5 Reasons to visit Innsbruck, Austria

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A while back, Timehop app reminded me that it’s been a year since my solo travel to Austria. I wrote about how I spent one week in Austria but barely touching on Innsbruck, which is probably my favorite Austrian city as of the moment (I’ve only been to Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck as of this writing).

Here’s a list of reasons why you should include Innsbruck in your next travel.

1. Innsbruck is a charming small town

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Yes, it is a city but with only 130,000 inhabitants, Innsbruck is considerably small. I have lived in the big city of Tokyo and now living in Dubai, I long for a more chill vibe. And the Austrian alps as backdrop? I instantly fell in love with this place the moment I stepped out of the train.

However, despite not looking like a big, glitzy city, there are loads of cool places to hang out – parks, cafes, co-working spaces, bars and restaurants and WiFi is everywhere.

Did I say charming?

You can wander through narrow alleys, marvel at noble squares and be amazed at the ornate Baroque architecture. Literally, every corner is beautiful.

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2. Innsbruck is eye candy

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The rows of houses at Maria Hilf street along the Inn river is a sight to behold against the picturesque Austrian Alps. I could stare at it for a long time.

3. If you love the mountains, Innsbruck is for you.

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The unique thing about Innsbruck is its spectacular location hemmed in by the Austria Alps. Take the Patscherkofel cable car to the top of the Patscherkof Mountain at 2246 metres or get aboard the underground train from the city center to Hungerburg and from there take the cable car Hungerburgbahn up to Hafelekar mountain station. The Nordkette cable railway stations designed by the brilliantly talented, recently deceased architect, Zaha Hadid, are the futuristic gateway to these majestic mountains.

TIP: Don’t forget to get your Innsbruck card to avail of these cable car rides for free, along with other discounts on other attractions.

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In history, the Tyrol region is referred to as the wilderness by the Austrians mainly because, 85 per cent of the region is mountainous. If you love climbing mountains, you will love the unforgettable sight above, unless it’s cloudy of course, in which case, you just need to come back.

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…or wait till the weather clears.

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By the way, there’s no need to be a certified mountain climber, you can get on a cable car to take you to the top of famous ski landmarks and enjoy the view from there.

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4. Small villages straight out of a fairy tale book!

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Innsbruck is surrounded by small holiday villages with pastoral landscapes, wooden chalets with sloping roofs bedecked with flowers, and wrap around porches.

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5. It’s close to nature

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Innsbruck is a beautiful combination of urban and natural playgrounds. Tyroleans love the outdoor life and hiking in the summer or skiing in the winter is a normal weekend routine. The day after I arrived at Innsbruck with feet still dead from roaming around Vienna and Salzburg, I went out with my friend and her family to climb a “little” mountain. We started halfway and reached 2,000+ meters in a few hours with me pondering on how unfit I am!

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Mountain climbing/hiking in Innsbruck is a beautiful way to keep fit to be able to eat the schnitzels, strudels and sausages while on vacation!

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HOW TO REACH INNSBRUCK

  • via its own airport
  • 2 hours by car from Munich (or shorter if by train)
  • 4 hours by train from Vienna (several airlines from Dubai flies to Vienna non-stop) and 2 hours from Salzburg

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When you think of travelling to Austria, the first place that comes to mind is often Vienna. However, I hope these photos helped you decide that Innsbruck is a city not to overlook!

How I spent one week in Austria

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As if I needed scarier reality check that time flies so quickly other than the fact that we’re in the last quarter of the year, it has been a year since I traveled solo to Austria. It was a spontaneous trip, a ‘just go’ sort of thing.

When I got back, I had all the best intentions to write and extensive post about my trip, the things I learned and maybe entice a few of you to include Austria in your list of destinations to visit in the near future and to know some tips before going or while you’re there to make your Austrian getaway much better than mine..but allow me to say that the reason I wasn’t able to write about my trip till now is this – ‘life happened’. Oh, well.

VIENNA REAL QUICK

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I left Dubai late afternoon to arrive in Vienna’s Schwechat airport at about 9 pm. Vienna is a short flight from Dubai, only five and a half hours so it’s totally doable even if you only have a few days on your entire itinerary. My first impression once I got out of the airport and onto the train station? Deja vu – it was like I was in Narita airport in Japan. Everything about the train station that night looked and smelled like Narita.

