Unwind and Immerse in Authentic South Tyrol: A 5-Day Roter Hahn Agrotourism Itinerary

Come and join me on an exciting holiday to South Tyrol, while also learning more about the everyday life of farm life with Roter Hahn. this is a unique experience as South Tyrol offers captivating and stunning landscapes, but at the same time learning more about the inviting community of agriculture. Over five unforgettable days, this itinerary will guide you through the region’s picturesque views, while also partaking in the authentic activities of farming.

You might also like: Unforgettable City Trips to Florence and Bologna (coming soon)

For your information, all these pictures were taken in May 2024.

Some information about South Tyrol

South Tyrol is a region located in northern Italy. This part of the country is very mountainous, but it has also has a few cities and towns with the biggest one being the capital, Bolzano.

It’s a very popular region for many people, as it has a bit of everything. It’s a dream destination for hikers, photographers, families, and many more!

How to get to South Tyrol?

South Tyrol is located in southern central Europe and borders France, Switzerland, Austria, and Slovenia. As it’s pretty central in Europe and had a heavily visited capital, the country is quite easy to visit.

1 | With the plane

South Tyrol has its own airport in Bolzano, called the Aeroporto di Bolzano. But there are many more in Italy all around, like in Venice, Rome, and Milan. So, there is always a way to get to Italy by plane.

The airport of Bolzano is only 15 minutes away by public transportation from the city center. This makes it the ideal airport to start your trip. Another great option is to fly to Venice, which is a 3 hour drive away.

2 | With public transportation

The train system is good equipped and is the most enjoyable way to travel around South Tyrol! There is a train station in Bolzano, which is great to use.

Other public transportations you can take around South Tyrol are buses, but these are more used in the city center. It’s a bit harder to travel around with the bus to other destinations.

3 | By car

You can also come to South Tyrol by car, but it would depend on which country you depart from. For example, from Belgium it would be a 12-hour drive which I find reasonable.

How to get around South Tyrol?

I traveled around South Tyrol with my own car and slept in an apartment, and I think this is the best possible way to do it! It’s such an easy mode of transportation around the area.

I decided to use Roter Hahn for my accomodations and it was the perfect choice! They have a wide range of different kind of accomodations focused on agrotourism. I had so much fun staying at one of the farms, called Haflingerhof near Bolzano. This stay, I learned more about agriculture with a local farm tour while also exploring the region.

Read more about Roter Hahn in this review

Best time to visit South Tyrol

South Tyrol is an all-year travel destination, but the peak season would be between June and October in the summer months. July is the busiest month in summer, because of the start of the summer vacation around Europe. The summer is so popular, because of the pleasant temperatures, and longer days.

I traveled in South Tyrol during winter, spring and autumn, and I think that every time period has its own charm, depending on what you want! This time, I went in May and I think it’s a great time for a relaxing vacation as not every hiking trail is open yet.

Some information about Roter Hahn and agrotourism

Roter Hahn is a brand that provides holiday guests quality-assured farms since 1998. This way, you’ll get a look into the authentic life in the countryside around South Tyrol by staying or eating at a farm with their own produced products as authentic farm handicrafts as well.

There are 5 pillars in Roter Hahn: farm holidays, eating out, quality products, farm handicrafts and cookery school. I got to have a small taste of the holiday, eating out and the quality products and I can say that these were all very good!

In conclusion, Roter Hahn shows you the best of the South Tyrolean farm world!

South Tyrol Itinerary Map

South Tyrol itinerary: Day 1

Total driving distance: 69.4 kilometers (43.1 miles)

The first day is all about arriving in Bolzano and maybe exploring the city center. There is also a lake close by that’s possible to visit on the first day.

1 | Short stop at Bolzano

After setting into your apartment of Roter Hahn, it’s time to explore the capital of South Tyrol. Bolzano has been developed during the Middle Ages and has a cultural mix of historical and cultural attractions. It has everything you need for a relaxing afternoon, like a main shopping street, restaurants and cute streets to wander around.

2 | A visit to Karersee

Karersee is such a beautiful way to end your first day! It’s one of the prettiest mountain lakes I’ve ever seen. Another bonus is that it’s easy accessible for many people as the lake is closely located to the road. There is a parking right across the lake, costing €2 per hour. You can wander around the lake and enjoy the views all around!

South Tyrol itinerary: Day 2

Total driving distance: 90.3 kilometers (56,1 miles)

On the second day, we had a slow morning to settle into our apartment and the life in South Tyrol! After just enjoying our morning, we decided to have lunch at Planitzer. To end our day, we went hiking to some castles at 3 Burgenweg!

3 | Take a look at Kalterersee

Another beautiful lake to visit is the Kalterersee! It’s one of the warmest alpine lakes surrounded by wine roads and vineyards and perfect for having a relaxing morning! You can walk along the lakeside or have a bike ride for some of the best views. Another great thing about this lake is the surrounding vineyards as it’s perfect for some wine tasting.

