Bozen

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Bolzano

Bolzano in Italian or Bozen in German (and also Balsan or Bulsan in Ladin) is the capital city of South Tyrol, the most German region in the northern part of Italy. Bolzano is the largest city of its region and it's archealogical museum is worldwide famous, because it is the home of the Iceman Ötzi. In Italy is also famous as the Italian Capital of Christmas thanks to the characteristic Christmas market. Bolzano's population is around 100,000 and 25% of inhabitants speak German as mother language.

Districts

The city is administratively composed by 5 districts with a district mayor and council. These are:

City Centre - Bozner Boden/Piani di Bolzano-Rentsch/Rencio
Oberau/Oltrisarco-Haslach/Aslago
Europa-Neustift/Novacella
Don Bosco
Gries-St Quirin

Touristically we can divide the city into 6 tourist areas:

City Centre (Historical Centre-Neustadt Viertel-Dorf/Villa-Zwolfmalgreien/Dodiciville-Runkelstein Castle) Here there are the most important things to see, museums, theatres, restaurants, hotels and stores. The hearth of the City Centre is Walther square.

Rentsch-Rencio (Rentsch-Rencio/St. Magdalena-S. Maddalena/Bozner Boden-Piani di Bolzano) This is the most German part of the city with St. Magdalena on the hills with its vineyard and the nice Rencio district centre. Down behind the rail station is situated the Bozner Boden district. There are a lot of nice hotels, restaurants and guesthouses.

Kohlern-Colle Bolzano's home mountain, nice mountain resort.

Gries (Gries historical centre/Fagen-Fago/Guntschna-Guncina/Moritzing-San Maurizio/north-western Bolzano's countryside) Culture, art, nature and wine paradise in a small area. Gries was a "Kurort" (health resort) during the Hapsburg's Empire.

New City or West Bolzano (St Quirin/Europa - Novacella-Neustif/Don Bosco with Kaiserau/Bivio countryside and Sigmundskron/Firmian Castle) The Italian Bolzano is here. A lot of restaurants.

South Bolzano/Bozen (Oberau/Oltrisarco-Haslach/Aslago-Pfarrhof/Maso della Pieve-St Jakob/San Giacomo) Oberau is a nice districts bulit in 1900s with good restaurants. In Bolzano South area there is the airport and the fair.

Understand

Bolzano is constantly among the top-ranked cities in Italy when it comes to quality of life. It has one of Europe's lowest unemployment rates, excellent services and a wonderful landscape. Also, many Italians affirm they would like to live in Bolzano. People recognize that the city is a bit expensive, though.

Bolzano has many of peculiarities. It's an Italian city with an Austrian flair. In the city centre you will hear people speak mostly German or its local dialect. Nowadays, however, Italian and German-speaking people are living together in bilingual Bolzano. Generally "Bozner" and "Bolzanini" are friendly and helpful. All German-speaking people can speak some Italian, but not all Italian-speaking people can speak German. Nevertheless, many young people can also speak English and a few can speak French too. In South Tyrolean schools the learning of the second language (Italian for German and vice-versa) and of English is compulsory.

Local tourist guides often say that Bolzano has an incredible merranean climate. That is not true. Bolzano's climate is continental with very hot summers and very cold winters. In autumn and spring blows often the fohn, a wind that comes from the northern part of the Alps. Whereas in Innsbruck it is a warm wind, in Bolzano there are moments when it's relatively warm and strong, and then the temperature may fall suddenly. The coldest month of the year is January (min -6.2°C/20.8°F, max 5.0°C/41.0°F, average 0.0°C/32.0°F), the warmest is July (min 15.1°C/59.2°F, max 29.4°C/84.9°F, average 22.0°C/71.6°F). The annual average is 11.6°C/52.9°F. The extreme records go from -17 to +40.

Get in

Bolzano is born because it is on the crossroad between Northern and Southern Europe.

Bolzano is well-connected, possessing a small international airport and forming a major hub of the railway system in Central Alps.

Highway A22 (Autostrada del Brennero/Brennerautobahn 1 (http://www.a22.it)) from South and from North lead to Bolzano, however they get congested during the Christmas market and especially during the ski season. For day trips to Bolzano it's probably best to leave your car in the Parking "Centro BZ Mitte".