I stayed at the Motel One Wien Haptbahnhof which I chose from searching for hotels in Vienna from Booking.com based on price and proximity to the main train station. I’d be arriving late at night and it’s a new city for me so I didn’t want to take a cab or bus from the station to the hotel without having the ‘feel’ of the city yet.

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The hotel was basic but had a very comfortable bed, hot shower and breakfast. It was enough for me as I will be checking out early in the morning anyway. I can see the Vienna’s main train station (Wien Hauptbahnhof) from my hotel window. It was cold that night!

I took a shower, reviewed my next day’s itinerary and slept. No – I could hardly sleep that night as I was thinking of a lot of things. This solo travel, I’ve not done this in a long time plus the thought of just having like, 12 hours in Vienna – how many things can I compress in those 12 short hours?

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When I arrived at the train station, I saw a crowd gathered near the ticket offices. They were obviously not from here. During this time, migrants and refugees from the Middle East and North Africa arrived by the train loads in Austria (Vienna) aiming to get to Germany.

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When I saw these people including women and children and elderly at the station without certainty of their destination (Germany stopped accepting them at the borders), their future or even certainty what could happen in the next 24 hours, I was taken aback – here I was flying from Dubai to Austria and these people…

But I was already there so I just moved and went on my way and thought I’d just make the best of this trip. Hats off to Austria for being tolerant and understanding of the situation. There were volunteers who would distribute food and water, free of charge.

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The places I visited during my 24 hours in Vienna included St. Stephen’s Cathedral, Schonbrunn Palace, Naschmarkt, Ringstrasse and of course, before I started my tour of the city, I had to take a bite of the chocolate cake known as the world’s best because you know, priorities.

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Vienna’s crisp, cool autumn air reminded me so much of my time in Japan. I didn’t go to any museum or watched any opera concerts Vienna is popular with as I had to leave in the evening for Salzburg.

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE IN SALZBURG

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I left Vienna on a 7 pm train toward the west, to Salzburg. I’ve been dreaming of visiting this city since the day I watched the movie The Sound of Music for the first time (probably a couple of decades ago!).  The train to Salzburg had my phone changing carriers from that of Austrian to German and back again because the rail road track was skirting the borders of the two countries. Too bad I couldn’t see anything as outside was pitch dark.

There were tents temporary put up by the Austrian Red Cross just outside the main station at Salzburg.  And lots of policemen. Refugees and immigrants, hoping to “walk” up to the Austrian/German border came all the way to Salzburg. Europe’s migrant crisis felt so real. Back home, I only see this in the papers or on tv or hear on the radio.

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I had to take a bus to my hotel in Salzburg. The city was quiet and calm (and chilly!) at around 9:30 pm. I felt safe though even walking alone.

The location to my accommodation in Salzburg was a bit of a trouble to find. After getting down from the bus and walking for a few minutes, Google maps says “you have arrived at your destination” but for the life of me, I could not see any sign or something that looks like a hotel or inn – because, silly me, the accommodation that I chose wasn’t a hotel at all!!

Interesting place to stay. Hard to find but worth the effort (easier to find when you know you’re looking for a seminary not a hotel or inn!).

This was the front door of Gästehaus im Priesterseminar. I knocked at the door at 10pm and it’s obvious no one would hear me. I finally found the door bell only to be answered by a lady who was obviously upset because it’s late and was speaking in German! I replied with my very rusty German I learned at the university in Japan almost 20 years ago. It didn’t work. LOL!

I had to stop a man walking home if he can help me with German. Thankfully, everything went well and the lady opened the door for me.The rooms are quite large, very clean, and decorated very sparsely. This lack of clutter was most welcome. I somehow remembered the first time I arrived at my school dormitory in Japan!

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This inn is a repurposed church and I had an amazing stay in it. The location cannot be beat. Public transport outside the guest house and the old town just across the river.

I woke up early the next day and had breakfast while reviewing my itinerary – I only have a short time and intended to cover as much as my feet could survive. First up was to go to the Salzburg Info Center located at Mozartplatz at the Old Town. After I picked up my Salzburg card (TIP: You should get this card!) and map from the tourism office, I just crossed the street and found myself at the Old Town and proceeded to the Salzburg Cathedral and onto the furnicular to take me to the Hohensalzburg – Central Europe’s largest and best-preserved fortress.

