Innsbruck Nordkette Cable Cars

The Nordkette line starts in the middle of Innsbruck, at a funicular station beside the Congress centre, and ends on a bare limestone ridge above two thousand metres. The funicular climbs through tunnels to Hungerburg, then two cable cars carry you up to Seegrube and on to Hafelekar. The whole trip takes about twenty minutes, which is the point: you can leave a city street in shirt sleeves and stand in cold wind on a summit ridge before lunch. From the top the Inn valley lies directly below, Innsbruck laid out in a grid on the flat floor, and the empty Karwendel ranges roll away to the north.

What you actually see

• The Hungerburg funicular - four curved glass-and-concrete stations by Zaha Hadid, climbing out of the city through a tunnel and over the Inn.
• Seegrube - the middle terrace at around 1,900 metres, with a restaurant deck looking straight down onto the roofs of Innsbruck.
• The Hafelekar ridge - the top station just over 2,200 metres, with a short steep path to the crest and a drop on both sides.
• The Karwendel side - the view north from the ridge into empty limestone valleys with no roads or villages in them.

When to go

It runs all year. Summer mornings are clearest, before cloud builds on the ridge in the afternoon. Winter gives snow and low sun but a short day. Check the webcams before buying a ticket, because in cloud you pay full price to stand in grey soup. Last descent times are strict.

Honest expectations

The full ticket to the top is expensive for a twenty minute ride, and the price does not change if the summit is in cloud. Queues build at Congress and Seegrube on fine summer weekends. The ridge is exposed, cold and windy even in July. Restaurant prices at Seegrube match the altitude.

Nearby

The Alpenzoo sits on the funicular line, and the Innsbruck old town is a few minutes from the valley station.