Innsbruck is called the Capital of the Alps and rightly so.
This beautiful city is tucked in the Inntal Valley between the Nordkette Mountain ranges in the north, as the name suggests, Nord meaning north and Kette meaning chain in German, and some other Alpine peaks in the south.
Top of Innsbruck refers to the glorious viewpoint that lies on the top of Mount Hafelekar at 2300 meters above sea level in the Nordkette range.
The Nordkette range of mountains is part of the Karwendel Nature Park, the largest nature park in Austria.
Getting there
Just a little walk away from the Hofburg Palace in Altstadt, you will see this distinct piece of modern architecture, the Kongresshaus Station, which serves as the entry point to the Hungerberg funicular.
Kongresshaus Station, Entry point to the Nordkettenbahnen in Innsbruck
A large cable car, with a capacity of at least 15 people, plus bicycles and prams, will take you to the top of the mountain in about 30 minutes.
From Kongresshaus Station, you will take the Hungerburgbahn, a steep funicular that will take you to the first halt on this journey at Hungerburg at the Herman Buhl Square, named after the famous Austrian mountaineer.
Just walk a few paces and you will reach the Valley station of Seegrubenbahn.
From there, you will be made to switch to a gondola that will go even steeper to Hafelekarspitze or the Hafelekar Peak, Top of Innsbruck at 2334 meters above sea level.
Once on the top, one gets stunning 360-degree views of the Karwendel region all around. There are short viewing paths, and more scenic points all along.
There is Innsbruck on one side and the vast conservation area of Karwendel on the other.
Some things to know -
- Plan this trip on a clear day and start early. The queues for the funicular swell as the day goes by. Also, try to go on a weekday rather than a weekend. Weekends are crazily crowded, even on the top.
- Kongresshaus Station is very well connected to public transport of Innsbruck, so getting there is easy. The Sightseer bus stops very close by too.
- If you have the Innsbruck Card, then the entire excursion including all rides to and fro, is included in it.
Please note that there are some discounts offered on tickets purchased early morning, I think before 9:30.
Kindly check the official website https://nordkette.com/en/home.html
for Nordkettenbahnen for more details.
- The funicular from Hungerburg stops at the Alpine Zoo which is almost halfway up the mountain. This is one of the highest zoos in Europe. I saw many families travelling with kids getting off at this station for the zoo.
- The valley station at Seegrubenbahn offers some great photo opportunities.
- You need not go all the way up to the Top of Innsbruck. A lot of people go to Hungerburg till the Herman Buhl Square. The views from here are also quite good. This is especially for people with mobility issues or the ones travelling with small kids. I feel taking strollers all the way to the top might not be easy.
- Tickets can be purchased at the Kongresshaus Station and at Hungerburg also. Online tickets are also available. There are a number of options available for buying tickets, please check the website for all updates.
- The entire trip to the Top of Innsbruck takes about 3 to 4 hours, depending on how many activities you engage in. In winter, there are many fun things that you can do around this place like skiing and snowboarding. In summer, there are hiking trails to higher vantage points in the mountains.
-The ride up is absolutely sensational as the mountain scenery starts to unfold in front of you.
I was reading somewhere that in 2023, the Nordkette cable cars have been rated among the Top outstanding 10% of the World's attractions in terms of visitor reviews and ratings.
This is most certainly a not-to-miss attraction in Innsbruck that will give you glorious views of the Alpine scenery.
And if you're interested in getting some practical and useful travel tips, click here
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