The Golden Roof (Goldenes Dachl) is the balcony roof of 2,657 gilded copper shingles at the heart of Innsbruck's car-free Old Town, and you can see it from the street at any hour, free. The museum behind it, about Emperor Maximilian I, costs €6 and opens 10:00 to 17:00, daily from May to September and Tuesday to Sunday from October to April. In winter the Old Town Christmas market fills the square in front of it from 13 November to 23 December 2026.
From 13 November to 23 December 2026 the Christkindlmarkt in the Old Town sets up 65 stalls and a natural Christmas tree about 20 m tall in front of the Golden Roof. It opens daily from 11:00 to 21:00, with stalls selling goods closing at 20:00. Every day, tower brass players play Christmas music from the Golden Roof balcony itself, and 20 fairy-tale figures and 5 giants stand in the surrounding lanes.
The Golden Roof Museum keeps its winter hours, Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00, and is closed on 1 December, 24 to 26 December 2026 and 31 December to 1 January 2027. A guided Christmas walk with a licensed guide is a good way to find the quieter lanes.
Innsbruck Christmas markets 2026: dates, hours and where to stay
GetYourGuide · 5.0/5 from 3 reviews
A private Advent walk through Innsbruck's Christmas markets with a licensed guide who knows the stories behind them: the old town market by the Golden Roof, nativity scenes, the Swarovski crystal tree and the lit avenue on Maria-Theresien-Strasse.
Departs from Your hotel lobby in central Innsbruck, the car and coach park or the station · About 1.5 hours
GetYourGuide · 4.9/5 from 69 reviews
The easiest and cheapest way to get your bearings on your first day: one hour on foot through the old town with a state-certified Austria Guide, for less than the price of lunch.
Departs from Innsbruck Information, Burggraben 3 (Stadtführung meeting point sign) · About 1 hour
GetYourGuide · 4.4/5 from 158 reviews
The best view of the old town for the price of a coffee: 133 steps up a 15th-century watchtower to a platform looking straight down on the Golden Roof, with the Nordkette, the Inn and the Bergisel all around.
Departs from Stadtturm, Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse 21, Innsbruck old town
Our take on each: Innsbruck Christmas market tour with a licensed guide · Innsbruck walking tour of the old town (Welcome Tour) · Innsbruck City Tower tickets (Stadtturm).
Where to stay for this
Altstadt (old town), Innsbruck old town · 4 stars · 43 rooms
Historic family-run inn in the car-free old town, a minute from the Golden Roof
A historic family-run inn in the car-free old town, a minute from the Golden Roof; for couples and first-time visitors.
From £139 a night
Altstadt (old town), Innsbruck old town · 4 stars · 48 rooms
Design hotel in a 15th-century house a minute from the market square
A characterful design hotel in a 15th-century old town house, a minute from the Golden Roof; ideal for couples and city breaks.
From £147 a night
Altstadt (old town), Innsbruck old town · Hotel
Small family inn in the old town with Tyrolean cooking downstairs
A small family-run inn in the old town, with Tyrolean cooking downstairs and breakfast on the terrace; best for couples.
From £148 a night
In summer the Golden Roof Museum opens every day, 10:00 to 17:00, from May to September. The Old Town is the start of most summer evenings: in July 2026 the Innsbruck Promenade Concerts filled the inner courtyard of the Hofburg next door from 3 to 30 July, and the Festival of Early Music played in historic venues across the city from 24 July to 30 August 2026. The 2027 dates were not yet published in October 2026.
The Hungerburgbahn to the Nordkette leaves from the Congress station a few minutes' walk away, so a morning on the mountain and an afternoon in the lanes fits easily into one day.
GetYourGuide · 4.9/5 from 69 reviews
The easiest and cheapest way to get your bearings on your first day: one hour on foot through the old town with a state-certified Austria Guide, for less than the price of lunch.
Departs from Innsbruck Information, Burggraben 3 (Stadtführung meeting point sign) · About 1 hour
GetYourGuide · 5.0/5 from 44 reviews
A private food walk where the stories matter as much as the tastings: three and a half hours with a licensed guide, Tyrolean specialities along the way and a sweet finish in a traditional café.
Departs from Pick-up from your hotel in central Innsbruck · About 3.5 hours
GetYourGuide · 5.0/5 from 97 reviews
A private, 90-minute walk round Innsbruck's best sights with a licensed guide who works to your interests, for one price per group of up to 10.
Departs from Your hotel in central Innsbruck or an agreed meeting point · About 1.5 hours
Our take on each: Innsbruck walking tour of the old town (Welcome Tour) · Innsbruck private food tour with a licensed guide · Innsbruck private city tour with a licensed guide.
Where to stay for this
Old town, on the Inn, Innsbruck old town · 4 stars
Four-star spa hotel by the Inn at the old town edge, pool open around the clock
Four-star spa hotel by the Inn at the old town edge, with a pool open around the clock; for couples and skiers.
From £231 a night
Mariahilf, across the Inn from the old town, Innsbruck old town · 4 stars · 29 rooms
Family-run four-star in the painted riverside houses facing the old town
A small, family-run four-star in the painted riverside houses facing the old town; a warm choice for couples and families.
From £137 a night
City centre, edge of the old town, Innsbruck city centre · Hotel · 51 rooms
Family-run city hotel three minutes from the Golden Roof
Family-run city hotel three minutes from the Golden Roof, with ski storage and a pine breakfast room; suits skiers and city breaks.
