# South Tyrol: book the road before you drive

> Two of South Tyrol's best known places cap car access by the hour and by the day. Prices, windows and free alternatives for Braies and Alpe di Siusi.

URL: https://myitalia.it/regions/provincia-bolzano
Last updated: 2026-09-02

South Tyrol took 37,046,803 overnight stays in 2024, 7.95% of the Italian total, and it is the province where two of the best known places on the map now decide who arrives by car and when.

## One province, 26.8% of every German night in Italy

The 37,046,803 stays recorded in 2024 come from a province of valleys, not a city. South Tyrol alone absorbs 26.8% of all German overnight stays in Italy, and the German speaking area as a whole covers 63% of foreign camping nights nationally.

Language is administrative here, not folkloric. The 2024 census, with reference date September 30, 2023, assigned 68.61% of declarations to the German group, 26.98% to Italian and 4.41% to Ladin. Against 2011 the Italian share rose 0.92 points, German fell 0.80 and Ladin fell 0.12. Those percentages determine the ethnic quota for public jobs and resources.

## Lake Braies: €44 to arrive by car, in one window

From July 1 to September 15, 2026, between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm, you reach Lake Braies by car only with a booked online parking slot or a transit permit. Parking costs €44, or €49 for vehicles over 2.2 m high.

The ticket includes the transit permit, a guaranteed space, a shuttle where needed, and a €22 voucher spendable locally if booked in advance. Buses 442 from Dobbiaco and Villabassa and 439 from Monguelfo cost €7 to €13 for adults and also need online booking inside the regulated period.

Outside that window nothing applies. Before 9:00 am, after 4:00 pm, or outside those ten weeks, driving up is free. On foot or by bicycle there is never a restriction, and access to the lake itself costs nothing: what you're paying for is the road and the parking space.

## Alpe di Siusi: the road shuts at 9:00 am, every day

The road up to the Alpe di Siusi is closed to private cars every day from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. During those hours the plateau is reached only by cable car or bus, and that rule isn't seasonal.

Two exemptions exist: guests staying in accommodation on the plateau, and holders of the European Disability Card. Since June 29, 2026 the parking lots also have to be booked online, P1 Spitzbuhl at €15 a day and P2 Compatsch at €30, with motorbikes at €10 and €15 and coaches at €160. Overnight parking is banned from 11:00 pm to 5:00 am.

The simplest answer is the cable car from Siusi, where parking at the valley station is free. Note the gap: in the shoulder weeks, mid April to mid May and early November to early December, the cable car stops and the driving ban lifts.

## The Dolomites, from the northern side

The Dolomites were inscribed in 2009 as nine separate mountain systems totaling 142,000 hectares across five provinces: Bolzano, Trento, Belluno, Pordenone and Udine. The systems on this side include Puez-Odle, Sciliar-Catinaccio-Latemar, the northern Dolomites and the Bletterbach gorge.

Trentino-Alto Adige as a whole holds two World Heritage sites, the Dolomites and the prehistoric pile dwellings of the Alpine arc, inscribed in 2011. Both are shared with other regions, and neither is a building.

## The Stelvio, 88 hairpins and a park

The Stelvio pass tops out at 2,758 m, the highest road pass in Italy, with 88 hairpin bends in total, 48 on the South Tyrolean side and 40 on the Lombard one. The road closes between November and May, and the closing date moves with the snow rather than the calendar.

The Stelvio National Park runs to more than 130,000 hectares around the Ortles-Cevedale group, straddling Lombardy and Trentino-Alto Adige, and it is administered by three separate authorities. That's why rules can differ from one valley to the next inside the same park.

## Speck, apples, and what they mean on a menu

Speck Alto Adige IGP, the smoked and cured ham of this province, has been in the EU register since June 21, 1996. Mela Alto Adige IGP comes from more than 6,000 farming families and covers over sixteen certified varieties, Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith among them.

The regional parks and their access rules are collected at [nature and parks in South Tyrol](/nature-and-parks/in-provincia-bolzano).

## FAQ

### Do you need to book to visit Lake Braies?

Only to drive there in the regulated window: July 1 to September 15, 2026, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Parking is booked online at €44, or €49 for vehicles over 2.2 m. On foot or by bike there's no restriction at all, and the lake itself is free.

### Can you drive up to the Alpe di Siusi?

Not between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, on any day. Outside those hours the road is open. Guests staying on the plateau and European Disability Card holders are exempt. Since June 29, 2026 the P1 and P2 parking lots must also be booked, at €15 and €30 a day.

### Which language is spoken in South Tyrol?

German, mostly. The 2024 language census, with reference date September 30, 2023, assigned 68.61% of declarations to the German group, 26.98% to Italian and 4.41% to Ladin. Compared with 2011 the Italian group grew by 0.92 points and German fell by 0.80.

### How high is the Stelvio pass?

2,758 m, the highest drivable pass in Italy. The climb has 88 hairpin bends in total, 48 on the South Tyrolean side and 40 on the Lombard side, and the road closes seasonally between November and May. It sits beside the Stelvio National Park, over 130,000 hectares.

