully coloured houses lined up in a row. It’s a great spot for Instagram pics! There really isn’t too much to do in Innsbruck besides walking around and going into the little shops here and there.
Innsbruck is definitely the best place to stay if you’re looking for a relaxing weekend. Take some time to try the local cuising and enjoy it with a Steigl!
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