Travels with Tricia

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Spring Blooms & Strudel: A Day Trip to Innsbruck, Austria

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Tricia A. Mitchell

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The mountains were snow-capped, yet flowers were emerging when Shawn and I made an early-spring day trip to Innsbruck, Austria.

Shawn and I had been cooped up for much of the winter, so once we got to Innsbruck, we opted to stay outside as much as possible to soak up the sunshine. We strolled Innsbruck’s cobbled streets. We enjoyed seeing the spring blooms in a park and marveled at the views of the majestic mountains. We also admired Innsbruck’s most famous sight—the Golden Roof (Goldenes Dachl). This celebrated 16th-century landmark features more than 2,500 gilded copper tiles. Emperor Maximilian I had the roof built to commemorate his wedding. In later years, he and his wife, Bianca Maria Sforza, took advantage of their front-row seats underneath the glittering roof to watch events in the square below.

It was still a tad chilly in March, so we warmed up at two eateries. First, we had a lovely lunch at Himal, a Nepalese restaurant. We feasted on lentil papadums with cumin seeds, chicken in a creamy cardamom sauce, and chickpeas and potatoes in a spicy ginger sauce. We drank mango lassis and ginger-pepper tea.

Before we headed back to Germany, we also made a pilgrimage to Cafe Kröll, which claims to have the largest variety of Strudel in Innsbruck’s Old Town. We sipped cappuccinos and partook in Austria’s signature dessert. In addition to their standard strudel (made with wheat flour), I was ecstatic that Cafe Kröll had strudel without gluten (Glutenfreier Strudel). They had many tempting filling options, including mango, rhubarb, and plum, but I opted for the classic apple variety.

A statue in the foreground overlooked by snow-capped mountains in Austria.
The dramatic peaks of the Nordkette Range.
Purple and white flowers in springtime
A slice of Strudel on a white plate, along with a napkin and fork.
I was delighted to find this scrumptious slice of gluten-free apple Strudel at Cafe Kröll.
A couple stands in front of Innsbruck's Golden Roof (Goldenes Dachl) building.
Me and Shawn in front of the Golden Roof (Goldenes Dachl). The “roof” is like an oriel or bay window, except the top part is not enclosed.

Where in the World?

Planning Pointers:

  • We started our day in Oberammergau, Germany, where we hopped on the train. We had a connection in nearby Murnau and made it to Innsbruck, Austria’s fifth-largest city, in about 2.5 hours.
  • To explore train timetables and ticket prices, see Deutsche Bahn, Germany’s national railway company.

Photography & text © Tricia A. Mitchell. All Rights Reserved.

Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar

About the author

Hi! My name is Tricia Mitchell. I delight in telling stories about my slow travels through more than 65 countries. Some of my highlights have included sharing meals with locals in Armenia, Cambodia, and Tunisia; sipping sparkling wine with French cousins in Alsace; milking goats in a sleepy Bulgarian village; and training with a Japanese mine-clearance team in Laos. My husband, Shawn, and I are based in France’s Loire Valley.

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19 responses to “Spring Blooms & Strudel: A Day Trip to Innsbruck, Austria”

  1. Pamela McCaster Avatar
    Pamela McCaster

    Beautiful! I’ll catch up soon. 💜

    Reply
    1. Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar
      Tricia A. Mitchell

      Hi Pam, it was a fantastic little day-trip (two years ago, time certainly flies)! Hope you’re well, and look forward to catching up.

      Reply
  2. Bama Avatar
    Bama

    I’ve only been to Vienna, but that visit gave me a good long-lasting impression of Austria. The gluten-free apple strudel you had looks really delicious, the weather perfect, and that view of the snow-capped mountain glorious! Sounds like a day well spent, Tricia.

    Reply
    1. Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar
      Tricia A. Mitchell

      Hi Bama, it’s nice to hear from you! Vienna is a city that I’ve not yet had the pleasure to truly explore. Did you visit any of the coffee houses while you were there? Visit any museums? Or simply stroll the city’s streets and soak up the grand architecture? I’ll have to pop over to your website to see if you have any posts about Austria.

