Where is Innsbruck Austria?
Innsbruck is in the heart of the Austrian Alps and the capital of the Tyrol state, perfectly located to access some of the best ski resorts in Austria & Europe.
The city of Innsbruck is 150km south of Munich, nearly 500km west of the Austrian capital Vienna, 400km north east of Milan & 300km east of Zurich. The city is surrounded by mountain peaks rising 2000m above the Inn River valley. Despite its mountainous location, Innsbruck has wonderful transport connections with its own international airport plus major railway lines & motorways running through it.
See the Innsbruck city map.
Gateway Airports for Travel to Innsbruck
The main gateway airports for Innsbruck are Innsbruck (INN) (Europe & UK origins only) and Munich (MUC) (worldwide origins). Other international gateway airports for travelers from non-European or UK origins are Zurich (ZRH), or at a stretch, Venice (VCE) & Milan (MXP). Luckily, train connections from all these airports to Innsbruck are relatively straightforward.
Search & book a flight to Innsbruck, Munich, Zurich or other European airport.
Flights into Innsbruck Airport
Innsbruck airport is serviced by flights from mainland Europe, Scandinavia, and the UK. Flights numbers and options increase during the winter season. The airport is conveniently located close to the city centre. The Innsbruck city centre and central bus & train station is a 20min bus ride away via the Route F bus at the terminal. Taxis offer an alternative.
If arriving late or leaving early from Innsbruck airport, stay in central Innsbruck at a lovely old town hotel or guesthouse & then take a taxi.
Flights into Munich Airport
Munich international airport is rated as one of the world’s best. It receives a vast number of flights every day from worldwide destinations.
Munich airport is well served by efficient train transport which link quickly with train services to ski hubs like Innsbruck. Take the S8 line from the main terminal (trains every 10min) to the major Ostbahnhof for trains direct to Innsbruck and other ski resorts. Travel time is 2½hr.
A host of car rental companies are available at Munich airport, however the vehicles may not be set up for winter driving (i.e. snow tyres, chains), and one may be better served hiring a car closer to the ski destination. Driving time to Innsbruck is around 2½hr.
Airport & Hotel Transfers
Private transfers are available within the Innsbruck area to all points of the Alps. Transfers can be a cheaper & more efficient means of travel for groups of 3 people or greater, particularly if spending most of the stay in one resort.
Search & book private transfers here.
Train, Tram & Bus Transport in Innsbruck
The Innsbruck transport system is world class. Bus, tram & train transport abounds so it is generally not necessary to have a car if staying on the city.
See the Innsbruck city public transport map.
The train network from Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof (Hbf)(central train station) provides seamless journeys to all points of the compass. West to the Arlberg (via St Anton station), Oetztal (Soelden et al via Ötztal station), Paznauntal ((Ischgl et al via Landeck-Zams station) Pitztal (Pitztal Glacier et al via Imst-Pitztal station) and even Zurich in Switzerland. North to Seefeld & Munich, Germany. East to Zillertal (Mayrhofen) and Salzburg, south to Bolzano and the Dolomites in Italy.
Search & book train & bus tickets to Innsbruck from Munich or other origins.
Getting Around Innsbruck & the Local Ski Resorts
Innsbruck town centre is small enough for most people to happily wander by foot. However, it is easy to jump on and off the many trams and buses if required.
A free ski bus for skiers and snowboarders goes to seven Innsbruck ski resorts up to 3 times every day from early December to early April. All one needs is a Welcome Card which is issued free of charge from any Innsbruck accommodation provider.
The free ski bus does pick-ups from several hotels in the city centre as well as the main Busparkplatz near the Hofgarten. The ski bus hotel stops are at the Austria Trend Hotel Congress Innsbruck (Rennweg), Tourist Office (Marktgraben), Ramada Innsbruck Tivoli (Olympiastrasse), Hotel Hilton (Leopoldstrasse, Triumphal Arch), Grand Hotel Europa (Südtirolerplatz)(opposite Hbf), Hotel Sailer (Adamgasse) and Hotel Cafe Central (Erlerstrasse). See the free ski bus timetable here.
Public buses and trams go to all the ski resorts more regularly than the free ski bus and cost only a small fee. The line J ‘Peak to Peak’ bus between Nordkette and Patscherkofel is a good one. Nordkette can also be reached by combination tram & funicular up to the cable car station directly from the city centre. Another important line is the route 590a+b bus which run regularly to Stubai Glacier ski resort (Mutterbergalm) via Fulpmes (change at Fulpmes for local ski bus to Schlick 2000). The STB tram to Fulpmes is another wonderful way to get to Schlick 2000 and onward to Stubai Glacier.
Oberperfuss, Kuhtai and Glungezer ski resorts can be reached via regular public buses (Oberperfuss – bus 4165 from stand G at the Hbf, Glungezer - bus line 4134 to Tulfes). Oberperfuss and Kuhtai can also be accessed by bus from the Vols train station west of Innsbruck.
See Innsbruck ski resort pages for more detail on the best way to get to them from Innsbruck.
Travelling to Innsbruck by Rental Car
Innsbruck is a major transport hub in the Alps and travelling there by car is quite straight forward from most locations across Europe via tolled & untolled major highways.
If Innsbruck is your primary destination, we recommend taking the train to the city and the renting a car from the airport. In Innsbruck, cars can be rented from the airport or various locations near the city centre. All vehicles will come winterised. Car Rental companies are many and varied, but prices are generally very competitive.
Driving to Innsbruck from Milan, the most convenient locations for picking up a rental car are at the Milan Malpensa Airport terminals; however, we do not generally recommend renting cars in Italy for winter driving – they are not winterised & are rarely, if ever, AWD or 4WD. We do not recommend picking up a car in the city of Milan, as the traffic and navigation difficulties are not worth the effort. Similarly, for Munich & Zurich airports. Be aware of potential high security deposits on cars rented in Switzerland.
Ensure the car comes with snow tyres and/or snow chains (as a bare minimum). All wheel drive or 4WD vehicles offer the safest driving experience on the windy mountain roads of the Alps.
Search & book all rentals cars.
Nearby Ski Resorts
Other sensational ski resorts near Innsbruck are St Anton & Mayrhofen. Both ski resorts can be reached via interesting train journeys directly from Innsbruck Hbf. Other ski resorts like Pitztal Glacier, Hochzeiger in the Pitz valley, plus Soelden, Hochoetz and Obergurgl-Hochgurgl in the Oetz valley can be reached by car or combination train and bus.
The train from Innsbruck to St Anton takes about 1¼hr (wear your ski boots - we did!). The trains leave at regular intervals (at least every 2 hours), but not all are express trains. Trains for St Anton will be going in direction Bregenz, Feldkirch or Zurich.
For the Zillertal and Mayrhofen ski resort, trains leave for Jenbach (direction Wörgl, Kufstein or Salzburg) every 15 to 45min between the hours of 6.10am and 7.20pm. The journey generally takes around 26min. At Jenbach station, change to platform Z3, where a Zillertalbahn will likely be waiting for you. Trains leave for Mayrhofen regularly, every 22 to 60min (depending on time of day) from 6.30am to 7.56pm every day during the ski season (refer timetable). The 32km journey from Jenbach to Mayrhofen takes about 50mins.
