One of our favourite things to do in Innsbruck is to go to the Alpenzoo. The trip starts with a short walk and then a tram ride up the mountain. (You can also hike up. It takes about an hour and you will have to be in much better shape than I am to make it pushing a toddler-filled stroller.) I didn’t get a great picture of the ride; but you can get the idea here:
The first main attraction (after the playground, which we always visit) is the bears. You can see them from a couple of different viewpoints. Here are some shots of these cuddly creature.
From the bear area you switchback up the mountain with animal cages lining the trails. There is a good range of animals and birds. The smaller playground up the hill a bit is somewhat creepy as two enormous vultures stare down at you. There is also none of the N.A. shielding of reality for children; dead half-eaten carcasses are clearly on display in the carnivore areas. (I find that reality is presented a lot more graphically to children here. For example, Annie’s book, Die Kuh, starts with a picture of cow dung being eaten by flies and ends with images of cow products, including meat and leather shoes as well as the dairy.)
There is a goat petting area at the end, but we tend to be hungry by this time (and Annie spent lots of time petting goats at Beacon Hill), so we usually head to one of the 2 restaurants.
Here are a couple more pictures of the animals, and one of the view from the Alpenzoo. Beautiful!