      Reply
      1. Bama Avatar
        Bama

        I think I only went to Café Central. It was my cousin’s Austrian friend who took us there. Throughout our three-night stay, we went to the Hofburg, Schönbrunn Palace, the Natural History Museum, the University of Vienna, the Karlskirche, St. Stephen’s Cathedral, and we even toured the parliament building and briefly visited the VIC (the UN city). Gosh, I miss Vienna so much after mentioning those names! Unfortunately, back then I didn’t take a lot of photos like I do today when I travel.

      2. Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar
        Tricia A. Mitchell

        Hi again, Bama! Wow, sounds like you had quite the packed itinerary. It’s always nice to have an excuse to return a place, and it seems you have some more scenes to capture with your camera. :)

        My parents and I once had a brief stop-over in Vienna. We were driving from Germany to meet our future Hungarian exchange student. Back then, we weren’t allowed to drive a German rental car into Hungary, so we left our car in an Austrian parking lot and then rode in our Hungarian friends’ cars to Budapest. Before my parents and I arrived at that meeting point closer to the Austrian and Hungarian border, we had an hour or so to spend in Vienna. My mom thought it’d be a perfect opportunity to stop into a traditional Kaffeehaus. As I recall, we might’ve been right near St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

      3. Bama Avatar
        Bama

        Trips like this that happened before cross-border journeys became easier to do actually make good stories.

      4. Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar
        Tricia A. Mitchell

        I agree, Bama! Encountering a little adversity while traveling can make for a richer experience. In our case, the rental car challenges meant that we got to ride with our Hungarian friends, who narrated the ever-changing scenes. I still remember all of the roadside stands festooned with strings of red peppers and bags of paprika.

  3. restlessjo Avatar
    restlessjo

    Yay for strudel! 🤗🩷

    Reply
    1. Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar
      Tricia A. Mitchell

      Indeed. :) Now that we’re living in the Loire Valley, I should make the most of the abundance of apples that are on offer here. I hope you’re well, Jo!

      Reply
      1. restlessjo Avatar
        restlessjo

        Good thanks 🤗🩷

  4. Darlene Avatar
    Darlene

    The apple strudel looks so good. We had one day in Vienna and had apple strudel three times. You are both looking great!

    Reply
    1. Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar
      Tricia A. Mitchell

      Hi Darlene, it was lecker (delicious, as they say in German). I’m hoping I might have some free time one of these weekends so that I can bake something similar. Perhaps an apple crisp might be easier. :)

      And I love that you had the chance to try authentic strudel not once, but three times! Did you go to different coffee houses for each slice of strudel? If so, any recommendations for the best strudel location?

      I’ve only transited through Vienna (en route to Budapest to visit our Hungarian friends), but I hope we might get a chance to spend a few days Vienna in the near future so we can soak up that incredible Art Nouveau architecture.

      Reply
      1. Darlene Avatar
        Darlene

        The apple studdle was consumed at three different coffee shops and I do not recall the name of any of them. We only had one day, a stop on a Danube cruise, but we made the most of it. I loved the city! And I know you will as well.

      2. Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar
        Tricia A. Mitchell

        What a fun take on the progressive dinner concept! When we were driving from Germany to Budapest in the 1990s to meet our exchange student and his family, we did stop at a café in Vienna. As I recall, we had coffee and a slice of the Sachertorte. We didn’t have time to have a “progressive dessert” like you, though. Next time. :)

  5. Annie Berger Avatar
    Annie Berger

    Lovely photos, Tricia, especially the apple strudel which looked mouth-watering! Your daytrip sounds delightful.

    Reply
    1. Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar
      Tricia A. Mitchell

      Hi Annie, though I’ve just had breakfast, I’m hungry just thinking of that strudel! Indeed,I love the ease of doing day trips in Europe, thanks to the great train networks. Are you headed to Austria in the near future?

      Reply
      1. Annie Berger Avatar
        Annie Berger

        Heading out in a few hours for almost two months but to Asia, Tricia, so a different part of the world! No apple strudel likely there but will perhaps indulge in gold ice cream in Japan!

      2. Tricia A. Mitchell Avatar
        Tricia A. Mitchell

        That sounds intriguing, Annie. I’d never heard of Japan’s gold ice cream, but it sounds there’s gold leaf involved? Either way, I hope you enjoy your sweet indulgence. My husband spent a few months in Japan, so I’ll have to ask him if he ever encountered it. Enjoy your adventures!