Wipptal – Vipiteno with historic buildings and mountain trails

Vipiteno: historic buildings and art

The Torre delle Dodici is Vipiteno’s best-known landmark. The tower is approximately 46 metres high. The Chiesa di Santo Spirito contains a Gothic fresco cycle created between 1400 and 1415 and attributed to Hans von Bruneck. The Chiesa Parrocchiale “Nostra Signora della Palude” is one of the largest late Gothic hall churches in the entire Alpine region.

The Altare di Multscher was also created by Hans Multscher between 1456 and 1459. At the site of the Antica Commenda dell’Ordine Teutonico, there was a hospice for pilgrims, travellers and the sick by 1241 at the latest. The Chiesa di Santa Elisabetta nel Palazzo dell'Ordine Teutonico is an octagonal church built in the 18th century and richly decorated with frescoes and stucco. The Chiesa di Santa Margherita a Vipiteno is a Baroque church from the 17th century with an older tower. The churches and the town hall date from different centuries; their architectural forms range from late Gothic hall churches to Baroque churches. The museum complements the buildings with late Gothic altarpieces.

Vipiteno Town Hall was built between 1468 and 1473 and includes a historic council chamber and an inner courtyard. The Gothic council chamber has wood-panelled walls and a ceiling with exposed beams. The Museo Civico e Museo Multscher Vipiteno houses most of the late Gothic works by the Ulm sculptor and painter Hans Multscher, including altarpieces. The Museo Civico e Museo Multscher Vipiteno is housed in the Deutschhaus near Vipiteno parish church.

Cable cars, trails and toboggan run

The Sentiero Dolomieu begins at the mountain station of the Monte Cavallo cable car in Vipiteno at an altitude of 1,860 metres. The Sentiero Dolomieu offers views of Monte Cavallo in the Dolomites. The gondola lift takes visitors from Vipiteno up the mountain in 12 minutes. This time refers to the ride from Vipiteno up to the mountain, not to the duration of the Sentiero Dolomieu. If you plan to walk the Sentiero Dolomieu, the ascent should be treated as a separate time segment of the journey to the starting point at the mountain station.

The Monte Cavallo Panorama Mountain Coaster offers a 1,300-metre-long toboggan run at an altitude of 2,120 metres. You can consider the 1,300 metres of the toboggan run as a separate route section; the altitude remains a separate planning point for your stay in Vipiteno. The Skytrek Adventure Park is located in Vipiteno’s Nordpark. The Skytrek Adventure Park includes suspension bridges, zip lines, nets and ropes. The Skytrek Adventure Park is directly accessible by public transport; the bus stop is opposite the entrance.

Another route option is the first section of the Brenner–Bolzano cycle path: it runs slightly downhill from the border crossing to Vipiteno alongside the tracks of the old railway.

Other places in Wipptal: Mauls, Franzensfeste, Freienfeld, Mareit, Ratschings, Brenner, Sterzing, Pfitsch

To the higher-level travel overview: South Tyrol.