From £130 a night
Golden Roof Museum: €6 standard, €3 reduced, €12.50 family, under 6 free. A combined ticket with the City Museum costs €7.20, and Golden Roof, City Museum and City Tower together €10.50 (family €21). The museum covers the time of Maximilian I and has children's stations and a puzzle trail.
The City Tower in the Old Town gives a view over the roofs, and its tickets are also sold online. The Golden Roof Museum is included in the Innsbruck Card, and both are among the city experiences in the SKI plus CITY Pass.
Innsbruck Card: prices, what's included and whether it is worth it
GetYourGuide · 4.4/5 from 158 reviews
The best view of the old town for the price of a coffee: 133 steps up a 15th-century watchtower to a platform looking straight down on the Golden Roof, with the Nordkette, the Inn and the Bergisel all around.
Departs from Stadtturm, Herzog-Friedrich-Strasse 21, Innsbruck old town
GetYourGuide · 4.7/5 from 576 reviews
The best-value way to see Innsbruck if you plan a full day or two of sightseeing: the Nordkette cable cars, Swarovski Crystal Worlds with its shuttle, the museums and all the city buses and trams on one card.
Departs from Innsbruck Information, Burggraben 3, at the entrance to the old town
Our take on each: Innsbruck City Tower tickets (Stadtturm) · Innsbruck Card with public transport.
The Old Town is a car-free area in the city centre, at the northern end of Maria-Theresien-Strasse and within walking distance of the Hauptbahnhof. Most IVB lines stop nearby, and the Hungerburgbahn's Congress/Altstadt station on Rennweg is just north of the Hofburg.
Getting to Innsbruck: by train from Munich, Zurich, Vienna and Verona, by air and by car
An hour covers the Golden Roof, the museum and a walk through the lanes; add another hour for the City Tower and the Hofburg courtyard. A guided walk such as the Welcome Tour gives the history in about the time you would spend wandering on your own.
A guide brings the medieval houses and Habsburg stories to life. The Per Pedes Welcome Tour is the low-cost group option; private city highlights and food walks with a licensed guide suit couples and small groups who want to taste Tyrolean specialities along the way.
GetYourGuide · 4.9/5 from 69 reviews
The easiest and cheapest way to get your bearings on your first day: one hour on foot through the old town with a state-certified Austria Guide, for less than the price of lunch.
Departs from Innsbruck Information, Burggraben 3 (Stadtführung meeting point sign) · About 1 hour
GetYourGuide · 5.0/5 from 44 reviews
A private food walk where the stories matter as much as the tastings: three and a half hours with a licensed guide, Tyrolean specialities along the way and a sweet finish in a traditional café.
Departs from Pick-up from your hotel in central Innsbruck · About 3.5 hours
GetYourGuide · 5.0/5 from 6 reviews
A proper Tyrolean meal spread across four or more stops: cheese and cured meats, Käsespätzle, Gröstl, goulash or dumplings and apple strudel, with a glass of wine and a local beer.
Departs from Liberation Monument, Eduard-Wallnöfer-Platz (Landhausplatz), Innsbruck · About 3 hours
Our take on each: Innsbruck walking tour of the old town (Welcome Tour) · Innsbruck private food tour with a licensed guide · Innsbruck food tour: traditional Tyrolean dishes.
The Hofburg and the Court Church are a few minutes' walk away, and the Tyrolean Folk Art Museum shares the Court Church entrance. The Golden Roof combines well with them into a full culture day.
Hofburg and Court Church Innsbruck: tickets, opening hours and what to see
GetYourGuide
One of the finest folk-culture collections in the Alps, a few steps from the Hofburg and open every day.
Departs from Tiroler Volkskunstmuseum, beside the Hofkirche, Innsbruck city centre · About 1 to 1.5 hours
GetYourGuide · 4.8/5 from 33 reviews
A lively one-hour introduction to Tyrol that works in any weather: five rooms of holograms, virtual reality and 360-degree projections, right in the shopping centre on Maria-Theresien-Strasse.
Departs from Kaufhaus Tyrol, Maria-Theresien-Strasse 31, Innsbruck · About 1 hour; shows every 20 minutes
Our take on each: Tyrolean Folk Art Museum tickets (Volkskunstmuseum Innsbruck) · Experience Tirol immersive show in Innsbruck.
Yes. The roof is on the front of the building in the Old Town and can be seen from the street at any time. Only the museum inside charges entry, €6 for adults.
From May to September it opens daily 10:00 to 17:00. From October to April it opens Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 to 17:00 and is closed on Mondays. It is also closed on 3 and 4 November, 1 December, 24 to 26 December 2026 and 31 December 2026 to 1 January 2027.
There are 2,657 gilded copper shingles.
The Old Town Christkindlmarkt runs from 13 November to 23 December 2026, daily 11:00 to 21:00, with goods stalls closing at 20:00. Brass players play from the Golden Roof every day.
Yes. The Golden Roof Museum is one of the 22 museums and sights included in the Innsbruck Card.
Sources: innsbruck.gv.at, ski-plus-city.com, christkindlmarkt.cc, christkindlmarkt.cc, promenadenkonzerte.at, tyrol.tl, nordkette.com, oebb.at, tiroler-landesmuseen.at. Checked October 2026.