### Which parts of the Dolomites are in South Tyrol?

Four of the nine inscribed systems fall wholly or partly here: Puez-Odle, Sciliar-Catinaccio-Latemar, the northern Dolomites and the Bletterbach. The whole property covers around 142,000 hectares over five provinces and was inscribed in 2009.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nel 2024 Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano/Bozen ha registrato 37.046.803 presenze turistiche. pari al 7.95% del totale nazionale | [Eurostat](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/tour_occ_nin2) | medium | 2027-07-31 |
| In Trentino-Alto Adige ricadono 2 siti UNESCO del Patrimonio Mondiale (2026) | [UNESCO World Heritage Centre](https://whc.unesco.org/en/statesparties/it/); [Ministero della Cultura - Ufficio UNESCO](https://unesco.cultura.gov.it/projects/); [Wikidata (query SPARQL su P1435=Q9259, P17=Q38, P757, P131)](https://query.wikidata.org/sparql) | medium | 2027-08-31 |
| Lo Speck Alto Adige IGP, prosciutto affumicato della provincia di Bolzano, e registrato nel registro UE dal 21 giugno 1996. | [MASAF - Elenco DOP e IGP prodotti agricoli (PDF, agg. 11/06/2026)](https://www.masaf.gov.it/flex/cm/pages/ServeAttachment.php/L/IT/D/1%252Fa%252F2%252FD.e7bdb4ebe6d458c7925a/P/BLOB%3AID%3D15453/E/pdf?mode=download); [Commissione europea - DG AGRI, registro eAmbrosia](https://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/eambrosia/geographical-indications-register/) | high | 2099-12-31 |
| Dal 1 luglio al 15 settembre 2026, fra le 9 e le 16, al Lago di Braies si arriva in auto solo con prenotazione online del parcheggio (44 euro, 49 per veicoli oltre 2,2 m di altezza) o con permesso di transito; fuori da quella fascia oraria e da quel periodo l'accesso in auto e' libero, mentre a piedi e in bici non c'e' alcuna limitazione | [Braies/Prags - portale ufficiale della regolamentazione](https://www.prags.bz/it); [Provincia autonoma di Bolzano](https://news.provincia.bz.it/it/news/piano-braies-accesso-al-lago-con-prenotazione-dal-10-luglio) | high | 2027-06-30 |
| La strada che sale all'Alpe di Siusi e' chiusa alle auto private ogni giorno dalle 9 alle 17: nelle ore di divieto l'altopiano si raggiunge solo con la cabinovia o con il bus, e dal 29 giugno 2026 anche i parcheggi P1 Spitzbuhl (15 euro al giorno) e P2 Compatsch (30 euro) vanno prenotati online | [Alpe di Siusi Marketing / consorzio turistico Seiser Alm](https://www.seiseralm.it/en/info-service/mobility/access-to-seiser-alm.html) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| Le Dolomiti sono patrimonio mondiale UNESCO come bene naturale dal 2009, articolate in nove sistemi montuosi distinti che sommano circa 142.000 ettari su cinque province (Bolzano, Trento, Belluno, Pordenone, Udine); i sistemi che ricadono in Alto Adige comprendono Puez-Odle, Sciliar-Catinaccio-Latemar, le Dolomiti settentrionali e il Bletterbach | [Commissione Nazionale Italiana per l'UNESCO](https://www.unesco.it/it/unesco-vicino-a-te/siti-patrimonio-mondiale/dolomiti/); [Provincia autonoma di Trento](https://www.provincia.tn.it/Argomenti/Focus/Riconoscimenti-UNESCO-in-Trentino/Dolomiti-Patrimonio-dell-Umanita) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Il passo dello Stelvio, a 2.758 metri, e' il valico automobilistico piu' alto d'Italia: la salita conta 88 tornanti in tutto, 48 sul versante altoatesino e 40 su quello lombardo, e la strada resta chiusa stagionalmente fra novembre e maggio | [Wikipedia](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passo_dello_Stelvio) | medium | 2027-12-31 |
| Il Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio supera i 130.000 ettari a cavallo fra Lombardia e Trentino-Alto Adige, attorno al gruppo Ortles-Cevedale, ed e' amministrato da tre enti territoriali distinti | [Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio](https://www.stelviopark.it/) | medium | 2029-12-31 |
| La Mela Alto Adige IGP e' coltivata da oltre 6.000 famiglie contadine altoatesine, che portano sul mercato piu' di sedici varieta' certificate fra cui Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji e Granny Smith | [Consorzio Mela Alto Adige](https://www.melaaltoadige.com/it/mele-dell-alto-adige.html) | medium | 2028-12-31 |
| Il censimento linguistico 2024 dell'Alto Adige, con data di riferimento 30 settembre 2023, ha assegnato il 68,61% dei dichiaranti al gruppo linguistico tedesco, il 26,98% a quello italiano e il 4,41% a quello ladino: rispetto al 2011 il gruppo italiano cresce di 0,92 punti, il tedesco cala di 0,80 e il ladino di 0,12 | [ASTAT - Istituto provinciale di statistica di Bolzano](https://astat.provincia.bz.it/it/pubblicazioni/risultati-censimento-linguistico-2024) | medium | 2035-12-31 |
| L'Alto Adige assorbe il 26,8% di tutte le notti tedesche in Italia; l'area di lingua tedesca copre circa il 63% delle notti straniere in campeggio. | [ISTAT, I flussi turistici anno 2024](https://www.istat.it/comunicato-stampa/i-flussi-turistici-anno-2024/) | medium | 2027-07-31 |

## Image

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Author: Einaz80. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0).
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Santa_Maddalena_Funes_2.jpg

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