A Fugger town from the days of mining, just before the Brenner Pass. The mountain lift starts five minutes on foot from the Zwölferturm bell tower — nowhere else in South Tyrol are town and mountain this close together.
Direct flight Warsaw – Bolzano (2h 5min) + hotel in Vipiteno + 60-minute transfer. Italy's northernmost town lies in the Wipptal valley just before the Brenner Pass, with a medieval pedestrian centre and three ski areas within easy reach.
- Direct flight Warsaw – Bolzano
- Best price guarantee
- EU-protected package holiday
- Only 85 minutes transfer
What defines Vipiteno?
Vipiteno is Italy's northernmost town, with a medieval pedestrian centre and three ski areas within easy reach.
Vipiteno (Sterzing in German) lies in the Wipptal, about 15 kilometres before the Brenner Pass, and is Italy's northernmost town. Its flourishing period came from the silver mining of the 15th and 16th centuries — hence the grand merchant houses along the Neustadt (New Town) and the Zwölferturm bell tower on the main square. The Augsburg Fugger family owned parts of the mines and left their mark on the town's architecture. The old town is a pedestrian zone, walkable end to end in a quarter of an hour, and among the best-preserved historic centres in the Alps.
Five side valleys open up around it: Val Ridanna (Ridnaun), Val Racines (Ratschings), Val di Vizze (Pfitsch), Val di Fleres (Pflersch) and Val Giovo (Jaufental). All are lightly built up and offer hiking trails to peaks above 3,000 metres in summer, and over 60 kilometres of cross-country trails in winter. In the Val Ridanna sits the Schneeberg (Monteneve) Mining Museum — one of the highest historic mining sites in Europe at over 2,000 metres.
In winter, three ski areas operate: Rosskopf (Monte Cavallo) directly at the edge of town, Racines-Giovo and Ladurns, together 66 kilometres of pistes on a single ski pass. The Monte Cavallo also hosts Italy's longest floodlit and snow-guaranteed toboggan run — around ten kilometres and 900 metres of descent from the mountain station back into the valley.
What is there to do in Vipiteno?
Vipiteno combines town and mountain within a tight radius. The pedestrian zone can be walked in an hour, the mountain lift starts five minutes from it. All around lie five quiet side valleys — hiking country in summer, cross-country and ski-touring terrain in winter. The town also has one of the best-known historic mining sites in Europe: the Schneeberg (Monteneve) Mining Museum in the Val Ridanna. Because Vipiteno lies further off the classic tourist routes, prices tend to be lower than in the Dolomite valleys further east.
Old town and Monte Cavallo (Rosskopf)
Zwölferturm bell tower, mountain lift into the ski area in 12 minutes
Val Ridanna, Val Racines and Val di Vizze
Schneeberg (Monteneve) Mining Museum in the Val Ridanna
Which flights are there from Warsaw to South Tyrol?
SkyAlps flies direct from Warsaw to Bolzano several times a week, flight time 2h 5min. All prices are per person and include the return flight as well as the nights in the hotel you book.
When is the best time to visit Vipiteno?
Summer runs from June to September, with mountain huts and high-altitude trails open in the five side valleys. Because the region is less famous than the Dolomites, it stays quiet even in August. Winter starts in early December and extends — thanks to the proximity to the Alpine main ridge — well into April, particularly at Racines-Giovo, one of South Tyrol's most reliable snow areas. In November and May the region is in shoulder season; many mountain lifts stand still, but the town itself remains open.
Frequently asked questions
The toboggan run stretches about ten kilometres and 900 metres of descent from the mountain station back into the valley through forest, and is the longest snow-guaranteed and floodlit run in Italy.
It is floodlit twice a week in the evenings, an unusual attraction in the Alps. Toboggans can be rented at the base station, and the descent takes around 45 minutes. Reasonably fit tobogganers manage several runs in an evening; families take it slower with breaks. Beginners get instruction on braking technique on request.
Ready for your family holiday in Sterzing und Umgebung?
Direct flight Warsaw – Bolzano, plus a hotel in Sterzing und Umgebung and the transfer – all in one booking. Book online now: secure, flexible and at the best price.