3 Things You Wont Want to Miss at Kristallwelten – The Home of Swarovski
Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend but Swarovski Crystal is much nicer to her wallet. I have long been shopping and stocking up on Swarovski for years (thanks to my mom’s influence and Swarovski passion) so I couldn’t pass up a chance to head to their headquarters and museum, Kristallwelten, or essentially Crystal World.
Museum
If you are heading this way, don’t just head to the café and gift store, make sure you buy a ticket and head into their museum/art exhibit. It’s not your typical art – there is room after room of interactive and stunning work done by different artists to create different worlds.
From a mesmerizing, revovlving crystal tree, forrest of crystals, to a room of love and indian inspiration, every turn puts you in awe of the shimmering beauty and creativity of the crystal art. The last exhibit is the one you would expect – jewelry and clothing – and it does not disappoint.
From Victoria’s Secret bras to Alexander McQueen dresses to THE Cinderalla shoe – I have never had such shopping lust in my life. Which is clearly intended since when you exit the museum you go right into the massive store. Right before you leave the museum though, be sure to sit down at the virtual reality station where you can learn a little bit more about the history and science of the crystals in the coolest visual way!
The Store
There is a small gift store you can enter in another area, and you may be able to enter this main store without a museum ticket, but no matter what you absolutely need to walk through the main shopping store at Kristallwelten. Beyond being the largest Swarovski selection I have ever seen, they have collections that you can ONLY buy there. There is a VIP section with the most expensive and rare pieces and there are exhibits and clothing displayed throughout, and they carry every line and off-shoot of Swarovski products you can find, in every range of prices. I shopped almost entirely in the Kristallwelten line which had pieces that were simple, classic, gorgeous colors, and reasonable prices. Watch out because you may spend as much time here as in the museum, and that will definitely end up costing you more too!
If you are traveling with your husband, no worries for him. There is a café in the store where he can sit and have a coffee or cold beverage and a snack while he waits.
The Garden
You may think after spending all of the time in the museum and store that you don’t need to see anywhere else but you could not be more wrong. The crystal clouds are some of the coolest outdoor art I have ever seen. You can grab yourself a chair on the grass – they are everywhere – and just relax and take in the shimmering views. If you have high energy kids, you may even want to hit the gardens first because they also have a massive indoor playground for kids where you can tire them out and hopefully they will sleep for the rest of your visit. On a day with great weather, you could easily spend your whole day at Kristalwalten just lounging in the sun outside. There is a full restaurant on the property as well. Delicious food but a bit overpriced. Still, it offers panoramic views of the gardens so you don’t have to look away.
Leave yourself plenty of time and money for this trip but make sure to keep it in your itinerary with any visit to Innsbruck or Tyrol area in Austria !
Xo
Kali