Be dazzled by Swarovski Crystal Worlds

To find the Swarovski Crystal Worlds (Kristallwelten) at our front door was one of the biggest surprises when we arrived in Tyrol seven years ago. I never knew Swarovski crystals came from Austria, never mind the village of Wattens in Tyrol. My guess was always Eastern Europe. Given the fact that Daniel Swarovski, the glass cutter who founded the company in 1895, was born in what is now the Czech Republic, I suppose I wasn’t entirely wrong. There is still a crystal manufacturing plant in Wattens, but the village is now better known for the Kristallwelten, which is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the Innsbruck area.

Swarovski Crystal Worlds Ticket Price

Entry into the Swarovski Kristallwelten isn’t exactly cheap. I suggest you give enough time to fully explore the Chambers of Wonders and the garden to make it worth your while. Fortunately, families with children pay reduced fees. Tickets can be bought online or at the ticket office on site.

Opening Hours

The Swarovski Crystal Worlds are open daily from 8:30 to 19:30, with last entry at 18:30. The only exceptions are December 24 and 31, when the gates close at 13:00 and 15:00 respectively.

Daniels Kristallwelten. Café and Restaurant is open Sunday to Thursday from 08:30 to 19:30, and Friday and Saturday from 8:30 to 23:00 (hot meals until 21:30).

Chambers of Wonder

To me, the Swarovski Kristallwelten is about marvelling at what a bunch of highly creative people did with millions of dashing crystals.

The main attraction is the 16 Chambers of Wonder, each one created by renowned artists, designers, and architects to show off the brilliance of Swarovski crystals. Some Chambers of Wonder are more impressive than others. My favourites are Jim Whiting’s Mechanical Theatre and the Studio Job Wunderkammer. The latter is one of five chambers that were redesigned to coincide with a revamp of the Swarovski Crystal Worlds in 2015.

Entry into the Chambers of Wonder is gained through the mouth of André Heller’s impressive Giant.  The Giant supposedly watches over his treasures – which are hidden beneath the earth – after collecting them on a world journey.

Swarovski Crystal Worlds Shop

I guess the highlight for shopaholics would be the Swarovski Crystal Worlds shop, which is home to the world’s largest collection of Swarovski products. It is a unique opportunity to buy items that are exclusively available in Wattens and Austria.

Gift ideas

Read more: The ultimate Innsbruck sightseeing guide

Garden highlights

After leaving the belly of the giant, there is still a vast park area to explore. My highlight is the Crystal Cloud floating above a black mirror pool. The “clouds” are covered in 800,000 hand-mounted Swarovski Crystals.

M’s highlight is the four-story play tower for kids. He also likes running around in the labyrinth. The latter, in the shape of a hand, is another design by André Heller.

Recently, the excavations of Roman walls which were discovered while doing improvements in 2014 have also been opened to the public. They offer an important window on the history of the area. Apart from the walls, a cache of 702 Roman silver coins was found in what is thought to have been a small village along a main Roman thoroughfare.

Read more: Your guide to the Innsbruck Cable Car

Practical Tips

• You can visit the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store and Daniels Kristallwelten. Café and Restaurant without having to buy a ticket for the Swarovski Crystal Worlds.
• Check out the events programme at Swarovski Crystal Worlds before you visit. In February, for example, there was an evening light festival in the garden while children were treated to a “disco” in the play tower. Admission fees were even reduced.

• Swarovski Crystal Worlds and the shuttle bus from Innsbruck are included in the Innsbruck Card.
• If you don’t have enough time to visit the Swarovski Crystal Worlds in Wattens (or maybe your partner doesn’t understand the fuss about crystals ?) you can also pop into the Swarovski Kristallwelten Store Innsbruck. It’s near the Golden Roof in Herzog-Friedrich-Straße in the Innsbruck old town (very close to the McDonald’s).
• Locals or tourists who plan to visit Swarovski Crystal Worlds regularly can buy an annual card @ €49 for adults and €19 for children and adults.
• The Freizeitticket Tirol, which is available to residents of Tyrol, includes 3 free entrances to Swarovski Kristallwelten per year.
• Pack a picnic basket and relax on the lawns of Swarovski Crystal Worlds while the kids run wild in the play tower and in the garden.

Getting to Swarovski Crystal Worlds

Own transport – The address to enter in your GPS/navigation app is Kristallweltenstraße 1, 6112 Wattens, Austria. There is plenty of free parking for cars and buses outside Swarovski Crystal Worlds.

Public transport – The Swarovski Crystal Worlds shuttle bus travels between Innsbruck and Swarovski Kristallwelten five times daily. It departs at the Innsbruck main station (Hauptbahnhof) and makes one more stop at the Innsbruck Congress/Hofburg before travelling straight to Swarovski Crystal Worlds. Return tickets cost €9,50 and a one-way ticket is €5. Children up to 15 years of age travel free. Find the up-to-date timetable here. Tip: Buy a ticket that includes both the Swarovski Crystal Worlds and the shuttle bus. Swarovski products are sold in approximately 2,800 stores in around 170 countries. The company has production locations in Austria, the Czech Republic, the US, China, Liechtenstein, India, Vietnam, and Thailand.

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