Holiday Home Tyrol

Tyrol: A Ski Retreat Rich with History

Tyrol may draw the majority of its visitors for the fame of its ski resorts, but there's plenty of heritage beneath the powdered snow.

Whether you're looking to hit the slopes or dig into the local history, a holiday home in Tyrol can scratch your itch. 

St. Anton am Arlberg and SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser are two of the biggest and most popular resorts, but there's a lot more to do in the mountains of Tyrol than just go skiing.

River rafting is also a popular activity, and it can be a great bonding experience for adventurous families. Also appealing to the adventurous are the parasailing and paragliding opportunities in this region. If you'd rather keep your feet on the ground, the area is abundant with hiking and biking trails as well.

Kundler Klamm offers an expansive network of trails that brings you across bubbling brooks and down into the heart of a natural gorge, while Zirbenwerg offers a relaxed and accessible route through the Innsbruck area that's appropriate for hikers of any age.

Innsbruck is also home to Alpenzoo, a zoo that offers a gorgeous view of the surrounding mountains and allows visitors to meet over 2,000 animals. If you're going to spend some time in Innsbruck proper, you have to ride the Hungerburgbahn. The modern funicular is a far cry from more traditional public transit systems. 

Swarovski Crystal World is a museum unlike any you'll find in the world. Built by the titular crystal company, Crystal World is as much an expansive art exhibit as it is a museum. A stunning giant crafted directly into the hillside beckons you into a range of exhibits known as the Chambers of Wonder.

The exhibits contained were created by a diverse variety of different creatives, and they all use the trademark Swarovski crystals to create stunning and compelling works of art. While there are a huge number of historical landmarks and museums spread throughout Tyrol, there are also a number of cultural attractions that are tailor made to spark the imaginations of children.

Tiroler Landestheater hosts performances catered to a younger crowd, and they can provide resources to aspiring young actors as well. Tratzberg Castle is the quintessential 16th century castle in the Tyrolean style, but it's also a landmark haunted with a heritage ghost stories - a heritage that the local tour guides are always delighted to expound upon.

For those looking for history lessons that are a little more rooted, the tours and workshops at Ambras Castle immerses guests in the vagaries of everyday life of the era. 

Science-based museums are also prevalent. Zweiss Planetarium hosts a huge selection of different programs that are built to draw in guests as young as four, and the Audioversum in Innsbruck provides a sweeping tour of the science behind sound.