Let yourself be drawn into the Christmas spirit at South Tyrol’s many Christmas markets. Cups of hot mulled wine, delicious holiday delicacies, festive Advent music and beautifully lit town squares will properly get you into the holiday mood. There's much to see in the many stands filled with South Tyrolean arts and crafts. And you may even find the perfect, small gift that's just right for the one you love ...
Our offer for a break from the Christmas rush:
Distance: 35 min
It is one of the most wonderful times of the year, when the aroma of hot, spiced beverages and Christmas pastries mix with the music and time-honoured traditions of Advent.
The second-largest Christmas market in South Tyrol is held in the centre of Merano/Meran. Small wooden stands line the promenade, where you’ll find small holiday gift ideas, from glass and ceramic Christmas ornaments to traditional woven goods, from wooden figurines and wool slippers to toys and typical pastries.
Dressed up for the occasion, Merano and its old town are a feast for all eyes. Let yourself be pulled along through the town centre’s decorated streets and alleys. It’s the best way to experience Merano’s festive holiday atmosphere.
Distance: 50 min
Garlands of lights decorate the streets and squares, the clopping of horses pulling carriages echoes through the alleys, the aroma of roasting chestnuts entices one to sample them. Advent is a wonderful time at Bolzano/Bozen.
During the Advent season, the many exhibitors at the Bolzano Christmas market sell their hand-made produced made of wood, glass, ceramics, charming Christmas tree ornaments, delicious holiday pastries and many more gift ideas from their cheerfully adorned huts on Waltherplatz square.
Christmas is in the air. The inner courtyard of the Campofranco Palace receives visitors with the magic atmosphere of a „winter woods“. Just a few buildings down, one finds the light show of the large Advent calendar on the Max Valier building.
Distance: 1 hr 30min
Advent is a special time in Bressanone/Brixen. The ambient Christmas lights bathe the medieval town in holiday cheer in anticipation of the most contemplative time of the year. One of the prettiest Christmas markets in South Tyrol takes place here every year in the Cathedral square in Bressanone, framed by the Cathedral, St. Michael’s Parish Church and the Town Hall.
Here each day the stand merchants sell traditional handicrafts such as woodcarvings, creches and nativity figures, candles and painted glass balls. The nativity scene in the Bishops’ Palace is also worth a look. There are many events and concerts around the Christmas market inviting one to listen, watch, or sing along. Admire the town’s historical building facades during a carriage ride through the old town. A steam-powered children’s roundabout, pony rides, and numerous other children’s events provide entertainment for the Christmas market’s young visitors.
Distance: 1 hr 35 min
When the wood begins to crackle on the farms, the mountaintops shine with the first snow and the day begin to dark earlier, then it’s Advent in South Tyrol. The way to the Christmas market at Vipiteno/Sterzing is shown by garlands of lights and fir branches.
One can admire hand-made Christmas tree ornaments made of glass, straw or wood, and traditional handicrafts like “Patschen” felt slippers in Vipiteno. The aroma of freshly-baked cookies and apple strudel wafts through the air. Only at a genuine South Tyrolean Christmas market will you find hand-made gingerbread in an appropriate shape for each town.
The tradition lives on in this almost 1,000-metre-high Late Middle Ages mining town with its many cultural monuments. Visitors will be particularly impressed by the 1486 „Zwölferturm“, the tower watching over the Christmas market, and the special exhibit on the history of the mine. The many colourful building facades with their characteristic bay windows also provide a unique ambience.
Distance: 1 hr 50 min
The Christmas market Brunico/Bruneck adheres to the motto „Mountain Christmas, Tradition and Modernity“.
One strolls through the artistically decorated stands accompanied by the down-home aroma of gingerbread, mulled wine and hot tea. One is invited to sample local specialities like Pustertal Valley potatoes and „Plattlan“ with cabbage, carefully prepared according to old traditional recipes. Old handicrafts share space with innovative gift ideas and high-quality South Tyrolean products, and gives the Brunico Christmas market its special character, between tradition and modernity.
Distance: 40 min
The highest-situated Christmas market in the Alps takes place each year in the Martelltal Valley in South Tyrol.
When visiting the Christmas market at the Enzianalm pasture (2,061 m) amidst the unique natural scenery of the Stelvio National Park, one experiences a very special anticipation for Christmas. Lovingly decorated stands and gift ideas of rustic artworks, culinary delicacies made from local products, Alpine Advent music, living Nativity scenes, and much more await visitors to this unique Christmas market.