Kufstein sits at the point where the Inn River cuts through a dramatic limestone gorge on the Austrian-German border, and the medieval fortress perched on the rock above the old town is visible for kilometres in every direction. It is one of the best-preserved fortresses in Tyrol and the natural centrepiece of a town that otherwise feels pleasantly unhurried — good cafes, a handful of wine bars, and streets lined with painted facades in the style typical of this corner of Austria.
The town has long been a crossing point between Bavaria and Tyrol, and the fortress reflects that strategic past: its walls were contested by the Habsburgs and Bavarian dukes for centuries before becoming definitively Austrian in 1504. Today visitors can walk the ramparts and visit the impressive Heroes' Organ, a massive outdoor pipe organ installed in 1931 that plays a short daily recital audible across the valley. You reach the fortress by the Festungsbahn funicular from the old town square.
Kufstein is an excellent base for the surrounding Kaiserwinkl region: the Wilder Kaiser mountains rise dramatically to the south, offering hiking in summer and skiing in winter, and the Inn valley promenade and cycling route pass through town. The Kaiserbad spa complex on the eastern edge of town is popular with families, and the Kaisertal valley to the east leads up into the mountains past the Tischofer Cave, one of the most important Ice Age sites in the Alps. It is easily reached from Innsbruck (45 minutes by train) or Salzburg (one hour), and sits just a few kilometres from the German border crossing into Rosenheim.