Innsbruck
Entertainment
Night LifeInnsbruck is a students' city: about a quarter of the city's population are students, and you can tell from the night life. One of the city's characteristics is the row of bars and pubs located in the viaduct, simply called "Bögen" ("arches") by locals. Dozens of diverse bars stand side by side here, among them Plateau, Babalon or Down Under. And of course, many places to go can be found right in the old town and its immediate vicinity, for instance the large restaurant-bar Elfer offering many different kinds of beer, the comfy Piano café-bar, or the stylish Uferlos bar. The place to be in warm summer nights is the Hofgartencafé. The large discotheques, such as Antico, Sagenhaft or Baustell' are situated at the borders of the city, the ones in the centre are smaller: Blue Chip and the Couch Club are worth mentioning in that respect.
Cultural Activities: Museums, Theatres, Music...
Generally, you should consider buying an Innsbruck Card if you are planning to get to know the city: with that card, you can use public transport for free (including the funiculars), and it pays for most of the sightseeing spots as well as other touristic offers listed below (and many more).
There are numerous museums, galleries and other exhibitions all over the city. First of all, the large Ferdinandeum right in the centre is noteworthy. It has exhibitions of cultural history as well as the history of science and crafts on display. Ferdinandeum also hosts Austria's largest collection of gothic artefacts. The Maximilianeum is thematically orientated towards the emperor Maximilian and is located in the old town. Another thing you should not miss is Innsbruck's Hofburg, as well as a further building dating from Austria's monarchist past: the former Zeughaus ("arsenal"), on the court of which there are open air cinema evenings during summer. If you are interested in contemporary modern art, you should visit the Kunstraum, whose exhibitions vary frequently; competent guides and events with discussions are of help for those who want to broaden their understanding.
If you feel like going to the theatre, you will also find enough opportunities to do so in Innsbruck. First of all, there is the Landestheater opposite the Hofburg, with its broad programme ranging from theatre to musicals to operettas etc. An especially charming, small establishment is the Kellertheater at the picturesque Adolf-Pichler-Platz. Another small playhouse, the Theater an der Sill, is located in the Pradl district. Satirical cabaret shows take place quite regularly in Treibhaus, sometimes also in Hafen, and, last but not least, in the inn-and-arts centre Bierstindl.
The most important addresses for concerts of classical music are Dogana next to the Hofburg and the Olympiahalle and lovers of smaller rock gigs will find what they're looking for in Utopia, which also features live jazz music every now and then. Generally, however, the city's best place for jazz and world music concerts is Treibhaus. The local scene of jazz musicians can be met and listened to in the Innside pub in Mariahilfstraße or in the viaduct (Bogen 13 on Wednesday nights).
Film
Innsbruck's two largest cinemas are Cineplexx and Metropol, where you can watch undubbed original versions of current films. Apart from these, the city has quite a large cineastic scene, mainly owing to the excellent work of the Cinematograph and Leo arts cinemas. A tip for true lovers of film is the small Royal cinema, with its programme of older classics.
Outdoors: Trips and Sports
The high mountains towering all over and around the city almost force themselves on you - if you are in Innsbruck, you don't really have a choice. In case you hear the mountain's call but don't want to overexert yourself, there are the numerous funiculars, for instance the Hungerburg- and Nordkettenbahnen, by which you can go up really high without any effort. A little below the top station, there is the Seegrube stop. You could visit the Seegrube restaurant, almost 2000 metres above sea level, with a breath-taking view of the Inn valley below. The Hungerburg funicular also takes you up to the Alpenzoo.
If you choose the more demanding but maybe also more rewarding alternative of going up a mountain on foot, you could take a little walk to one of Hötting's or Kranebitten's inns that are popular destinations in the quiet and the green, for instance the Planötzenhof. And in case you are interested in a real hike, you can do one of the many guided tours, for instance on the Stubai glacier, or you could join the hut trek or the lantern hike. A great number of further guided hikes of varying lengths and difficulties are offered by the Innsbruck Tourism Association.
In winter, Innsbruck's mountaineous surroundings are of course one huge skiing paradise. All the regions around the city are comfortably accessible by public transport, for instance the Seegrube in the North. Other popular areas are the Patscherkofel, the Axamer Lizum and, of course, the glaciers in the Stubai- and the Ötz valleys.
Events Taking Place Regularly
Cultural
Innsbruck hosts some big and internationally successful events that it is proud of. Some of these on the cultural level are the concerts in the Ambras castle, particularly the Festwochen der Alten Musik (festival weeks of old music) during August, where international artists play old music on authentic, old instruments. Another internationally well-known festival is the Innsbrucker Tanzsommer, the dance and ballet event taking place in summer. The Internationale Cinevision Filmfestival organized by the Cinematograph and Leo cinemas during the months of May and June is also worth mentioning.
Sports
Innsbruck has hosted the Olympic Winter Games twice, and naturally, there are many sports events taking place regularly, among them the popular ski-jump in the Bergisel stadion. The Air&Style Association organizes the world's biggest snowboard contest, by now in Seefeld, half an hour from Innsbruck by car. In summer, there is the event's skateboarding counterpart, where international top riders from all over the world are fighting for the highest price money world-wide.
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