Province of South Tyrol - information about hotels, cities, main attractions of the region. Photos and reviews from tourists who visited South Tyrol.
Province of South Tyrol is an autonomous province in the region of northern Italy in the Alps. In each language, the region has its own name, the Germans and Austrians call it Bozen or Südtirol, and the Italians call it Trentino-Alto Adige. In these places, the stories of several European peoples intersected at once - German, Italian and Austrian, each of which at one time fought for dominance. As a result, a Solomonic decision was made - the region is endowed with autonomous rights and is part of the Italian state, but the overwhelming majority of the population speaks German - 70%. Both languages are considered official, so all inscriptions, road signs and street names are duplicated here. South Tyrol and are the only provinces where this phenomenon can be observed. The indigenous people of these lands are considered to be Ladins - descendants of the Rhets, Romanized by the Romans in the first centuries of our era, who prefer to speak their native language - Ladin. The total number of Ladins is 30-35 thousand people.
In addition to cultural attractions represented by numerous castles, abbeys and monasteries, this region is among the top tourist attractions. The country's largest national landscape park, Stelvio, occupies a special place. Picturesque lakes and meadows, bordered by a mountain range, create a most picturesque landscape. The slopes here are dotted with ski resorts. The world-famous Dolomites, on the very border with Austria, are a favorite destination for ski and snowboard fans from all over the world.
The Dolomites are a mountain range in northern Italy. This is a world-famous and popular holiday destination; there are numerous ski resorts here, including Cortina d’Ampezzo, Ortisei, Rocca Pietore, Alleghe, Auronzo Cadore, Falcade. In the vicinity of the Alpine peaks, the regional administrative centers of several provinces at once - (South Tyrol) and Belluno - spread out their streets.
Administrative division
South Tyrol is administratively divided into 8 districts. Among them are Bolzano, Burgraviate, the Isaac River Valley - a district famous for its untouched nature, the Pusteria Valley - a paradise for skiers and Venosta - a high mountain valley, ideal for a summer ski holiday.
How to get there
What to do in South Tyrol?
Stelvio, the largest landscape park in Italy, was founded here back in 1935. The park attracts with its richness of flora and fauna, as well as its pristine virginity. The closest major city to the park is Trento.
In order to get acquainted with the cultural and architectural diversity of the province, you should not avoid Bolzano itself, here are the Abbey of Muri-Gris and the famous Church of St. Augustine - Bolzano's oldest attractions. To get acquainted with the architecture, visit the city and Brunico. South Tyrol's monasteries and abbeys are scattered throughout its territory. The medieval Abbey of Marienberg, also known as Monte Maria, is located in the town of Mals. Within the walls of the Novacella Abbey near Bressanone, various educational institutions have been located for many years. Today it houses the local high school.
Bolzano and nearby cities host magnificent events.
Medieval castles
Castles deserve special attention from tourists. One of the oldest castles, Sigmundskron, is located 6 kilometers from Bolzano and is considered a symbol of South Tyrol (Alto Adige). Its location gives it a special charm - the castle stands on a hill on the banks of a mountain river. Another medieval beauty - Fontana Castle or Brunnenburg - is located a little further, 35 kilometers from the capital. It was erected in 1241. In 1889, the mayor of Tyrol received Archduke Franz Ferdinand here, whose assassination 25 years later became the reason for the outbreak of the First World War. Another Klebenstein castle is located in Bolzano itself, along with the castles Marec, Rafenstein and Runkelstein.
), bordering Italy, Switzerland and Germany, is often called the “heart of the Alps”. There are more than 600 peaks of “three thousand meters”, 5 large glaciers and countless small ones, there are thousands and thousands of picturesque green pastures and hundreds of old mountain towns, clean mountain rivers and green valleys. Combined with excellent ecology and a well-developed ski holiday infrastructure, this allows the region to be considered one of the best resort areas in the world - it has the longest ski season in Austria and the warmest summer among all the mountainous regions of the country.
The combined transport system of railways and bus routes of the Tyrolean transport company Verkehrsverbund Tirol (VVT) www.vvt.at offers good opportunities for exploring this distinctive region.
West Tyrol
West of Innsbruck, the charm of old towns gradually gives way to the beauty of wild nature. Despite the fact that these places have been inhabited by people for at least 15 thousand years, they have suffered little from the destructive influence of man and are still considered one of the wildest and most beautiful in Europe. And this despite the fact that you can get to the most interesting places in literally 2-3 hours from one of the most modern airports in Austria (the A12 motorway and the main railway line penetrate the entire region right through, going to Vorarlberg), and modern ski centers are found here literally in every valley. Even the north-western valleys, cut off from the main roads of the Inn Valley by the barrier of the Lechtal Alps, are quite accessible by railway line, which goes north from Innsbruck, passes through Germany and then returns again to Tyrol.
