A city in itself

Unlike other alpine ski areas. Innsbruck, Austria, is am actual city. As a sporting destination, it features nine major ski centers in the surrounding area, with nearly 190 miles of interconnected runs (Olympia Ski World Innsbruck). Innsbruck deftly combines winter sports with culture, history, urban life and nature.
This is a city full of tradition, surrounded by small villages, lakes that freeze over in the winter, castle and palaces with majestic mountains as the backdrop. It`s otherworldly architecture mixes classic Gothic and Baroque with avant-garde style of the 21st century.
The city`s modern transportation system includes cable cars that can take you from downtown Innsbruck to peaks of more than 6,560 feet in just 20 minutes, which helps make your stay much more enjoyable. Visitors also take sleigh rides and snowshoe excursions through its forests. For bigger thrills, try the bobsled, a four-person sled that careens downhill at speeds of up to 60 miles an hour.
Families with small childen often use the daycare center that welcome little ones as young as three months and the snow garden for kids age four and older. Families also love the Alpenzoo, which includes some interesting regional fauna, with more than 2,000 animals and 150 different species. 
Life away from the slopes offers something for everyone, like the attractively designed Casino Innsbruck in the city`s downtown area. Opened in 1992, the casino is popular with visitors from Italy, Switzerland and France, who come to try their luck and enjoy opera, dance and music perfomances.
If you`re looking to unwind, the city offers a number of bars and nightclubs, many of which appeal to the city`s large student population. Check out Cafè-Bar Moustache, with its fun atmosphere and live music, and the beer hall and brewery Theresienbräu, which also serves good food. Don`t forget to try a Hugo- a traditional Tyrolese cocktail created in the area - and raise your glass to Innsbruck!