The fortress offers a perfect vantage view of Salzburg.

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I walked around a bit around the Old Town again and found out it’s not only in the Philippines where Christmas starts early – there were many Christmas ornaments for sale in the streets of Salzburg already!

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Located at the northern boundary of Alps, Salzburg was founded around 700 b.c and since then has kept great economic and cultural importance for that part of Austria. The rich baroque architecture invites everybody to walk through its narrow streets. I got lost in one of those streets near the house where Mozart was born, but it’s a really small town and the more you get lost, the more you find beautiful corners and things…

Salzburg is a wonderul city to go on vacation. It was relaxing and very laid back. At 6 pm, the shops and stores close down for the night. This surprised me a little, but was actually a nice change of pace from the ’till midnight’ open for business malls and shops in Dubai. The city became quiet early, with the exception of a couple of restaurants and bars.

I did mention about the Sound of Music movie and I’m ashamed to admit that I didn’t take the famed Sound of Music tour. I had to leave for Innsbruck in the evening and there was no way I could fit it in my very short stay in Salzburg.

TIP: If you have time and the interest, take the Sound of Music Tour.

The nearest Sound of Music experience I had was stepping on this landmark staircase where Maria and the children sang Do-re-mi!

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This one!

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While it could be a little cheesy (says my other friends!), they have a true appreciation for the musical and the tour gives the opportunity to see different parts of Salzburg as well as some other towns where the film was shot, like Mondsee. I am definitely going to go back and take this tour with my kids soon. But even without the tour, you can always drop by Mirabell Palace and Gardens just to appreciate the well manicured gardens or just people watch, like I did while resting my very tired feet.

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Before I knew it, it was time to go back to the seminary to take my luggage and walk to the station to catch my train to the next city on my list. Oh Salzburg, I wonder – do you think the people who live here are aware how beautiful their place is?

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Read more: 24 hours in Salzburg

FALLING IN LOVE WITH INNSBRUCK

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Before I write anything about Innsbruck, let me share this photo – taken from my friend’s living room when you look out the window. How would you like to wake up to this view every day? I would LOVE it.

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Tyrol’s capital is a sight to behold. Innsbruck was the reason I didn’t spend too much time in Vienna and Salzburg. I have a friend who lives in Innsbruck and I wanted to spend more time with her and the city she now calls home. The last time we’ve seen each other was way back in 2008, in Japan.

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Innsbruck is not just a beautiful city but a city with very rich history. In the heart of downtown Innsbruck is the towering Triumphal Arch or ‘Triumphpforte’ as it is referred to locally. Dating back to its construction in 1765, this grand design was initially built to commemorate the marriage of the Duke of Tuscany and Princess Maria Ludovica from Spain.

While the Triumphpforte was originally intended to be a monument of joy, the Triumphpforte would go on to take another meaning. During the marriage festivities, Empress Maria Theresa’s husband, Kaiser Franz I, died. The occasion quickly took on a somber tone. The Triumphpforte captures both emotions effectively. The northern façade of the monument is dedicated to mourning the late Kaiser Franz I. The southern façade is dedicated to the nuptial union.

The arch reminds me of the the one in Paris. In fact it looked like the smaller cousin of the Arc De Triomphe. Its a nice backdrop for a photo and has trams and horse drawn carriages moving along below it.

Immediately on my first morning at Innsbruck, my friend (who just had a baby 2 months prior) went to hike in the nearby mountain. It was a totally new experience for me. You can read more about it here.

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I totally mastered how to look like I’m not dying . But if you thought mountain climbing/hiking/trekking is difficult on the way up, wait till it’s time to go down! My knees were trembling like a newborn giraffe! In the photo below, my friend’s husband who is a pro at this mountain hiking thing, (and carries a toddler on his back!) waits for me and my friend as we take photos – I need evidence to show that I did not just see the Alps from afar, I climbed it! And I survived! But that’s nothing as my friend hiked this mountain with a sleeping baby tucked in front of her in a baby carrier!

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The following day, I was on my own and ready to explore the city. I couldn’t wait!

But first a very important TIP: Get the Innsbruck Card.

With this card, you can avail all of the public transport, including lifts and cable cars, free entrance to museums, hop on hop off bus, and many, many more. Of all the Austrian city cards I’ve used, this is by far the most worth it. The Innsbruck Card is available for 24, 48 or 72 hours. Children aged 6 to 15 years enjoy a 50% discount.