One of the most famous centers in the region is located just 18 kilometers northwest of Innsbruck.
Traveling west along the Inn Valley from Innsbruck, you are unlikely to pass by pleasant towns Zirl(Zirl) and Telfs(Telfs), but the main decoration of these places is the town (40 km from Innsbruck).
North West Tyrol
The northwestern regions of the Tyrol, cut off from the Inn Valley by the rugged chain of the Lechtal Alps, differ markedly from the main part of the region both in nature and in culture. Lush wide valleys of the Lech River around the old city of Reutte (Rütte) highlighted by the green pastures of Ehrwald - and the jagged gray walls dominate it all ridges of the Lechtal Alps with the Muttekopf massif(2774 m) and Wetterstein-Gebirge mountains with Zugspitze peak(2963 m, the highest point in Germany). Getting here is often easier from Germany than from Austria itself, and public transport in this area is noticeably less developed than in the resort areas of the south, but the beauty that opens along the road from Innsbruck or Imst more than justifies this minor inconvenience.
Lying in the shadow of the Zugspitze and surrounded by a series of slightly lower mountains, the town (Ehrwald) is considered the gateway to northwestern Tyrol. While maintaining a rustic and leisurely atmosphere, it provides an excellent base for visiting the many mountain resorts in the surrounding area - Ehrwalder-Alm(Ehrwalder Alm), Marienberg(Marienberg), Grubigstein(Grubigstein), Lermoos(Lermoos) and Zugspitzplatt(Zugspitzplatt). And the Zugspitze massif itself, legally located on German territory, is accessible from here completely without problems via the Tiroler Zugspitzbahn cable car, starting in the village Obermos(Obermoos, 5 km northeast of the city).
25 km to the north-west lies a fairly pleasant city Reutte(Reutte), who became rich in the Middle Ages by trading salt between the Inn Valley and Bavaria. On its main street, leading from the Untermarkt square at the northern end of the city to the Obermarkt in the south, you can see all the city's monuments - Zeilerhaus mansion(home of the dynasty of local painters Paul and Johan-Jakob Zeiler), excellent Museum of Local Lore in the nearby Grunes House mansion, as well as many colorful merchant villas of the 16th-18th centuries.
The Tyrol region of Austria is considered the highest mountain region, and therefore is of great interest to both skiers and snowboarders. Here everyone will find something - for a wild holiday - the resorts of Tyrol offer many discos and disco bars, for lovers of good food - there are many different restaurants and cafes in the territories, and for proper relaxation - Tyrol offers more than 800 ski slopes. The resorts also offer sports activities – tennis, swimming pools, SPA centers, fitness clubs.
Popular resorts in Tyrol: Mayrnhofen, Sölden (Ötztal Valley), Elmau, Seefeld, Neustift, Fulpmes, St. Anton (Arlberg), Fiss (Oberinntal Ski-6).
№ | Ski resorts Tyrol | Locality | Popular resorts for skiers | Fans of ski resorts all year round (glaciers) |
||
Ziller Valley | Aschau, Fugen, | Mayrnhofen, | Mayrhofen | Mayrhofen | Mayrhofen |
|
Innsbruck | Eagles | |||||
Seefeld | Seefeld | Seefeld | ||||
Schniewinkel | Art. Yogan | |||||
Ötztal Valley | Sölden | Sölden | Sölden |
|||
Arlberg- | St. Anton (elevation difference from 1000m to 2811m, total length of ski slopes 440km, number of ski lifts 97) | St. Anton | St. Anton | |||
Wilder Kaiser | Elmau | Elmau | ||||
Kitzbühel | Kitzbühel | Kitzbühel | ||||
Stubaital | Fulpmes | Fulpmes | ||||
Silvretta | Ischgl, Samnaun | Ischgl | Ischgl | |||
Oberintal Ski-6 | Fiss | Fiss | ||||
Kramsach
| Brandenberg | |||||
Achensee | Maurach | |||||
Pitztal | Arzl | |||||
Imst | Imst | |||||
Walchsee | Walchsee | |||||
Wildschonau | Auffach | |||||
Region
| Landeck |
How to get to Tyrol?
