Booking the right hire car

If you want to get around the mountains around Bolzano, you should book a small and manoeuvrable car so that you can negotiate narrow serpentine roads with ease. In the winter months, when many roads are covered in snow, a car with four-wheel drive can serve you well.

Insuring the car properly

Even if most road users in South Tyrol are well-mannered, an accident can easily happen with an unfamiliar hire car. You are well covered in the event of damage if you have booked a hire car with fully comprehensive insurance without excess.

With the liability, you should make sure that the sum insured is at least one million euros. After all, if people are injured in an accident or several vehicles are involved, high costs quickly arise. If the sum insured of your rental company seems to be too low, you have the possibility to take out a so-called Majorca policy for further protection. Your insurance company will be happy to advise you.

Accessories

If you need accessories such as snow chains or a navigation device, you must always order the equipment you want separately from your hire car company. Make reservations well in advance to ensure the items are available when you pick up the car.

Tank control

Make sure you book with a rental company where you pick up the car with a full tank of gas and return it with a full tank. This is because some hire car companies oblige their customers to buy the first tank of fuel for an expensive service charge. In return, the car “may” be returned with an empty tank. With this variant, there are always additional costs for you.

Customer Satisfaction Hire Car

Although most customers are satisfied with hire car in Bolzano, some still find fault with the exterior condition of the vehicles. Always have defects such as dents or scratches confirmed in a defect report and keep the document safe. This is the only way to ensure that you will not be held responsible for damage that you did not cause after returning the car.

Sights in Bolzano

Maria Himmelfahrt: Late Gothic Church
A stroll through Bolzano could begin at the Cathedral of Maria Himmelfahrt. Construction began in the 13th century, and the church was finished in 1517. However, it was partially destroyed by bombing in 1943 and rebuilt in 1949. A church in the late Gothic architectural style awaits the visitor. Especially the colorful roof tiles and the powerful interior know to impress.

Archaeology Museum: Meeting Ötzi
You can admire a strictly Romanesque architectural style when you look at the nave and tower of the Gries parish church, which is located in a suburb of Bolzano. You can travel even further back in time by visiting the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology. The undisputed star of the exhibition is “Ötzi”, a world-famous glacier mummy found in the Ötztal Alps in 1991. It is assumed that Ötzi lived in the late Neolithic or Copper Age. Ötzi was therefore probably born between 3359 and 3105 BC.

Back to the present day, a visit to the fruit market is on the agenda at the end of your stroll through town. Here you can buy the delicious fruits for which the region around Bolzano is famous, every day except Sundays. Just stroll through the streets for a while, sit down in one of the cafés and enjoy the cheerful atmosphere of the city. Of course, you can also take a detour to one of the renowned outlet stores and buy leather goods and fashion.

Find the special hotel

You can also discover a special hotel in this charming city. Make a reservation at the Greif. The hotel has been around since at least the 1600s and offers a delightful contrast. You’ll stay in an old masonry building whose rooms all boast modern artwork.

Suggestion for a trip by hire car

Trento: Magnificent Renaissance Streets
A hire car tour from Bolzano could take you first to Trento. In three quarters of an hour you will be there. In Trento, you can first stroll along Via Belenzani, which is lined with magnificent buildings with Renaissance facades. Afterwards, the Cathedral of San Vigilio is worth a visit. It was built from the 13th to the 14th century and impresses with its austere Romanesque architectural style.

Before you turn your back on Trento, don’t miss taking a look at the Castello di Buonconsiglio. In the museum, located inside the Castello, you can see the famous Dodici Mesi cycle, created in the 15th century. It is fully preserved except for the month of March and shows life of the citizens and the nobles during the year.

Riva del Garda: Pretty Town on the Lake
Continue your journey to Riva del Garda at the northern end of Lake Garda. Again, you will only need a drive of three quarters of an hour by hire car. Perhaps climb the 14th-century Torre Apponale first.

From the top, you’ll enjoy a beautiful view over the city. Afterwards, head to the pebbled beach, enjoy some sunbathing or a walk along the lake, and then take a refreshing dip in Lake Garda.

Caltern: Discover delicious wines
Before you head back to Bolzano in your hire car, make a stop in Caldaro, which you can reach in just over an hour.

There you have the opportunity to fill the trunk with a few boxes of the excellent wines for which South Tyrol and especially the area around Kaltern is so well known. Now only a half-hour drive separates you from Bolzano, where you can review the day’s experiences.