We recently took a family trip to South Tyrol (Südtirol), in the Dolomites. While I won’t be writing a full trip report series about the trip (reviewing flights thoroughly while wrangling two little kids is impossible), I did want to review some of the individual portions of it, and in this short series, would like to focus on our time in South Tyrol, in the Dolomites.
This was my first time visiting the region since I was a little kid, and I was so excited to return. In this post I’d like to talk about our time there in general, and then three hotel reviews will follow, of the places we stayed. Long story short, if you love mountain activities (especially in summer), amazing food, and an interesting culture, this is a place you should absolutely put on your list.
I already can’t wait to return. There are even some cool points hotel options, both belonging to Small Luxury Hotels of the World (via the Hilton Honors partnership), and Design Hotels (affiliated with Marriott Bonvoy).
In this post:
Why we decided to visit South Tyrol for a summer trip
As longtime OMAAT readers know, I have a connection to Germany — both of my parents are from Germany (I have dual citizenship), and most of my relatives still live there. For that matter, Ford loves languages, and he picked up German at the start of the pandemic, and is fluent at this point. We’d also like our kids to have a connection to the culture, so we try to travel there when we can.
Anyway, this summer we had a month-long trip to Europe, starting in Skiathos, Greece, and ending in Sylt, Germany. Between those two places, we had a period of around 11 days. So several weeks back, I posed the question on the blog of whether there are any charming hotels in Germany or Austria that I wasn’t thinking of. There’s plenty of natural beauty in the southern part of Germany and Austria, and I’ve enjoyed my time in places like Berchtesgaden, Salzburg, etc. However, I was hoping for something else unique.
Several people brought up South Tyrol, and that reminded me that I had visited the region when I was a little kid, but not since. With my memory having been jogged, that immediately became the obvious choice for this trip.
For those not familiar, South Tyrol is an autonomous region in northern Italy (with a fascinating history), located in the Dolomites. It’s also interesting culturally, as it’s a mix between feeling like you’re in Germany (well, or Austria) and Italy, in terms of the language, food, etc.
The easiest way to get there is to fly into Innsbruck (INN), and then it’s a roughly two-hour drive. But you can also fly into Munich (MUC), and then it’s around a four-hour drive. In our case, we fly into Innsbruck, which I was excited about as an avgeek, as it’s a unique airport — I remember always flying into this in Microsoft Flight Simulator, back when I was a kid… good times!
South Tyrol is has so much to offer as a destination
I’m not going to write a detailed guide about South Tyrol, but instead, I’d like to share my big picture thoughts on this as a summer destination. South Tyrol is made up of all kinds of charming little towns, so there are endless choices as to where to stay, and there’s no single best option.
We ended up staying at three different hotels (20-60 minutes apart by car), and then made little day trips around the region. On the most basic level, the scenery in South Tyrol is just breathtakingly gorgeous, no matter where you look. It almost doesn’t look real.
Even beyond the scenery in the region, the towns as such are charming and historic. For example, one of the places we stayed was the town of Castelrotto, and we happened to be there on “Church Day” (Kirchtag), which was fun to watch.
The activities in the area are endless, from hiking, to cable cars, to wineries. It’s a great family destination, given the access to the outdoors (all the little towns also have playgrounds), but it’s also a great couples destination, given how spa oriented it is.
Speaking of spas, just about all the hotels in the area place huge emphasis on facilities dedicated to wellbeing, since that’s kind of one of the selling points of the region. So while you can use hotels as a base for exploring the region, plenty of people just enjoy the hotel facilities as well.
The food and wine in South Tyrol were also truly incredible. As you’d expect for a region like this, there’s a huge culture around food and wine, and goodness, it didn’t disappoint. I love how the food is kind of a hybrid between Italian and Austrian classics, so whether you want a wiener schnitzel, raclette, or a plate of pasta, you won’t be disappointed. Honestly, I don’t remember ever having so many consecutively excellent meals.
Oh, also, since this is technically in northern Italy, the coffee quality is next level, which I was delighted by.
I also thought it was interesting how few American visitors there were. A vast majority of the travelers we encountered were Germans, with Italians probably making up the second largest group. After that, I was surprised that the next biggest groups were from Asia (China, Japan, and Korea), which I wouldn’t have necessarily expected.
I think on the entire trip we heard maybe five people speaking American English, so that was certainly unusual for Europe in summer!
South Tyrol has a good selection of charming hotels
South Tyrol has almost no cookie cutter chain hotels, with the exception of the Four Points by Sheraton Bolzano (you don’t actually want to stay in Bolzano — it’s the industrial capital of the region). However, there are several options affiliated with Small Luxury Hotels of the World (allowing you to earn or redeem Hilton Honors points), and with Design Hotels (allowing you to earn or redeem Marriott Bonvoy points).
