The Nordkette cable car, reviewed
4.8 from more than 1140 ratings — much the deepest base of anything on this site, and the highest average with it. Three stages out of the city to 2,256 metres, up a mountain that is visible from the castle park and from most of Innsbruck. The written notes are consistent about the ride and consistent about the view. They are also, in one case, blunt about the price, and that note stays in because it is the only thing anybody argues about.
Going out to Amras?The castle's own admission is on the platform at the same figure its own shop asks and two euros under the door, it cancels free up to 24 hours before, and under-19s go in free either way.
Check ticket availabilityWhat the listing itself says
Included, as the listing writes it
- Return cable car through the Nordkette system
- The three stations: Hungerburg, Seegrube and Top of Innsbruck at 2,256 m
- Reduced parking at the Altstadt station
Not included, as the listing writes it
- Food and drink at the mountain restaurants
- Anything beyond the cable car
Three stages, one ticket, and reduced parking at the Altstadt station for anybody driving in. Nothing on the mountain is included: the restaurants at Seegrube and at the top are their own business, and there is no guide. This is a ride and a view, sold as such. The three stages in detail.
What reviewers found
The notes divide neatly into the ride and the top.
- Catherine, United Kingdom — rates the views from the top among the best things to do in the city.
- Mateja, Slovenia — found it exactly on schedule, comfortable, and quick to the summit.
- Per, Sweden — came back talking about the walking paths at the top.
- Suzannah, United States — advises allowing a few hours rather than an hour.
Mateja, Slovenia, found it exactly on schedule, comfortable, and quick to the summit, which is the operational half: it runs to time and it is quick. Catherine, United Kingdom, rates the views from the top among the best things to do in the city, which is the other half. Per, Sweden, came back talking about the walking paths at the top, and Suzannah, United States, advises allowing a few hours rather than an hour — that last one is the practical advice on this listing. The instinct is to treat a cable car as an hour out of a day. The people who enjoyed it most did not.
The complaint that keeps coming back
One reviewer thought it expensive for a cable car, and on the face of it they are right: this is the dearest single item this site lists apart from the city card, and what it buys is a ride up and a ride down. Nothing about the average rating makes that objection go away. Two things sit on the other side of it. The first is that the price covers three separate systems in series, from the funicular out of the city centre to the cable car onto the ridge, rather than one lift. The second is the card: the Innsbruck Card carries one ascent and one descent here, and this is precisely the item that makes that card’s arithmetic work — one of its reviewers says the cable car alone pays for it. If the mountain is on your list, price the two together rather than separately. Is the castle worth it, on the same basis.
Go up early and give it half a day. Suzannah’s note is the one to act on: there are walking paths along the ridge at the top and a restaurant at Seegrube, and a ticket valid all day is wasted on a trip up and straight back down. Clear mornings also beat cloudy afternoons at 2,256 metres.
Verdict
Book it if the weather is right and you have half a day to give it. It rates 4.8 from more than 1140 ratings, which is more evidence than anything else on this site carries, and the complaints are about the price rather than the experience. Price it against the card first, because the Innsbruck Card carries one ride up and one down, and if you are also going to the castle and a museum the card is probably the cheaper way to reach the top of this mountain.
Who it suits
- Anybody with a clear morning and no fixed plan for the afternoon
- Walkers: the paths along the ridge are the reason to stay up there
- Wheelchair users, on a listing that states it is accessible
- Anybody staying in the centre: it departs beside Congress Innsbruck
Who it does not suit
- Anybody counting every euro, which is the one recurring complaint
- Anybody with an hour to spare rather than half a day
- Anybody already buying the card, which carries one ascent and descent
- Anybody hoping for a guide: it is a ride, not a tour
The rest of an Innsbruck day
The mountain in the morning and the castle in the afternoon is the commonest shape of a full day here. How that day fits together.
Includes AmbrasAmbras includedInnsbruck: City Card Including Public Transport
The castle itselfCastle admissionInnsbruck: Tickets for Schloss Ambras
On the same bus lineInnsbruck: Bergisel Olympic Ski Jump Arena Ticket
Frequently asked questions
Is the Nordkette cable car worth the money?
It rates 4.8 from more than 1140 ratings, which is the deepest evidence base on this site, and the one recurring objection is that it is expensive for a cable car. Both things are true. Price it against the Innsbruck Card, which carries one ascent and one descent.
How long should I allow for the Nordkette?
More than you think. One reviewer advises a few hours rather than one, and another came back talking about the walking paths at the top. The ticket is valid all day, so a trip straight up and straight down wastes most of it. What is at each stage.
Where does the cable car leave from?
The funicular departs beside Congress Innsbruck in the city centre and runs to Hungerburg, where the cable cars carry on to Seegrube and then to Hafelekar at 2,256 metres. Drivers get reduced parking at the Altstadt station. The six listings, compared.