Walks to Explore: Bergisel, Sill Gorge, and City Landmarks

The Walks to Explore routes are great for travelers looking to avoid the crowds and visit top attractions while exploring local favorites. The Bergisel and Sill Gorge walk packs nature, architecture, and museums in a leisurely walk through the city that leads to the Bergisel ski jump. I did this walk with blogger Julie (A Lady in London) and videographer Chris Wisser. I had lots of fun playing tour guide for them and enjoyed revisiting some great spots in Innsbruck.

View from Bergisel Cafe

Trimphpforte to Bergisel

The walk from Triumphpforte to Bergisel takes 25-30 minutes but has a few stops along the way.  Just 400 meters from the Triumphfporte and we’re at Immerland, one of the hip cafes of Wiltener Platzl.

Immerland

Impeccable attention to detail goes into everything served at Immerland.

You can’t walk past this cafe without grabbing a coffee and indulging in one of their decadent pastries. They bake daily, and some of their creations are true works of art.

Catching rays at Immerland

This cafe is never empty and is mostly frequented by locals residing or working in the neighborhood. If you’re doing this walk during a Saturday or Sunday, you may want to consider the Brunch at Immerland. They serve a huge selection of dishes with ingredients sourced from local farmers.

Grassmayr Bell Foundry

Another 400 meters down Leopoldstraße gets us to the Grassmayr Bell Foundry. This is Austria’s oldest family run business, currently operated by the 14th generation. This bell foundry is one of the biggest in the world, and their work can be found in over 100 countries on every continent.

A quick stop on the way to Bergisel

After only 40 minutes of learning about the bell making process, we were back on the road towards the Bergisel ski jump.

Churches

We walked past two beautiful churches after visiting the bell foundry. We took a few photos, but didn’t go inside because we were so eager to arrive at Bergisel.

Monastery Church and Museum Wilten

Bergisel

Bergisel should be on everyone’s Innsbruck to-do list – it has a splendid view of the city and the Nordkette Mountain Chain.

Ski Jumper’s POV

The cafe is a great place to grab a refreshment. They make a ski jump shaped cake that will surprise your taste buds. It’s a beautiful cake, but one ingredient, in particular, will absolutely catch you off guard.

Bergisel Torte for the ‘gram

Sill Gorge

After spending taking in the ski jumper’s POV and trying some of the treats at the cafe, you can make your way back down to the parking lot and head to the Sill Gorge. You’re instantly in the forest! It’s a leisurely walk, but athletic shoes are definitely recommended.

We didn’t make it too far into the gorge because we were looking forward to the food at Bierstindl.

Bierstindl

This is one of the places locals frequent for Tyrolean food. There isn’t much more I can say to convince readers that this is one of the best places for local food. This restaurant is outside of the tourist hot spots, so only the real foodies venture here.

Some locals claim this is the best place for traditional dishes

Although we didn’t walk long distances at a time, we felt a bit tired after doing so much in one day, not to mention all the eating we did. After this stop, we were ready to call it a day and fall into a food coma.

My Experience

Experiences like this remind me how easy it is to take the city you live in for granted. There’s always more to see, more to eat, and more to do. As a traveler, I am also reminded that you can check off all the highlights while avoiding the crowds. You usually end up eating at top restaurants and meeting cool locals.

Julie Falconer, writer of A Lady in London