Culture & Wellness Experience in South Tyrol

Arrive in Bressanone at your leisure (private airport transfer available on request) and check in to your hotel. The third-largest city and oldest town in the province, Bressanone (560m / 1,837'), or Brixen in German, is the artistic and cultural capital of the valley. Art, culture, and history have made Bressanone a vital place to be. The South Tyrolean town is more than 1,000 years old and was often a stopover for emperors on their travels and became a lavish bishop's seat. Today, it offers an exciting contrast between joie-de-vivre and reflection.
Your hotel is in the Plose Mountain area, just a short 15min drive from Bressanone. Should you arrive by train, the hotel shuttle will pick you up from the station.
Dinner is included in your hotel's restaurant.

In the morning, meet your local English-speaking hiking guide for a trip briefing and orientation, and take the funicular to the top of Plose (2,562m / 8,403'). The Plose hiking area is known as the gateway to the Dolomite Mountains. Hiking enthusiasts will find both easy hiking tours and other more difficult circular trails, all of them offering spectacular views of the imposing Dolomite mountain ranges and a selection of mountain huts for refreshments en route.
Today you will enjoy a gentle hike in the area. The breathtaking 360 degrees view from Plose extends from the Stubai Alps in Austria to the Dolomites and the Ortles. Many consider it the most beautiful view of the Dolomites, directly on the outskirts of Bressanone.
(~1,5 hours hiking, 3Km/1,8 mikes, 300m / 985' ascent, and descent.)

In the afternoon, you'll have time to relax at the hotel's wellness center & SPA or take another hike in the area at your leisure. The choice is yours!
Dinner is included in a typical restaurant of the area, serving South Tyrolean specialties.

In the morning, take a private transfer to a local apple orchard and apple juice factory. Here you will learn about the process of apple growing, the harvest, and the production of genuinely delicious apple juice. Enjoy a tasting of freshly produced apple juice and meet your driver for a private transfer to Bolzano for a 2-hour excursion to the city at your leisure.

Bolzano (240m / 787') is the capital city of the province of South Tyrol (Südtirol in German and Ladin, Sudtirolo in Italian, and also known by its Italian name Alto Adige). Green surroundings and lovely mountains frame the urban area of Bolzano: the landscape of the town closely interweaves with nature.
But Bolzano's biggest attraction is Ötzi, a mummy discovered by chance in 1991 after spending the previous 5,300 years frozen in mountain ice. Most intriguingly, he was murdered. You can see Ötzi in his fridge, kept at 21F (-6C), at the Museum of Archaeology, alongside a thrillingly vast quantity of artifacts found with him, from bear-fur hat to bow and arrows. There's also fascinating footage of the police, not realizing how old he was, extracting his body. There is also a stunning new reconstruction of how tattooed, muscly Ötzi would have looked on the last day of his life.
It's a chance to come face to face with a man who lived some 500 years before the building of the Pyramids. And on its own, it makes the journey to Bolzano worthwhile.

Upon completing your self-guided visit to Bolzano, meet your driver and reach your hotel in Merano, a short 20 -minute journey away. Check-in your hotel and enjoy dinner at your hotel's restaurant.

Located between the Ötztal Mountains in the Gruppo di Tessa and the vineyards of Val d'Adige, the city of Merano (324m / 1,063') guarantees a mild Mediterranean climate and some of the most beautiful flower gardens in Europe. Each April, the town opens its doors to the internationally recognized 'Merano Flower Festival,' attracting thousand of flower lovers and tourists from all over Europe.
A long tradition as a spa town has left its mark on Merano. The historical and contemporary architecture is in perfect harmony along the Passer River. Modern design hotels stand next to traditional buildings from the Belle Epoque. Highlights of a feel-good holiday include the new Merano Thermal Baths spa complex and the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle botanical gardens.

Our recommendation is to walk along the Sissi's Trail to the Trauttmansdorff Castle and botanical gardens. This scenic route, known as the Sentiero di Sissi in Italian and the Sissiweg in German, leads visitors to the areas of Merano most beloved by Empress Elisabeth of Austria, better known as Sissi. The Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle are South Tyrol's most popular excursion destination. Trauttmansdorff's presentation of plant life goes beyond an ordinary garden: it turns botany into an experience. It also serves as a recreational and cultural center for locals and as an attraction for tourists.
(~1 hours hiking 3,2km / 2 miles, 110m / 360’ ascent and 46m/150' descent.)

Spend the afternoon at leisure, either discovering the town or relaxing at your hotel's SPA. Tonight's dinner venue is a famous brewery offering a selection of in-house brewed beers and South Tyrolean specialties.

After breakfast, take a private transfer to Bolzano (train station) and continue your journey on your own. Additional transfer to the airport is available on request.