Personally, we stayed at the following three properties:
- Miramonti Boutique Hotel, Small Luxury Hotels of the World; this is an incredible property I can’t recommend enough, and best of all, we booked it with Hilton Honors points
- Hotel Schwarzschmied, Marriott Design Hotels; we enjoyed this hotel and it was the lowest price of the hotels we stayed at, with an amazing view, but it was my least favorite of the three (but it was still great!)
- Hotel Schgaguler, Marriott Design Hotels; we loved this hotel as well, despite some of its quirks, and in particular, the half board was really great
Even beyond the hotels we stayed at, there are many others to choose from. For one, I’ve heard Forestis Dolomites is absolutely amazing, and more than one person has told me this is their favorite hotel in the world. However, it’s very pricey and adults only, so wasn’t right for this trip.
Beyond the ones we stayed at, the selection of Marriott Design Hotels properties in the region is nothing short of astounding, and each looks charming. Beyond the two we stayed at, there are also the following six options:
- Villa Arnica is the smaller and more charming sister property of Hotel Schwarzschmied, but it was sold out on the days we were staying, and is also adults only
- 1477 Reichhalter is another sister property to Hotel Schwarzschmied and Villa Arnica, and it’s located in the actual center of the town of Lana, with just eight rooms
- Parkhotel Mondschein is another property we considered, but which wasn’t available for our dates
- Hotel Greif is a charming-looking hotel located in the city of Bolzano; I don’t have any interest in staying here, but it looks better than the Four Points!
- Arua Private Spa Villas consists of several two-bedroom villas, so it’s a great option for families
- Viglius Mountain Resort is literally located on top of a mountain and is accessibly by chairlift, so that’s cool, but probably not that practical
Even beyond the larger hotels with dozens of rooms, there are endless little bed & breakfasts and inns, with just a handful of rooms, and I imagine you can’t go wrong with them either.
Bottom line
I can’t believe it took me so long to return to South Tyrol as an adult, but I can highly recommend a trip, especially in summer. What a fascinating region, in terms of the scenery, food, language, etc. South Tyrol feels like it’s right out of a fairytale, and our family had a great time there. Now, the heat wave that we dealt with the entire time we were there was less than ideal, but other than that, we had a fantastic time, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Stay tuned, as I have a few hotel reviews on the way.
If you’ve visited South Tyrol, what was your experience like?
@Ben you could have gifted us with a review of SKY ALPS, South Tyrol's airline!
ben, i love you, but it's wild that you missed Forestis. OTOH, thank you for not further publicizing it...
I love that region and was there a bit over a year ago at The Como property - which was fantastic. I fear though that the under the radar aspect by American travelers is going to vanish soon. While nice for skiing I really like that area the best in summer. The climate and beauty of it really comes alive.
We went to Southern Tyrol 2 years ago and had a great time there with my German relatives. First off, everyone was super nice and welcoming. And, we had no problems as a gay couple with a daughter. Even so, I am not sure I would rush back to be honest until the laws change. Italy has some insane laws around surrogacy in particular, more so than many other European countries. Those target mainly Italians...
We went to Southern Tyrol 2 years ago and had a great time there with my German relatives. First off, everyone was super nice and welcoming. And, we had no problems as a gay couple with a daughter. Even so, I am not sure I would rush back to be honest until the laws change. Italy has some insane laws around surrogacy in particular, more so than many other European countries. Those target mainly Italians and not tourists but they are pretty punitive. But makes you feel hesitant if, say, she got sick and had to go to the hospital. Possible that they would treat us both as parents there. But also possible they wouldn't. Too bad, because on a personal level it was great.
You repeatly called this region South Tyrol but being in Italy you must call Alto Adige or better Trentino-Alto Adige
So glad you stayed at Miramonti, Ben! My wife and I went there for part of our honeymoon, and loved it so much that we've returned every year for our anniversary.
Only German speaking place in the planet that has great coffee
A few points. First, I think most people in South Tyrol (Italy) and Tyrol (Austria) would take offense as saying it's like Germany with a mix of Italian blended in. Especially the Austrians.
I'm a little surprised you didn't spend time in Tyrol since you flew into Innsbruck.
You could have also flown into Venice and drove up. Trent or Trento is at the southern end of South Tyrol and is quite nice...
A few points. First, I think most people in South Tyrol (Italy) and Tyrol (Austria) would take offense as saying it's like Germany with a mix of Italian blended in. Especially the Austrians.
I'm a little surprised you didn't spend time in Tyrol since you flew into Innsbruck.
You could have also flown into Venice and drove up. Trent or Trento is at the southern end of South Tyrol and is quite nice too.
Bolzano isn't that bad of a city. There is a great historic city center. It's also nicely located for day trips.
