Easter in Innsbruck

The smell of freshly baked pine nuts is in the air, furry palm kittens adorn the children's bouquets, graves in the churches somberly depict the death of Jesus. What does this have to do with Easter in Innsbruck? Simply everything! Because customs and spring events make Easter time an experience here. The Tyrol Easter Festival provides culture vultures with top-class events. And the Easter market brings spring to Innsbruck's old town.

Tyrol Easter Festival

Easter market Innsbruck

Palm kitten and Easter bunny

Anyone coming to Innsbruck in spring should not miss out on our Easter traditions and events. From fasting graves to tying palm bushes: There's plenty to see before the Easter bunny arrives!

Traditional Easter graves

At the end of Lent, gravestones are displayed in churches. The medieval custom commemorates the death of Jesus before his resurrection - the core of Christian Easter.

Palm Sunday customs

Exactly one week before Easter - on Palm Sunday - there are already celebrations. Children solemnly tie bouquets of leaves and palm catkins. In some places, Jesus even rides ahead of the procession on a donkey.

Music, fairs & markets

Bach's St. Matthew Passion is just as much a part of the Easter event calendar as the Easter Vigil masses. The Easter market is a springtime fixture. Here you will find events ranging from folk dancing to "Aperschnalzen".

Spring customs

The Innsbruck region is a stronghold of local customs. Traditions are still alive here: They are cherished, honored and lived. Read more about the customs in Innsbruck and the surrounding area.

Arrival & public transport

Practical tips for your trip to Innsbruck. Find out more about how to get there, parking options, public transport and more. For the city of Innsbruck and the towns in the surrounding area.

Passion cribs - Bible stories in exciting scenes

A maltreated body drags itself through the streets. Betrayal, a verdict, the unstoppable execution. What sounds like a thriller is in fact the events of Holy Week. Passion cribs depict the disturbing story of Jesus' suffering, which makes up a large part of the Christian Easter celebration. For example, the betrayal of Judas, his suicide or the crucifixion. Visually prepared for the people in the churches of the region. And this has been the case for hundreds of years.

The horror in the flesh

Where can you see Passion cribs? In the churches of Götzens, Zirl, Telfs and Axams, for example. The Passion crib in Götzens, for example, dates back to the 18th century. 250 figures made of painted paper illustrate scenes from the Bible. The dimensions are also impressive: the nativity scene is over four and a half meters long and 1.3 meters deep.