Discover Merano like a local. Live the pearl of the Alto Adige like a resident, among wonderful landscapes and a mediterranean microclimate.
Both inhabitants and tourists, call Merano “Pearl of the Alto Adige”.
It is a lively city, where 40.000 both German and Italian mother tongue residents share different languages and customs. What comes out is a particular lifestyle that join not only languages but also cooking, culture and customs.
Living in Merano like a local means to catch the essence of an historical city in its daily activities and in its inner traditions.
Merano shows itself with a medieval centre of town and many districts around. It is surrounded by medium and high mountains and by characteristic valleys.
Living in Merano like a local
If you want to live the real Merano like a local, you have to see its historical centre. Walking under its portici and in Steinach district, you will be able to taste the urban life that animates this city. They stand behind what remains of the old boundary walls. You can admire Porta Bolzano, Porta Passirio and Porta Val Venosta: they are well preserved and they are the main entrances to the town centre.
The old town is perfectly integrated with the surrounding nature, above all with parks and cultivations. While watching Merano like a local, you will see the uniqueness of this place and you will enjoy its organization.
If you you spend your holidays in Trentino Alto Adige, be sure to check our local guide dedicated to Trento and all the insider tips to visit Bolzano.
10. Tappeiner Promenade
Walking in Merano is an institution. The Tappeiner Promenade is an obligatory path which is strongly loved by residents. If you want to appreciate Merano like a local and experience one of the best things to do in Trentino Alto Adige, you have to try it.
It starts from the town centre with an uphill path that is well marked. It is pedestrian and well kept. As all walks in the surroundings, it is provided with benches for a relaxing pause in the nature.
Tappeiner Promenade is four kilometers long and it is not particularly difficult. At your arrival you will find a panoramic view over the city. It was planned by Dr. Franz Tappeiner, a thermal doctor who wanted to suggest an easy path to keep fit.
Visit a castle in Trentino❯9. Lungo Passirio Promenade
How can you discover Merano like a local? You should have a walk along Passirio, the river that separates old town from other districts. It starts from the Ponte della Posta, one of the most panoramic and known points in the city and it ends at Ponte Teatro. Along this walk you will find artistic flowerbeds, palm trees, ice-cream shops and cafés. You can also go on to Ponte di Ferro, in this part you are going to find more historical buildings.
On the opposite bank there is the Kurhaus, one of the symbols of the thermal city, and Piazza delle Terme. On your way back you can reach the old town through Porta Bolzano and in a few minutes you will be at Duomo di San Nicolò. If you are thinking about a longer tour, you can start from Lungopassirio walk and go on through Passeggiata invernale.
Every path will make you breath life in Merano like a local, enjoying the beauty of nature and the history of this magic place.
Visit a museum in Trentino Alto Adige❯8. Thermal Baths
Merano offers the possibility to take a break in daily life, whenever you like. Residents in Merano take advantage of this opportunity by relaxing themselves in the Thermal Baths, an oasis of well-being (here a list of the best thermal areas in Italy). It is not only an activity for tourists, but it is also a custom you should try in order to understand Merano like a local.
Try some of the most beautiful thermal baths in Trentino Alto Adige around Merano. You can choose between daily tickets and those for two or three hours entrance. They give the chance to relax yourself in one of the various pools, in thermal paths or get pampered by Spa cares. In summer you can also enjoy the great park of five hectares around this structure.
Book a day at the spa in Trentino Alto Adige❯7. Tour to Maia Hippodrome
It is considered to be one of the most beautiful hippodromes in Europe and in Merano it is a daily custom. It lies near the town centre. It proposes several activities: guided tours to tracks and to various rooms, pony rides for children and entertainments for adult people.
From its gallery you can admire the mountains of Tessa Group. Its tracks and its paths are famous in Europe for their technical features.
If you are longing to live a day or a holiday in Merano like a local, you must have this particular experience.
