# Bolzano: Ötzi, two languages, and a cable car

> Ötzi has been in Bolzano since 1998, at 13 euros and closed on Mondays outside July and August. At the 2024 census 74.71% declared the Italian group.

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

Bolzano is the Italian speaking capital of a German speaking province, with 74.71% of residents declaring the Italian group at the 2024 census, and its main draw is a body from over 5,300 years ago that sets the museum's hours.

## Who speaks what, by the census

At the 2024 language census 74.71% of Bolzano residents declared themselves in the Italian group, 24.74% in the German group and 0.55% in the Ladin group. In 2011 the Italian figure was 73.8%, so this is one of the few municipalities in South Tyrol with an Italian majority and the only one where that group has grown.

Both Italian and German are official languages of the council, so signs, menus and station announcements come in two. Outside the city the balance flips quickly, and the German name of a village is often the one on the bus.

## Ötzi, and why the cold cell matters

Two hikers found the body by chance in 1991 at the Tisenjoch, in Val Senales, and it has been in Bolzano since 1998, kept in a dedicated refrigerated cell that you look into through a small window. He is over 5,300 years old and he was murdered, by an arrow.

The window is the whole encounter: a few seconds at a porthole, with a queue behind you. Everything else in the room is context, and the room is small, which is why the museum controls how many people are inside. See [Ötzi was found by accident](/stories/otzi-was-found-by-accident).

## Museum hours, prices, and the Monday rule

The South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology at Via Museo 43 opens Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm (18:00 on Italian signs), last entry 5:30 pm, and closes on Mondays except in July and August, when it runs every day. It also shuts on January 1, May 1 and December 25, and closes at 3:00 pm on December 24 and 31.

Tickets are €13 full, €10 reduced, €26 for a family with two adults and €13 with one, free under 6, €3 per pupil for school groups, with an audio guide at €4. Booking is advised and not compulsory, and the booking office answers Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. Prices in euros.

## Up the Renon in 12 minutes

The cable car climbs from Bolzano at 274 m to Soprabolzano at 1,222 m, 4,541 meters of line covered in 12 minutes with a cabin leaving every 4 minutes. Each cabin holds 35 people and the line moves 550 an hour.

The current 3S installation has been running since May 23, 2009, replacing the first cable car of 1966. From the top the Renon narrow gauge train carries on to Collalbo, which turns a lift out of the valley into a half day on a plateau. More at [things to do in Bolzano](/towns/bolzano/things-to-do).

## The Christmas market has fixed dates

The 2026 market runs from November 27, 2026 to January 6, 2027 on Piazza Walther, along via Isarco and in the Christmas park, opening with a ceremony on November 26 at 5:00 pm. Stated hours are 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, with special hours on December 24, 25 and 31 and on January 1.

That six week window is when hotel prices here behave like a ski resort's. If the market is not the reason you are coming, the calm month is January after Epiphany, when the museum is open and the town is not. See [the province of Bolzano](/regions/provincia-bolzano).

## FAQ

### What language do people speak in Bolzano?

Both, with Italian ahead. At the 2024 language census 74.71% of residents declared the Italian group, 24.74% the German group and 0.55% Ladin. Italian and German are both official for the town council, so signs and menus come in two languages.

### How much is the Ötzi museum and when is it closed?

€13 full, €10 reduced, €26 for a family of two adults, free under 6. It runs Tuesday to Sunday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm, last entry 5:30 pm, closed Mondays except in July and August, and closed January 1, May 1 and December 25.

### Can you see Ötzi himself or just a copy?

The body itself, through a small window into the cold cell that has held it since 1998. Two hikers found him by chance in 1991 at the Tisenjoch in Val Senales; he is over 5,300 years old and died of an arrow wound.

### How does the Renon cable car work?

It climbs from Bolzano at 274 m to Soprabolzano at 1,222 m, 4,541 meters of line in 12 minutes, with a cabin every 4 minutes carrying 35 people. The current 3S installation has run since May 23, 2009, and the Renon narrow gauge train continues to Collalbo.

### When is the Bolzano Christmas market in 2026?

November 27, 2026 to January 6, 2027, on Piazza Walther, along via Isarco and in the Christmas park, with the opening ceremony on November 26 at 5:00 pm. Stated hours are 10:00 am to 7:00 pm, with special hours on December 24, 25 and 31 and January 1.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolzano e' il capoluogo di lingua italiana dell'Alto Adige: al censimento linguistico 2024 il 74,71% dei residenti del comune si e' dichiarato del gruppo italiano, il 24,74% di quello tedesco e lo 0,55% di quello ladino | [Wikipedia (dati ASTAT censimento 2024)](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolzano); [ASTAT - Istituto provinciale di statistica di Bolzano](https://astat.provincia.bz.it/it/pubblicazioni/risultati-censimento-linguistico-2024) | medium | 2035-12-31 |
| Ötzi e' stato trovato per caso da due escursionisti nel 1991 al Giogo di Tisa, in Val Senales, ha oltre 5.300 anni ed e' conservato a Bolzano dal 1998 in una cella frigorifera visibile solo attraverso un oblo' | [Museo Archeologico dell'Alto Adige](https://www.iceman.it/en/the-iceman/) | medium | 2099-12-31 |
| Il Museo Archeologico dell'Alto Adige a Bolzano, dove e' esposta la mummia di Ötzi, apre da martedi' a domenica 10-18 (ultimo ingresso 17.30) ed e' chiuso il lunedi', tranne in luglio e agosto quando apre tutti i giorni; il biglietto intero costa 13 euro, il ridotto 10 euro e il biglietto famiglia 26 euro (tariffe pubblicate come 2025, in vigore alla verifica del 2026) | [Museo Archeologico dell'Alto Adige](https://www.iceman.it/en/the-museum/opening-times-and-fees) | medium | 2027-06-30 |
| La funivia del Renon collega Bolzano (274 m) a Soprabolzano (1.222 m) in circa 12 minuti su 4.541 metri di tracciato, con corse ogni 4 minuti; l'impianto attuale, di tipo 3S, e' in servizio dal 23 maggio 2009 | [Azienda di Soggiorno e Turismo di Bolzano](https://www.bolzano-bozen.it/it/funivie/funivia-del-renon.html); [Wikipedia (dati tecnici STA/Leitner)](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funivia_del_Renon) | medium | 2028-12-31 |
| Il Mercatino di Natale di Bolzano si tiene in piazza Walther e lungo via Isarco dal 27 novembre 2026 al 6 gennaio 2027, con inaugurazione il 26 novembre alle 17 | [Azienda di Soggiorno e Turismo di Bolzano](https://www.mercatinodinatalebz.it/) | medium | 2027-01-31 |

## Image

https://media.myitalia.it/media/city.bolzano.v2.1600.jpg
Author: User:Mattes. License: Public domain.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bozen_Waltherplatz.jpg

## Other languages

- it: https://myitalia.it/it/paesi/bolzano.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/pueblos/bolzano.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/villages/bolzano.md
- de: https://myitalia.it/de/orte/bolzano.md