Italian flair and South Tyrolean specialities to discover
What more could you want: romantic villages, views of historic castles and palaces and a landscape bordered by flowering vines and fragrant apple trees? The icing on the cake is that you can also enjoy excellent South Tyrolean culinary specialities with fine wines. Stroll through the winding alleyways, and taste the city air on the light-flooded high plateau of Mölten.
Details about the walking holiday in South Tyrol and the Alpine Trail
Begin your hiking trip in the spa town of Merano, where beloved Austrian Empress Sisi fell in love. Before you come to the provincial capital of Bolzano and the fairytale Piazza Walther, visit Lana. The charming market town is also known as the Apple Metropolis. A cable car ride to Jenesien is also part of this tour. From a bird’s eye view, you can see the castles, palaces, Lake Caldaro and the mountain massifs of the Dolomites.
The highlights of the South Tyrol walking tour:
Spa Merano: The spa town and the idyllic old town of Bolzano let you enjoy typical Italian flair.
South Tyrolean wine route: Take time to enjoy! Because you don’t get to taste wine like this every day.
Romantic views: The Rossengarten (a mountain group), the Adige Valley and Lake Caldaro will melt any mountaineer’s heart. Because the Italians and their landscapes have a lot of charm.
Knottnkino: A unique vantage point of the Adige Valley and the Meraner Becken on your way from Mölten to Merano.
Worth knowing about the South Tyrolean walking tour
All routes on this tour take place on good hiking trails. These are mostly forest roads or paved roads. The distance is between 11 and 19 kilometres daily. If you have good basic fitness, this hiking trip is guaranteed to be pleasurable. You will be rewarded with panoramic views, culinary temptations and fresh alpine air.
Route summary
The routes lead you on nice hiking paths, on so-called ‚Waalwege’-paths (ancient irrigation systems) and in parts on forest roads and asphalted paths. The paths are easy to walk on, and a good basic fitness level is required for daily walking times between 4 to 5.5 hours.
Discover the countless enchanting corners of Meran during a stroll through this spa town, a favourite dwelling spot of the Empress Sissi. After a walk through its arbour alleys, relax along the promenade of the raging river Passer.
Along the path ‚Marlinger Waalweg’, the longest Waal of South Tyrol into the ‚apple metropolis’ Lana. On your way marvellous views of Meran and the Etsch valley until Bozen await. Through deciduous forests, you ascend all the way to Tisens, famous for its sweet chestnuts. The second section of Day 2 brings you to an area teeming with castles, in Nals the 3 castles Stachelburg, Schwanburg and Payrsberg await.
A wonderful walk past palaces and castles along the high-altitude path with a fantastic view. Part of the way leads you along the 3-castle route into the well-known wine-growing village of Eppan with its extensive wine-growing areas and the characteristic flair of the South Tyrolean wine route. Then a short bus ride into the provincial capital Bozen. Enjoy the Italian flair in the arbour alleys whilst sipping a cappuccino on Waltherplatz square.
In the morning take the cable car to Jenesien and experience South Tyrol’s most stunning facets. Starting with a unique panoramic view from lake Kalterer See over the castles and palaces along the wine route to the jagged rockfaces of the Dolomites. Walk across vast meadows dotted with horses and cattle and through clear forests with ancient larch trees until you reach the village of Mölten on the high plateau of the Tschöggelberg mountain.
The picturesque village of Mölten, situated above 1100 m is surrounded by breathtaking scenery. Meadows covered in flowers, insanely fragrant larch forests and alpine pastures right up to the ‚Steinerne Mandln’ (stony people) invite you to a relaxing walk. Nature at its finest as well as breathtaking distant views of the Etsch valley right at your feet and numerous impressive mountain peaks are a constant companion on this circular walk.
The final leg of this tour takes you across a glorious Alpine pasture scenery with green meadows and grazing cattle to the Leadner Alp, where you simply have to taste their homemade dumpling specialities. After a hearty break, your tour continues along the panoramic high-altitude path to Trauttmannsdorff palace. Please visit the magnificent parks and landscaped gardens before you descend into the centre of Meran.
ca. 5 hours
13 km
580 m
440 m
Day
7
Departure or extra days
Route information
You walk on well-maintained walking paths, on ‚Waalwegen’ (old irrigation systems) and in sections on forest roads and asphalted paths. Technically an easy tour, for walking times of 4 to 5.5 hours a good basic fitness level is required.
Detailed travel documents 1x per room (German, English)
App for Navigation and GPS data available
Service hotline
Optional:
Half board evening meal (often multi-course, sometimes outside the property, payable with voucher)
Information
Arrival / Parking / Departure:
Arrival by train in Meran.
Verona airport.
Parking: Limited number of free hotel parking spaces or limited parking spaces near the hotel approx. EUR 50 per week. Underground car park (limited spaces) approx. EUR 12 per day, payable on site, no reservation possible.
Important information:
Tourist tax, if due, is not included in the price
Bus fares (Eppan – Bozen, Vöran – Meran), approx. EUR 6 per person
Special dates on request
Sample hotel list
This is a sample hotel list. Hotels will be booked depending on availability.