Bozen: complete city guide
Do you already have South Tyrol on your bucket list? Do it soon! The north of Italy is still relatively undiscovered, bursting with breathtaking nature and charming towns like Bozen. Oh and for the foodies among us, this really is a walhalla. If you want to discover an Italy that few people know about, this is the place to be.
Bozen is the perfect base for exploring the South Tyrol region. Bozen is a small town of just over 100k inhabitants tucked away in mountainous South Tyrol. It is the largest city and also the capital of the region. Not only is it a great city to explore the area, but you will also find castles, beautiful churches and a rich history in the area. We share the best tips for Bolzano in this article.
In this article
- To do
- Hotspots
- Travel time
- Budget
- Practical information
- The nicest accommodations
- How do I get there?
- Our opinion
What to do in Bozen
Funivia del Renon
There is no better way to explore the city’s surroundings with the Renon Cable Car. The cable car leaves every 5 minutes, takes 11 minutes and covers a distance of 4,541 meters. You eventually arrive at a station at an altitude of 1222 meters. Here you can catch the train to various mountain villages such as, Renon Costa Lovara and Collalbo. We definitely recommend you do this! You can enjoy hiking and cozy up at one of the many mountain huts found here.
A return ticket costs 10 euros. Check the cable car website for current times and prices.
Culinary delights
You can eat really great food in South Tyrol. Consequently, the city of Bozen is bursting with hot spots. Especially at the smaller mountain huts, you can eat great food. Surely my favorite in the region is Kaiserschmarrn. A kind of broken pancake. Really horribly good. And Knödel is also very tasty. This is a kind of dough ball with cheese. Not exactly diet friendly, but oh well vacation calories don’t count anyway ;p.
If you want to learn more about local cuisine and the best hot spots, we recommend booking Streetfood Tour. This is always the best and most delicious way to explore a city.
Get into the mountains!
You can perfectly combine this city with nature. In fact, just an hour’s drive away you are among the imposing mountain range The Dolomites. For example, we took an amazing hike at Seceda; a mountain peak at more than 2,500 meters.
Also read the article “South Tyrol in summer” for more tips in the area.
Also fun to do:
- Museum of Archaeology
- Visit castle Ronco and/or castel tirolo
- Do the South Tyrolean wine route
- Visit Messner Mountain Museum. The museum is in a beautiful location in the mountains.
- Piazza Walther is the central point of the city
Hotspots & food in
Best time to travel to Bozen
The South Tyrol region is beautiful to visit all year round. In the winter you can do great skiing here and in the summer the weather is perfect for hiking. The city itself seems to me the most fun to visit with nice weather. Then you can fully enjoy the sunshine here and take a seat on the many terraces.
You can visit South Tyrol all year round. Thus, the sun shines in the region for an average of 300 days! Every season brings something beautiful.
Which budget do i need in Bozen?
Bozen is incredibly beautiful, but not really budget-friendly. Overnight stays are especially expensive here, including campsites. In high season, they easily charge 40 to 60 euros per night for RV spot. Activities in the area also tend to be quite pricey. We luckily found a nice RV spot near Bozen for about 25 euros per night.
Our budget in South Tyrol:
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Motorhome spot 25 euros per night
Food and drink: 20 – 30 per meal for 2 people
Activities: 20 – 40 euros per person (for Seceda we paid about 80 euros for 2 people and a dog)
Groceries prices are similar to the Netherlands.
Gasoline prices are also similar to the Netherlands.
Public transportation: about 2 euros per person for a one-way ticket (30 minutes)
On average we spent about 85 – 100 euros per day, We did eat out almost daily (lunch + dinner) and took the cable car in Bozen and visited Seceda, among other places.
Practical information about Bozen
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Are you going by car? Before you leave, check your car carefully, as the mountains can be quite fierce.
Make sure you always carry engine oil and coolant.
With an ACSI discount card, you often get discounts at campsites in the off-season.
If you take the dog with you, you are required to carry a muzzle. Dogs must wear this in public places. Yet we almost never saw a dow wearing one.
For the nicest camping spot, we always use the app Park4night & camper contact
On narrow mountain roads, ascending traffic always has the right of way over descending traffic unless the ascending vehicle is closer to a lay-by.
In the mountains, don’t use your brakes too much, but try to slow down on your bike.
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The same obligations apply in the car as in the Netherlands. So bring safety jacket and warning triangle!
In Italy, many stores, restaurants and supermarkets are often closed at noon. Something we forgot almost every day.
What are nice places to stay in Bozen?
We decided to stay a few nights at the RV site of Montiggl campsite. For a camper spot, you pay 25 euros for 24 hours. For a spot in the campground itself almost double.
Hotels in Bozen
In winter, I stayed a few nights at the very fine La Casies in Gsies. Truly a wonderful accommodation, with great food, beautiful rooms and wonderful wellness. Fat tip!
How to get to Bozen?
It is about 11 hours away by car. It is also possible to fly to Venice or Innsbruck. From the airport, it is about a 2 to 3 hour drive. We do recommend renting a car so you can see more of the area.
We took a road trip through Italy and drove from Trentino to Bozen.
