Your South Tyrol bucket list
The sights you simply must not miss
It’s well worth setting aside a little time during your hiking holiday in South Tyrol to visit some of South Tyrol’s most famous sights. The spa town of Merano and the regional capital of Bolzano, as well as the picturesque villages that surround them, offer a wide variety of fascinating excursions for every taste and every age. Here you’ll find a few recommendations, but feel free to ask us for more!
Very close to our hotel, another colourful natural paradise awaits. Orchid World in Gargazzone features a living jungle across 6,000 m2 with 12,000 orchids, exotic plants and water features, where parrots and butterflies move freely. Children can look forward to treasure hunts and a small playground.
The award-winning botanical gardens extend over an area of twelve hectares and showcase natural and cultural landscapes from around the world. Throughout the garden, you will also find birdhouses, artworks, living animals and interactive experiences for the whole family. The castle itself, once the residence of Empress Sisi, now houses the Museum of Tourism History.
The Messner Mountain Museums, the nearest of which is located at Firmian, offer a fascinating insight not only into the adventures of South Tyrolean extreme mountaineer Reinhold Messner, but also into the complex relationship between humans and mountains - spiritual, scientific, philosophical and cultural. Another museum is located at Juval Castle in the Val Venosta.
A stroll through the historic centres of South Tyrol’s two largest cities takes you past one landmark after another: the arcades, the spa promenade and the Tappeiner Path in Merano; Walther Square, the Cathedral of the Assumption and the Museum of Modern Art in Bolzano. When you feel like taking a break, simply enjoy an ice cream or an aperitivo in the sunshine.
In the Church of the Assumption of Mary in Lana di Sotto stands the largest winged altar in the entire Alpine region. This richly decorated and gilded late Gothic masterpiece is over 14 metres high and 7 metres wide, depicting scenes from the life of Jesus and comprising 64 statues, some of them life-sized. During Lent, the high altar remains closed, revealing the Passion scenes on the outer wings.
Better known as the Ötzi Museum, the archaeological museum displays the famous glacier mummy from the Val Senales together with his original tools and clothing, while also offering insights into life in the Alpine region during the Neolithic period. The museum is suitable for all ages.
Majestically overlooking the spa town, the former seat of the Counts of Tyrol now houses the Museum of Cultural and Regional History. The short walk from Tirolo village to the castle is also worthwhile for animal lovers, as just outside its gates you will find the bird of prey centre with flight demonstrations. In the evenings, music lovers are drawn to the soirées in the Knights’ Hall.
