Nordkette, Innsbruck

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Right from the centre of Innsbruck you can be whisked away and up into the mountains by the Nordkettebahnen. This system of funicular railways and cable cars links the city centre with the summit of Hafelekarspitze.

The Nordkettebahnen comprises 3 different 'legs' of the journey:

The Hungerburgbahn links the city centre with the Alpenzoo and Hungerburg. There are 4 ultra modern, eye catching stations designed by Zaha Hadid (who also designed the Bergisel ski jump) which look very space age! The city centre Congress station is near the Hofburg and Tiroler Landestheater and it's like entering an ultra modern underground railway/metro/subway station as you head down towards the platform from street level. Whilst crossing the Inn river and once past the Löwenhaus station you emerge above ground and can enjoy the spectacular views on the way up to the Alpenzoo station and beyond to the Hungerburg station. The zoo is well worth a visit and there are some nice cafés around the Hungerburg station so you might want to break your journey here on the way up or down.

At Hungerburg you change to the cable car Seegrubenbahn which takes you up to the Seegrube station which has a restaurant and is the starting place for some excellent circular walks.

Seegrube is also the changing point to switch to the Hafelekarbahn which takes you to the Bergstation Hafelekar which is near the summit of Hafelekarspitze which gives you the chance of a summit experience with only a relatively short walk.

Check the website for details of the current prices as these do change from season to season, but it's well worth getting an Innsbruck card if you are going to use the Nordkettebahnen. The card gives you one return journey so it's worth making sure that journey is for the whole length of the system. If you get off at Alpenzoo then you won't be able to use the card for the rest of your journey (but you can use it to return to where you started).

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At 1905 metres is the Seegrube station on the Nordkettebahnen. It sits at the junction of the Seegrubenbahn from Hungerburg below and the Hafelekarbahn which continues to Hafelekar above at the mountain summit. At this station is a restaurant and small shop, the restaurant being less basic but also less characterful than that above at Hafelekar. The views over Innsbruck are still excellent.

The best thing about Seegrube for me is the opportunity to walk around the alpine landscape at this altitude. There is a circular route which is not too tiring (but everything seems more tiring at altitude, of course) and gives you the chance to enjoy the scenery (sometimes still with occasional snow in the middle of summer) and the wild alpine flowers growing alongside.

unspoilt by pollution,Nordkette is truly amazing.the view from atop is worth the time and effort in getting there(which is not too much of a trouble with the efficient austrian transport!)great experience.

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Take a short train ride from Innsbruck right at the top of the mountain to enjoy a breathtaking view of the whole city and the mountain chain all around.

On the top at the high of 2500 mt. there's also the possibility to ski and have some rest at the restaurant, to have a drink or eat something.

Enjoy the fantastic view from the top of the mountain by stopping at the first stage or by taking the second cable car to go right to the top.

Then walk a little bit to join the wood cross at the very top.

Take with you warm clothes.

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You couldn't help bet be very impressed with the Innsbrück with the Karwendelgebirge mountain range that dominate the northern Innsbrück skyline.

They rise thousands of metres above the Isar River and pose a formidable barrier between Austria and Bavaria.

From Hungerburger Plateau you will aboard the Cableway and be whisked all the way up Seegrube ( 1,900m above sea level ) and enjoy the views from Seegrube restaurant. From there, there is also the option of carrying on to the 2,300m high Hafelekar Top Terminal, from where there are uninterrupted panoramic views of the mountain scenery.

Nordkette (1905 meters)
great view (on a clear day) of Innsbruck.
There's a restaurant to linger at while you observe the city from way up high. Serious skiers/snowboarders continue on to Hafelekarsptize at 2334 meters.

If you can`t see the top of the mountain from the city, don`t go. Only worth it on a clear day. Friday nights the bahns run until 11pm.
Classification: Site Seeing