Innsbruck Airport is located close to the resorts of Tyrol (about 100 km), but there are not many flights here, and therefore you will not be able to buy a cheap ticket, and even more so there will be a mandatory flight with transfers. The next airport close to the resorts of Tyrol is Germany's Friedrichshafen Airport - from there you can easily reach it by rail. The third closest airport is located in Switzerland - Zurich Airport - accessible by rail to the resorts of Tyrol.
The cheapest flights can be purchased to Munich Strauss Airport, since it is a fairly developed airport in terms of routes, but the distance to Tyrol will be 197 km.
Vienna Airport should be considered last, since the airport is located quite far from the Tyrol ski resort area (495 km).
From Moscow and St. Petersburg By plane you can get to Munich, Salzburg, Innsbruck, Vienna, Friedrichshafen
Today's cheapest ticket from Moscow (St. Petersburg):
- To Munich in December 2016 costs 11,233 rubles (11,422 rubles in January 2017) round trip
- To Zurich 13197 rub. (RUB 11,572 October 2016) round trip in October
- To Vienna 8,488 rubles (11,679 rubles December 2016) round trip in September
- To Innsbruck in January 2017 11861 rub. (RUB 17,244 in January 2017)
- To Salzburg in January 2017 11935 rub. (RUB 17,145 December 2016)
Using our calendar you can choose the cheapest air ticket for all airlines in the world, just enter your city of departure and arrival
SEARCH CALENDAR FOR THE CHEAPEST AIR TICKETS TO TYROL
You can get to the resorts of Tyrol in the following ways:
- Tour operator transfer
- Taxi
- Car rent
- Public transport
About the resorts of Tyrol in more detail:
- Most ski resort hotels (cottages) require bookings only from Saturday to Saturday.
- The operating hours of the lifts are from 8:30 to 16:00 (some slopes offer the possibility of skiing in the evening).
- Be sure to shop and visit the Swarovski Crystal Museum in Tirol (opening hours from 9 to 18-30)
- In the village of Terfens, which is located from Innsbruck, visit the house where everything is upside down
- The most difficult ski slopes in Mayrhofen are located on the Hintertux glacier
- Mayrhofen is popular for holidays with children, because you can send your child to ski school.
- Mayrhofen can be considered for youth recreation, as there are cinemas, nightclubs, restaurants, bars and cafes
- The resort of Sölden opens in November and ends the season in May. Vacationers can immediately take advantage of three mountain peaks, the height of which is more than three meters.
- The Serfaus resort should be considered for holidays with children, because the famous ski parks Kinderland Fiss-Ladis and Kinderschnealm with an amusement park are open on the territory
What expenses are required for a holiday at ski resorts:
- Purchasing a tour from a tour operator with an air ticket, special medical insurance for sports and a hotel (breakfast is possible)
- When planning a holiday in the mountains of Austria on your own - the cost of an air ticket, a taxi from the airport, medical insurance for sports (about a week 20-30 euros), booking a hotel/chalet/cottage.
- ski-pass cost from 40 euros per day per person
- If you are bringing your own ski equipment, be sure to check with the airline when purchasing a ticket about the procedure for transporting this luggage - many airlines include the allowance in free luggage
- if you are going to rent, then a ski set (boots, skis, poles) will cost you between 70-230 euros for seven days, a snowboard - from 60 to 170 euros.
- Skating lessons with a professional instructor for beginners and children
- Meals in an inexpensive cafe will cost 10-15 euros per person.
SCHEME OF TYROLIAN RESORTS IN AUSTRIA, LOCATION ON THE MAP
Hello! Let me start with the fact that my husband and I just wanted to get to Italy by car, visit Verona, Padua, and relax by Lake Garda. Our route from Ukraine lay through Austria; we, of course, planned to stop in Vienna, but when we started thinking about the route, the number of our wishes grew greatly. Well what can I say? Guys, on the way to Tyrol, namely Innsbruck, you can easily “get lost” and if it weren’t for work and a limited budget, we would still be driving along European highways. :)
By car
If you decide to go to Innsbruck by car, like us, first of all think about how much time you have. When we looked at the map and planned the trip, our eyes simply ran wild, here along the way you can stop at Lake Chiemsee or Zell am See. “Let’s take a look at Munich at least with one eye,” I begged my husband, although I myself understood that this was too much. All in all, guys, a trip from Vienna to Tyrol can be an exciting week-long trip, all in your hands!
