Terrific Tirol

Tirol is one of the nine Austrian provinces and is situated to the east of the country, bordering with Germany to the north and Italy to the south. 

This is probably one the best known holiday destinations in the world and is certainly an interesting area to visit at any time of the year.  It's wooded landscape, mountains, valleys and rivers offer the adventure sports enthusiast a whole host of opportunities.

Innsbruck, the provincial capital, lies to the east of the province.  The name means 'Bridge over the River Inn' and internationally the city is probably best known  as host of both the 1964 and the 1976 Winter Olympic Games.  Innsbruck is a charming place to visit with modern shopping facilities as well as churches, city gardens, an alpine zoo, museums and plenty of cafes for that well earned rest.  It's home to the famous Christmas Market, which is held in the Old Town area in December, in the shadow of the famous 'Golden Roof'.   Innsbruck is a university town and a centre of excellence for Alpine medicine and research.

The rest of Tirol is made up of towns and villages, which gives this region of 4,822.4 sq. miles, a very individual character.  The Tiroleans were, in the past, fiercely independent people and have repelled attacks from all directions.  This independence has helped to preserve the way of life and the province is a natural paradise.  Tourism is  a strong factor in the provincial economy but it's combines seamlessly with the traditional farming economy which has been sustained here for centuries.

Tirol is an important region for the production of hydro-electric power, a very clean natural way to produce electricity, and this means that it's an excellent place to try water sports such as white water rafting, kayaking, inner tubing and wild water swimming.

The different landscapes, from the grassy Kitzbuheler Alps and the craggy limestone outcrop of the Wilden Kaiser range offer superb hiking, walking, rambling and mountain bike trails as well as the opportunity for climbing holidays. 

In winter Tirol, or Tyrol as it's also known, offers splendid opportunities for skiing - downhill and cross country - snowboarding, walking, ice-climbing and general winter wonderland breaks. 

Throughout the year the province hosts numerous sporting events from the Austrian downhill at Kitzbuhel to cycling, running and mountain biking extravaganzas.  International teams including  the USA ski team, the Croatian ski team and the Lithuanian ski team have used  the pistes of the Tirol to train for major sporting events.

Throughout the summer months there are numerous concerts, festivals, craft markets and village evenings to surprise and delight the visitor.  The long tradition of the village band is still strong and the heritage and quality are second to none, as you will see and hear if you get the chance to attend one of the open air evenings during your stay in Tirol.