Adventure in Innsbruck: paragliding, rafting and canyoning

A tandem flight is the most memorable hour you can buy near Innsbruck, and no experience is needed: a certified pilot does the flying while you take in the Stubai valley, the Stubai Glacier and Innsbruck in the distance. Both flights below start from the Elfer above Neustift im Stubaital, in the Stubai valley south of Innsbruck.

With Paragliding Tirol you meet at the Elferlift ticket office (Moos 12, Neustift), three minutes' walk from the stop of bus 590 from Innsbruck Hauptbahnhof; the €17.50 cable car ticket, equipment and a flight certificate are included, and the weight limit is 110 kg. With AIR 4 YOU you ride the gondola up yourself (the ticket is included) and meet your pilot at the launch site. Time in the air depends on the weather, roughly 10 minutes either way of the planned flight, and photos and video can be added.

The Imster Schlucht, on the Inn between Imst and Haiming west of Innsbruck, is a 14 km rafting run through a gorge with rapids named Chaos, Oetzschlag and the Memminger Walze. Guides choose the beginner or family option for first-timers, and the tour takes about 2.5 to 3.5 hours.

You meet at the outdoor centre, change into full white-water gear including shoes, and ride the transfer to the put-in at Imst. Afterwards there are hot showers, lockers and a celebratory schnapps, with a restaurant and outdoor seating at the centre. The minimum age is 10, and non-swimmers cannot take part. Bring swimwear and a towel.

Canyoning means following a mountain stream down its gorge by abseiling, sliding and jumping, and the beginner tour in the Alpenrosen canyon in the Ötztal is a good first try. A minibus takes you from the outdoor centre to the canyon entrance, and after a safety briefing you abseil from a bridge, slide down a water chute and reach the highlight: a natural water slide 8 m long and 5 m high, worn by the water over thousands of years.

Every jump and slide can be abseiled or avoided, so nervous beginners stay in control. The tour takes about 3.5 hours, with abseils of up to 15 m; the minimum age is 12, and you need to be able to swim. Warm showers and a farewell drink wait at the end.

A guided e-bike tour is the easiest way to get above the city without a cable car. The four-hour Scenic eBike Mountain Tour meets at the Markthalle on the Marktplatz, follows the river and then climbs about 400 m on forest roads to a viewpoint over the city and a 13th-century castle ruin, before rolling into a medieval old town about 10 km from Innsbruck for a coffee or an ice cream and returning along the Inn.

Groups are small (up to five), the guide is a certified mountain bike guide, and the tour is in English. E-bike hire with a helmet costs €50 extra, paid on the day. It suits riders aged 12 to 70 with reasonable fitness who are comfortable on a bike.

The Bikepark Innsbruck is on the Muttereralm above Mutters, served by the cable car that ran from 22 May to 31 October in summer 2026. It has trails, a pumptrack and dual slalom, a Rookie Park for beginners and a jump line. In 2026 an adult day ticket cost €57 (from €44 online at least three days ahead), a four-hour ticket €48 and a single ride €9.

For a gentler thrill, the Muttereralm mountain carts run down a fenced 5 km course from the top to the valley station, daily from 09:30 to 16:30, for €16 a ride plus the lift. Children under 10 or under 150 cm ride with an adult; closed shoes and photo ID are required.

The Innsbrucker Klettersteig starts at the Hafelekar top station and follows the ridge of the Nordkette over the Seegrubenspitze and the Kaminspitzen, with an original suspension bridge on the first section. It is graded B to C with C/D passages, so it suits people with some via ferrata experience. The first section takes about four hours plus an hour's descent to Seegrube; the full route about six hours plus 1.5 hours.

A full gear set can be hired for €25 a day at the Nordkette Shop at Seegrube (pre-book by the day before, bring photo ID and your own gloves). The route opens once the snow has gone; avoid it when thunderstorms are forecast. For children from age 8, the Sagen-Klettersteig on the Glungezer is a gentler start.

The Olympic ice track in Igls normally offers a summer bob from May to mid October: a piloted run at up to 100 km/h for €45, for children from 12 years or 130 cm. Olympiaworld says the summer bob is closed for construction and returns in summer 2027; dates are not yet set.

The pilot-free bobraft, where up to four guests race the 1,270 m ice track at up to 95 km/h, runs in winter only (from age 10, €45), so keep it for a winter visit.