Roads in Austria are toll roads, immediately upon entering the country we bought a vignette for 10 days, it cost 8.9 euros. There are options for a longer period, but we did not plan to stay in Austria for more than a week. There are also areas where additional fees are charged (tunnels, mountain roads), but there will not be such on the way to Innsbruck.
The shortest road goes through the territory of Germany, so we went. In Germany, the roads are free and there are no border controls, so you won’t even notice that you’ve been there unless you’re planning on visiting Lake Chiemsee.
I really liked the panoramic roads near Innsbruck, both scary and terribly beautiful. :) Adrenaline and delight are guaranteed, but if you were not planning on driving your own car to Austria, you can rent one in Vienna. Something like this will help with this.
By bus
By plane
There are also planes that fly to Innsbruck, the flight takes less than an hour, but the tickets are so expensive! The schedule is on the Austrian Airlines website, here it is:
Buying tickets
You can purchase tickets on the airline's website or through a similar service.
I would like to say right away that a trip to South Tyrol should be well planned (at least several months in advance) in order to avoid wasting money. This is especially true for hot seasons (in winter: from December to March; in summer from late June to September). In the text below you will find information on how to save a decent amount.)
One of the most convenient options to get to South Tyrol is by train to Bolzano/Merano or by Flixbus (unless of course you are driving your own car). Whatever city you fly to (in the North of Italy or in Austria), you can get to South Tyrol by bus.
We flew to Bergamo and from there, with a transfer in Verona (or without it), we drove to Bolzano. You can buy tickets to Verona from 5 €, from Verona to Bolzano also from 5 €.
Prices for a direct bus to Bolzano from 10 €, if you book a month in advance, you can get to Bolzano from Bergamo airport (Orio al Serio aeroporto) for a minimum cost of 10-15 € (there are often promotions where tickets can be bought for 5 €) , but as a rule, less than 14 € is rare.
If you book a week or two in advance, the prices will increase by about 1.5-2 times (about 30-40 €) + at different departure times the prices are different (the most convenient, of course, costs the most). But this is not always the case, sometimes the day before the trip you can snatch cheap tickets.
It takes 3.5 hours to get to Bolzano by bus. The bus travels in this direction about 8-9 times a day. It won’t be very difficult to find the time you need, especially considering that there is a chic shopping center opposite the airport, where you definitely won’t get bored.
About the train. Everything is very simple here. There is a website trenitalia.com where you can buy a ticket, but I usually buy it at the station, there is no problem with that. Just please don't forget to validate your ticket. For those who didn’t know about this and the information about trains is new, I’ll tell you. This rule applies throughout Italy.
When purchasing a ticket at a ticket office (or a machine), the ticket will only be valid if you validate it at the station in a special machine (there are a lot of them everywhere); this cannot be done on the train itself. A non-validated ticket will be invalid and if checked, you will pay a fine. There are checks here on almost every train (9 out of 10). If you buy a ticket online for a specific date, you do not need to validate it, since the number is already written there. Don't forget this. Since the controllers do not make concessions to tourists. At most, you may be lucky, in the case of a non-validated ticket - you will be offered to buy a new ticket on the train with a commission (not very large), and you can return the non-validated ticket (80% of the ticket price will be returned to you) or you can travel on it again (don’t forget to compost). But you shouldn’t count on this; it’s much easier to do everything right and enjoy your vacation.
You can get from Bergamo to 18 €, but the journey takes 4.5 hours and 2 transfers. Therefore, I advise you to travel by bus.
Further, in South Tyrol itself, you can travel by commuter buses and trains (again, only to Merano), and of course by car, but I will not consider this option, since I am not very familiar with it)
Perhaps one of the most important cities in South Tyrol. This is an amazing place that is definitely worth visiting, strolling along the picturesque embankment, and then laying out a blanket and enjoying the delicious cheese bought a couple of hours ago at the local market in the center of the old town and watching the cheerful Tyroleans. But this is of course if you come in the warm season.
In May it is already quite warm and the sun is so hot that if you forget to take sunscreen, your nose will certainly become redder and peel off)) Therefore, a piece of advice - do not forget to take sunscreen sprays and creams to the mountains!
Be sure to visit the ski lifts. The most beautiful views open from, but I will make a separate post about this. The photo above is from there!
Second must-see: Alpine resort - Merano, with its famous thermal springs!
The Mediterranean town, in the heart of the Tyrolean Alps, will not leave anyone indifferent. It is incredibly green and picturesque. You simply can’t cross it out of your itinerary. Just look at the small alpine village with its centuries-old history and castles.
