Has anyone driven to Italy from the Innsbruck area?
Looking for recommedations as to where to go for a day trip.
thanks

It's about 40 minutes from Innsbruck to Vipiteno, Italy (or Sterzing in German). Looks like a nice town and has been recommended by others on Fodors.

Hi,

The Italian border is only 30 minutes from Innsbruck. The very charming old town of Sterzing/Vipiteno is just another 15 minutes on the A22 into Italy (45 min. from Innsbruck). Another 20 minutes or so (maybe 1:15 from Innsbruck) gets you to yet another (and larger) charming old town, Brixen/Bressanone. This is our favorite old town in the Sud Tirol.

If you're interested in seeing the spectacular Dolomites, they're just 1:30 to 2 hours from Innsbruck. From Innsbruck take the Brenner Autostrada (A22) to the Klausen/Chiusa exit (also the Val Gardena exit) and you're heading into the Val Gardena and the Dolomites. Even the 20 minute drive from the A22 to the Val Gardena is scenic. I'll never forget the first glimpses of the towering Dolomites. Simply magical. At the end of the Val Gardena (just a total of 40 min. off the A22) is the Gardena Pass. A simply spectacular drive through out of this world Dolomite scenery.

www.sterzing.com/en/home.html

www.brixen.org

www.val-gardena.com

Hope this helps.

Paul

The towns listed above may be in Italy, but you may be hard pressed to tell aren't still in Austria since it's the German speaking region of South Tirol.

As J62 mentions, you may feel like you're still in Austria. This part of Italy WAS Austria until the end of WWI. You will notice that each town has two names (they are sign posted like this), it's "original" German name and it's "newer" Italian name. Hence, Brixen/Bressanone, Sterzing/Vipiteno, Bozen/Bolzano, Val Gardena/Gröden, and so on.

Paul

The border is moot--it is still Tyrol.