Merano sits at 300 metres in a wide valley basin, sheltered by mountains and open to the south. The result is a climate you rarely find in the Alps: palm trees along the promenade, around 300 sunny days a year, and mild winters. That is precisely why the Viennese aristocracy came here in the 19th century, and why Empress Sisi spent two winters at Trauttmansdorff Castle for treatment. The city has been shaped by wellness ever since.

The journey is short. SkyAlps flies from Berlin, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Copenhagen, Warsaw and London direct to Bolzano — flight time one to two hours. From the airport it's 30 minutes to Merano — the shortest approach of any South Tyrolean wellness destination. Anyone flying in the morning is at the pool by midday.

What defines Merano is the mix. The Thermal Baths sit right in the middle of town, not on some outlying hillside. Five minutes on foot from the sauna and you're in the Portici (Lauben), the medieval arcaded shopping lane. And if you've had enough of the water, you'll find twelve hectares of themed gardens at Trauttmansdorff — voted Italy's most beautiful garden in 2005.