Active fun in South Tyrol

Exploring mountain and valley

Discover Montiggl forest while Nordic walking, conquer the skies while paragliding, or let us whisk you away into the South Tyrolean mountains on one of our weekly hikes. There’s so much to experience.

Active holidays in South Tyrol: Gartenhotel Moser

Hiking and Nordic walking in South Tyrol’s south

Gartenhotel Moser is the perfect starting point for numerous hikes and Nordic walking tours. Several times a week, we organise guided tours through Montiggl forest and around the bathing lakes. You can borrow Nordic walking poles free of charge from our reception.

Here are some of our favourite hikes in South Tyrol’s south.

Castles hike (Corba/Korb castle – Hocheppan – Boymont) | approx. 2.5 hours

Hiking trail no. 9 leads you to the Unterhauser Weinstadl, which is not far from the Kreideturm tower. After about 15 minutes, you arrive at Hocheppan castle with all its impressive treasures. Here, you change to trail no. 9A to reach the next historical monument in our region: the Boymont castle ruins. You then cross Valle d’Appiano/Hocheppanertal on 60m of secured wooden steps. You can take your time here, as Corba/Korb castle is just 15 minutes away.

Ice holes – Steinegger | approx. 2.5 hours

100m south of the main square in St. Michael, you turn right at the St. Anna chapel and follow trail no. 7. Through Pigeno, past Ganda/Gandegg castle, you arrive at the Stroblhof: A stop to rest and indulge in the fine cuisine is definitely worth it! Following trail no. 15, you then hike south for about 20 minutes. You’ll already feel the refreshing coolness of the ice holes flowing towards you. A crevice system between the blocks of porphyry causes a constant flow of air that provides a lovely coolness down here. You can feel the coolness in this hollow in the rocks up to approx. five metres up. Around 600 plant species thrive here as a result of the huge difference in temperature in such a small space – a stunning natural spectacle! Trail no. 7A leads you to the Steinegger guesthouse before you take the “ST” trail, passing by the Chiesa del Calvario/Gleifkirche and returning to St. Michael.

Girlan – Sigmundskron | 2 hours

This hike isn’t too taxing. From Girlan, you hike east past the Jesuheim. An impressive house in a stunning setting can soon be seen from a distance – the former Marklhof restaurant. It’s a secret tip for lovers of fine food and ideal for a quick break on the sunny terrace! Approx. 200 metres after this restaurant, you reach the viewing point, where an incredible view over our varied landscape opens up in front of you. To reach your hiking destination, you have to return to the former Marklhof restaurant and continue on hiking trail no. 1 from there. After an hour, you reach the ruins of Sigmundskron castle, a majestic witness of the Middle Ages. The grand Messner Mountain Museum (MMM) is located here, which is a real must-see. The best way to experience it is by taking one of the tours! Now you have the option of taking the bus from Frangart to Eppan or returning to Girlan and your holiday home on the same route.

Eppan high-altitude trail | 6 hours

Because of how long the hike takes, an early start is recommended. From the main square in St. Michael, you ascend to the Chiesa del Calvario/Gleifkirche and hike for about 20 minutes to Gasthof Steinegger. Trail no. 7 takes you in a south-westerly direction. You then hike up Monte Masaccio/Matschatscherberg. From the top, you can see the idyllic Matschatsch castle further south. The famous Eppan high-altitude trail (no. 9) starts above the castle in the Michaeler Riebn, curve no. 6. You hike for 3 hours as far as Buchwald and then return from there back to St. Michael via Kreuzstein and past Freudenstein castle.

Walk through Valle della Primavera/Frühlingstal to Lago di Caldaro/Kalterer See lake | 1.5 hours

You start directly from Gartenhotel Moser and walk to the right down to the little white-wine village of Montiggl. At the church, you turn to the right and follow the little tarmacked road for approx. 20 minutes through orchards and then through the forest until you reach a crossroads. There, turn left into Valle della Primavera/Frühlingstal and continue to Lago di Caldaro/Kalterer See lake. This walk is highly recommended in spring as the snowdrops are in full bloom then.

To the hot holes on Monte di Mezzo/Mitterberg | 2 hours

This excursion starts at the first bend on the road that leads from Kaltern via the Novale/Kreith saddle to Castèl Varco/Laimburg. Trail no. 13 leads uphill for half an hour to the turning to Castelchiaro/Leuchtenburg (576m above sea level). It’s worth taking a detour to these ruins for the stunning view over Bassa Atesina/Unterland and Oltradige/Überetsch alone. Then, continue on trail no. 13c. Just before the Denti di Terrarossa/Rosszähne, you keep to the left to reach the hot holes (584m above sea level), which are not easy to find (GPS N46°22.206 E11°17.020). Caution is called for in certain places! You reach the Denti di Terrarossa/Rosszähne (609m above sea level) an hour after starting out. You now descend to the south on the same trail, which merges into a forest road after about 20 minutes. This leads you (trail 13a) back to the starting point in 40 minutes. You will already be familiar with the final section from your ascent.

The greens await!

Golf is becoming more and more popular in South Tyrol – both with locals and our guests. And there’s no wonder, because South Tyrol is home to some of the most beautiful golf courses in Europe. Gartenhotel Moser is a member of the “Golf & Country Südtirol” association. This means that our guests can purchase 9-hole or 18-hole green fees for the Eppan, Freudenstein, or Carezza golf clubs at a special rate at our reception.

Here are some of the most beautiful golf courses in South Tyrol:

“The Blue Monster” Golf Club in Eppan (9 hole) approx. 6km
Freudenstein Golf Club (9 hole) approx. 5km
Carezza Golf Club – The Mountain Beast (9 hole) approx. 45km
Lana Brandis Golf Club (9 hole) approx. 29km
Dolomiti Golf Club (18 hole) approx. 31km
Petersberg Golf Club (18 hole) approx. 40km
St. Vigil Seis Golf Club (18 hole) approx. 45km

Emotional highs

Have you always wanted to fly? To glide through the air and admire the panorama from a bird’s eye view? Then Gerold Rosatti, who has been our wine sommelier for many years, has just the thing for you! Tandem paragliding flights are organised starting from various points in the area at altitudes of up to 2,000 metres! We would be happy to give you further information at our reception.

You can also enjoy wonderful views from the back of a horse. In Montiggl forest, just a five-minute drive from Gartenhotel Moser, you’ll find the Überetscher Reitverein stables, where you can book horse-rides and lessons for you or your children. You can also take a half-day trip to one of the stables in Jenesien above Bolzano, which is around 30 minutes away.