The Innsbruck Hofgarten is a historic park right on the edge of the old town, next to the Hofburg, the Kongresshaus and the Tyrolean State Theatre. It's the perfect green escape in the middle of the city - a ten-hectare oasis for a relaxed stroll before or after exploring Innsbruck.

Nearly 600 years old, the park has evolved from a floodplain area into a Renaissance and Baroque garden, and finally into today's English landscape style, shaped around 150 years ago based on a design by Friedrich Ludwig von Sckell. The mood shifts with the seasons - lush and colorful in spring and summer, golden in autumn, and peacefully quiet in winter. Inside you'll find a pond, a modern playground, a palm house and a popular garden restaurant.

• Innsbruck city center — just a short walk from the Hofburg and old town, easy and flat terrain
• Also accessible from the Kongresshaus and the Tyrolean State Theatre side

• Some plants in the park were personally planted by Empress Maria Theresa
• A central pavilion from 1733 hosts concerts and events
• Two oversized outdoor chess boards are set up for tournaments
• The palm house displays around 1700 plant species, open on weekdays, plus weekends during summer exhibitions
• Since 2014, visitors have been allowed to walk on the lawns, which was previously forbidden

Few city parks let you stand next to plants tied directly to Habsburg history - a rare link to Maria Theresa herself.