The city is famous for its thermal springs. I believe that visiting the thermal baths is an important (although not the main) point when planning a trip. You will relax and have a 100% rest, especially after an eventful walk through this amazingly green city. I’ll definitely tell you more about the thermal baths and give advice in a post about Merano, because there’s a lot to talk about there)
Castelrotto, Siusi, Fie allo Sciliar, Ortisei, Santa Maddalena, Cortina d'Ampezzo... The list of cities is endless.
The main thing you need to know is that there are excellent transport links between all cities. The only negative is that getting to the city (to the lake), which seems to be 20 km away, can be more difficult than to getting to the city which is 50 km away. Of course, it's all about the mountains, not all roads are equipped with tunnels, and of course you have to go around many mountains. For this reason, we could not get to the famous lakes Braies (Lago di Braies) and Dobbiaco (Lago Di Dobbiaco) from the village where we lived for 5 days. It takes 4 hours to travel one way, it was such a pity to waste a whole day. that we decided to leave them for later. Therefore, keep the “range” in mind and do not forget about the time.
But in the nature park (which is located quite close to the main road of South Tyrol) there is another wonderful lake - which is visited by tourists much less often. To be more precise, there are two lakes here, in the photo there is a lake for fishing. Wonderful place and wonderful town.
Buses in South Tyrol run very frequently and on schedule. Don't forget that South Tyrol is more Austria than Italy. Therefore, you can forget about delays in public transport. In any tourist center you can find a book with the schedule of all buses in your region. You will need it.
How to save a decent amount of money? You can buy a transport pass, it will make moving around easier and cheaper. You can buy it at any information center, it’s called Mobilecard. Gives you the right to travel throughout the region for free on buses and trains (check some directions), for example Bolzano-Merano-Bolzano, as well as visiting museums or using a bicycle (your choice) for 1,3 and 7 days. For 7 days it costs about 35 €. Read more on the Mobilecard website!
Buses stop running after 8 (later in large cities), and then only hitchhikers will help you, which of course is very risky. Although I will say that the people here are friendly (during the non-tourist season), and if something happens to you or you get lost, you can always contact them and they will be happy to help you.
Now I want to tell you a little more about hotels.
South Tyrol is very expensive - and it is almost impossible to find something cheaper than 50 €, and it is generally impossible to find something good for less than 50 €. If you raise the bar to 100 €, then you can relax. There will be options, although not as many as you would like. From 100 to 200 € is already more interesting, and, accordingly, above 200 € there are luxury 4* and 5* hotels.
South Tyrol is like a big village - there are not very many luxury hotels here (although there are some very chic ones), mostly these are hotels with a cozy homely environment and with an owner who inherited this house)
For example, the hotel where we lived in Bolzano. Beautiful Villa - Villa Anita Rooms. Villa Anita is located in a quiet area of Bolzano, 600 meters from the historic center and the Renon and San Genesio cable car stations. There are many more excellent options, but this one is good because it is close to both the city and nature. We highly recommend this hotel)
Parkhotel Laurin is a very pleasant hotel in the heart of Bolzano, 200 meters from the cathedral, surrounded by a beautiful park where you can dine on a warm summer evening.
Or maybe you want to live in a 15th century castle? Hotel Schloss Englar is a Gothic castle surrounded by vineyards and orchards on a hillside in Appiano sulla Strada del Vino, 23 km from Merano. The hotel even features a Rittersaal common room with an open fireplace, and a garden with an outdoor pool and terrace. Amazing place.
A cozy hotel Hotel Rosalpina Dolomites in the ski resort of Plancios, 20 km from the city of Bressanone. It offers panoramic views of the Dolomites, and there is a wellness center and restaurant on site.
Or maybe you are a golf fan? Although no, it doesn’t matter that you don’t have to love it to live in such an amazing hotel. Golfhotel Sonne is located 1 km from the village of Siusi allo Sciliar, in the heart of the Dolomites. Which I will tell you about very soon! By the way, the prices for rooms in this hotel are very small for this region.
And Hotel Valentinerhof, surrounded by the Dolomites, is a very cozy place in Siusi.
I prefer to book all hotels on Booking.com; it’s convenient and there’s almost always the option to cancel in case of an unexpected emergency. The second option is on Airbnb.com. And if you are not registered on it yet, then get a discount on your first booking. There is also a cancellation option, but as a rule it is not always convenient.
I really hope that you liked my post and that you will use at least some of my advice. If you liked it, don't forget to like it. If you have any questions, you can always leave a comment)
Have a nice day and see you soon))!
