There’s a reason why Innsbruck is known as the 'Capital of the Alps'. The historic Austrian city is situated in the heart of some of the most picturesque mountains the Alps have to offer. And these ones are built for riding.
Innsbruck is a true bike city, offering a playground of single track, downhill and touring trails. Its bike park offers six trails and a practice area and Innsbruck is also home to the Nordketten Single Trail, one of the steepest and most difficult in Europe. The city regularly hosts mountain bike events, including Crankworx, the famous gravity mountain biking event from Canada. The bike park is transformed into an arena for slopestyle, downhill, dual slalom and pumptrack action with the best mountain bikers on the planet attending to take park and go toe-to-toe in competition,
Crankworx Innsbruck for 2021 takes place from June 16 to to June 20 for 2021. You can find out more information and how to get tickets here.
Your ticket to riding nirvana starts with the Bike City Card, which gives access to all trails in and around the city, as well as all lifts and cable cars.
If you’re staying longer than one night, be sure to get a Welcome Card, which gives a range of discounts at other attractions and amenities, including pools, guided hikes, public transport and lifts.
The riding
There are four main trail areas around Innsbruck: Bikepark Innsbruck, Innsbrucker Nordketten Bahnen, Elferlifte and Bikepark Tirol.
1. The BikePark Innsbruck offers six trails from beginner to intermediate level
The Wild One is a fast, playful and curvy track, with banked turns and easy jumps through alpine meadows. It offers stunning views of the beautiful mountains of Innsbruck and the town itself.
The First One is fun single trail with two little wall rides. It is quite natural and this not too steep track through the forest is good for intermediate riders.
The Chainless One is flow paradise. It offers 180 turns, several small jumps and wooden bridges. This awesome trail was built by the Canadian shaper Tom Pro and it's family friendly, yet also great for intermediate riders.
The Chainless One is a trail that offers fun for bikers of all abilities. With its numerous rollers and berms, it feels like a never-ending downhill pump track
The Straight One is a rough and fast downhill trail with big jumps, off-camber roots and very steep sections.
The Rough One is a fast downhill trail with many roots, off-camber sections and jumps. This trail is also the race course of the Crankworx downhill.
The Simple One is an easy gravel road and perfect for true beginners and families.
2. The Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahnen offers three trails.
The Nordkette Singletrail is one of Europe’s most challenging downhill routes, with a length of 4.3km and an altitude difference of 1,020m. It's very demanding and the many, steep and tight technical switchbacks make it even harder. But you’ll be rewarded with breathtaking views across Innsbruck and the surrounding mountains – and a smile that will last until long after you’ve reached the bottom.
The Nordkette may be legendary, but don’t forget to check out the Arzler Alm trail and the Hungerburg trail, both of which offer flowy trails on steep, but not too technically challenging, terrain.
For more details about the Bike City Innsbruck head over to the Innsbruck info website.
Where to stay
For a list of bike-friendly places to stay head to Innsbruck.info. This accommodation is ideally set-up to cater for the needs of riders, offering secure storage, cleaning and maintenance areas – both for you and your bike. We stayed at the Hotel Seppl, the first bike hotel in the Innsbruck region, just outside of the city, which not only offers a wealth of hard-earned biking intel, but also offers a yoga program to stretch and unwind afterwards.
Riding the lifts
The lifts open up for the summer season on May 30 and run until October 27, but towards the beginning and end they're often reduced to just a weekend service. Check before booking your trip. Find opening hours for the Bikepark Innsbruck here and for the Innsbrucker Nordkettenbahnen here.
The bike pass for the Bike City Card costs €40 for a full day or €144 for a five-day pass.
Getting there
Innsbruck is uniquely situated within easy reach of Italy, southern Germany and the Austrian cities of Salzburg and Vienna beyond. Good transport links exist for train, coach and road. The international airport offers easy access for anyone coming from further afield. Plan your journey here.
When to go
The Bike City Card is valid from the end of May until the end of October. The trails are at their best over high summer. September and October are a bit cooler, but with fewer people and those autumnal colours, they can be a good time to visit too.