Location
The Austrian Tyrol is a region of outstanding beauty, where jagged, snow-capped peaks tower above fast-flowing rivers, green meadows and onion-domed churches. It is a paradise for anyone who enjoys the great outdoors, offering excellent downhill and cross-country skiing in winter, and wonderful walking in summer.
Within The Tyrol area no matter what season it is you will always find enjoyment
- Winter – Christmas markets and walks in the snow-covered countryside
- Spring – meadows filled with alpine flowers and a chance to explore the popular city sights in relative peace
- Summer – village festivals and exciting mountain walks
- Autumn – traditional events like the bringing down of the cattle from the mountains, or the local wine and beer festivals.
The Tyrol as a whole measures some 10000 square miles and is covered almost entirely by the Alps (before being named the Tyrol, it was known simply as the ‘land in the mountains’). After World War I, the southern half was granted to Italy, while Austria retained possession of the North and East Tyrol, which boasts some mighty peaks – more than 700 mountains are over 3000 metres high.
The Tyrol is famous for its skiing, modern ski techniques were developed here, thanks to the legendary skiing master Hannes Schneider, who took the Norwegian art of cross-country skiing and adapted it to downhill running. No matter where your trip takes you, world-class — and often gut-scrambling — skiing is available, from the glamour of Kitzbühel in the east to the imposing peaks of St. Anton am Arlberg in the west.
The Tyrolean capital is Innsbruck. It is a compact city, its size restricted by the surrounding mountains, which provide a spectacular backdrop to the medieval old town, with its attractive Gothic and Baroque buildings. The city’s most famous sight, the Goldenes Dachl (‘Golden Roof’).
Attractions
Heilbrunn castle/Heilbrunn/Tyrol
Innsbruck – It is a compact city, its size restricted by the surrounding mountains, which provide a spectacular backdrop to the medieval old town, with its attractive Gothic and Baroque buildings. The city’s most famous sight, the Goldenes Dachl (‘Golden Roof’).
How to get there
BY AIR;
There are many airlines to choose from which fly to the major cities. Vienna, Salzburg and Innsbruck are popular destinations.
BY ROAD;
It’s faster to travel on the motorways going through Frankfurt, Cologne, Passau (Germany), and Linz (Austria). One of the main roads into Austria is the Autobahn from Munich via Salzburg to Vienna. From Switzerland, the main arteries are via Feldkirch to Innsbruck (capital of Tyrol). Make absolutely
sure your car is equipped with the Autobahnvignette, a toll sticker with a highway icon and the Austrian eagle, or with a calendar marked with an M or a W. This sticker, generally called the Pickerl, allows use of the autobahn, and not having one can lead to high fines.
BY RAIL;
Rail travel within Austria itself is superb, with fast, clean trains taking you just about anywhere in the country and going through some incredibly scenic regions. Train passengers using the Tunnel under the English Channel can go from London to Paris in just 3 hours and then on into Austria
BY BUS/COACH:
Austria has an extensive national network of buses run by post offices and railroads. Where Austrian trains don’t go, buses do, and you’ll find the railroad and post-office buses (bright yellow for easy recognition) in the remotest regions carrying passengers as well as mail. You can buy tickets on the bus,
Festivals ( picture of festival here)
Festival of Early Music & Ambras Palace Concerts – July-August – Innsbruck – One of the most important festivals of Early Music worldwide. The Innsbruck Festival of Early Music is now in its 29th year: In the past few decades, it became renowned for performing some relatively unknown, but above all transcendently performed works of the Renaissance period.
Eating Dining Shopping.
Tyrolean cooking is fairly hearty, with bacon and cured pork featuring in many dishes. Traditional dishes include Gröstl (pan-fried onion, meat and potato), Schlipfkrapfen (ravioli-like parcels filled with meat and/or potato) and Tiroler Knöödel (dumplings with small pieces of ham). Bauernschöpsernes is another regional speciality – lamb seared with fried onion rings, braised and then cooked with red wine and potatoes until tender. Traditionally, it should be followed by doughnuts or stewed apple for dessert, and perhaps a glass of fruit schnapps, too. Many villages produce their own varieties of schnapps, so it is worth asking to try the local brand.
Shopping
Every town centre has its own shopping areas that cater for tourists
History
The Tyrol was conquered in 15BC by the Romans, and was later settled by Bavarian tribes in the 8th century. For several centuries it was a dukedom, whose centre was Merano in what is now Italy. After the widow of the last of the Görz-Tirol dukes died in 1363, it was incorporated into the Habsburg dynasty. Over the following centuries it enjoyed great stability and prosperity until it was ceded to Bavaria in 1805, resulting in the so-called Tyrolean War of Independence, an uprising led by Andreas Hofer. Emerging victorious from the battle of Bergisel, the Tyrolese rebels set up a civilian government in Innsbruck in 1809, but it lasted only a few months, collapsing after Hofer’s assassination. The Tyrol remained under Franco-Bavarian rule until 1815, when it was returned to Austria in the wake of
Napoleon’s defeat. Ever since those turbulent times, Bergisel Mountain has been regarded by the Tyrolese as a symbol of freedom.
Useful telephone numbers
Emergency Number Tel: 112
Airport Information (Innsbruck International) Tel: +43 512 22525
Train station: Tel: 0512/1717
Tourist Office 🙁 Innsbruck) Tel: +43 (512) 5320-0
Holiday rents online:
National Transport Line
24 hour medical service