Innsbruck

Innsbruck is deep in the Alps, far from any sea, so swimming means lakes and outdoor pools. On summer days locals head to the small lakes on the plateaus above the city, such as the Lanser See and the Natterer See. These shallow waters can reach about 22°C in July and August. Further out, the Achensee is a long, clear mountain lake and very beautiful, but it stays cool for most swimmers. Lake bathing here is a pleasant afternoon in high summer, not a reason to come, and the season is short.

Eating in Innsbruck means hearty Tyrolean cooking: Gröstl of fried potatoes and meat, Kaspressknödel dumplings in broth, Speck, mountain cheeses and Kaiserschmarrn after a long walk. The best meals are often on the slopes, at mountain huts reached by cable car or on foot, where the food is simple and the setting does the rest. In town, the old quarter has traditional inns and Viennese-style coffee houses that serve cake and strudel. The student districts add some cheaper, more international places.

The range is limited. There is a small fine-dining tier, but the city has no market culture or street food to speak of. Wine comes mostly from elsewhere in Austria and South Tyrol, and the restaurants around the Golden Roof cater mainly to tour groups.

Innsbruck's heritage comes from its time as a Habsburg seat, and most of it fits into a compact old town of arcaded, painted houses by the Inn. The Golden Roof is the emblem of the city, a late-Gothic balcony covered in gilded tiles. Close by stand the Hofburg imperial palace and the Hofkirche. The church holds the tomb of Emperor Maximilian I, ringed by 28 larger-than-life bronze figures, and is the finest single sight in the city. The Tyrolean Folk Art Museum next door and the Ferdinandeum state museum are both worth a few hours.

On the edge of town is Ambras Castle, a Renaissance palace with one of the oldest surviving cabinets of curiosities, an armour collection and a Habsburg portrait gallery. The Bergisel ski jump and the curving funicular stations up to the Hungerburg add modern architecture. Two or three days cover the sights well.

A large university keeps Innsbruck livelier after dark than its size would suggest. The main strip is under the railway viaduct, where a string of bars and small clubs fill the old brick arches and stay open late at weekends. The old town and the streets around the university have pubs and wine bars. Overall the scene is small and friendly, with not many late venues. In winter, plenty of visitors do their partying at après-ski in the surrounding resorts rather than in town. Few people would pick Innsbruck for the nights out.

Few cities have high mountains this close. A funicular leaves from beside the old town and connects with cable cars up the Nordkette, so you can go from a coffee in the centre to a ridge at about 2,300m in under half an hour. The views run over the Inn valley to the peaks on the other side. The Karwendel, Austria's largest nature park, starts just behind that ridge. Across the valley, the Patscherkofel and the Stubai and Wipp valleys add more summits, glaciers and trails.

In winter, several ski areas around the city share one pass, and the Stubai Glacier has snow for most of the year. In summer the same slopes are good for hut-to-hut hiking, via ferratas, mountain biking, paragliding and rafting on the Inn and its tributaries. Even the flat walks along the river have peaks above them.

Innsbruck is on the main rail lines through the Alps, which makes it a good base for days out in three countries. The closest is Hall in Tirol, ten minutes away, with a well-kept medieval town and an old mint. Further down the valley are Schwaz and tiny Rattenberg, famous for glassblowing. Kitzbühel, the classic ski town, is about an hour away. The Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens are a short bus ride.

For bigger cities, Munich is a little under two hours by train, and so is Salzburg. Over the Brenner Pass, Bolzano and Merano bring Italian arcades, South Tyrolean wine and the museum of Ötzi the Iceman. By car, the Bavarian castles around Füssen, Neuschwanstein among them, are about two hours away, with Garmisch-Partenkirchen on the way.

Innsbruck is safe, clean and small, and children get to the mountains quickly. The Alpenzoo sits on a slope above the city and keeps only Alpine animals, such as ibex, bears, wolves and lynx. It is reached by the same funicular that goes on to the Nordkette. In summer the mountains have adventure trails, playgrounds by the huts and gentle walks, and the plateau lakes are good for a family swim. The Swarovski Crystal Worlds have a large play tower. In winter there are ski schools and gentle slopes nearby.

There are no big attractions built for children, though, and many of the sights in town are aimed at adults. Rainy days with small children take more planning.

The centre is compact and flat, and you can walk between the old town, the Hofburg, Maria-Theresien-Strasse and the river in minutes. Trams and buses cover the rest of the city and reach Igls and the Stubai valley. The mountains are unusually easy: the funicular to the Hungerburg starts at the edge of the old town and links to the Nordkette cable cars. In winter, ski buses run out to the surrounding areas. The main station is central, and regional trains run along the valley to nearby towns. You do not need a car in the city, though one helps for the more remote valleys and lakes.

Shopping centres on Maria-Theresien-Strasse, with high-street chains and a couple of shopping centres. The arcades of the old town add jewellers, crystal shops and stores selling Tyrolean crafts. Things worth buying are traditional clothes such as loden jackets and dirndls, woodcarvings, Speck, schnapps and mountain cheese. The city's specialist outdoor and ski shops are excellent. There is no luxury fashion district and few independent design boutiques, so shopping fills an afternoon rather than a whole trip.

Innsbruck has Western European prices with an Alpine resort premium on top. Hotels cost the most during ski season and around the Christmas markets. Spring and autumn are clearly cheaper. Eating out in the traditional inns is filling but not cheap, and cable car tickets add up fast on an active trip. Public transport is fairly priced, and the guest and city cards bundle transport with lifts and sights, which helps. Budget travellers will find student cafés and bakeries, but this is not a cheap place to stay.

The Tiroler Landestheater stages opera, operetta, drama and dance through the season, and the Tyrolean Symphony Orchestra plays in the city's congress hall. The highlight of the year is the summer Festival of Early Music. It is one of the oldest of its kind and uses historic settings such as the Spanish Hall at Ambras Castle. There are also folk evenings with yodelling and brass, a few small venues for jazz and alternative concerts, and student bands. Overall it is a respectable provincial programme, worth checking around your dates, but not a reason to visit.

Innsbruck has no thermal springs or historic baths. Its version of wellness is the Alpine one: mountain air, quiet walks and a sauna after a day outdoors. Many hotels, especially up in Igls and the villages on the surrounding plateaus, have good spas with saunas, steam rooms and relaxation areas, often with mountain views. The large thermal spa complexes in the Ötztal and the Zillertal are about an hour away. The town itself is calm and unhurried, and an evening in a mountain hut does a lot to slow the pace.