Two roads to Innsbruck. One decision, made with you.

Deutsches Eck or the valley road: side by side

1. 
   01

   Salzburg: where the choice is made

   Pick-up

   We collect you wherever you are: your hotel in the old town, an address in Aigen or Parsch, Salzburg Hauptbahnhof or directly at W. A. Mozart Airport. From the city centre we usually head west along the Innsbrucker Bundesstraße; from the airport the A1 is only a few minutes away.

   This is where the decision is made. Before setting off, the chauffeur checks the live situation at the Walserberg and before Kufstein. If the border is clear, we join the A1 towards Munich. If traffic is already backing up before the checkpoint, we drive via Großgmain to Bad Reichenhall and are on Route B before the queue even comes into view.

   A tip from experience: on weekdays, avoid booking an old-town pick-up for exactly 7:30 to 8:30 am, when commuters pour into the city. Ten minutes earlier or later often saves twenty minutes of stop-and-go on the arterial roads.

2. 
   02

   Route A: via Rosenheim and Kufstein through the Deutsches Eck

   approx. 1 h from the Walserberg to Kufstein

   The Deutsches Eck is the shortcut Austria does not own: the A8 runs through Bavaria, past the Chiemsee and Bernau, to the Inntaldreieck interchange near Rosenheim. There we turn onto the A93 towards Kufstein. German motorways are toll-free for cars, the road is well built and the car glides along. Many guests use this hour for calls, or simply to close their eyes after a long flight.

   We know from experience what can go wrong here. At the Walserberg the German federal police check traffic entering Germany; usually it moves quickly, but at weekends and at the start of school holidays we sometimes wait 20 to 40 minutes. Before Kufstein, Tyrol's block dosing of lorries adds another variable: on those days heavy traffic backs up far along the A93. The left lane usually stays open for cars, but the pace drops noticeably. Sat-nav detours through the villages do not help, because on heavy weekends Tyrol closes exits to through traffic.

   At Kiefersfelden you are back in Austria, and Kufstein fortress appears on its rock above the Inn. From here the A12 Inn Valley motorway takes over. If you would like to see the castle, a short stop is easy; most guests on this route, though, simply want to arrive, and that is entirely their right.

3. 
   03

   Route B: Lofer, St. Johann in Tirol and Kitzbühel

   approx. 1 h 20 min from Salzburg to Kitzbühel

   The valley road starts modestly: through Bad Reichenhall and along the Saalach on the B21, until we regain Austrian soil at Melleck by the Steinpass. Beyond Unken the valley opens up and the Loferer Steinberge suddenly stand like a wall in front of the windscreen. Over the Strub pass and through Waidring, the B178 carries us into Tyrol; the road is wide, well surfaced and full of motorcycles in summer.

   At St. Johann in Tirol, at the foot of the Kitzbüheler Horn, there is a second, smaller fork. Straight on, the B161 leads to Kitzbühel. To the right, the B178 runs via Going, Ellmau and Söll directly along the south face of the Wilder Kaiser to Wörgl. In summer this Kaiser variant is our recommendation for anyone who wants limestone walls above green meadows; in winter the ski traffic around the SkiWelt makes it more of a second choice.

   Kitzbühel itself is worth a stop of 30 to 45 minutes: a coffee in the Vorderstadt, a look up at the Hahnenkamm, where the Streif writes World Cup history every January. Afterwards we follow the B170 through the Brixental via Kirchberg, Brixen im Thale and Hopfgarten to Wörgl. The drive takes longer this way, but not a minute of it feels like transit.

4. 
   04

   Wörgl: where the two roads meet again

   approx. 45 min to Innsbruck

   Whether you came via Kufstein or via Kitzbühel, the two roads meet on the A12 at Wörgl, beneath the distinctive dome of the Hohe Salve. For Route B passengers this is the moment the country road ends and the pace picks up again; for Route A passengers Wörgl is simply a place-name sign beside the motorway.

   The stretch to Innsbruck is about 60 kilometres long and is often subject to Tyrol's air-quality limit of 100 km/h, switched on and off via overhead signs. It costs only a few minutes but keeps the traffic flowing smoothly and calmly. Bottlenecks mainly build up in the late afternoon before Innsbruck-Ost, when commuters from the Lower Inn valley head into the city.

   If you are continuing to the Zillertal, the Stubaital or over the Brenner to South Tyrol, there is no need to change cars in Innsbruck. We plan the onward leg together with the transfer and the vehicle stays the same. This is also the best moment for a service-area stop or a short break for children, before city traffic begins.

5. 
   05

   Innsbruck: old town, Golden Roof and the Nordkette

   Arrival

   From the A12 we enter the city via Innsbruck-Ost or Innsbruck-Mitte, depending on your address. The old town around Herzog-Friedrich-Straße is a pedestrian zone; we reach old-town hotels via the permitted access roads, or otherwise drop you at the edge of the zone, a few minutes' walk from the Golden Roof. We carry your luggage to the reception desk.

   In summer we recommend not ending the day in your hotel room. The Hungerburg funicular leaves from the Congress station at the edge of the old town, and from the Hungerburg cable cars continue up to the Seegrube and the Hafelekar. If you want to go up soon after arriving, we drop your luggage at the hotel and take you straight to the valley station.

   In winter the old town turns into one of the loveliest Christmas markets in the Alps. Traffic around the centre is then heavy on weekend evenings, and pick-up times should be planned generously. We are equally happy to collect you for the return to Salzburg; the same journey in the opposite direction has its own page.