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The Inn valley is best viewed from above so off to Patscherkofel I go to take the cable car ride up!

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I am totally in love with Innsbruck. It’s my idea of a perfect getaway from the concrete jungle, from the hectic city life. A trip to the nearby small villages just outside the city made me fall in love with Innsbruck more and more.

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Everything at the small villages were simply gorgeous, from the churches, to building windows, to the wall art. My goodness, even the cemeteries are beautiful.

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I took cable car rides which I highly recommend you do when you are in Innsbruck. Ride to and from the mountain is free with the Innsbruck card. If my hands weren’t freezing, I would probably spend more time here than I did.

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I’d probably put in a separate post about these trips to the mountains as this post has gotten probably unbearably long. Are you still there?

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If I have to do it again, the only thing I’ll change is to spend an extra day or two at Salzburg and explore Innsbruck again, longer. I’m planning to take the kids with me next time and maybe get on a train to take a short trip to Munich (Germany) or down to Venice and definitely get to Hallstatt.

That said, I think it’s obvious by now that Innsbruck had been the highlight of my solo travel to Austria. I loved the time I spent with my friend and her family (I even loved the chance to lull her new baby to sleep – ah, that newborn smell!) and I loved the fresh air, great food and lots and lots of eye candy.

Have I convinced you to include Austria in your travel next time?

Hiking in the alps at Innsbruck, Austria

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After spending 24 hours in Salzburg, I moved on to the west of Austria, to Innsbruck to visit a friend I haven’t seen since 2008 and of course to see and explore the Tyrolean capital city.

Where is Innsbruck?

Innsbruck, is the capital city of the federal state of Tyrol (Tirol) in western Austria. It lies about half way between Munich (Germany) and Verona (Italy). Innsbruck is located in the broad valley between high mountains, the so-called North Chain in the Karwendel Alps (Hafelekarspitze, 2,334 metres or 7,657 feet – I’ve reached the peak of this! More in another post.) to the north, and the Patscherkofel (2,246 m or 7,369 ft – I’ve been to the peak of this too!) and Serles (2,718 m or 8,917 ft) to the south.

I took the train to Innsbruck from Salzburg and the travel time was a little bit over two hours. Travelling by train around Austria or within Europe for the matter can be an inexpensive travel option IF you book tickets way ahead of time and if your schedule is fixed. Check out the SparSchiene Österreich type ticket on my other post: Austria on a budget.

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I would assume the view outside would have been beautiful but I was travelling at night, leaving Salzburg at 7 pm so there was nothing I could see but darkness. Interestingly, my phone’s cellular network changes from Austrian to German, meaning, there were parts of the route that was really close to the Austrian/German border. The next time I visit, it will be a longer stretch so I can hop on a train and go to Germany too.

I arrived at Innsbruck’s main station past nine pm already. My friend who lives a few minutes away from the main station has two kids both below the age of 2 and it was late for her or her husband to go out and pick me up at the station. They didn’t have to too, I was bent on challenging myself to get to to their apartment with 2 G’s: Google maps and my guts. She already told me which bus number to take and which bus stop to go down. After the short bus ride, I needed to walk for a few minutes to reach their place. It was already late, dark and cold but thankfully, Innsbruck is a very safe place. The silence on the roads made me a little anxious though, this was by far so different from the always vibrant Dubai.

The route to my friend’s house from the bus station was pretty simple, as per Google maps but me and my sense of direction…I made a couple of wrong turns and ended up circling their block dragging a heavy luggage – the sound of the wheels of my luggage on the cobblestone sidewalk was so loud with the eerie silence of the early winter night.

Long story short, I finally rang their door bell. My friend’s kids and her husband was already asleep so we had to contain our giggles! We were so happy to see each other again. We hugged and spent so much time talking, catching up that we even forgot to take a selfie before her baby roused from sleep, wanting to nurse again. I can’t believe I am already here! Weren’t we just fantasizing about this trip years before?

GOOD MORNING, INNSBRUCK!

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We slept late but me and my body clock – I always wake up early. The above photo is what’s in front of my friend’s apartment. I was there late September and I think that’s already the start of winter. There were some snow on the mountain tops.