ABD Airport Bolzano/Bozen Dolomites 2 (http://www.abd-airport.it) (BZO) is located around 3,5 km outside the Bolzano city centre in the Southeast. At the moment there is not a direct connection with the city. Just the bus lines 10A and 10B stop 1 km in the North of the terminal. Now only taxi connection. Under project is the rapid transit system, which has also to connect the Airport to the City Centre.

By plane

ABD Airport Bolzano/Bozen Dolomites 3 (http://www.abd-airport.it/html/english_home.html) (BZO), recently expanded, has multiple domestic and international charter connections. If unable to fly to Munich directly, travellers can get to Innsbruck or Verona and then take a train or a bus connection or get to Rome or Milan and reach Bolzano by air. Flight time from Milan to Bolzano is about 60 minutes.

Scheduled flights Winter 2005-2006:

Rome (4 per day)
Milan (daily)
Munich (at the moment deleted)

Charter flights Winter 2005-2006:

Dortmund, Germany (18th December 05 - 26th March 06 / Sunday)
Hannover, Germany (Sunday)
Berlin, Germany (Sunday)
Bristol, UK (24th December 05-1st April 06 / Saturday)
Birmingham, UK (Saturday)
London Gatwick, UK (Saturday)
Manchester, UK (Saturday)

for more information contact a travel agency.

By train

In the Bolzano/Bozen Central Rail Station stop all the train from Germany and Austria and from Italy. There are many connection with several cities. Useful websites are that of Trenitalia (Italian Railway Company) (http://www.trenitalia.it), Österreichische Bundesbahnen (Austrian Federal Railway Company) (http://www.oebb.at) and Deutsche Bahn (German Railway Company) (http://www.bahn.de).

Get around

By bus, train and cableway

Bolzano has an excellent public transport system, which includes buses, cableways and commuter rail. Within Bolzano itself, you can get a single trip ticket (including a second trip, if 45 minutes after the printing) for the bus for EUR 1.00. If you want to use the bus many times and with other people, you can buy the "Value Card" ("Wertkarte" or "Carta Valore") for EUR 5.00, 10.00 or 25.00. In city buses the trip will cost just EUR 0.65 and you can use this card on all types of transport system in South Tyrol: on the interurban buses, on the cableways of the SAD System, on the "Mendelbahn" and on all the trains from Innsbruck to Trento and on all urban buses in Meran Meran, Brixen Brixen, Schlanders, Bruneck Bruneck and Innsbruck. Tickets can be bought at the yellow machines in major stops (also in Walther square) or simply at the shops, which sell newspaper, tobacco and little souvenirs. You can't buy the ticket on the city bus!

In Bolzano there are 16 bus lines (generally 6 am - 9 pm) and 3 of this have also a night service (9 pm - 1 am).

Stamp your ticket at the start of its first use (there are green stamping machines on the buses or near the entrances to the stations). You have to buy another ticket if you stop and you catch a bus 45 minutes after the printing. Payment is by the honor system and inspectors check for valid tickets. If you don't have one, it's an instant EUR 25 fine (plus the fare you were supposed to have paid). All timetables and bus maps you can find free in the tourist offices or in the bus station.

Bolzano has also two small urban rail stations (Bolzano South-Fair Quarter and Sigmundskron-Ponte Adige). Also here you can use the "Value Card".

Bolzano is connected also with three mountain villages around the city by three cableways. If you want to go to Ritten/Renon or Jenesien/San Genesio you can use the "Value Card": a return ticket for Ritten costs EUR 3.50 (EUR 2.91 with Value Card) and for Jenesien costs EUR 3.20 (EUR 3.12 with Value Card). If you want to go to Kohlern-Colle you have to buy an extra ticket.

For all informations about costs and tickets on the South Tyrolean Integrated Transport and Fare System web site 4 (http://www.sii.bz.it) (also complete in English). About timetable and bus maps of Bolzano's city transport service on the SASA (http://www.sasabz.it) web site (Italian and German) and of South Tyrol region on the SAD (http://www.sad.it) web site (at the moment only in Italian and German avilable).

See

Museums, Galleries, and Memorials

Churches

Palaces and Castles

Squares

Parks

Do

Festivals

Theater, Opera, and Music

Christmas markets

Sport

Learn

Buy

Eat

Please see district articles

Drink

For more places please see district articles

Beer & wine gardens, halls & cellars

Foerst Brewing company runs a really nice restaurant with outdoor seating right in the Altstadt. Good beer and food and the prices are reasonable. Try the Sixtus ale, goes right to your head.

Pubs

'Konditoreien', Cafés & 'Gelaterie'

Discos

Sleep