My spouse tends to have us go to too many places . He has us scheduled for 4 nights, one each in Trento, Moena, Bolzano and Innsbruck (Austria). We like history and are also avid hikers. Any thoughts about maybe cutting this back to 2 nights in each of two of the places? I tried researching them but would like some help - this is our first trip to the North of Italy, spending 3 weeks in total starting and ending in Munich where our son is studying. We haven't made hotel reservations for this part of the trip yet, will be there in May.
Posted by
Washington DC
28965 posts
Oh, golly. I'm with you.
First let me say that I visited Innsbruck only briefly, at least 25 years ago, so, no tips from me on that one. I think I've been through Trento on a train, and before reading your post I'd never heard of Moena.
But I spent 3 nights in Bolzano in 2015, and four nights in Bressanone, a smaller city north of Bolzano on the same rail line. It's a very nice area and either of the "B" cities gives you access to the Dolomites. It sounds as if you're driving, but you can even get into the mountains by public bus and chair lift, etc., if you need to.
The conventional wisdom is that if you want to visit the Dolomites you should actually stay in the Dolomites, not down in the valley. I can't argue with that, but Bolzano and Bressanone both have very pretty historic districts. Bolzano's is larger (and convenient to the train station), and the city has several museums, including the one housing the Iceman. Bressanone feels more small-townish, but there's a longer walk from the train station to the historic center. As of 2015 most lodgings in Bressanone provided without charge a pass that covered the trains in the valley, the buses into the Dolomites and a few low-altitude chairlifts. It was quite a deal. I think there was a similar pass available in Bolzano but you had to pay for it. But Bolzano is closer to both Moena and Trento.
Trento is only 29 to 55 minutes from Bolzano by train. There are many trains, but the schedule is "gappy", with a blank space between 7:36 AM and 9:36 AM, so you'd need to do a bit of planning there if you opted not to drive (which you might, due to potential parking issues). I'd definitely stay in Bolzano rather than Trento.
Sorry that I'm not in a position to comment on Moena. I visited Castelrotto and Ortisei (Val Gardena) instead.
Posted by
OP
2 posts
We are not driving - after a couple of trips, we stick with trains and buses - wildest bus trip was to my grandfather's birthplace in Poland. I will definitely plan on 2 nights in Bolzano, between your reply and what I have read, it sounds interesting, and one day of hiking and one in town should work well. Thank you.
Posted by
Rick Steves' Europe
16896 posts
You can day trip easily into the mountains by bus from Bolzano, but you need two nights so that you have a whole day for that. We don't think of Innsbruck as highest priority, again because it's not right in the mountains, so you might stop there for a half-day en-route between Bolzano and Munich, or skip it if you prefer smaller towns.