MOUNTAIN CLIMBING IN INNSBRUCK

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My friend and her husband are avid mountain hikers/climbers. I was excited of the idea when her husband said we will climb a “little” mountain today but I won’t lie, I was terrified. Living in flat Dubai for nine years, I don’t think my feet are made to climb inclined terrains. Much more, my feet were already dying/dead from all the walking around Vienna and Salzburg for the past two days.

But no, not now, I should do this! My feet can die later.

The “little” mountain was 1,840 meters high. We started about halfway where we park the car and started our hike. I was only using my Nike Free shoes and I wasn’t sure how it’ll hold up with the inclined terrain but like, I had other shoes…

It was cold in the mountain at around 3 or 4 degrees celcius and lower as we got higher.

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The estimated hike time to the peak at Birgitzer Alm (a small log cabin inn/restaurant) at 1,840 meters was around two hours. However, we had to take breaks, multiple breaks! This was the part where I realized how unfit I am despite doing regular cardio and strength training exercises 5-6 days a week.

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Cez, my friend’s husband didn’t require any rest but had to stop because of me {thank you for understanding!} and his wife, my friend needed some break too. There’s nothing compared to the energy and endurance you have to spend when hiking an elevated terrain! He and their little girl is used to hiking on weekends.

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We passed by a spring water, free flowing from the source. Mountain hikers/climbers stop by to drink water and refill their bottles here. The water was delicious!

My friend and I as we almost reached the peak.

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The view of Innsbruck and the little villages from where we stood was beautiful. And look, we’re above the clouds! One more thing that made us feel we were on Cloud 9? Me, that I was able to survive our hike up. Lack of proper sleep and semi-dead feet yet I’ve never felt more alive than ever.

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But forget about me, look at this woman beside me (and that cute little baby head peeking out!). I want you to do a silent applause for my friend. She has just given birth six weeks before when this picture was taken and now, she is mountain climbing carrying her infant! My shivering thighs were so embarrassed. She has not hiked for a long time due to pregnancy and child birth yet here she is, sharing this achievement with me, with her baby boy nestled in her chest while I only had my own body to carry!

The alm or mountain lodge/cabin offering rest and refuge for hikers was getting so near. My friend’s husband suggested we take the shortcut instead of the winding route, there’s a direct one but with steeper slope. (Yes, he’s carrying their other child, a two year old girl. This family rocks at this activity!)

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I want my agony to end soon at the same time, want to take up on the challenge so I said yes. Plus I was already very hungry and they said there’s good food at the alm. Mmmmm.

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Here we are!! We all still looked alive! Or not…

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Thinking what to order…everything on the menu was in German language.

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Truth be told, I wanted a cold beer but decided I would still prefer to go down the mountain on my feet, using my two legs instead of rolling downhill so…

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Why I’m smiling in this picture? Because we’ve conquered the tough part (climbing up) and now it’s easy peasy going down…or so I thought!! Going down was definitely NOT easy at all. You need traction, balance and lots of strength in your knees and legs.

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By the time we reached our starting point, all of my legs were shaking. Golly, this was just my first day in Innsbruck and I have lots and lots of walking planned to do in the next couple of days and I didn’t pack any spare legs in my luggage!

WILL I DO IT AGAIN?

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I won’t lie, it was exhausting but YES! And if I lived there, I would do this often. Maybe. Just maybe.

*****

I want to thank my friend Melba and her husband for accommodating me in Innsbruck. I had such lovely time with them and I don’t think I could have survived climbing that mountain without them as inspiration.

The Austrian Tourist Cards: is it worth it?

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Having the tourist cards is one of the ways I was able to save up on my Austrian trip when I visited three cities: Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck. Here’s the detailed run down of how I used the card, including how much I saved and the verdict for all of you who are curious and asking, “is it worth it?”

VIENNA CARD

Vienna card

48 / 72 hours priced at €18.90 / €21.90 respectively

In a nutshell

More than 210 discounts at museums and sights, theatres and concerts, in shops, cafés, restaurants, the ‘Heurige’ wine tavern, and free travel on Vienna’s public transport system.

My experience

The Vienna card is probably the most comprehensive tourist card. When you buy it, you get a 119 page coupon book listing more than 210 discounts available to Vienna card holders. There were discounts for museums, tours, concerts, cafes and shops. I was overwhelmed going through through the coupon book and asked myself, “Where should I go to be able to get the card’s worth?” I won’t deny, I felt pressure!

