We booked flights in and out of Munich, Germany to spend a week skiing in Obergurgl, Austria. This provided two options for sightseeing along the 3-hour drive from Munich to Obergurgl. On the way to Obergurgl we took the southwest route to Schloss Neuschwanstein, the number one most visited castle in Bavaria built by King Ludwig II of Bavaria and the inspiration for Walt Disney’s Magic Kingdom.
Innsbruck is a great option to break up the return trip since it is the halfway point in between Obergurgl and Munich. Innsbruck is the capital city of Tyrol in western Austria and is the fifth-largest city in Austria. Not knowing how much time we would spend there I read a few travel articles and blogs before coming up with a top 5 list of things to suggest to the group:
- The Goldenes Dachl (Golden Roof) is considered Innsbruck’s most famous landmark
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Altstadt von Innsbruck (Old town)
- Maria-Theresien Strasse, an area stretching from the Triumphal Arch to the Old Town lined with restaurants, shops, etc.
- Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahnen, a cable car ride to Austria’s largest natural park
- Hungerburg Funicular, transport to the hills of Innsbruck for a fantastic view
We had so much fun skiing the last day that we didn’t leave Obergurgl until about 5pm. We planned to eat dinner in Munich so we had to narrow down the list.
Some of the options are better suited for daylight in order to fully see the mountains or take in the city from high above so we decided to check out the The Goldenes Dachl since it is located in the Old Town (Altstadt) section of Innsbruck.
Upon arriving, we parked the car in a garage below the Tiroler Landestheater.
It was a very pretty and brisk evening in Innsbruck. We set off towards Old Town in search of the Golden roof.
After taking the long way through Old Town we finally found the Golden Roof! You can barely make out the mountains behind the buildings but the hills were starting to light up.
The Golden Roof was constructed in 1500 for Emperor Maximillian I. The balcony was used to observe various activities in the square below. Today it houses an office and a museum.
The Golden Roof is certainly the main attraction but the architecture of the surrounding buildings also stands out. Some of the buildings are over 500 years old!
On the way back to the car we went in search of something warm to drink and stumbled upon a super cute cafe. Located just steps away from the Golden Roof, Strudel-Cafe Kröll was the perfect find. I don’t eat a lot of sweets but it was hard to pass on the strudel being a strudel cafe after all. I ordered a cappuccino and an apfelstrudel (apple) to go, although we ended up eating it standing up at the bar section of the cafe. It reminded me of my mom’s apple pie. I think we need a bake off to compare!
We spent less than an hour in Innsbruck but still managed to cover a couple of the main sights that I researched. Guess we will have to return one day to finish the list!
In case you missed it, check out my Obergurl and Munich pages for full recaps of my winter vacation in Europe or @champagneonplanes for the photo highlights.
Question: How do you road trip? Do you drive straight through to the destination or stop along the way?
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