Brixen (Bressanone) sits at 560 metres in the Val d'Isarco (Eisacktal), where the valley opens and the sun stays longer. The town was first mentioned in a written document in 901 and was for centuries a bishop's seat. The Cathedral, cloister and Hofburg (Bishop's Palace) still stand at the centre today, with the Portici (Lauben) and their arcades running around them.

The Acquarena, on the edge of the old town, isn't a thermal bath in the classical sense but comes close: over 1,200 square metres of sauna world with seven cabins — Finnish saunas indoors and outdoors, steam bath, Swiss stone pine cabin and herbal sauna. Alongside there are Kneipp basins, a saltwater pool, three relaxation rooms and a rooftop terrace with a whirlpool. Indoor and outdoor pools are open year-round, plus an outdoor pool from mid-May with a long spiral slide, lawn and playground.

The second part of the programme lies up high. Seven kilometres outside town, in Sant'Andrea (St. Andrä), the gondola climbs to the Plose. The mountain station sits at 2,050 metres; the Pfannspitz lift then takes you up to 2,545 metres, with a view of Sass de Putia (Peitlerkofel) and the Odle (Geisler) group. After the sauna, take an easy walk up top; before the sauna, come down for wine and dinner in the town.