Where to stay in Innsbruck: the best areas and hotels

Innsbruck's Old Town is tiny and almost entirely car-free: a few bending streets of tall, pastel houses with vaulted arcades at their feet. Everything leads to the Golden Roof, the glittering balcony built for Emperor Maximilian, with the Hofburg palace and the cathedral a moment's walk away and the River Inn just behind.

Hotels here come with centuries attached. One inn has been taking guests since 1390, and others occupy old townhouses just steps from the lanes or across the river, with the row of coloured houses and the Nordkette for a view. The Hungerburg funicular, which starts the journey up the mountain, is next to the congress centre on the edge of the quarter. Rooms can be snug; that is the price of history.

South of the Old Town, the broad Maria-Theresien-Strasse is Innsbruck's living room. Baroque facades line both sides, St Anne's Column stands in the middle, the Triumphal Arch closes off the far end, and on a clear day the mountains rise so sharply behind that the view looks pasted on.

This is the most convenient place to stay. Shops, restaurants and bars surround you, the Old Town is a five-minute stroll and the station ten. Hotels are modern and well equipped: a sleek glass-fronted four-star with a rooftop terrace, a large upscale hotel with a spa and a casino, and long-established houses with indoor pools. Several run a free ski shuttle in winter.

Innsbruck's main station is close to the centre, and it is the hub for the trams, buses and trains that fan out to the surrounding villages and ski areas. If you plan to explore without a car, staying nearby saves a good deal of time.

The hotels are better than station hotels usually are. A design-led tower hotel has the mountains in every window and the Old Town five minutes away on foot; a traditional family-run house sits between the station and the main sights; and a quiet hotel faces the municipal park, with family rooms sleeping up to four. The streets are plain, but you will not be in them for long.

The southern and outer districts are where Innsbruck keeps its stadiums, its Olympic venues and its newer hotels. Olympiaworld and the Tivoli stadium are here, the Bergisel ski jump stands on its hill close by, and the Old Town is about two kilometres away.

It is a practical area rather than a pretty one. Expect international chains with mountain views from the upper floors, a casual design hotel a ten-minute walk from the centre, and hotels by the motorway in Amras or within walking distance of the airport, with free parking and a bus stop outside. Good for road trippers, match-goers and anyone watching the budget.

Igls sits on a plateau a few kilometres above Innsbruck, at the foot of the rounded Patscherkofel, the mountain that hosted Olympic downhill races. It is an old-fashioned resort village of chalets, church spire and meadows, with the city spread out in the valley below.

In winter the Patscherkofel cable car is on your doorstep; in summer the same slopes turn into walking country. Hotels are traditional and comfortable, with balconies facing the Alps, saunas, free parking and Tyrolean cooking. Choose it if you want mountain quiet at night and the city within a short bus or car ride. Night owls will find the evenings very, very calm.

The Stubai Valley runs south-west from Innsbruck towards its famous glacier, and Fulpmes is its main village, about 1,000 metres up. The Schlick 2000 ski area rises directly above, with a spread of runs that works well for families and mixed groups.

The hotels are just what you hope for in the Tyrol: carved wood, flower boxes, half-board dinners and wellness areas with indoor and outdoor pools, saunas and steam rooms. Several have playrooms and family rooms, and free shuttles run to the lifts. Come in winter to ski, or in summer for high pastures and long walks. For museums and nightlife, you are in the wrong valley.

North-west of Innsbruck, the road climbs to a high plateau around Seefeld, long known for cross-country skiing. Leutasch is its quiet neighbour: a long, open valley of scattered hamlets, hay meadows and forest, hemmed in by the Karwendel and Wetterstein ranges.

This is a place for fresh air and not much else. Stay in a spa hotel at the foot of the mountains, with indoor and outdoor pools and a natural swimming lake in summer, or in a small family-run guesthouse with a sauna. Trails start outside the door, on foot, by bike or on skis. Bring a car and a good book.