Bolzano for families

Knights’ castles, a child-friendly museum offer and many green areas with playgrounds make Bolzano a family-friendly town

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Video : Roncolo Castle
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At the Nature Museum, children might fly to the moon, discover the world of butterflies and watch giant spiders: Different thematic exhibitions at the museum make it possible.
Foto: MS, © Peer
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3 km outside of the urban area rises the majestic Castel Firmiano with its MMM Firmian dedicated to the confrontation between man and mountain which offers an interesting journey.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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The Talvera Meadows are the green lung of the town: Besides playgrounds, the Lungotalvera Promenade and the PIPPO.stage there are also sports fields, a skate park and a minigolf course.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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The large cycle path network through the town, towards the Valle Isarco valley, Trento and Lake Garda, and Merano, makes Bolzano officially Italy’s most bicycle-friendly town.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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Three cable cars such as the one on the Renon take you to the surrounding high plateaus with its beautiful destinations, colourful larch meadows, Haflinger horses and Earth Pillars.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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Bolzano’s promenades such as the Guncina and St. Oswald Promenades, both realised over a century ago, are pleasant hiking trails which show Bolzano from a different perspective.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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What about an afternoon at the cinema? Two large and two smaller cinemas show a wide range of films - especially popular are the children’s afternoons at the Filmclub in the town centre.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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In case of bad weather, the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology invites to see Ötzi in the cooling chamber and the reconstruction with his clothing and equipment which shows how he looked like.
Foto: ED, © Peer
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Sporty destination no. 1 in summer is the Bolzano Lido in the Via Trieste (from May to September) whereas in winter there are several ice skating grounds in the town, both indoor and outdoor.
Foto: AT, © Peer
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What would a trip be without ice cream? Numerous ice cream parlours with names like Brivido, Avalon by Paolo Coletto, the artist among South Tyrol’s ice cream makers, and Artigianale By Nicolas have plenty of varieties on offer.
Foto: EMS, © Peer
video : Excursion destination Colle di Bolzano
video : Messner Mountain Museum Firmian
video : South Tyrol Museum of Nature

Bolzano for families - offers nearby:
3 nights from 480 € per person

The valley basin of Bolzano (Bozen, in German) is surrounded by hills and mountains which protect it and guarantee short access routes to enjoy nature. Three cable cars start in the town and take you on the Renon high plateau with its Museum of Beekeeping and the Earth Pillars, to San Genesio with its riding stables and to the local mountain of Bolzano called Colle.

Who is looking for adventure right in the urban area, might choose between several knights' castles such as Castel Roncolo where knights were immortalized on the walls centuries ago, and Castel Firmiano in the nearby village of Frangarto which houses the MMM Firmian. Such as most of the museums, also this one is family-friendly. In Bolzano, there are the South Tyrol Museum of Nature with its large fish tank and the living anthill, which offers even children's birthday parties and a night at the museum, Ötzi's replica in the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology or the Bolzano School Museum with a really interesting journey back in (school) time.

Generous green spaces with playgrounds, however, invite to relax. Everything is comfortably reachable by public transport or by bike. Bolzano with its network of cycle paths which lead through the town to Merano and even towards Lake Garda, is Italy's most bicycle-friendly town.

Parks in the town centre:

Talvera Meadows (Talvera Bridge)
Lungo Isarco Park (Via Trento road)
Goethe Park (Via Vintler road)
Madonna Park (Via Vintler road)
Premstaller Park (Via Pfannenstiel, Via Esperanto roads)
Rosegger Park (Via Marconi, Via Carducci, Via Dante roads)

The offers is completed by the Elkis (parents and children centres) and by the different events for families. The bike festival "Bolzano in Bici", the Sports Festival on the Talvera Meadows or the "Kinderfestival" - all of them take place in autumn - attract many families every year.

The San Genesio Cable Car finally stopped operating on November 22nd 2020, a new construction of the facility with a tailor-made mobility concept is being planned.

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