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Photo credit

As I looked through the booklet though, I started to realize that most of the discounts were for things I didn’t have interest in seeing, doing or buying or simply didn’t have time to. The few places that I was interested in visiting, offered a very small discount.

And I had only 24 hours in Vienna.

So…I only used my Vienna card for the train and tram rides around Vienna and I didn’t compute. I don’t think I saved using the 48H card that costs €18.90 because I walked around most of the time and did not enter any museum!

Would I recommend it?

Yes and no.

YES – If you plan on being in Vienna for 48 hours at least and if you were interested in visiting a lot of museums, you would get more value out of it. But if not, then you might spend your trip going places you weren’t initially interested in visiting, just to get your money’s worth.

NO- for very brief stay in the city. Option would be to take the standard short term train ticket.

Reference: Full list of included services *discounted* with the Vienna card

SALZBURG CARD

Salzburg Card

24 / 48 / 72 hours priced at €27.00 / €36.00 / €42.00 respectively

In a nutshell

The Salzburg Card provides FREE admission to Salzburg’s museums, free use of the Fortress funicular, the Untersberg cableway, Salzach ship service (tour 1) and public transport. Salzburg Card holders can also take advantage of a number of discounts on concerts, theater performances or Excursions to destinations in the Salzburg vicinity.

My experience

Again, just like in Vienna, I only had a brief time in Salzburg too but unlike when I was in Vienna, I did not use public transport at all! However, I used my Salzburg card for the following (with the respective full price if without the card):

  • Funicular railway to reach the Hohensalzburg Fortress and entrance to the fortress €11.30
  • Mozart’s birthplace €10.00
  • Mozart’s residence €10.00
  • Museum of Modern Art €6.00
  • Cathedral museum €12.00

TOTAL: €49.30 – 24H Salzburg card €27.00 = SAVINGS €22.30

You see, entrance to museums and attractions are costly in Austria so I’m glad I had the card!

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Photo credit

It’s unfortunate though that I wasn’t able to take more advantage of the Salzburg card because of my limited time in the city. I was too engrossed with walking around the Old Town and even sitting for a while to join the midday Oktoberfest (I needed to rest from all the walking, you know…with a glass of cold beer at the side). I would have wanted to join cruise along Salzach river (€14.00) or the Untersberg cable car (€22.00) which is free for card holders!

Would I recommend it?

Yes! But plan your itinerary carefully, though without rushing through it all. It’s difficult, I know! Salzburg is such a charming city that it’s easy to forget the time just sitting at the plaza and listening to the church bells!

Reference: Full list of included services free of charge with the Salzburg card

INNSBRUCK CARD

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24 / 48 / 72 hours priced at €33.00 / €41.00 / €47.00 respectively

In a nutshell

Entrance to Innsbruck’s museums and attractions FREE of charge. Plus free travel on public transport provided by the IVB, the Sightseer hop-on hop-off bus and the lifts and cable cars around Innsbruck.

My experience

This time, I had 3.5 days allotted in Innsbruck, yay! I wanted to spend a day hiking with a friend who lives there so I had the 48H Innsbruck card which I used for (with the respective full price if without the card):

  • Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahnen cable cars (ascent and descent) €30.50
  • Patscherkofel cable car (ascent and descent) €20.00
  • Ambras Castle €10.00
  • The Sightseer hop on hop off bus €12.00
  • City Tower €3.50
  • Golden roof museum €4.00

TOTAL: €80.00 – 48H Innsbruck card €33.00 = SAVINGS €47.00*

*do not include the savings I made with the bus and tram rides. I lost count of the the number of times I used the bus and 1 trip averages about €2.00.

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Would I recommend it?

YES! This is the card where I saved the most! I used the Innsbruck card half day only for Day 1, spending most of it at the Hafelekar summit using the Patscherkofel cable car. And then Day 2 was spent strolling around the Old Town, visiting a couple of museums, getting on the hop on, hop off bus and going to Ambras Castle.

Reference: Full list of included services free of charge with the Innsbruck card

* All prices and hours were correct at the time of publishing. I am not responsible for any changes that have been made after the date of publishing. Please confirm costs and times directly with service providers.

Huge thank you to Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck Tourism offices for providing me the city cards to facilitate this review. As usual, all opinions are mine.