A bishop's city from the 10th century, an abbey that has been pressing wine since 1142, and a mountain at the doorstep. Brixen is the quietest of the South Tyrolean towns — and the one with the best white wine.
Direct flight on the SkyAlps network to Bolzano (1–2 hours) + adults-only hotel in Brixen + 40-minute transfer. Tyrol's oldest town combines a bishop's seat, an abbey with a working winery, and the Plose as its house mountain at 2,545 metres.
- Direct flight to Bolzano
- Best price guarantee
- EU-protected package holiday
- Just 40 minutes' transfer from Bolzano
Why is Brixen good for a couple's holiday?
Brixen combines a small, quiet old town with wineries in the surroundings and the Plose as its house mountain — all reachable without a car.
Brixen (Bressanone) sits at 560 metres in the Val d'Isarco (Eisacktal) and was first mentioned in written records in 901. For centuries the town was a bishop's seat, and it shows: the Cathedral with its Gothic cloister, the Hofburg (Bishop's Palace), the White Tower and the Portici (Lauben) with their arcades. For a town of just over 23,000 inhabitants, that's an unusual density of historic substance — visible, but on a scale you can walk in half a day.
Three kilometres outside town lies Novacella Abbey (Kloster Neustift), founded in 1142 by Bishop Hartmann and today the largest monastic complex in Tyrol. Its cellar is among the oldest active wineries in the world and presses Val d'Isarco whites — Sylvaner, Kerner, Gewürztraminer — from vines on the abbey's own steep terraces. Tastings and cellar tours run year-round; the abbey also has a library with 90,000 manuscripts in a Rococo hall.
The mountain is nearby too. Seven kilometres outside town, in Sant'Andrea (St. Andrä), the gondola runs to the Plose; the mountain station sits at 2,050 metres, the Pfannspitz lift climbs to 2,545. For a couple's holiday that yields a good mix: morning on the mountain, afternoon at the abbey, evening in the wine bars of the old town. Adults-only hotels sit either right in the town, five minutes on foot from the cathedral, or above in Meluno (Mellaun) and Sant'Andrea with a valley view.
What does Brixen offer for a couple's holiday?
Brixen is small enough to do everything on foot, and large enough to offer a choice in the evening. The old town with cathedral, Hofburg and Portici can be walked in half a day. Novacella Abbey lies three kilometres to the north, the Plose base station seven kilometres to the east.
Old town and Novacella Abbey
Largest monastic complex in Tyrol, wine tasting in the abbey cellar
Plose
Panorama over Sass de Putia and Odle, in winter a ski area
Which flights are available to South Tyrol (Bolzano)?
SkyAlps flies direct to Bolzano from Berlin, Hamburg, Düsseldorf, Copenhagen, Warsaw and London — flight time 1h – 2h. All prices are per person and include return flights plus nights at the booked hotel.
When is the best time to visit Brixen?
The town itself works year-round; the Plose gondola does not: the summer season runs from late May to early November, then winter operations take over. May and June are mild and quiet; July and August warmer and busier. October is the most interesting month for Brixen — Törggelen kicks off, the young wines flow, and the leaves colour up. From late November to early January the Christmas Market on the Cathedral Square draws visitors from the region — small and quiet compared with the big German markets. January is the quietest and cheapest month at the hotels.
Frequently asked questions
Törggelen is an autumn tradition of the Val d'Isarco (Eisacktal): after the grape harvest, farmhouses open their parlours and pour the young wine, along with speck, Kaminwurzen (smoked sausages), Schlutzkrapfen (ravioli), barley soup and roast chestnuts.
The name comes from the Torggl, the wine press. Classically, this involves a short walk between the vineyards, a stop at a farmhouse or Buschenschank, and — depending on how far you get — several stops. Törggelen season runs from October to mid-November and works particularly well for couples who want a South Tyrolean autumn experience without much organising.
Ready for your Brixen and Surroundings adults-only holiday?
Direct flight to Bolzano, an adults-only hotel in Brixen and Surroundings and the transfer – all in one booking. Book online now, securely, flexibly and at the best price.