South Tyrol village to stay in December

It is not a train ride, but rather on a bus route that is very easy. Ortisei is very Christmasy with a charming village center and a small Christmas market. The trains only go to the larger valley towns. If you do not want to take the bus, a taxi is Euro 85 from Bolzano to Ortisei. That is what we do now when we go there (annually). But we use the buses once in the valley. LMK if you want more info.

Bressanone/Brixen has a lovely historic district and is quite a bit smaller than Bolzano. It still may be larger than you're looking for. It is by no means a village, and it is down in the valley, not up in the mountains.

Smaller, but still in the valley, is Chiusa/Klausen, which I found quite picturesque during a short (2 hour) day-trip.

Cortina is nice, but not really reachable from Bolzano, at least not without a very end-around bus and train route. Bressanone/Brixen is in the valley like Bolzano. In Ortisei, the Dolomites are in your face. Take a ride up the gondola from town to the Seiser Alm and the views are stunning. The Christmas Market is in the town main street in the evening, and there are lighted "Christmas Trees" built on frames in the middle of the creek running through the town. But no castles that I have ever seen, just old fortification bunkers from WW I if you know where to look further up in the mountains.

In Ortisei , at the top of the lift , it is as Sam says , they are in your face . The Sella Group , Sassolungo , Plattkoffel , and to your right , The Schlern is clearly visible . We were transfixed and remained so for hours . The chair lift just to the right of the upper ( Seiser Alm ) station will take you down to the floor of the meadow and hiking around the area is a delight with ever changing light and views . Make certain that you have plenty of memory in your camera , the shots are breathtaking . If you do change your mind about the bus , you can jump on right outside the train station and the 170 and 350 go to Antonius Platz in the center of town . The 350 takes just under an hour , the 170 , a local bus , another half hour . Sam mentions the Great War in relation to the area , and reading about this will enrich your visit . Also , take the time to learn about The Ladin culture and language that is ubiquitous in this area as well .

Thanks for the replies. Originally we were planning on staying in Bolzano, but it seems to lack the charm we're looking for.

Candidly , I completely agree with the recommendations from Laurel and Sam about Ortisei , but here is another potential option - you can go on the lift down the street from the train station to Oberbozen , and at the top , pick up the narrow gauge train for the twenty minute ride to Klobenstein ( Collalbo ) . This part of the South Tyrol is called Ritten , and the hotel that would be a winner is the Post Hotel Bemelmans . This place has beautiful Dolomite views , the hotel seems a winner ( a staff member gave us a look ) , and actually has a New York City connection - Ludwig Bemelmans , the author of the Madeline stories , and the murals in Bemelmans Bar at The Carlyle on Madison and 76th , spent part of his youth here working for his uncle before his emigration to New York in 1914 . While Ortisei is indeed spectacular , this is pretty good alternative , closer to Bolzano .

Ortisei, hands down!

https://www.christmasvalley.it/nadelurtijei/en/

Roberto , In Stresa now , we took the boat up the lake and spent the day in Cannobio yesterday on your recommendation , Really lovely place , Many Thanks .

Here is the website for the bus service in Val Gardena which is accessible from Bolzano. http://www.sii.bz.it/ There is a search feature in the upper left corner that is very helpful. I believe that if you are staying in the area, your hotel will provide you with a free bus pass (Mobile Card). There might be additional ski buses that go just between the ski/hiking towns in the valley, and a late night bus route that runs about every hour till midnight.

I don't have first hand experience with the bus system - I am researching this area for summer 2019 when we will be staying in Brixen and Santa Cristina. Val Gardena seems like it will be manageable using public transportation. Have fun! December sounds lovely.