Capital of Tyrol

Train journey

In a word: long (but fast) — from Vienna it takes just over four hours. You pass through a bit of Bavaria as well. The views from the train are stunning. I have to say that for the time spent on the train, the journey was very comfortable.

The city

The old town is beautiful, especially the panorama of the mountains behind it — breathtaking. The dominant landmark is the house with the golden roof (gilded copper shingles). The narrow lanes with a fairly large number of people give the impression of a busy city.

What struck me was the volume of cyclists. They're everywhere — at the station they have their own designated area and you run into them at every turn, just like electric scooters.

There's an excellent view of the city from both the mountains and the Bergisel ski jump. Its current design is the work of architect Zaha Hadid, who also designed the stations of the Nordkette cable car. Great work — a pleasure to look at.

The Inn river flows through the city and creates a unique atmosphere — whether it's the reflections of buildings on the water's surface or its colour, an unusually pale blue, glacial shade.

Mountains

When it takes less than half an hour from the city centre to the mountain ridge (Nordkette) it's a completely different experience. In the city it was around 36°C and up top it was under 20°C with wind. Breathtaking views in every direction, several via ferratas, hiking trails.

What's great is that you can stop halfway up (around 1900 m above sea level). The views from there are worth it too. Even just lying back in a chair and watching the panorama of mountains and the city below.

It's no wonder almost everyone I spoke to climbs, skis, or does some other activity connected to the nearby mountains.