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The bell tower of the drowned village of Curon rising from Lake Resia, with forested mountains behind
Trauttmansdorff Castle above its terraced gardens and pond, with the mountains around Merano behind
The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, home of Ötzi the Iceman, on a street corner
A detail of the Cycle of the Months frescoes in the Torre Aquila, with a walled castle and carts in a winter landscape

Things to do in Trentino-Alto Adige: Dolomites and towns

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Photo: Carlo Pelagalli, CC BY-SA 3.0

Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle, Merano

Walk the botanical gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle in Merano

Photo: Steinsplitter, CC BY-SA 3.0

South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano

Meet Ötzi, the 5,300-year-old Iceman, in Bolzano

Photo: Hubert Berberich, CC BY 3.0

Castello del Buonconsiglio, Trento

See the frescoed Cycle of the Months in Trento's castle

Check dates and prices

Photo: Harrie Gielen, CC BY-SA 4.0

Trentino-Alto Adige is Italy's northernmost region, made of two self-governing provinces: Trentino around Trento in the south, and South Tyrol, Alto Adige in Italian and Südtirol in German, around Bolzano in the north, where German is the main language and most places have two names. Most of the Dolomites lie here, and they have their own page with the lakes, cable cars and walks worth planning around. In the far west, the Stelvio Pass road climbs out of the Val Venosta, the same valley where a 14th-century bell tower rises from Lake Resia, the reservoir that drowned the village of Curon, Graun in German, in 1950.

This page covers the three towns that each fill a day: Bolzano for Ötzi, the Iceman who lived about 5,300 years ago; Trento for the castle of its prince-bishops and its Gothic frescoes of the months; and Merano for the gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle.

Places in this region

4 things to do in Trentino-Alto Adige

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The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology in Bolzano, home of Ötzi the Iceman, on a street corner

Meet Ötzi, the 5,300-year-old Iceman, in Bolzano

South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology, Bolzano

2 hoursBook ahead

A man found in the ice at 3,210 metres, about 45 when he died with an arrowhead in his shoulder.

A detail of the Cycle of the Months frescoes in the Torre Aquila, with a walled castle and carts in a winter landscape

See the frescoed Cycle of the Months in Trento's castle

Castello del Buonconsiglio, Trento

2 to 3 hoursGo alone or with a tour

Courtly life beside farm work through the year, painted around 1400 in a tower room of the prince-bishops' castle.

Check dates and pricesPrivate guided castle visit up to the Torre Aquila
Trauttmansdorff Castle above its terraced gardens and pond, with the mountains around Merano behind

Walk the botanical gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle in Merano

Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle, Merano

Half a dayNo booking needed

About 80 garden landscapes on a slope with 100 metres of drop, from forests of the world to Mediterranean sun gardens.

Hairpin bends on the South Tyrol side of the Stelvio Pass

Drive the 48 hairpins of the Stelvio Pass

South Tyrol / Lombardy border

Half a day over the top and backFree

Climb to 2,757 metres on the highest pass road in the Eastern Alps, through 48 tight hairpins, each numbered on a stone.

Plan your trip

  • Which places to pick

    For the mountains, base yourself in one Dolomite valley rather than moving every night: the Dolomites page explains which valley suits which sights. Bolzano and Trento each deserve a day and sit on the main railway, and Merano is a short train ride from Bolzano. Drive the Stelvio on the way in or out, from the Val Venosta.

  • Getting around

    The Brenner railway from Verona runs up the Adige valley through Trento and Bolzano towards Austria, and regional trains branch off to Merano and along the Val Pusteria to Brunico and Dobbiaco. Buses continue into the side valleys and over the passes. Several famous spots now limit cars in summer, with booked parking or shuttles, so check before you drive.

  • When to go

    Late June to mid September for walking, when the lifts and mountain huts are open; most summer lifts close around early November and the ski season fills the winter. The Bolzano archaeology museum and Trento's castle close on Mondays, the museum opening on Mondays in July and August. The Merano gardens close for the winter after 8 November and reopen on 26 March 2027.

Questions travellers ask

Is Alto Adige the same as South Tyrol?

Yes. Alto Adige is the Italian name and Südtirol the German one for the province of Bolzano, the northern half of the region. Signs are in both languages, so Bolzano is also Bozen, Merano is Meran and the Alpe di Siusi is the Seiser Alm. Trentino, the southern half around Trento, is mainly Italian speaking.

Do you need to book the Ötzi museum?

It is not required, but the museum recommends booking an entry time to avoid long queues, especially in summer. Tickets cost €13, or €10 reduced, and children under 6 go free. It opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, and also on Mondays in July and August.

Where does the Stelvio Pass start?

The famous north ramp, with its 48 hairpins, starts at Prato allo Stelvio in the Val Venosta, west of Merano, and climbs to 2,757 metres on the border with Lombardy. The road opens only in summer, so check its status before you go.

Other places to go

Things to do in Italy

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