Tag: USA

While I’ve taken free tours and paid tours in more than 20 countries, I had never experienced a greeter before visiting Innsbruck. I wasn’t sure what to expect, as there was no set itinerary, and few reviews to go by. That being said, when it was said and done, it was a definitely, a once in a lifetime experience, thanks to Rudi! From his emails, offering advice on timing, luggage management, to providing recommendations on where to eat, and arranging a meeting point with a 360-degree view of Innsbruck, his effort to detail were evident, every step of the way.

After a brief encounter over coffee and tea, Rudi crafted a perfect introduction of Innsbruck for me. He catered to my experiences, my interests, as well as to the areas I lacked knowledge in, and by the end of the morning, he truly completed the 360-degree view of Innsbruck for me. I rode a bus in a direction, I had no plans on seeing. I shopped for soap in a store that dated back to the 1700’s, and I ate dumplings with locals, at a counter, within a food market.

Now that I’m back home, I still can’t believe that my meet and greet experience with Rudi was so inviting, expansive, thorough, and voluntary! Thank you, Rudi, and The Innsbruck Greeters Association, for the once in a lifetime experience, I had. I recommend it to everyone!

Jennifer, Englewood, USA

Our entire family enjoyed our Greeter Walk with Rudi greatly! He was so easy to talk to and offered interesting and insightful stories about the history and architecture of the city. The kids (10 and 15) noted that Rudi took care to interact with them as well, making them a part of the experience- something they truly appreciated. Thanks Rudi!!

Annat and Alex, with daughter and son, Boston, USA

My husband and I had a wonderful time with Michl in Innsbruck. She showed us all around Innsbruck and explained its history, showed us the important sites to see and answered any questions we had about what it is like to live and work in Austria.

This was our first experience with the international greeters program however it will not be our last. Michl made us feel like we have a new friend in Innsbruck, Austria. This is a wonderful program and we are so happy we found it. Thank you.

Stephen and Barbara, Sacramento, USA

Rudi met us at our hotel and spent a wonderful 3 hours with us and showed us Innsbruck from the Olympic ski jump to the funicular station and we were able to see and experience more of Innsbruck than we could have ever expected.

Greeters is like visiting a friend and spending some quality time together while enjoying their city.

Charles and Mila from Florida

My friends and I had a wonderful walk with our greeters Sylvia and her dog Maxi.

We walked around a number of the tourist areas as well as neighborhood areas to get a flavor of how people live in Innsbruck. We also stopped in a store, selling traditional clothing, which we really enjoyed and a local food market. She made a great recommendation for coffee and pastry.

I would absolutely recommend using greeters in the various cities that they are offered. This was my first time scheduling a greeter meet and I would definitely do it again.

Stephanie from New York City, USA

Rudi was an excellent greeter and really made us appreciate the sites, neighborhoods, and history of Innsbruck. We walked through several important landmarks, and he told us some interesting stories you really could have only gotten from a local!

He was very helpful when it came to local recommendations for places to eat, drink, and visit.

This was our first greeters tour, and we really loved having an intimate introduction to a new city. Would highly recommend this experience! Thank you, Rudi!

Mary Ann from Atlanta, Georgia; USA

We want to tell you what a great time we had in Austria! 

We hiked the Zirbenweg with many other people, as expected.  And it was beautiful. As we were going to board the gondola to get to the top, Silvie, a resident of Innsbruck, invited us to join her and we had a wonderful but brief conversation.  She could be a greeter!  We hiked the Goetheweg as well.  The heat and sun were a bit much but the views were spectacular. 

We took the bus into Old Innsbruck and went to the Tribaun where 9 out of 10 customers were Americans!  It was fun to try different beers. 

But extra thanks go to Dagmar who recommended Gasthaus Isserwirt in Lans.  We ate in their beautiful garden.  Jim had Schnitzel and Susan had one of the best meals of her life… no idea what it was called on the menu but I took a risk on a fish dish… seared char I think with slivers of bacon and straw mushrooms, little polenta cakes and warm slightly picked cucumber slices.  Amazing. 

We are very glad we stayed in Igls.  Innsbruck was a little too busy (the little we saw of it).  Yet who wouldn’t want to be here!  We are lucky.  And we are so very appreciative of the time you gave us. It was a special day. 

Susan and Jim, Idaho, USA

I had a wonderful experience with my Innsbruck greeter Silvia. She took me on a gentle hike in a beautiful pine forest only 10 minutes from Central Innsbruck. She brought her dog which was a treat because I love dogs. We stopped for a cold drink at a lovely restaurant with a stunning view of the mountains. We have some similar interests beyond hiking and dogs, so our conversation was very enjoyable and engaging. Unfortunately I didn’t think of taking photos.

Thank you very much for a wonderful afternoon experience in a part of Innsbruck I otherwise would not have visited.

Judith from Berkeley (USA, California)

We had a great experience with Rudi showing us some of his favorite places in Innsbruck! He was able to give us a glimpse into the every day life of a person living in Innsbruck. He gave us a great balance on historical information, great places to visit and an insight of his life in Austria.

Ted and Jeanie from Pennsylvania, USA; February 2023