Book nature experience near Merano❯6. Shopping at the local market
The most known and popular market in Merano takes place each Friday from 8 am till 1pm. It lies from via Mainardo to Piazza Prader. You can buy food products, clothes, household articles but also jewelry, plants and traditional customs.
It is a typical meeting place for residents in Merano, an occasion to talk while buying what is needed. People purchase local products directly from producers. It is wide but well organized, it is not chaotic and products change following the seasons.
May we suggest you a nice way to see Merano like a local? Walking down the market you will arrive at the town centre.
Merano is the perfect destination for your next winter holidays. Take the opportunity to wander around the stalls of the picturesque Christmas market and discover one of the best festive fairs in Trentino Alto Adige.
5. Movida: Nightlife in Merano like a local
In Merano you can find nightlife more in quiet cafés than in discos. In the old town, cocktail bars give you the possibility to spend a nice time tasting a good drink. Along the Passirio many interesting restaurants propose a particular cooking, with South Tyrolean and Italian influences.
Residents use to eat in local bistros in old town and also in farmhouse restaurants in the hillsides surrounding Merano. They also love private wine shops, where you can taste and buy local wines directly from producers.
To live in Merano like a local means also to pass a night in a typical bistro with peasant culinary specialities, in one of the many restaurants cooking Mediterranean food or in a wine bar with local appetizers and soft music.
Cultural activities and events taking place in Merano are a hint to set daily or nightly moments that will let you love local life. Living in Merano like a local is not boring at all!
4. To do shopping in via dei Portici
If you want to do shopping in Merano like a local, you have to walk in the pedestrian old town.
The main avenue is via dei Portici. It is the greatest and most interesting shopping area in Merano. It goes from Piazza del Grano to Piazza Duomo.
It is rich in medieval buildings, in shops and boutiques, in restaurants and cafés to have a sweet break. Local and branded shops stand side by side, to satisfy everybody’s needs.
3. To take part to Grape Festival
If you want to feel Merano like a local, you have to take part to Grape Festival. It takes place every year during the third weekend in October. It represents the ideal occasion to see closely traditional customs.
It is the symbol of the end of harvest season and a tribute to the work in the fields, in orchards and in vineyards. Sunday is the most important moment, the city is full of wagons decorated with flowers, ribbons, fruits, bells and the famous “apple garland”. Music bands and folk groups animate Merano. In Lungo Passirio Promenade many bands of musicians play music.
If vineyards, wines and cellars fascinate you, discover the wine route through Trentino Alto Adige. Merano also hosts the annual Merano Wine Festival, one of the most prominent wine events in Europe.
Book Amarone wine tour in Valpolicella❯
2. Traditions to live in Merano like a local: craft beer and strudel
Merano strongly feels the South Tyrolean tradition to make craft beer. The places where beer is made are a meeting point for friends. They can eat local food and drink a good craft beer. Each craft brewery keeps its own recipe and you can watch a master brewer while he is working in a rural place.
If you are able to respect and take part to local traditions, you are going to feel Merano like a local.
Another important old tradition in Merano is that of strudel, among the most loved European and Italian desserts. The original recipe is reproduced not only in pastry shops, the classic places where traditions pass down from generations, but also in the malghe, as a dessert after a walk in the surroundings.
The perfect matching for residents is strudel with local wines for sweets.
1. How to move in Merano
If you are going to Merano from Trento or Bolzano, you can easily use the train, provided with daily links to the main places. Starting from Bolzano, you can catch the bus number 201. Driving by car, take the highway A22 till Bolzano Sud.
After arriving in Merano by car, you can park near the old town. You will find: Parcheggio Kellerei, Parkhaus Plaza e Lauben Portici. The best way to see Merano is on foot, to live closely Merano like a local with the Dolomiti in the background. Keep on reading, you are going to find the maps to the parkings.
Moving in Merano like a local means taking healthy walks!
In order to visit the surroundings, you can use urban transport, which is efficient and well organized.
