Swarovski Crystal, Innsbruck

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I went to the information office inside the main train station. Got the voucher for the bus trip and entrance to Swarovski. That saved me time from buying the tickets in Swarovski and I highly recommend to do the same to avoid queues at the entrance.

True, you pay for the entrance but your senses will be pleased with what awaits you inside. Crystals in the shape of this and that - oh, I won't spoil it for you. I know that it was my nth visit and I still enjoyed it. After purchasing some souvenirs and while waiting for the bus, you might as well enjoy a nice glass of wine in the restaurant next to the cashier. Not pricey and you'll enjoy the area.

At the time of this writing: the shuttle departs from the main train station at 9:00, 11:00, 13:00, 15:00 hours. Return trips (from Swarovski) are: 11:30, 13:30, 15:30 and 17:30.

The Swarovski Crystal Worlds are to your mind what the high seas were to Columbus, Magellan or Vasco da Gama. The place of origin of a voyage of discovery in which a sparkling sea of enlightenment awaits you. Baudelaire, García Lorca, Goethe and Shakespeare are your literary guides. The biggest and smallest crystals in the world illuminate your path with all the colors of the rainbow. A crystal wall eleven meters high, with twelve tons of glittering semi-precious stones shimmering behind it, shields you from the dreariness of everyday life.
Swarovski is a fantasy world that you cannot lose...

you need not make the expensive trip to the swaroski headquaters!!just outside the golden roof is a showroom with complete display and sales.you are allowed to take pictures unlike in other swaroski showrooms.however if you buy an Innsbruck card, it includes the entry fee to the swaroski crystal world.There is a free shuttle bus which starts from the bus stop outside the main train station.

After looking at that famous golden roof, it is only natural that any woman's brain (apart from the bit that is processing information about handbags) turns to the subject of Jewellery. It is therefore not surprising that the world's biggest Swarokski crystal shop is only about half a dozen houses down the road. Most of it is devoted to showcasing the varoius wares of the company, but the basement is a changing exhibition area featuring more of the expensive glass. When we last visted in April '08 it seemed to consist odd mixture of fairytale objects and manky reindeer. i have no idea what it was all supposed to mean.

Remember, fellow men, the prices may make your eyes water considering the fact that you are buying glass, the same stuff that they make windows from, but it's still a damn bargain compared to diamonds, rubies, gold or a tankful of petrol.

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Swarovski Crystal Gallery is Swarovski's largest store worldwide located over three whole floors in the heart of the Old town of Innsbruck.

See a slideshow of the Swarovski gallery

There are probably more Swarovski shops in Innsbruck ,but the one you are sure not to miss is on your way to the Golden Roof ,on your right side , on Herzog Friedrich Strasse.
Daniel Swarovski Jewelry , Swarovski crystal sculptures , Swarovski fashion .
On the underground floor you can admire free of charge the amazing fairytale wonderland created by the famous dutch designer Tord Boontje (www.tordboontje.com) using metal and swarovski crystals.

Opening hours:
November - March
Mon- Fri 8am - 6pm
sat/sun 8am - 5pm

April - may / Sept - 0ct
mon - sat 8am - 6.30pm
sun 8am - 6pm

June - August
mon - sat 8am - 7.30pm
sun 8am - 7pm

Closed : January 1 , November 1,2 l; December 25/26

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One of the highlights of your tour is a visit to Swarovski's "World of Crystals".
It was designed by the famous Austrian performer - artist Andre Heller, and it takes you on a interesting journey into the world of crystals. At Swarovski's "World of Crystals" you will find the world's biggest crystal which weighs 137 pounds (62 kilograms).

This is really a great experience that will last for a long time, those Crystals will really catch your attention and the whole things around them will simply to the rest.

Once your tour if finished, stop by the shop, maybe just to have a look, and then right outside the shop there's a bar where you can rest waiting for the bus to go back.

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The Haus zur Goldenen Rose, house of the golden rose, was built in the fifteenth century and it is the shop of Swarosky nowdays. The inside is huge: on the ground floor you can see some beautiful sculptures realized with crystal Swarosky, while on the first floor there is the shop with the whole Swarosky production. It is very beautiful!!!

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Even if you are like me (i.e. not into crystal jewellery), Swarovski Kristallwelten is a great place to visit. Set up amid a beautiful Alpine landscape, the complex is part art exhibit, part factory shop.

Before you even enter, you can spend quite some time just exploring the park. Lose yourself (or, in all likelihood, pretend you are lost) in a small hand-shaped labyrinth, climb up the observatory or simply watch the fountains around the "hill giant" (Kristallwelten's logo).

Inside is a tribute to crystals. Since I am a huge fan of Salvador Dal?'s, it was great to see one of his melting clocks. There were many more paintings, sculptures and other forms of art about/with crystals. My favourite room was the kaleidoscope room: as the lighting changes, the entire walls seem to change; some objects become visible while others disappear.

And, finally, there is the gift shop. Probably the biggest and most expensive I've ever seen. I bought only a postcard, but if you have a mom, wife or friend whom you want to surprise with an original gift, you will surely find something for them at Kristallwelten. The sky (or, rather, your credit) is the limit!

Kristallwelten is open every day from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entrance at 5:30 p.m.) and an admission ticket costs 8 euros. However, entrance is free for holders of the Innsbruck Card.

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As a child I was always fascinated with Swarovski Crystals,maybe due to the fact that my mom was an avid collector of them. I can still stare at the crystals for hours at an end admiring the amazing shaps,the intricate cuts given to them,the colours, the rays of lights emerging out as a spectrum of colours! To satisfy my hunger,my next stop was the Crystal Worlds " Cristall Welten". As its logo says..."Inside you enter a dream" and indeed it felt like a dream world..I felt like Alice in Wonderland with crystals all around me!

I went here thinking it was a factory, a museum, a place where I'd learn about how Swarovski crystal is made--and it's anything but. Instead, it's room after room of bizarre, artistic crystal "worlds," and while certainly one of the strangest places I've been in Austria, also quite interesting and memorable.