Innsbruck where Two Loves Came Together

February 2026

Breakfast is my favourite meal and even more so when there is a perk as well. In Switzerland Prosecco was a Sunday treat. But here, in Innsbruck it was the panorama of city and snow-capped mountains the was more intoxicating than any alcohol. I was staying in the Adlers Hotel where the ceiling to floor windows in every room faced this visual invitation to indulge in my two favourite activities – city sightseeing and skiing. This morning, I was heading for Kühtai, Austria’s highest ski village accessible by bus from Innsbruck. The city is user-friendly as far as winter sports enthusiasts are concerned with shops hiring equipment and ski-shaped lockers at the main train and bus station. I had stored my skis in the hotel’s ski and boot room but it was only a short walk to the main station. My programme for the day included a morning skiing and an afternoon testing the toboggan run.

Tobogganing is a favourite pastime in Austria but the only time I had tried it, fuelled with a few mugs of Jägertee, a very spirited version of black tea, most of us ended up in the woods beside the long, winding snow-covered lane. The only way to the top of the run was on foot. It was an exhilarating walk to the top enjoying the views across the village and the ski area but the length and steepness of the run were somewhat off-putting. Maybe a glühwein at the top would provide the courage I needed to toboggan back down to the village. I enjoyed the hot mulled wine but then the proprietress of the Graf-Ferdinand-Haus presented me with a small, wooden, brakeless sledge and asked if I was going ‘by toboggan or by foot’. I responded I would be going by foot and set off. Although the run was well-constructed with snow banked up on each side I could see there was still scope for an off-piste adventure featuring a novice like myself. Maybe next time. After a very satisfying and traditional lunch at the Kühtaier Dorfstadl in the village comprising goulash soup, the Kaiserschmarrn Dessert and a glass of local beer I felt the call of Innsbruck’s old town. I got the next bus back to the city.

A guided tour (included in my Ski plus City ski pass) the previous afternoon had whetted my appetite for a more leisurely stroll through the old town of Innsbruck. I had been captivated by the number and diversity of the churches and the elegant pastel-coloured townhouses that have graced the city for two centuries. On the tour we had visited the elaborately decorated interior of the rather plain Court Church. This time I explored the much simpler interior of the massive Jesuit Church and got lost amongst the narrow cobbled streets lined with small shops, cafes and restaurants. Finally, I emerged on the banks of the River Inn to admire a stunning landscape of colourful buildings against a backdrop of tree-clad slopes.

On a second visit to the town, I took the funicular from its valley station in the old town up into the woods to visit the Alpenzoo. Embedded in the mountain a series of enclosures are accessed by steep paths so it is a good work out as well as a chance to view indigenous animals in their natural habitat. Visitors can enter the enclosures of the chamois and ibex – but not the those of the wolves and vultures. It was an interesting stop-off on the way to the Nordkette ski area at the top of the mountain.

During my short stay in Innsbruck, I also spent a morning skiing at Muttereralm. This time I travelled there on the tram – and what a comfortable, scenic journey it proved to be. But, once again, the pull of the city proved too much to extend my ski experience into the afternoon. There was just so much to see – and the late afternoon sun was just perfect for photography. And a lovely farewell to Innsbruck before moving on to the Stubai Valley.

I was thrilled by the total contrast of the sophisticated city of Innsbruck and the charismatic charm of the Stubai Valley. The four ski areas above the valley are included on the Ski plus City Stubai Innsbruck pass. And they are all accessible on public transport from Innsbruck. I was based in Neustift, a village in the Stubai Valley and close to the small Elferbahnen ski area. My first experience of skiing in the valley was a trip to the Stubai Glacier. Gliding silently upwards between snow-covered precipitous slopes to the bright, modern Fernau mid-station was magical. This was my favourite ski area and I did forgo some skiing time to take the cable car to the very top where there is a viewing platform on a ridge offering spectacular views on both sides of the mountain – on a clear day. That day the misty was swirling around us. But it did not detract from the majesty of the peaks that surrounded me.

After skiing on the glacier, I got the bus back to Neustift and just had time to go up to the Elferbahnen ski area where the night tobogganing was about to start – no, not tempted. But I did enjoy watching the paragliders taking off as well as the wonderful views across the Stubai Valley. On the way back down, I noticed the church in the centre of the village – seemingly way out of proportion for the population of a village. It’s simple Rococo exterior does not prepare one for the elaborate Baroque interior which is awesome.

The Schlick 2000 ski area is above another village in the valley, Fulpmes. I enjoyed a morning skiing on its snow sure slopes. And turned down an invitation to float down to the valley in tandem on a paraglider (€130). I lunched in style at the new Panorama Restaurant Kreuzjoch. Another culinary treat awaited me - a traditional venaschnizel served with boiled potatoes, parsley and cranberry sauce. Delicious. It was my last day in the Stubai Valley so, on my way back to my hotel I got off the bus and had a walk around Fulpmes village. This lovely alpine village has two unusual attributes – a history of metal making that has evolved as the economy of the area has changed. And a tradition of crib-making celebrated in a museum dedicated to the art. Also, another large church thanks to a local clergyman who also happened to be an architect. I wished I could stay a while, enjoying the sunshine and a coffee and cake in the pretty village – but it was time to say goodbye. I left with some wonderful memories.