# Bolzano at 262 meters, and the day trips above it

> Bolzano sits at 262 meters with 107,236 residents. The Renon cable car climbs to 1,222 meters in 12 minutes, and two famous day trips need booking.

URL: https://myitalia.it/towns/bolzano/things-to-do
Last updated: 2026-09-03

Bolzano is the lowest of the Italian Alpine provincial capitals at 262 meters, so the day here is built on getting above it: the Renon cable car climbs to 1,222 meters in 12 minutes, and the two famous lake and meadow trips beyond the city now require a booking.

## The Renon cable car: 12 minutes, 948 meters of climb

The Renon cable car links the city at 274 meters to Soprabolzano at 1,222 meters, 4,541 meters of line covered in 12 minutes with a cabin leaving every 4 minutes. The current 3S installation has run since May 23, 2009, replacing the line of 1966.

Each cabin holds 35 people and the system moves 550 an hour, which means the queue clears rather than builds. At the top, the narrow gauge Renon train carries on to Collalbo across a plateau of meadows and farms.

The tariff is the gap: the operator does not publish the fares on the page we read, so buy at the valley station and treat any price you find elsewhere as unverified.

## 107,236 people at the bottom of a funnel

Bolzano had 107,236 residents on May 31, 2026 and stands at 262 meters above sea level, the lowest quota among Italy's Alpine provincial capitals. Vineyards start where the streets stop.

That altitude is the whole logic of the city in summer. Heat pools in the basin, and every classic outing from here, cable car, plateau, lake, is really a way of gaining a thousand meters before lunch.

## Two languages on the same shop sign

In the 2024 linguistic census, with a reference date of September 30, 2023, 68.61% of respondents in the province declared themselves German, 26.98% Italian and 4.41% Ladin. Against 2011 the Italian group gained 0.92 points, the German lost 0.80 and the Ladin 0.12.

That census is not a curiosity. It sets the ethnic proportion used for public jobs and resources, which is why the numbers are collected with this precision and published as astat info 56/2024.

Bolzano city runs against the provincial figure and it shows on the street, where a conversation switches language between the counter and the door.

## The day trips that now need a reservation

The road up to the Alpe di Siusi is closed to private cars every day from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, and in those hours the plateau is reached only by cable car or bus. Since June 29, 2026 the two car parks must be booked online as well, P1 Spitzbuhl at €15 a day and P2 Compatsch at €30.

Lago di Braies works on a different rule. Between July 1 and September 15, 2026, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, arriving by car needs an online parking booking at €44, or €49 for vehicles over 2.2 meters tall. Before 9:00 am, after 4:00 pm and outside that period, the road is open as normal, and walkers and cyclists are never restricted.

Neither charge is an entry fee. In both cases you are paying for access and parking, not for the lake or the meadow, and the cheapest version of both trips is still the bus or the early start.

## Apples, and why they are everywhere

Mela Alto Adige IGP is grown by over 6,000 farming families in the province, who bring more than sixteen certified varieties to market, among them Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji and Granny Smith.

Six thousand families is a landscape description as much as an economic one: the orchard rows that follow the valley floor out of Bolzano belong to thousands of small owners, not to a handful of estates.

The consortium does not publish hectares, tonnes or the year the IGP was granted, so those numbers are absent here. More in [Bolzano](/towns/bolzano), [nature in Alto Adige](/nature-and-parks/in-provincia-bolzano) and [the story of Otzi](/stories/otzi-was-found-by-accident).

## FAQ

### What is there to do in Bolzano itself, without a car?

The Renon cable car is the one move that changes the day: 4,541 meters of line from 274 to 1,222 meters in 12 minutes, a cabin every 4 minutes. From Soprabolzano the narrow gauge Renon train carries on to Collalbo across the plateau.

### How high is Bolzano?

262 meters above sea level, with 107,236 residents at May 31, 2026. That is low for an Alpine provincial capital, which is why summers in the valley get hot and why every escape from the heat here goes upward.

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

No, not between 9:00 am and 5:00 pm, every day. In those hours the plateau is reached by cable car or bus only. Since June 29, 2026 the P1 Spitzbuhl car park at €15 a day and P2 Compatsch at €30 must also be booked online.

### Do you need a booking for Lago di Braies?

By car, between July 1 and September 15, 2026, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, yes: an online parking booking at €44, or €49 for vehicles over 2.2 meters. Outside those hours and dates, driving is free. On foot and by bike there is no restriction at all, and the lake itself costs nothing.

### What language is spoken in Bolzano and around it?

Both. In the 2024 linguistic census for the province, 68.61% declared German, 26.98% Italian and 4.41% Ladin, with the reference date of September 30, 2023. The city itself is the Italian speaking pole of that map.

## Sources

| Fact | Source | Confidence | Valid until |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bolzano ha 107.236 abitanti al 31 maggio 2026 e sorge a 262 metri sul livello del mare, la quota piu' bassa fra i capoluoghi alpini italiani | [Wikipedia (dati ISTAT)](https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolzano) | medium | 2027-12-31 |
| 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 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 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 |

## 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/cosa-fare.md
- es: https://myitalia.it/es/pueblos/bolzano/que-hacer.md
- fr: https://myitalia.it/fr/villages/bolzano/que-faire.md
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