Have to agree with @Debo: Bolzano may be an industrial town but it works for a car-free Dolomites trip. The Four Points Bolzano is a decent, inexpensive points option, located on the outskirts of town and just a 2-minute walk from the Bozen Sud train station. From the main Bolzano station there are multiple bus routes that took us into the high country easily.
Just got back from South Tyrol myself. We had a few open days in-between Lake Garda and our flight home from Paris. I agree with Ben on many points, but have a different perspective on Bolzano specifically. The entire region is obviously gorgeous (the drive up from Verona is beautiful too) and the food is spectacular (shout-out to Voegele in Bolzano).
The drive from Verona airport is a bit shorter than from Innsbruck (to central...
Just got back from South Tyrol myself. We had a few open days in-between Lake Garda and our flight home from Paris. I agree with Ben on many points, but have a different perspective on Bolzano specifically. The entire region is obviously gorgeous (the drive up from Verona is beautiful too) and the food is spectacular (shout-out to Voegele in Bolzano).
The drive from Verona airport is a bit shorter than from Innsbruck (to central Bolzano at least), and you can also take the train.
We thoroughly enjoyed the town of Bolzano and would like to return. The southern part of the city is newer and an industrial hub, but the historic city center is nothing like that. It is a traditional, old world, central European small city. Insanely charming and enjoyable to walk around. We had a walking food tour one night and absolutely loved it.
We stayed at Parkhotel Modschein and were moderately disappointed, mainly because we had high expectations (there were a few service gaps). Hotel Greif and Parkhotel Laurin looked really nice as we walked by both. Also had an excellent visit at Zisser Horst winery; the family are incredibly kind and make fantastic wine.
As an aside, we discovered the region thanks to the recommendation from a sommelier. Went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant in our neighborhood in San Francisco and got into deep conversation about northern Italian white wines (my wife's favorites). The somm told us all about South Tyrol and Bolzano, and we knew we had to visit!
I also thought it was interesting how few American visitors there were.
.... Well, that might change now very soon? ;-o
It's NOT Taunus region, it's the South of the Alps region and as usual, the further South you go in Europe, the more interesting it gets.
Surprised, you did not add any snow covered photos of the road trip from Innsbruck as the mountains still had snow just about 2 weeks...
I also thought it was interesting how few American visitors there were.
.... Well, that might change now very soon? ;-o
It's NOT Taunus region, it's the South of the Alps region and as usual, the further South you go in Europe, the more interesting it gets.
Surprised, you did not add any snow covered photos of the road trip from Innsbruck as the mountains still had snow just about 2 weeks ago, when we were in the area and onwards to Lago di Garda, (Gardasee) Italy, Biggest of the upper Italian lakes, huge and looks like an ocean from one end to the other, you can't even look that far. (NO points hotels there, all small or private Resorts or Hotels, incl. Camping.
Same here, lots of Asian Visitors and to my surprise a ton of Russians. Mostly families.
I get it as well. CC referrals and all pay the bills, but Europe has so many nice boutique hotels. Some large chains have nice properties, but the best are almost all outside the big chains.
So funny - we must have been there at the same time. We're about the same age and I too had not been since I was a kid. My wife had never been, so I opted to stay closer to the more "famous" hikes, in Selva. There are countless terrific hotels in the Dolomites. While some hikes and scenery are more famous/touristy, there's really no bad location. We loved our hotels - went smaller/more local...
So funny - we must have been there at the same time. We're about the same age and I too had not been since I was a kid. My wife had never been, so I opted to stay closer to the more "famous" hikes, in Selva. There are countless terrific hotels in the Dolomites. While some hikes and scenery are more famous/touristy, there's really no bad location. We loved our hotels - went smaller/more local on this trip. A big part of why spa is a such a big emphasis is also because of the weather. It's a great activity for when the afternoon storms come in. I was very pleasantly surprised how quiet it was in June (figured it would be crazy), and the wildflowers were all in full bloom.
Our hotel told us the huge influx of Asian tourists this year is due to a big marketing campaign by a major Chinese tour company that used Saceda as the image. They said they were completely caught off guard by it lol.
Amazing destination and yes, Forestis probably the best in the area but certainly not a "must" given the huge amount of options.
Oh no don't tell the Yanks
Don't worry, most of them are not aware than anything other than Paris, Rome and Barcelona exists I'm surprised at Ben's surprise, my experience is that most of Europe is Americans-free even in summer because 95% of them congregate in the same 10 places.
TRUE! ;-)
.... who needs Paris in summer (or winter) if you can have South Tyrol with AMAZING Nature and much better cuisine, not just a dry baguette! ha ha ha
@Ben you could have gifted us with a review of SKY ALPS, South Tyrol's airline!
;-) :-) :-)
I get for the blog you are attracted to the bigger corporate hotels, but you really need to return one day and try an Adler property and so many others.
South Tyrol is heaven. Glad you enjoyed it!