Merano

Merano (Meran in German) is a spa town in South Tyrol, on the Passer river where it meets the Adige valley, north-west of Bolzano. Its Kurhaus, an Art Nouveau assembly hall on the river promenade, hosts the Merano WineFestival each November.

Practical notes

• Regional trains link Merano with Bolzano, which is on the Brenner railway between Verona and Innsbruck.
• The town centre is small: the Kurhaus is a walk from most hotels.

Merano, spa town between two languages

Merano is the second largest urban centre in South Tyrol and the only city there whose population is more or less equally split between Italian and German speakers, says its tourist office. Its arcades, castles and city gates recall its time as the medieval centre of Tyrol. The Kurhaus was first built in 1874 and extended between 1912 and 1914, and today it is the town’s cultural hub, in use all year round.

Promenades and gardens

• The Tappeiner Trail, one of the longest high-level promenades in Europe, was built in three sections, in 1893, 1911 and 1928, with donations from Dr Franz Tappeiner (1816 to 1902), spa physician, anthropologist and botanist. Cypresses and pines give it its character, and it starts at the medieval Gunpowder Tower, open to visitors for its views over the town.
• The Gardens of Trauttmansdorff Castle cover 12 hectares over a height difference of 100 metres, with 80 garden landscapes in four garden worlds and views of Merano and the surrounding mountains.