Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Information
Staff at the
tourist office
( 455 44;
www.regionhall.at
; Wallpachgasse 5; 8.30am-6pm Mon-Fri, 9am-1pm
Sat)
can help you sort out accommodation. They also organise
guided tours
(adult/child €6/3.50;
10am Mon-Sat Apr-Sep)
.
Getting There & Away
The B171 goes almost through the town centre, unlike the A12/E45, which is over the
Inn River to the south. The train station is about 1km southwest of the centre; it is on the
main Innsbruck -Wörgl train line. Trains run frequently to/from Innsbruck (€2.20, eight
minutes).
TOP OF CHAPTER
Wattens
The quaint village of Wattens has one claim to fame: it's the glittering heart of the
Swarovski crystal empire. Call them kitsch or classy, but there is no doubting the pulling
power of these crystals at the fantastical
Swarovski Kristallwelten
(Swarovski Crystal Worlds;
ht-
tp://kristallwelten.swarovski.com
;
Kristallweltenstrasse 1; adult/child €11/free; 9am-6.30pm)
, one of Aus-
tria's most visited attractions. A giant's head spewing water into a pond greets you in the
park. Inside you'll find Alexander McQueen's crystal winterscape, a kaleidoscopic crys-
tal dome and even zebras drifting past on ruby slippers in a twinkling theatre. A play on
light and dark, the Conran-designed shop is where, budget depending, you can buy a be-
jewelled pen for a few euros or spend thousands on a crystal-encrusted elephant. De-
cisions, decisions…
Trains run roughly half-hourly from Innsbruck to Fritzens-Wattens (€3.80, 16
minutes), 3km north of Swarovski Kristallwelten and on the opposite side of the river.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Schwaz
05242 / POP 13,058 / ELEV 545M
What is today a sleepy little town with pastel-washed houses and winding streets was
once, believe it or not, Austria's second-largest city after Vienna. Schwaz wielded clout
