See more on foot: 111 recommendations for Innsbruck

The journalist, author and Innsbruck blogger from the very beginning Susanne Gurschler has completely revised her book "111 places in Innsbruck that you have to see". The new edition, published by Emons-Verlag, presents 111 special places and their stories. 25 of them present new tips for the alpine-urban city on the Inn.

The Emons-Verlag from Cologne has been publishing extraordinary travel and discovery guides since 2008 under the title "111 places you have to see." The popular series now comprises more than 360 volumes and counting. The books with eye-catching typography, a monochrome background in every conceivable color and a specific symbol on the cover not only offer recognition value, but also addictive potential. Once you have traveled and got to know a city or region with a book like this, you will never want to do without it again.

The colorful series now includes titles such as "111 ski slopes you must have skied" or "111 places for children in Vienna that you must have seen", but also "111 days that moved the world" and "111 beers from Austria that you must have drunk".
Bookshops are often a financial risk for someone like me, who rarely leaves the house without a book in her bag. I like to give books away just as much as I like to buy them. Tip: The 111 Places series not only has gifts for travel enthusiasts, but also for families with children or people with a wide range of preferences!

I meet Susanne in mid-October to find out more about her book and her places. A stressful phase lies behind her: the new edition with 25 new texts and photos, updates, corrections and proofreading have been completed, now the anticipation of the finished book remains.

At a table in Café Central the first thing I ask is how this project of 111 places in Innsbruck came about. Susanne's story surprises and inspires me in equal measure: She tells me that she had been a fan of the Emons series for some time and realized about ten years ago that there was no Tyrol version yet. She then wrote directly to the publisher and suggested a Tyrol volume. As there are already so many travel guides about Tyrol, she didn't necessarily expect a positive response. "Just give it a try! - What did I have to lose?" Susanne looks back.
The result was a long-term collaboration - and not just one, but three books, two of which are already available in a new edition: 111 Places in Tyrol, 111 Places in Innsbruck and 111 Places in East Tyrol.

For the Tirol book, Susanne first had to submit around 50 suggestions for the locations to the Emons publishing house. After a review by the publisher, she was able to get started. The Tyrol project was followed by Innsbruck and later East Tyrol.
I ask Susanne whether there were any requirements that certain places had to be included as fixed starters in the volumes. "No, I actually had a free hand in choosing the locations," she replies. I'm still curious: "And how do you choose 111 places in Innsbruck? Isn't it difficult to get so many places together?" Susanne explains to me that she simply loves going for walks - usually with her dog Findus. Because: "You see more when you walk compared to getting around by bike, bus, streetcar or car." She likes to take a close look at places, likes special stories and has an eye for change.
In conversation, I quickly realize that it was no problem for Susanne to collect 111 places, even if the number still seems large to me. "The project gave me the opportunity to explore districts that I didn't know very well."

The 111 places are often hidden and reveal unexpected details. For Susanne, it was important that the places were accessible by public transport (listed in info boxes) and as freely accessible as possible. "They are all places that I like," and you can sense that these places also mean something to Susanne. Beautiful.

On the other hand, she has deliberately avoided over-advertised photo hotspots. Well-known places are only included if there is an extraordinary story behind them. For example, Susanne has created perhaps the only Innsbruck travel guide without the Hofburg Palace, Court Church and Bergisel ski jump and yet captured more of the city's character than many "classical" works. Congratulations.

Each place is described on one page of text with around 1800 characters and illustrated on one page. Susanne took almost all the photos herself. An info box provides details about the location and how to get there. As an extra treat, there is a tip for each location.
This fixed framework of double pages per location gives the book a pleasant continuity and makes it quick to read and easy to use on the go. However, anyone who has ever had to shorten a text to a given number of characters knows what a challenge this can be.

The photos posed a different kind of challenge: "When you take a photo of something in the city, there's always a garbage bin in it," Susanne tells me. I have to laugh, because I'd never actually thought about that before. But she's right: there are lots of garbage cans that keep the city clean and are also an integral part of the cityscape with their witty inscriptions.

Innsbruck is Susanne's hometown, as you soon realize - also in the book. She came here over 30 years ago to study German and a combination of history, political science and philosophy. Like many students, she has remained here and works as a freelance journalist and author. In keeping with her training and professional ethos, all the stories in the book are thoroughly researched and documented.

We talk about some of the 111 places and I am impressed because Susanne has everything in her head and could probably talk about them for hours. She does this with such infectious enthusiasm and conviction that I could listen to her forever. After all, you can read her stories in the book if you want.

Curious? - I hope these little insights will whet your appetite for more:

Susanne lives in the district Pradl and is there on an Open-air gallery for contemporary art. An artists' collective is putting on temporary exhibitions in a showcase from the 1950s on a residential building in the street Pradler Street with temporary exhibitions. The openings are neighborhood sidewalk parties.

In Hötting there were many taverns in the past centuries, of which unfortunately hardly any remain. The Golden Bear in the Schneeburggasse existed until 1974, the tavern sign can still be seen. It was here that the Höttinger Saalschlacht took place on May 27, 1932, resulting in 40 injuries and one death.

A very topical and controversial subject has also made it into the book: the Repaving of the old town after major construction work in 2020/21 was completed in summer 2025. Susanne rightly (!) pays attention to this "trampled underfoot" detail.

Since 2024, the Theater praesent (founded in 2006) has been bringing socio-politically relevant theater to the stage of a cultural institution in Innsbruck: The Tschamlerstraße 3. In Susanne's student days, the legendary Utopiaand together we remember the subsequent Weekender-Club including a café.

For Susanne, it is important that not only the "chocolate sides" of Innsbruck are presented in the book. in 1994, the gruesome murder of the helpless homeless man Wolfgang Tschernutter shook the city. It is a must that the memorial to this terrible event is featured on a double page.

As a city guide, I experience time and again how enthusiastic the locals are when - for example on World Guide Day - take a guided tour through familiar territory and discover new details. With the book "111 places in Innsbruck that you must have seen", you can explore many special places and also get exciting stories served up on a silver platter.
I am sure that many readers - whether guests or locals - will be surprised and delighted by these insights. The book is also a wonderful invitation to stray from the beaten track now and again and discover new places. And that's always worthwhile.

Thank you, Susanne!

Blog article by Tamara Kainz about "111 places in Innsbruck that you have to see" in July 2018

Cover picture: View of the old town, © Innsbruck Tourismus/Mario Webhofer