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Tyrol
Tyrol is as pure alpine as Austria gets, with mountains that make you want to yodel out loud and patchwork pastures chiming with cowbells. After the first proper dump of snow in winter, it's a Christmas-card scene, with snow-frosted forests and skiers whizzing down some of the finest slopes in Europe. Summer is lower key: hiking trails thread high to peaks and mountain huts, while folk music gets steins swinging down in the valleys.
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Top attractions
These are our favorite local haunts, touristy spots, and hidden gems throughout Tyrol.
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Schloss Ambras
Picturesquely perched on a hill and set among beautiful gardens, this Renaissance pile was acquired in 1564 by Archduke Ferdinand II, then ruler of Tyrol, who transformed it from a fortress into a palace. Don't miss the centrepiece Spanische Saal (Spanish Hall), the dazzling Armour Collection and the gallery's Velázquez and Van Dyck originals. The Spanische Saal is a 43m-long banquet hall with a wooden inlaid ceiling and Tyrolean nobles gazing from the walls. Also note the grisaille (grey relief) around the courtyard and the sunken bathtub where Ferdinand's beloved Philippine used to bathe. Ferdinand instigated the magnificent Ambras Collection, encompassing three elements. Highlights of the Rüstkammer (Armour Collection) include the archduke’s wedding armour – specially shaped to fit his bulging midriff! – and the 2.6m suit created for giant Bartlmä Bon. The Kunst und Wunderkammer (Art and Curiosity Cabinet) is crammed with fantastical objects, including a petrified shark, gravity-defying stilt shoes and the Fangstuhl – a chair designed to trap drunken guests at Ferdinand’s raucous parties. The Portraitgalerie features room upon room of Habsburg portraits, with paintings by Titian, Velázquez and Van Dyck. Maria Anna of Spain (No 126, Room 22) wins the prize for the most ludicrous hairstyle. When Habsburg portraits begin to pall, you can stroll or picnic in the extensive gardens, home to strutting peacocks. Schloss Ambras is 4.5km southeast of the centre. The Sightseer bus runs every half-hour between the castle and central stops including the Hauptbahnhof (main train station) and Hofburg.
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Hofburg
Grabbing attention with its pearly white facade and cupolas, the Hofburg was built as a castle for Archduke Sigmund the Rich in the 15th century, expanded by Emperor Maximilian I in the 16th century and given a baroque makeover by Empress Maria Theresia in the 18th century. The centrepiece of the lavish rococo state apartments is the 31m-long Riesensaal (Giant’s Hall). This is adorned with frescoes and paintings of Maria Theresia and her 16 children (including Marie Antoinette), who look strangely identical – maybe the artist was intent on avoiding royal wrath arising from sibling rivalry in the beauty stakes.
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Hofkirche
Innsbruck’s pride and joy is the Gothic Hofkirche, one of Europe’s finest royal court churches. It was commissioned in 1553 by Ferdinand I, who enlisted top artists of the age such as Albrecht Dürer, Alexander Colin and Peter Vischer the Elder. Top billing goes to the empty sarcophagus of Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519), a masterpiece of German Renaissance sculpture, elaborately carved from black marble. The tomb is embellished with Alexander Colins’ white marble reliefs based on Dürer’s Ehrenpforte (Triumphal Arch) woodcuts, depicting victorious scenes from Maximilian’s life such as the Siege of Kufstein (1504). The twin rows of 28 giant bronze figures that guard the sarcophagus include Dürer’s legendary King Arthur, who was apparently Emperor Maximilian’s biggest idol. You’re now forbidden to touch the statues, but numerous inquisitive hands have already polished parts of the dull bronze, including Kaiser Rudolf’s codpiece! Andreas Hofer (1767–1810), the Tyrolean patriot who led the rebellion against Napoleon’s forces, is entombed in the church. In the Silberkapelle, a dazzling silver Madonna keeps watch over the marble tomb of Archduke Ferdinand II and his first wife, Philippine Welser.
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Goldenes Dachl
Innsbruck's golden wonder and most distinctive landmark is this Gothic oriel, built for Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519), lavishly festooned with murals and glittering with 2657 fire-gilt copper tiles. It is most impressive from the exterior, but the museum is worth a look – especially if you have the Innsbruck Card – with an audio guide whisking you through the history. Keep an eye out for the grotesque tournament helmets designed to resemble the Turks of the rival Ottoman Empire.
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Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum
This treasure trove of Tyrolean history and art moves from Bronze Age artefacts to the original reliefs used to design the Goldenes Dachl. Alongside brooding Dutch masterpieces of the Rembrandt ilk, the gallery displays an astounding collection of Austrian art including Gothic altarpieces, a handful of Klimt and Kokoschka paintings, and some shocking Viennese Actionist works. More specific to Tyrol are the late-baroque works by fresco master Paul Troger, Alfons Walde's Kitzbühel winterscapes and Albin Egger-Lienz' sombre depictions of rural life in postwar Tyrol.
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Penken
Mayrhofen's 'action mountain', the Penken is where it is at in both winter and summer. Opened in 2015, the slick cable car affords panoramic views as it glides up to 1790m. Downhill mountain bikers are in heaven here, with numerous tours from easy-peasy to demanding. The website www.mayrhofen.at has a virtual bike map. It's also a magnet for hikers, paragliders and climbers, and skiers and freeriders in winter, with the Harakiri and Vans Penken Park.
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Bergisel
Rising above Innsbruck like a celestial staircase, this glass-and-steel ski jump was designed by much-lauded Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid. It's 455 steps or a two-minute funicular ride to the 50m-high viewing platform, with a breathtaking panorama of the Nordkette range, Inntal and Innsbruck. Tram 1 trundles here from central Innsbruck. From May to July, fans pile in to see athletes train, while preparations step up a gear in early January for the World Cup Four Hills Tournament.
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Naturpark Zillertaler Alpen
The main draw for hikers in Ginzling is the Naturpark Zillertaler Alpen, a 379-sq-km nature park and pristine alpine wilderness of deep valleys and glaciated peaks. The Naturparkhaus Zillertaler Alpen runs 200 excellent themed guided hikes, most costing between €5 and €10, from May to October. The extensive program includes everything from llama trekking to sunrise photo excursions, herb walks and alpine hikes. Be sure to reserve your place by 5pm on the day before your planned hike.
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Volkskunst Museum
The Volkskunst Museum presents a fascinating romp through Tyrolean folk art from hand-carved sleighs and Christmas cribs to carnival masks and cowbells. On the 1st floor is a beautifully restored Gothic Stube (parlour) complete with low ceiling, wood panelling and an antique tiled oven.