4 | Have a delicious lunch at Planitzer

Enjoy a delicious meal along the way at Planitzer, which is also part of Roter Hahn. They offer tasty, home-made juices and their own wine, but also traditional country fare like cheese dumplings, Kaiserschmarn, and many more! The restaurant also offers great views while eating, so it’s definitely a good place to stop around noon!

5 | Hike around the castles at 3 Burgenweg

After having eaten your tummy full, it’s time for your first hike! The 3 Burgenweg is a fun hike with amazing views, while also passing by some amazing castles, like Burg Hocheppan, Schloss Korb and Burg Boymont.

It takes around 3 hours to complete this hike and brings you to the 3 castles. It has an elevation gain of around 220 meters. You can park your car here for a few euros. The hike was so much fun and brings you along the best views!

South Tyrol itinerary: Day 3

Total driving distance: 47.5 kilometers (29.5 miles)

It’s time to learn more about the farm life at your stay with Roter Hahn! After that, make sure to get your legs ready for another hike.

6 | Have a farm tour at Haflingerhof

Learn a bit more about the farm life at your stay like we did! Fabian was our host at Haflingerhof and took us along his farm to have a bit more knowledge about what he does on his farm and to learn more about the process. After learning that they make all their products themselves, it lets you appreciate it even more!

7 | Take a hike at Knottnkino

After the farm tour, it’s time for another hike with some of the best views I’ve seen! In my opinion, it was such a fun hike all along! After seeing this open-air cinema, you won’t want to see another blockbuster anymore! The open-air cinema is located at 1.465 meters above sea level. There are 30 seats made from steel to enjoy the stunning views over the mountains of the Texelgruppe Nature Park.

It’s a circular hike with an elevation gain of around 220 meters. There are some steep parts, but it’s totally worth the effort. We did the hike in around 40 minutes, so it’s considered a shorter hike. You can park your car at Eggerhof Hofschank, but it’s also possible to get there with public transportation.

South Tyrol itinerary: Day 4

Total driving distance: 126 kilometers (78.3 miles)

It’s time for some other beautiful spots in South Tyrol! The weather hasn’t cleared up just yet, so that’s a bummer, even though this is for sure one of my favourite places in the region.

8 | Visit Val di Funes

One of the most famous things to do in South Tyrol is Val di Funes and rightfully so! I’ve seen this place a few times (and hopefully much more times) and it’s beautiful every time.

Around Val di Funes, there are a lot of things to do like seeing the Church of St. John, hike to the viewpoint of Chiesa di Santa Maddalena or do the circular hike of Adolf Munkel trail. So, you can for sure spend the whole day around this area or just pick one or two things for sightseeing like we did!

You might also like: Discover the best hikes in South Tyrol (coming soon)

9 | See the sunset at Alpe di Siusi

This has to be the most beautiful valley I have ever seen! I’ve been here 3 times in total and it never gets boring! Alpe di Siusi is a must hike when in South Tyrol. Alpe di Siusi or Seiser Alm was used as pasture for grazing cattle back in the days, but nowadays, it’s more used for hiking, skiing, paragliding and other activities for tourism.

There are a few ways to reach this pasture, but now that you can’t drive your car to the car parking between 9AM until 5PM or you’ll get a big fine. So, you need to be there early or later in the afternoon. Know that the parking costs €26 for the time you stay there, which is quiet a lot. Once there, you can still drive away between these hours. That way, the pasture is quiet calm as there are no cars driving past. Another option is to go with the cable car to Seiser Alm. You can find more information about this here.

South Tyrol itinerary: Day 5

Total driving distance: 30.4 kilometers (18.9 miles)

Today is the day that I left South Tyrol and drove back to Belgium as my time at Haflingerhof came to an end. But first, there is one more hike to discover!

10 | Hike to Stone Men

For your last hike around South Tyrol, we decided to go to the Stone Men or ‘Stoanerne Mandln’, which stands on the summit of the Hohe Reisch in the Sarntal Alps. It was such a fun hike with stunning views all around.

Once at the top, you will be rewarded with over a hundred different piles of sandstone slabs. How they got up here is a mystery and no one knows something about it. These stone piles are mostly used for orientation, but they think these were a ritual site as early as the Stone Age.

It’s best to park your car at Sarner Skihütte and start hiking from there. At the beginning of the trail, you can choose between going up (left path) or going straight (right path). I would suggest to go up with the left path and going down with the right path as you have a circular hike and you won’t get bored. It has an elevation gain of around 300 meters.

After this hike, we drove to Liechtenstein for a short layover before continuing our drive back to Belgium the next day.

You might also like: A Day-Trip To Liechtenstein (coming soon)

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Travel blogger

Hello, I’m Ellen and welcome to this blog! I’m in love with exploring the world and hopefully I get to inspire you with these blog posts and pictures to feel the same. You will find detailed itineraries, hidden gems, tips and so much more!

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