Visiting Innsbruck during Christmas market season is definitely a must, so if you ever have the chance to do so, don’t miss out! Especially when there’s snow, you definitely get into a festive mood. There are numerous markets of different sizes, so we decided to write a little guide, just so you know which one to visit and what the makes of them so special.

Not too long ago, I spent a day with my sister at the beautiful Eibsee, also known as Lake Eib. We went by car, as it’s just about an hour from Innsbruck and only half an hour more if you’re coming from Munich. Just remember that if you are using Google maps or a similar service you should enter the parking area or hotel Eibsee as your final destination, or otherwise the services will send you on a very long and complicate journey to the other side of the Eibsee (including an hour walk just to get to the lake). 

The weekend we went to the Christmas markets in Salzburg, we initially had planned to go to Munich, but as the Bavarian Christmas markets open later than the ones in Austria do, we had to wait one week more. But our wait was definitely rewarded.

As you might have already noticed, right now we are exploring some of the Christmas markets in Innsbruck and cities close by. So, two weeks ago, we went on a little road trip to Salzburg, a quite well-known city, also known outside of Austria, mostly because of The Sound of Music or Mozart. From Innsbruck, Salzburg is easily reached within 2 hours by car, so it makes for the perfect day trip destination.

Mid-November, I went hiking with my sister near the Nordkette. As the cable car is not operating during November to prepare for the winter season, we decided to hike to one of the lodges that are not too far up the mountain and easily reachable from the valley station. There are numerous ones, but we opted for the Umbrüggler Alm, as we've never been there before. 

If you have already seen our first ever post on Alps and Abroad, you will know that we, Natascha and Sophie, live in Innsbruck, the capital of Tyrol. Since many of you probably don’t know Innsbruck that well, we figured we’d introduce you to our city and show you all kinds of different places and spots we love by starting a little series all about Innsbruck. We want to start this series by talking about the most known and famous sights of Innsbruck. So, let’s call this one the Beginner Guide.