Merano and Lana without a car: a weekend by train

Merano and Lana without a car: two hotels with free station pick-ups, three outings, places to eat and the train journey.

Spend the afternoon on Merano’s Tappeinerweg, have dinner at Reichhalter, then take the cable car up to the Vigiljoch the next morning. With the right base, you can do it all without a car.

Our two places to stay are in Lana: 1477 Reichhalter, with eight rooms above its restaurant, and Schwarzschmied, with pools, a spa and yoga. Both offer free pick-ups from Lana-Burgstall station. Reichhalter guests can also use Schwarzschmied’s spa.

Merano is a short bus or train ride up the valley, with promenades, arcades and restaurants open on Sundays. For Lana itself, from the Vigiljoch to the mountain hotel vigilius, see our Lana guide.

Reichhalter or Schwarzschmied: which hotel suits you?

At Reichhalter you stay above the restaurant, in the middle of the pedestrian zone. Breakfast is included, dinner is one flight of stairs down, and city bikes are free. For a swim or a sauna, you walk over to Schwarzschmied.

Schwarzschmied suits a weekend built around time at the hotel, with swimming, spa treatments and yoga. There are pools, a sauna and the Susanne Kaufmann spa, plus La Fucina restaurant and Bistro Luce. City and mountain bikes are free, and on your last day you can use the spa until you leave – handy if your train is in the afternoon.

Three outings from Lana and Merano

On your first afternoon in Merano: the Tappeinerweg starts above the parish church, opposite the point where the Gilf promenade meets the old Passeirerstraße. It runs for three kilometres, almost level, along the Küchelberg to Gratsch, past stone pines, olive trees and agaves, with views over the town’s rooftops. There and back takes about an hour and a half, and it’s fine with a pushchair. You come back the same way; at the start, the Gilf promenade leads down to the River Passer.

For a long morning: from Merano, take the Vinschgau line towards Mals as far as Töll and join the Marling Waalweg at the Töll bridge. It’s the longest irrigation-channel trail in South Tyrol, following an old channel past apple orchards, chestnut trees and Lebenberg Castle to the slopes above Lana. The route is just under 11 kilometres long and takes a little over three hours, with a short, steep descent towards Lana at the end. It finishes at the bus station, and from there you walk on to your hotel. To shorten it, drop down to Marling halfway along on path 33 or 35.

For a day in the mountains: the valley station of the Vigiljoch cable car is a two-minute walk from Lana bus station. Cars go up every 30 minutes to the car-free Vigiljoch, and at the top a chairlift continues towards St Vigil. For how to spend the day up there and where to stop for lunch, see our Lana guide.

How to plan your Sunday

If you leave on Monday, you can spend Sunday on the Vigiljoch and have dinner in Merano; the restaurant at Reichhalter serves meals Monday to Saturday only. Check the last bus back to Lana in the timetable before you go.

If you head home on Sunday afternoon, you have time for a walk and lunch in Merano – the Tappeinerweg, say, then Forsterbräu, whose kitchen is open from midday on Sundays too. You can then start the journey home from Merano station.

Sort out your bags before you check out. Ask your hotel when you book whether it can keep them for you or arrange a paid transfer to Merano station.

Where to eat without a car

In Lana, the restaurant at Reichhalter is the obvious choice, for Schwarzschmied guests too. Andreas Heinisch’s menu is short and changes every month: South Tyrolean cooking with Mediterranean influences. In October 2026 it included chestnut tortelloni with raw red prawns, and braised lamb shoulder with pistachios and artichokes. In the evening there are South Tyrolean wines to go with it. You can book a table online. At Schwarzschmied, you can simply stay in for dinner at La Fucina.

In Merano, Forsterbräu Meran on Freiheitsstraße has been serving beer from the Forst brewery since 1869, in wood-panelled rooms and halls on two floors. The menu focuses on South Tyrolean dishes, with fish, salads and pasta, and the kitchen is open every day until late – an option for Sunday lunch or dinner. You can book a table online.

