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Te Travel Guide - brought to you by APL Media • Wednesday 11 February 2026 ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE


SkyAlps: discover Merano and embrace the art of slow travel


Merano in spring feels like a secret that sophisticated travellers have long kept to themselves


As the Alpine resorts wind down from the winter season, this South Tyrol spa town basks in early sunshine, with its riverside promenades and cafe terraces humming with life — visitors enjoying crisp white wine from nearby vineyards. For those eager to explore, here’s how best to plan a trip to Merano this spring.


MERANO: A DESTINATION OF CALM ELEGANCE Sheltered in a broad valley, Merano has long been celebrated as a place to rest, recuperate and breathe the mountain air in style. Its spa heritage is written into the very fabric of the town, from the grand Kurhaus with its art nouveau flourishes to the riverside promenades where locals and visitors drift between Kuntino’s cafe, independent boutiques and ornate pastry shops. It’s modestly cosmopolitan with an elegant blend of Italian ease and Central European poise. Set amid tranquil greenery, Palace


Merano is ideal accommodation for those who relish pampered wellbeing with tailored ‘Revital’ programmes in refined surroundings, helping you to feel lighter in body and mind. For a more intimate base, Steinach Townhouse in the historic centre pairs contemporary design with period character in a handful of elegant suites.


Forest paths wind gradually upward through larch and fir, as sunlight filters through fresh leaves and birdsong carries in the still air


SPRING: WALKING, CYCLING & AL FRESCO DINING Spring comes early here. Indeed, a single day can take you from blossom to lingering snowfall. Down in the valley, palm trees and flowering beds line wide, level promenades that make strolling or cycling a joy, rather than a workout, and old irrigation channel paths make for gentle, pretty walks through vineyards and orchards newly burst into leaf. A short lift on a cable car takes you towards the Merano 2000 hiking area, where the air turns sharper and the views open across the surrounding peaks — idyllic scenery for a long, leisurely lunch. Ideal for those who want to slow down and immerse themselves in the surroundings, Merano’s beautiful orchards — which are in full bloom at this time of year — provide the perfect backdrop. Food, naturally, is very much part


of the appeal. Meteo Restaurant, close to the leafy edge of town, is where you settle in for seasonal South Tyrolean cooking and thoughtfully selected local wines on a terrace table, if conditions allow. Gigis Bar, on the riverside


promenade, comes into its own on warm spring evenings when the sunlight lingers and the town gets dressed up for aperitivo and elegant small bites before dinner. The variety of boutique establishments provide the ideal setting for disconnecting from the digital world while you sample on delectable, regional wine — from sauvignon to gewürztraminer.


GENTLE WELLNESS: THERMAL BATHS, FOREST WALKS & MOUNTAIN VIEWPOINTS Merano’s spa tradition is most obvious at the thermal baths in the heart of town, where warm pools punctuate the park, and sleek glass and steel architecture gazes up and out towards the mountains. On a bright spring day, there are few pleasures more luxurious than slipping into steaming outdoor water, drifting under the open sky and idly contemplating remote snowy peaks glinting in the distance. Inside, saunas, steam rooms and calm relaxation zones invite you to breathe and take it all in. Those surrounding hills offer


a gentle form of Alpine walking. Forest paths wind gradually upward through larch and fir, as sunlight filters through fresh leaves and birdsong carries in the still air.


Complimentary South Tyrolean wines and local treats offer a first taste of the region


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