Treasures of South Tyrol – Hiking from Merano to Lake Garda

In September 2026, Tripsite’s Product Development Manager, Heather Williams, and her husband laced up their hiking boots and set out to experience our brand-new South Tyrol to Lake Garda Hiking Tour, enjoying spectacular weather and breathtaking scenery along the way.

Arriving into Milan, they transferred to Verona for one night, then continued by train to Merano. From Merano, they hiked through South Tyrol and Trentino, passing through what felt like an endless number of apple orchards and vineyards, the Val di Non, and the Brenta Dolomites, before finishing the walking portion in Riva del Garda. From Riva, they continued to Venice for one final night before flying home to Tripsite's home turf in Pennsylvania. Below is her report of the treasures of South Tyrol.

Day 1 – Milan to Verona

We spent our first night in Verona as it was the halfway point between Milan and Merano. We used trains whenever possible and had no issues. In Verona, we had enough time to walk the historic center, visit the Arena and the Roman Theatre, and adjust to the time change before heading to Merano the next day. The Arena was built around the middle of the 1st century AD and once held roughly 30,000 spectators. It’s still used for performances today, especially opera (we just missed the last opera of the season). The Roman Theatre is even older, dating to the late 1st century BC.

Verona surprised us. We had no idea it would be so beautiful. With its Roman ruins and piazzas and old streets, it felt like a smaller, less busy version of Rome.

Day 2 – Verona to Merano

We arrived in Merano the day before the hike and immediately fell in love. South Tyrol was different from the Italy we were used to, with a strong Austrian and German influence in the architecture, food and language. German was what we heard most often. Merano itself had a mix of Alpine and Mediterranean influences, with mountains all around but also palm trees, gardens, and a busy town center. We walked part of the Tappeiner promenade above town, which had beautiful views over Merano and the surrounding hills.

In the evening, we sat by the river and enjoyed drinks and people watching. It was such a great place to start the trip, and we wished we had more time there.

Day 3 – Merano to Nals, 12.4 miles (20 km) · 2,230 ft gain · 2,230 ft descent

After a quick transfer to the trailhead, most of the day followed the Waalwege. These are old irrigation channels that were built centuries ago to carry water to the farms and orchards around Merano. The narrow paths alongside them are now walking trails, with running water and views across the valley. It was a gentle way to start the trip. The walking felt easy and pastoral, with mountains in the distance and apples all around us. So many apples! Down in the valley it seemed like every available piece of land was being used for orchards or vineyards.

We also passed through a few small towns along the way, which made it easy to stop for an espresso and a local sweet. Those little breaks became something we looked forward to each day. Our hotel for the night was our favorite of the trip. It was beautiful and everything about it was perfect. We opted to eat dinner at the hotel as the fixed menu was amazing. One of the best dishes we had on the whole trip was their mushroom and truffle oil soup.

Day 4 – Nals to Caldaro, 11.2 miles · 2,690 ft gain · 2,330 ft descent

Today’s route was hillier and more varied. We were still surrounded by vineyards and orchards, but there was more climbing and descending as we made our way through the hills around Eppan/Appiano. The most interesting part of the day was the ice holes near Eppan. Cold air seeps up through gaps in the porphyry rock, creating pockets where the temperature can drop into the 30s and 40s. You could actually feel the change as we walked through, which was pretty crazy considering the warm vineyards and orchards just outside the area.

We were still very much in South Tyrol, with Alpine villages, vineyards, and German spoken almost everywhere we went. We ended the route in the town of Caldaro and took the local bus down to the lake and our hotel. Lake Caldaro is considered South Tyrol’s largest and warmest bathing lake, which helps explain why the area felt a little more Mediterranean despite being surrounded by mountains.

We spent the afternoon in the wellness center, which was pretty perfect after a full day of hiking. Dinner that night was very traditional South Tyrolean at Seeperle, with cabbage salad, speck dumplings in broth, beetroot dumplings with brown butter, and Wiener schnitzel.

Day 5 – Caldaro to Coredo, 10.6 miles (17 km) · 650 ft gain · 2,360 ft descent

We started the day by taking the Mendelbahn funicular up to Mendel Pass, which saved us a lot of climbing. Once we crossed the pass into Trentino, we began hearing more Italian. The landscape became more wooded with less vineyards and orchards, so it definitely felt like we were moving into a new part of the trip.