Under the arcades in the old town is a historic inn with a bar and rooms. Rössl Bianco serves daily specials at lunch and regional menus in the evening, plus wood-oven pizza and wines from its own cellar. The bar is open all day – a handy stop between walks.

Visiting in late November

From 26 November 2026 to 6 January 2027, the stalls of the Merano Christmas market line the Passer promenade in front of the Kurhaus. On Fridays and Saturdays they stay open into the evening. In Lana, Pfefferlechner on St. Martinsweg – a farm tavern with its own brewery, wood-panelled rooms and South Tyrolean food – is open on Fridays and Saturdays until 28 November 2026. The Vigiljoch cable car runs in November too, with a midday closure on weekdays.

How do you get to Lana by train?

From Germany, the route runs over the Brenner Pass. Direct DB and ÖBB trains run from Munich to Bolzano, where you change to the regional train to Merano. From Vienna and Zurich, you reach Bolzano with one change in Innsbruck; from Hamburg, Hanover, Essen or Amsterdam, the ÖBB Nightjet runs overnight via Innsbruck. On some regional connections you have to change at the Brenner.

Check your connection all the way to Lana-Burgstall on DB, ÖBB or südtirolmobil; both hotels will pick you up there. If you’d like to spend your first afternoon in Merano, continue to Merano and take bus 211 to Lana bus station later.

Which pass covers buses and trains?

In the Lana area, many hosts give guests the South Tyrol Guest Pass from the first night. It arrives on your phone before you travel and is valid from your arrival day to your departure day on regional trains within South Tyrol and as far as Trento, on buses and on several public cable cars. So from the Brenner onwards it covers regional trains, but not long-distance ones.

At Schwarzschmied, a mobility card for all public transport is included in your stay. Without a guest pass, buy the Mobilcard for one, three or seven days. None of these covers the Vigiljoch cable car; you buy that ticket at the valley station.

Practical: before you book

• Train (as of October 2026): five direct services a day from Munich to Bolzano in under four hours; Bolzano–Merano by regional train twice an hour, 38 minutes. Timetables: DB, ÖBB, südtirolmobil.
• Pick-up: Reichhalter and Schwarzschmied collect guests free of charge from Lana-Burgstall station (3.5 km), and from Bolzano or Merano for a fee. Bus 211 to Lana: stand C at Merano station. Luggage on departure day: ask your hotel when you book.
• Guest pass: South Tyrol Guest Pass from your host, not valid on long-distance trains or the Vigiljoch cable car. Mobility card included at Schwarzschmied. Without a guest pass: Mobilcard for 1, 3 or 7 days.
• 1477 Reichhalter: check-in 3 pm to 7 pm; reception is not always staffed, so give your arrival time the day before and confirm it half an hour ahead. Breakfast included, Schwarzschmied spa at no extra charge. Restaurant Monday to Saturday: breakfast 8 to 10.30 am, lunch noon to 2 pm, dinner 6 to 9 pm.
• Hotel Schwarzschmied: rooms from 3 pm, check-out 11 am, spa open to you all day on departure; e-mountain bikes 40 euros a day.
• Vigiljoch cable car, November to April: weekdays 9 am to 12.30 pm and 1.30 to 5 pm; Saturdays, Sundays and holidays 8.30 am to 6 pm. Adults 12 euros one way, 19 euros return; with the chairlift 23 euros return.
• Merano Christmas market: 26 November 2026 to 6 January 2027 on the Passer promenade; stalls 10 am to 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays, otherwise 10 am to 7 pm.
• Forsterbräu Meran: daily 11 am to 1 am, kitchen Sunday to Thursday 11.30 am to 10.30 pm, Friday and Saturday until 11 pm. Rössl Bianco: dining room noon to 2 pm and 6.30 to 9.30 pm, bar 10 am to 10 pm. Pfefferlechner: Friday 4 to 11 pm, Saturday noon to 11 pm, open until 28 November 2026.
• All times and prices as of October 2026.

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