Top 5 Bolzano Outdoor Escapes: Activities & Tips

Bolzano, sitting pretty in South Tyrol, is like, a postcard come to life, you know? With those mighty Dolomites kind of looming in the background, the place is an open invite for some, like, serious outdoor fun. We have collected the top 5 ways to have open air thrills while in the amazing region of Bolzano! Read our full review: Bolzano outdoor activities Full Review and Details.

1. Hiking the Renon Earth Pyramids

So, have you ever heard about the Renon Earth Pyramids? Very striking and really, pretty awesome. Nature pulled out all the stops with this formation, which seems almost, yeah, alien in a way. They’re, well, formed by rain washing away loose soil over the ages, but hard, big rocks protect the soil directly underneath, that creates, naturally, these super unusual, like, spire-like towers, each topped with a stone “hat”. The path to get to them is very manageable, typically even good for beginners, but be warned that, in the midday sun, you will become very warm in that specific hike!

That particular place to view them most awesomely? Right from the plateau close to the village of Soprabolzano. The views that that specific point gets you? Yeah, well, they are incredible – panoramic, really. When that day ends, and you happen to look west? Yeah, you get treated, naturally, to these gorgeous sunset hues dancing all over the pyramids. Bring your camera, for sure, but your memories? Well, they are even better!

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2. Biking Through the Adige Valley

Thinking of something really flat, but, like, equally mesmerizing? The Adige Valley Bike Path seems very easy, yes, very scenic, naturally, and really super friendly for people who may be with little kids or beginners at these types of trail. So, the path sticks near to the Adige River (or, as the Italians seem to say, “fiume Adige”), which gives a constant, somewhat peaceful company as you’re, naturally, riding through orchards, past vineyards, that seem, too, impossibly quaint villages, and so on.

You can basically rent a bike almost anywhere in Bolzano, but, really, consider grabbing one near the train station. From that very point, head southward toward, yeah, Merano. The whole loop takes, that is, practically a whole day, but what’s nice is that it’s, specifically, mostly downhill (with a helpful train to take you up to where you start again) – and well, perfect for really easing yourself gently into the South Tyrolean way. As a matter of fact, if you take the path to the east of the river, you may encounter various castles, if you’re like me, and like history!

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3. Climbing in the Dolomites

If, basically, heights don’t bug you, and maybe the complete opposite? The Dolomites, almost just looming around Bolzano, could be, certainly, your kind of playground. Via ferratas – you see, protected climbing routes that are equipped with cables, ladders, and rungs – allow folks with less actual rock-climbing experience to see, for themselves, faces of sheer rock and the sort of epic heights.

So, what is nice for anyone is that several, you see, seasoned mountain guides who operate in Bolzano are there that are really, you know, just stoked on taking newbies and leading them up these ascents, safely but enjoyably! Now, before you hop in, make very, very sure you, you know, are rather OK when you are very high off the ground. And, what’s that? You have done via ferratas and rock climbing before, and feel rather intermediate and wish for an added difficulty? Check out, so too, one of the climbing clubs located very near to the main square!

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4. Stroll through the Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle

Alright, so you’re craving fresh air and fantastic views, you know? These Gardens, near Merano and that’s, just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Bolzano? They’re, apparently, just magical. They are all arranged, sort of, on terraces on a hillside, that gives some, kind of, fantastic vantages out over the valley below.

So, in the botanical kind, you can have this awesome glimpse that, in fact, gathers plant types, obviously, from all over, all around the planet – think Mediterranean shrubbery chilling, obviously, very close by to exotic palm trees! And that for me seems just cool, but the very center of that? Well that would be Trauttmansdorff Castle that, really, houses a museum about the history of tourism in Tyrol, of course including really fond remembrances about Empress Sisi’s stays. The Gardens seem really perfect for those seeking a more gentle exploration without as many requirements as serious physical requirements, but can provide anyone with gorgeous, long lasting memories.

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5. Discovering Lake Carezza

So, that location? So totally unreal it may almost, just slightly, seem as though its photoshopped? You’ll come upon the Karersee or Lake Carezza a short drive, really, from Bolzano, so what is that, as a matter of fact? Just this tiny Alpine lake well known for its seriously striking colors and then what?

There’s reflections of the Latemar mountains towering over it? It may happen the same day and then the next. That is true also that the shades change when light hits from every possible place, depending on that weather as much as other variables! It’s actually crazy, there may be green tones from where you stand, and it turns into deep purple the moment your eyesight moves elsewhere, and on occasion, and so on.

Yeah, as a matter of fact it would also please artists who know that in local tales, legend says this mermaid living, you see, down at these bottom who would come to sing at nights under full moons… Be it true or false? well I guess it would vary according to how you tell these specific details… Don’t overlook spending some time really soaking, so completely, in this view when doing photography! Be prepared since during tourist season it is typically completely chockfull and well then you may encounter difficulty for good photograph locations! So maybe going either too soon or slightly off time for best memories.

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