Trentino Alto Adige
How to Get Around Trentino Alto Adige
Getting Around
This is the easiest Italian region to travel without a car, and the only one where that is straightforwardly true in the mountains.
Arriving
Bolzano has a small airport with limited routes. Most visitors arrive through Verona, Venice, Innsbruck or Munich. The Brenner railway runs the length of the region, connecting Verona to Innsbruck and Munich, with stops at Rovereto, Trento, Bolzano, Bressanone and Brunico.
Public transport
South Tyrol's integrated network is genuinely good: trains, buses and some cable cars on one ticket, with the Mobilcard and the Museumobil Card covering unlimited travel for a set number of days. Many hotels issue a free Guest Pass giving the same. Buses reach valley heads and trailheads on schedules built for walkers.
Trentino's network is good along the Adige and thinner in the side valleys.
Cable cars
Not just for skiing. Lifts run through the summer from valley floors to walking country, and several are part of the public transport system — the Renon/Ritten cable car from Bolzano leads to a narrow-gauge railway across a plateau.
Driving
- The A22 Brennero motorway runs the length of the Adige valley and is tolled.
- Access restrictions apply: the Alpe di Siusi road is closed to non-resident cars in daytime, and Lago di Braies requires a booking in peak summer. Both are enforced.
- High passes close in winter; winter tyres or chains are compulsory from mid-November to mid-April.
- Cycling is exceptionally well provided for, with long separated paths down the Adige valley and bikes carried on trains.
Regional connections
How easily, and at what cost, can you combine the region’s main destinations?
| Route | Best option | One-way time | Travel Smart take |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolzano and Merano | Train | ~40 min typical, not a timetable | Excellent day-trip connection. Bolzano works well as a base for Merano. |
| Trento and Bolzano | Train | ~40 min typical, not a timetable | Excellent day-trip connection. Trento works well as a base for Bolzano. |
| Trento and Merano | Train | ~1 hr 20 min typical, not a timetable | Comfortable as a day trip. Trento is a workable base for Merano. |
Cost compares the options for each route rather than quoting a fare: inexpensive means the price is not a factor in planning, moderate cost means a real line in the budget, and the expensive option is one worth weighing against the alternative. Fares change from year to year; the ranking between them does not.