Money-Saving Tips for Your Trip to Innsbruck

If there’s one thing I hate when travelling (or honestly, any day), it’s overpaying for something I could have gotten cheaper. A round trip on the Nordkette cable car can set you back €56, then there’s the cost of eating out. Not to mention the price of flights and hotels these days. Travel costs keep climbing, so finding ways to save where you can makes a real difference to how far your holiday budget stretches.

In this post, I’ll share my top tips for saving money on your trip to Innsbruck.

Book Train Tickets As Early As Possible

A train ticket from Munich Airport to Innsbruck can cost anything from €12.50 to over €100, depending on when you book it and how flexible you want to be. The cheapest tickets are called Sparschiene, and they are pre-purchase-only tickets. The earlier you book, the cheaper the ticket. There are limited tickets at each price bracket, and once they are all sold, the price increases. Something to note though – Sparschiene tickets are only valid on a specific date and time train. So if you want flexibility, it’s better to pay more for a more flexible ticket option.

The best places to buy tickets are directly through the Austrian Rail ÖBB (OEBB) website, or for multi-country trips, try Rail Europe.

Alternatively, consider taking a long-distance bus. FlixBus has direct routes between Innsbruck, Munich, and Merano.

With A Car? Stay Outside of the Centre

Innsbruck is nothing short of a nightmare when it comes to parking – spaces are hard to find, and expensive. Even if your hotel offers parking, you’ll probably be paying a premium for it in the city centre.

If you’re staying in the centre, you really don’t need a car, as the city is pretty small and compact, with amazing public transport. So during the days that you’re exploring the city, you won’t be using it. You’ll just be paying to park it.

If you are coming to Innsbruck by car, then I would recommend staying somewhere a bit outside of the city centre. Hotels and apartments outside the centre often have more parking available, often for free. And on the days you are visiting the city, you can jump on the bus or tram.

Get the IVB Ticket App for Cheaper Public Transport around Innsbruck

You might have free public transport within the city with your Innsbruck Welcome Card, but if you are travelling to a destination that isn’t included, you’ll need to purchase an additional ticket. While it is possible to buy a ticket from the driver, you pay more than if you buy it from a ticket machine or in the app. I recommend using the app as it’s much more straightforward than trying to work out how to use a ticket machine.

Visit The Nordkette outside of Peak Times

A Top of Innsbruck return ticket on the Nordkette between 9:30 am and 3 pm costs €56 per person. However, if you are willing to get up there earlier, they now offer a “Happy Hour Ticket” for €45. The happy hour ticket is available from 8 – 9:30 am and from 3 – 5 pm. And for those wanting to hike, the morning Happy Hour Ticket simply means you need to go up before 9:30 am. You can take the return journey down at any time (within the opening hours of the lift).

Consider Buying the Innsbruck Card

The free Innsbruck Welcome Card offers some great discounts and benefits, but if you are planning to visit several museums as well as Innsbruck’s main cable cars, the Nordkette and the Patscherkofel, then you might find that buying the Innsbruck Card offers you the best savings versus buying individual entrance tickets.

Download the Too Good To Go App for Cheap Meals

If you’re staying in an Airbnb or an apartment with self-catering, and looking for a cheap meal, then I recommend downloading the Too Good To Go app. If you’re not familiar with it, Too Good To Go is an app that connects users with local restaurants and grocery stores to buy surplus food at a reduced price, helping to reduce food waste. Many of the major supermarkets in Innsbruck have offers on there, as well as several restaurants and cafes.

Get A Wise Multi-currency Account & Visa Card

If your bank charges for overseas transactions, consider getting a multi-currency account from Wise.

Over the last few years we’ve travelled to places like Indonesia, Norway, Jordan, Egypt, and Central Asia, using my Wise account and Visa card as my primary means of payment abroad. This meant I didn’t have to worry about fraudulent use of my main bank details, and I wasn’t hit with extortionate foreign currency fees when paying for things. Wise also lets you hold money in multiple currencies within one account, which is handy for trips spanning several countries.

It’s also useful for paying deposits before a trip. Most European banks charge to receive a foreign payment, and that fee is often passed on to you. With Wise, you can pay into the account in your home currency and have it transferred in Euros (or whichever currency you need), so the recipient gets the full amount with nothing deducted along the way.

And the best part – it’s actually free to sign up for a Wise account!

Avoid Roaming Fees with an E-Sim

Many international providers offer roaming packages, but sometimes these can be extortionately expensive. And relying on WIFI alone can be stressful. In many cases, you may find that the cheaper option is to purchase an e-SIM instead.

I’ve seen a lot of influencers promoting Airalo, but I’ve found Saily to be cheaper for almost all the destinations I’ve needed an e-SIM for. I often use it when I am crossing into Switzerland, visiting family in the UK, and for travel outside of Europe too.

Saily offers e-SIMs for Austria, but if your trip entails visiting multiple countries (such as arriving in Munich and driving to the Dolomites), you might benefit from the Europe e-SIM instead.