I must confess I have not been to Bressanone but both Bolzano and Merano are certainly worth a day out.

For me,of course, a revisit to the Ice Man Museum would be the attraction in Bolzano. In case news of this amazing archaeological find has not filtered through to Colorado, they have a complete 5000 year old body preserved in ice and found with all his clothing and equipment.

Bolzano have claimed him as their own and built a dedicated museum to mountain life in Neolithic times. Whether you are interested in archaeology or not it is one of the highlights of the Alps. Your Austrian hosts may not fall over themselves to tell you about him because they are still a little peeved that the Italians eventually claimed him after surveyors decided that his glacial resting plce was just 100 meters inside the Italian border.

Merano would require a change of train at Bolzano, which is always tricky on a single day outing however it is a superb example of an elegant alpine spa resort with promenades, good hotels and places to eat.

Still with no great Italian feel I must add, the Sud Tyrol was only conveyed to Italy in recent times.

Sounds like a great trip you have planned,

Bob.

Bolzano and Bressanone would be a good day trip. Since Bolzano and Bressanone lie on the same north-south rail line, they would be the most convenient to visit on a day trip. Merano would be another 40-minutes by train from Bolzano, and you would be spending your entire day traveling!

Dolomites and South Tirol:

frommers.com/destinations/…

Bolzano is the major city in the area, and locals consider Bolzano their hub!

Bozen (Bolzano):

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/bozen/

Bressanone is a gem of a Tirolean town with medieval lanes and Tirolean architecture. It has great markets near its Duomo.

Brixen (Bressanone):

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/brixen/

Merano is more of a resort and because it's in a valley, doesn't over the same mountain feel as Bolzano and Bressanone.

Meran (Merano):

http://www.frommers.com/destinations/meran/

The Dolomites are spectacular! You may want to spend even more time visiting!

Vagabonda

To help get some idea of which place you'd like to visit, you can look at pictures: www.webshots.com/members/travel/italy_67.html

Just plug in the names and start looking (a wonderful picture site!).

I haven't been to any of the 3 cities, but pictures of all look attractive. II think pictures of Bressanone look especially attractive.

I'm in the planning stages of a Dolomite trip, so have some of the same dilemas you have!

Everyone's input is very much appreciated. There were some tremendous ideas from each of you that I have looked into. Based on time constraints for this day trip out of Innsbruck, we have decided to visit Brixen/Bressanone. If time permits, Bolzano and the Ice Man are possibilities. Thanks again, everyone!

Larry

You will love Brixen/Bressanone!

trekearth.com/gallery/…

Enjoy!

Vagabonda