Tyrolean evening in Innsbruck

What happens on the night

You take a seat in a hall at Messe Innsbruck and watch a programme of folk music played, sung and danced by the Gundolf family. The family describes a lively, varied programme of traditional folk music, Tyrolean dances and Schuhplattler, with typical songs and yodelling, and says its performances delight families with children, young people, students and city visitors. The ticket page lists folk music, yodelling, dances and shoe-slapping, and adds that you may find yourself wanting to dance, sing and clap along. Innsbruck's tourist board calls it an entertaining and varied evening.

The programme, half by half

The programme the family currently publishes runs in two halves with an interval, then a finale. The first half opens with music and moves through two Schuhplattler, a figure dance, a song on the singing saw, a harp solo, alphorn sounds, a solo on tuned cowbells and a woodchopper's dance, with yodel songs between them. The second half opens with the Innsbruck Fanfare and includes a zither solo, a miller's dance, a jealousy dance, a wooden xylophone, a cowbell dance, a miners' dance and a march of the mountaineers. The family says the programme is subject to alterations, and that recordings of its songs and dances are sold in the interval or after the performance.

Read next: Alphorn, zither and singing saw

Show only or dinner

The ticket page offers the show with a drink or the show with a three-course dinner, and you choose when you book. The family says the dinner is served either before the show or during the programme, and the booking calendar shows the start times for your day. The family describes traditional dishes made from local products, plus a vegetarian alternative, and asks guests with other dietary needs to get in touch. The ticket lists 1.5 to 3 hours, depending on the option, and Innsbruck's tourist board says a classic Tyrolean three-course menu is served if ordered in advance.

What reviews say about the dinner

Reviews on the ticket page agree about the performance and differ about the food. One reviewer calls the meal just average and suggests skipping it to attend the show alone. A reviewer from Germany describes a great show after a good meal, one from France a good, typical Austrian meal, and one from the United States excellent food. The page's own summary says some travellers find the dinner could be better, citing uneven quality and limited vegetarian choices. Read together, the reviews describe a meal that pleases some guests and underwhelms others, with the show praised in both cases.

Choosing between the two

The family lists the same programme for both options, so the show itself does not change. Take the drink-only ticket if the music and dancing are the point and you would rather eat elsewhere in Innsbruck. Take the dinner if you want one evening in one hall and a meal is part of the plan. If a diet matters, ask the family before choosing dinner: a vegetarian reviewer on the ticket page skipped the meal because they saw no option, although the family's page lists a vegetarian alternative and other local vegetarian dishes on request.

Who plays

The family says the brothers Franz, Konrad and Ernst Gundolf formed the Alpenbühne Geschwister Gundolf in 1967 and began with Tyrolean evenings at the Gasthaus Stiftskeller in Innsbruck, alongside their father Kurt and the sisters Fini and Edith. The ticket page calls the family a staple in Innsbruck since 1967, and the family describes itself as carrying a piece of popular culture into the third generation. A reviewer on the ticket page praised the generations on stage. The full story is in the guide to the family. It adds that the group grew in size over the years with first-class singers, musicians and dancers.

Read next: The Gundolf family since 1967

Is it touristy?

Partly, and the family says as much in its own way. Its page states that guests do not meet excessive kitsch, but Tyrolean customs and traditional folk music presented with emotion and joie de vivre. A reviewer quoted there calls the evening rather touristy, yet says the performers played and danced with such passion that you felt included. The family also says the programme consists exclusively of traditional folk music, which Wikipedia separates from the Volkstümliche Musik heard on broadcasts and merchandise, so the evening aims at the first kind. Another reviewer, from Romania, found the hosts warm and attentive.

Who this isn't for

It is a poor fit for anyone who wants a quiet dinner, because the ticket page says you may find yourself wanting to dance, sing and clap along. It is not for listeners who want modern or fusion music, since the family says its programme is exclusively traditional. It does not suit a tight schedule either: the ticket lists 1.5 to 3 hours, so check the length of your option against the rest of the evening. And if you hope to follow every spoken word, remember that the programme is mostly songs, dances and instrumental pieces.

Arriving at the hall

One reviewer on the ticket page suggested the hall needed someone at the door to greet people, check tickets and explain how things worked, saying many guests seemed confused until they found their way. Another reviewer, quoted by the family, was shown to reserved front-row seats and accompanied there. Have your confirmation to hand, allow extra time for a large exhibition site, and ask the staff where to go. The staff were friendly once guests found them, the first reviewer adds. Innsbruck's tourist board says the hall impresses with its central location at Messe Innsbruck.

Booking the ticket or the family's own shop

A GetYourGuide ticket for this evening lists free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund, and a reserve now, pay later option. The family sells tickets in its own ticket shop on its own terms, and its page lists discount codes of 25% for the Innsbruck Card and 15% for the Welcome Card, with a valid card shown on arrival. Innsbruck's tourist board repeats both figures. The family's page ties the codes to its own shop, so choose one route and read its terms before you pay.

Fitting it into a day in Innsbruck

Innsbruck's tourist board says tram line 1 reaches the hall from the city centre in just a few minutes, which leaves the day free for the Old Town. Wikipedia says the Golden Roof there was completed in 1500 for Emperor Maximilian I, and that the Court Church holds his cenotaph. Build the day around the start time in your booking calendar rather than a guess, keep the Old Town for the daylight hours, and use the guide to Innsbruck around the evening for the places that sit nearby and the practical guide for the route to the hall.

Read next: Innsbruck around the evening