Visit Austria’s Innsbruck for a winter skiing holiday combined with a historical city break – The Sun

HE Austrian city of Innsbruck is offering a Ski plus City Pass this winter so you can explore the best of the Tyrolean Alps and the historic city.

Ski on the 13 diverse areas in the Stubai Valley and Innsbruck region, with 22 attractions in and around the city.

That gives ski freaks access to 186 miles of pistes and 111 lifts, as well as the chance to explore popular landmarks and attractions for just one fee.

You also get access to the ski bus transfer system and hop-on, hop-off sightseeing buses. You can buy passes for two to 21 days.

As an example, a five-day adult pass costs £198 and gives visitors access to additional discounts, including 25 per cent off night skiing.

For children, a Ski plus City Pass costs £99 for five days. When accompanied by a parent who also has a pass, children born in 2012 or later go free.

Here, JAYME BRYLA checks out Innsbruck’s ski and city delights.

Skiing

INNSBRUCK’S strength is that since the 13 ski areas around the city are scattered, if weather conditions on one mountain are poor, you will usually find better snow and visibility on another.

On the flipside, they are mostly unconnected, so you either pick one and stay there, or — as we did — stay in the city centre and require a bus or car journey of up to half an hour to get to the slopes. Ski-on, ski-off it ain’t.

Hiring a guide to drive you to the slopes in a mini-van and ski with you for about 120 euros a day would not be worthwhile elsewhere. But given Innsbruck’s geography, I reckon it is well worth a whip round.

If you stay at an individual ski area, check the piste map to make sure it is right for your group. Not all will suit beginners, with some just a cluster of red runs.

That said, as a stubbornly intermediate skier whose development skidded to a halt at pole-planting many years ago, I found the red runs here a joy when visibility was clear — largely wide and not too busy.

There is also the allure of trying runs from the 1976 Winter Olympics. My group tried the downhill racing course at Patscherkofel, where Austrian legend Franz Klammer stormed to victory in just over one minute and 45 seconds.

I trailed in at 17 minutes, but if you strip out time taken for pauses to catch my breath and trudging over a flat bit after losing too much speed, I reckon Franz and I were neck and neck . . .

As well as Patscherkofel, we tried out Muttereralm, which is linked one way, and Kuhtai, a bigger ski area that, as Austria’s highest, almost guarantees snow.

Poor visibility meant we missed the other large ski area of Stubai, a glacier usually offering perfect skiing. But we did visit Nordkette, the closest mountain to the city, which is accessed by a futuristic funicular railway stop a ten-minute walk from our hotel, then two cable cars to the summit.

Again, conditions did not allow me to ski — nowt to do with me being scared of the extraordinarily steep slopes, I assure you — but even in poor weather the ascent view is something else, and there is a lovely restaurant at the top.

I am told many confident skiers take the last cable car up to the very top run, which is one of the steepest in Europe with a 70 per cent gradient, only to turn round with their tail between their legs once they see it from above.

Speaking of scary experiences, you only need to look at the huge Olympic ski- jump run looming over the city to get the shivers.

Non-skiing

EVEN just a stroll around Innsbruck, with architecture that is quaint and imposing at the same time, is a treat. Food and beer lovers will also be in their element enjoying sumptuous Tyrolean fare, with the Stiftskeller a particular favourite.

Its portions are almost as huge as the place itself, and in the main hall, with its carved chandelier, it feels somewhere between a Bavarian beer hall and Game Of Thrones.

For more refined tastes, there is food available in equally impressive portions at Lichtblick and Das Schindler. Innsbruck also has much to offer for fans of history, with a tour of Hofburg Imperial Palace giving an insight into this key area of the Habsburg empire in the 15th and 16th centuries.

Even more impressive is the 16th- century Hofkirche, a church where statues of noblemen and women (and somewhat improbably, King Arthur) form a guard of honour down the centre.

For sheer spectacle, a visit to the nearby Swarovski Crystal World is a must. The world-famous crystal manufacturer’s HQ has a treasure trove of themed rooms to explore next to its main factory, each with its own surreal, mesmerising display.

I am no modern-art fan, and must admit I had not even known Swarovski was an Austrian company, but this was a real highlight of the trip.

It is like walking through a particularly bonkers funhouse, with trippy rooms like a giant crystal dome (sadly no Crystal Maze game to match), a room with mannequins whirling around as ghostly shirts fly through the air, and the Chandelier Of Grief.

The gargantuan gift shop at the end will supply all your Christmas present needs, but may put a hefty dent in your credit card. And for those who do not fancy skiing but want to enjoy some wintry fun, I can wholeheartedly recommend snow-shoeing.

Our expedition was near the ski pistes of Kuhtai and was a great cardio workout, as well as being surprisingly high-octane. After donning my large, hard-plastic flip-flops, I crunched my way through deep powder that would have swallowed me at least to my knees in normal shoes.

What started off as a pleasant amble around a frosty dam became an uphill forest trek, then a nerve-jangling crumbling cliff path. Imagine trying to shuffle around the ledge of a skyscraper while wearing clown shoes and you will get the idea.

I’m assured there are easier routes available for the less daring. After a very tentative U-turn to find a less death- defying route home, a yomp down a winding forest track rounded off the day, and left us feeling happy-tired.

We were just in time to explore our hotel, Hotel Innsbruck, which has two spa areas, one in the basement and another on the top floor.

It is in the centre of the city and had a clean, contemporary take on Alpine charm, as well as a welcoming restaurant and bar.

GO: INNSBRUCK

GETTING THERE: There are flights from London, Manchester, Bristol, Birmingham, Newcastle and Leeds to Innsbruck from £49 return. See skyscanner.net.

STAYING THERE: Rooms at the 4H Hotel Innsbruck are from £87 per night. See hotelinnsbruck.com.

OUT & ABOUT: For details on the pass, see ski-plus-city.com/en.

Source: Read Full Article