Innsbruck
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,…
Must-see attractions in Tyrol & Vorarlberg
Innsbruck
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…
Innsbruck
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…
Innsbruck
Innsbruck's golden wonder and most distinctive landmark is this Gothic oriel, built for Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I (1459–1519), lavishly festooned…
Tyrol
Lifted high on a rocky crag like an offering to the alpine peaks that surround it, Kufstein's turreted castle provides a fascinating insight into the town…
Tyrol
An easygoing family hike is the 5km (approximately three-hour) loop through the dramatic 200m-high Rosengartenschlucht, where boarded walkways make for a…
Vorarlberg
This ultramodern museum houses rotating exhibitions in summer of Swiss-Austrian neoclassical painter Angelika Kauffmann’s works. The artist had strong…
Vorarlberg
Designed by Swiss architect Peter Zumthor, this giant glass and steel cube is said to resemble a lamp, reflecting the changing light of the sky and lake…
Vorarlberg
One of Bregenz' most striking landmarks is this white cuboid emblazoned with what appears to be 16,656 flowers (actually PET bottle bases imprinted in…
Vorarlberg
This 13th-century hilltop castle is storybook stuff with its red turrets and creeping vines. It’s a steep climb up to the ramparts, which command far…
Vorarlberg
A cable car whizzes to the 1064m peak of the Pfänder, a wooded mountain rearing above Bregenz and affording a breathtaking panorama of the Bodensee and…
Tyrol
You almost feel like breaking out into a rendition of ‘Heigh-Ho’ at Silberbergwerk Schwaz, as you board a mini train and venture deep into the bowels of…
Vorarlberg
Identified by a slender spire, Feldkirch’s cathedral has a large, forbidding interior complemented by late-Gothic features and dazzling stained glass. The…
Tyrol
Swarovski crystals sparkle in all their glory at the fantasy fairy-tale Kristallwelten. A giant’s head spewing water into a pond greets you in the park,…
Tyrol
One of Tyrol’s true architectural highlights is the ochre-and-white Zisterzienstift in Stams, founded in 1273 by Elizabeth of Bavaria, the mother of…
Tyrol
It’s a bizarre feeling to slip out of sandals and into skis in midsummer, but that’s precisely what draws people to the Stubai Glacier. The glacier is a…
Tiroler Landesmuseum Ferdinandeum
Innsbruck
This treasure trove of Tyrolean history and art moves from Bronze Age artefacts to the original reliefs used to design the Goldenes Dachl. Alongside…
Tyrol
This small open-air museum cleverly brings to life the Neolithic world of Ötzi, the ice man. A visit takes in traditional thatched huts, herb gardens,…
The Zillertal
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…
Innsbruck
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…
Tyrol
Seefeld’s trophy sight is this late-Gothic parish church, the supposed location of a miracle. The story goes that Oswald Milser gobbled a wafer reserved…
The Zillertal
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…
Tyrol
Stepping south of the medieval centre is the Burg Hasegg, where a spiral staircase coils up to the 5th floor for far-reaching views over Hall. The castle…
Vorarlberg
Glittering at a giddy 2030m above sea level, this startlingly aquamarine reservoir mirrors the snowcapped diamond of 3312m Piz Buin on bright mornings…
Tyrol
Schwaz hides a remarkably well-preserved Altstadt, built high on the riches of medieval silver. Taking pride of place on pedestrianised Franz-Josef…
Vorarlberg
The brainchild of much-lauded Pritzker Prize–winning architect Peter Zumthor, the slickly minimalist Werkraum, with its low-rise, timber-and-concrete,…
Tyrol
Standing sentinel above Landeck, this 13th-century hilltop castle is visible from afar. The 1st-floor museum showcases everything from Celtic figurines to…
Tyrol
Ehrwald’s crowning glory is the glaciated 2962m Zugspitze, Germany’s highest peak, straddling the Austro-German border. From the crest there’s a…
Tyrol
Arnica, edelweiss and purple bellflowers are among the 400 alpine blooms flourishing at this quiet garden atop Kitzbüheler Horn. It’s a four-hour (14km)…
Innsbruck
The Volkskunst Museum presents a fascinating romp through Tyrolean folk art from hand-carved sleighs and Christmas cribs to carnival masks and cowbells…
Vorarlberg
The 23km-long Silvretta High Alpine Rd twists and turns beneath peaks rising to well over 2500m before climbing over the 2036m Bielerhöhe Pass via 34…
Vorarlberg
Easily explored on foot or by bike, this nature reserve sits 5km south of Bregenz, where the River Rhine flows into the Bodensee. The mossy marshes, reeds…
Vorarlberg
Housed in the Rosenthal villa in Hohenems, 6km south of Dornbirn, this museum zooms in on Hohenems’ long-defunct Jewish community with photos, documents…
Tyrol
From Ötzi Dorf, it’s a beautiful 20-minute forest walk to Tyrol’s longest waterfall, the wispy Stuibenfall, cascading 159m over slate cliffs and moss…
Vorarlberg
This architecturally innovative dairy churns out fresh Wälderkäsle ('forest cheese') among others, arranges farm tours and tastings (adult/child €19.50/10…
Vorarlberg
Situated at the bottom of Rappenlochschlucht and ensconced in a 19th-century cotton mill, this museum harbours the world’s largest collection of Rolls…
Tyrol
Every four years, Imst plays host to a Shrovetide festival, the Unesco-listed Schemenlaufen (ghost dance); the next takes place on 9 February 2020. The…
Tyrol
This museum traces Kitzbühel’s heritage from its Bronze Age mining beginnings to the present day. The big emphasis is on winter sports, and the permanent…
Tyrol
This graceful 13th-century church is best known for its Waldaufkapelle, home to Florian Waldauf’s grisly collection of 45 skulls and 12 bones, picked from…
Vorarlberg
Dornbirn’s compact old town centres on the Marktplatz¸ where your gaze is drawn to the crooked, 17th-century Rotes Haus, which owes its intense red hue to…
