Tyrolean market town in a sunny Alpine valley, known for Schemenlaufen masks and Hoch-Imst slopes.
Imst is a small market town in the Tyrol, about 50 km west of Innsbruck on the road to the Arlberg pass. It sits at around 830 metres in a broad sunny valley sheltered by the 7 km-long cliff wall of the Heiterwand, which gives the town one of the mildest microclimates in the Alps — the surrounding slopes are dry enough that almond and fig trees grow at altitudes where you would normally expect only pines. Despite this, the winters are still proper Alpine winters and Imst has a small ski area of its own at Hoch-Imst, reached by gondola from the edge of town.
Imst itself has around 10,000 inhabitants and is best known in Tyrol for two things. The first is the Schemenlaufen, a pre-Lenten masked carnival procession held every four years (a UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage tradition) in which locals parade through the streets in elaborately carved wooden masks representing mountain spirits and devils — explored in the small Fasnachtsmuseum. The second is the town's setting: it is the natural base for exploring the Ötztal and Pitztal valleys just to the south, both of them full of high-altitude walks, glaciers and ski resorts, and for visiting the Fernpass and the lakes of the Ausserfern district to the north. In town itself, the Rosengartenschlucht gorge cuts up through the centre and makes a memorable half-day walk. For travellers passing through, Imst is less a destination than a pleasant, unfussy Alpine town to spend a night.
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Day Trips
Imst is one of the best bases in western Tyrol for day trips. The big ones: the Pitztal with its glacier and the Wildspitze (Austria's second-highest peak); the Ötztal with the Aqua Dome spa at Längenfeld and the Ötzi-the-Iceman site at the head of the valley; and the Fernpass road north to the Bavarian border, with the green-blue lakes of the Plansee and Heiterwanger See along the way.
For an easier outing, drive the half-hour up to Kühtai (2,000 m) for high-Alpine air and a short circular walk around the Speicher Kühtai reservoir.
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Getting There
Imst sits on the main railway line from Innsbruck to Bregenz and Switzerland — direct trains take about 45 minutes from Innsbruck. The station is called Imst-Pitztal and is in the village of Imsterberg, 4 km from the centre; a local bus runs into town in 10 minutes.
By car, take the A12 Inntal autobahn west from Innsbruck and exit at Imst. The drive takes about 40 minutes. From Munich the journey is 2.5 hours via the Fernpass.
The nearest airport is Innsbruck; Munich and Zürich are about three hours away by car.
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When to Go
Summer (June to early October) is the obvious time — the gorge walk is open, the gondola runs, and the surrounding valleys are perfect for hiking. July and August are warm and sunny (Imst sits in a notably dry pocket of the Alps) but rarely uncomfortably hot.
Winter (December to mid-April) brings reliable snow at Hoch-Imst and easy access to the bigger resorts in the Pitztal and Ötztal. The pre-Lenten Schemenlaufen carnival takes place every four years (next: 2028) on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday — an event worth planning a trip around if the year aligns.
Avoid November and May when the gondola is closed for service and most restaurants take their seasonal break.
