We're planning to be in Innsbruck the 21st to 25th of December. Was wondering if a day trip to Bolzano to see the Christmas market was worth it? We aren't planning to do any skiing and I've read that the area is packed with skiiers.
Is the trip worth fighting the crowds to see the Christmas market and other sights or are we better off just enjoying the Innsbruck area?
No more skiers there than in Innsbruck. You can't ski in Bolzano while you can in Innsbruck. The skiers are all in the resorts, like Ortisei or Madonna di Campiglio. Bolzano Christmas market is pretty nice. It is at least 2 hours by train from Innsbruck.
Innsbruck is three times the size of Bolzano and has a large Christmas market https://www.austria.info/en/things-to-do/skiing-and-winter/christmas-markets/innsbruck-tirol So no, it's not worth a 4+ hour round trip over the Alps in winter to see a different mountain city with Christmas lights.
Innsbruck is great.
I never checked in winter, but in summer Vipiteno/Sterzing is a very nice village, much closer to Innsbruck than Bolzano, and already has that South tyrol vibe, a little different from the north Tyrol style. If you are new to the region you will not probably see much difference, but for example food and wines are different between the two tyrols.
I see that Vipiteno has its own Christmas market, so it could be a simpler alternative to going all the way to Bolzano. There is a 10 minutes connection at Brenner between Austrian and Italian regional trains; total travel time 1 hour 7 minutes.
We've been to Sterzing in both the fall and for the Christmas markets. It's a very charming old town, but small. Sterzing's Christmas market is TINY. Takes all of 5 to 10 minutes to see it all. Brixen is close by and has a better Christmas Market.
Hungerburg, on a plateau overlooking Innsbruck with views of the alps into Italy, has a small Advent Market open till Jan. 6.
https://www.innsbrucktermine.at/en/veranstaltungen/panorama-christkindlmarkt-hungerburg
https://www.christkindlmarkt.cc/en/markets/hungerburg/38-0.html
Hungerburg, on a plateau overlooking Innsbruck with views of the alps into Italy, has a small Advent Market open till Jan. 6.
https://www.christkindlmarkt.cc/en/markets/hungerburg/38-0.html
A day trip takes too much time. I think staying for 2 nights is better.
By the way, check the dates for the markets that interest you, but in general, Christmas markets wrap up by early afternoon on the 24th. Some do continue for a few days after Christmas, but they typically are not open on Christmas Day.