The most interesting stop was San Romedio, a sanctuary built into a rocky gorge. It sits on a limestone outcrop more than 70 meters high and is actually a collection of small churches and chapels connected by a steep staircase. The oldest part dates back to around the year 1000.

From there, we continued through wooded areas, small villages, and the Val di Non before reaching Coredo. Coredo was a small, quiet village, surrounded by mountains, which made the whole place feel tucked away and so peaceful. We spent another afternoon in the wellness center (which was particularly lovely here) and had a really nice fixed-menu dinner at the hotel.

Day 6 – Coredo to Molveno, 9 miles (14–15 km) · 2,230 ft gain · 1,210 ft descent

Today’s route started to feel much more like mountain hiking. The local team transferred us toward Spormaggiore, where we began walking. The orchards and vineyards were mostly behind us. We spent much more time in the forest, climbing through the Paganella area with the Brenta Dolomites getting closer as the day went on. Then we came down toward Lake Molveno, which was one of my favorite moments of the entire trip. The lake, known for exceptionally clean water, sits right beneath the mountains, with this incredibly blue-green water and huge limestone peaks rising behind it.

Dinner this evening was at a great local pizza restaurant. We spent two nights at Alpenresort Belvedere, and having a second night in the same place felt like a luxury after moving every day.

Day 7 – Brenta Dolomites, 9 miles (14–15 km) · 1,840 ft gain · 3,215 ft descent

This was probably my favorite hiking day. We took the Pradel cable car up from Molveno and spent the day hiking through the Brenta Dolomites, part of the Dolomites UNESCO World
Heritage Site. We stopped at two rifugios along the way, which was one of the things I loved most about this day. Sitting down in the middle of these stunning mountains for an espresso or craft beer was amazing. I can’t describe how beautiful and peaceful it was.

The hiking in the Dolomites was definitely more adventurous than the earlier days. There were sections where the trail ran along the side of a steep cliff and cables had been fixed into the rock to hold onto as we crossed. It wasn’t especially difficult, but for anyone with a fear of heights, it definitely made the hike more exciting.

We ended the day back in Molveno, took a nap by the pool overlooking the lake, and then headed out for another traditional Tyrolean dinner.

Day 8 – Molveno to Riva del Garda, 6–7 miles (10–11 km) · 1,410 ft gain · 2,690 ft descent

We began the day with a transfer to the Val Lomasona/Lomasino Valley, where we started walking toward Lake Garda. We climbed to viewpoints over the lake and stopped at a rifugio before starting the long descent toward Riva. It was a great place to take a break, have something to eat, and enjoy the view before heading downhill.

From there, we made our way through small stone villages and olive groves. The Alpine houses, apple orchards, and German-speaking towns of South Tyrol were replaced with olive trees, cypress trees, and Italian-speaking towns. Going down was quite the challenge, and I was so glad we had poles. A lot of the trail was made up of old, smooth white stones that were super
slick.

We finally made it to Riva and enjoyed the gorgeous lake views. We spent the evening sampling local craft beer at Fuori Stile and had the best pizza right next door at Basil Pizza. We stayed at Hotel Sole Relax & Panorama, right on the waterfront in the historic center.

Day 9 – Lake Garda to Venice

After finishing the hike in Riva del Garda, we made our way to Venice for one final night before flying home. We left Lake Garda in the morning, traveled to Rovereto, and then continued by train to Venice. After a week of quiet trails and small towns, Venice felt almost overwhelming at first. The main areas were absolutely packed. Luckily, we had been to Venice before, so we didn’t feel any pressure to hit the major sights. Instead, we wandered off into the side streets, got a little lost on purpose, and found the quieter canals and neighborhoods away from the crowds.

We found a local brewery, Il Santo Bevitore, where we ended up chatting with a few Venetians and making some new friends. Later, we had dinner at a small local restaurant, Trattoria al Gazzettino, where the sweetest Venetian man serenaded me.

Even after a full week of hiking, we still somehow managed to walk almost 11 miles just wandering around Venice!