Tyrolean Explorer

Dubbed “the largest mountain resort in the Alps”, Tyrolean capital Innsbruck has a plethora of outdoor pursuits in the summer, such as hiking, mountain biking, paragliding and fishing. For the less adventurous, there are narrow lanes, cobbled open squares and beautiful ice-cream to seduce you into spending a whole day in the Old Town. For stunning views and hill walking, we recommend a cable car from the city centre to the Nordkette mountain chain. At the top station of the cable car, there’s a café and viewing platform as well as clearly marked walking trails.

South Tyrol (Südtirol in German, Alto Adige in Italian), is a fascinating linguistic juxtaposition of German and Italian. The area is an autonomous region of Italy where German and Italian are joint-official languages, although in much of the region German is the predominant local tongue. Your journey begins by climbing up the spectacular Brenner Pass route through some charming villages on the Austrian side, before changing trains at Brenner itself for your continued journey through the Dolomites to the town of Merano (Meran in German) for a 2-night stay at the Hotel Europa Splendid (or similar).

Merano has a pleasant mild climate and is also a well-known spa resort. The surrounding mountains are ideal for hiking in the summer and in the winter there are plenty of ski areas and cross-country routes. The city itself has a beautiful castle called Trauttmansdorff located just outside the centre and well-worth a visit during your stay here.

Taking a regional service east through the beautiful South Tyrolean landscape, your direct train arrives in the town of Bressanone (or Brixen as it is known in German). Here, you make your way to the Hotel Gruner Baum (or similar) for a 2-night stay.

With its unique cathedral square, the large-scale medieval historic centre and its wonderful arcades, Bressanone is a lesser-known delight right in the northern extremities of Italy. An array of bars, restaurants and cafés await your delectation, and the cathedral dedicated to Santa Maria Assunta, dating back to the 10th century, is an unmissable highlight.

On departing Bressanone you make your way east following the watercourse of the Rienza River, through the pretty down of Brunico and onwards to the Austrian border. As well as crossing between Italy and Austria, this also marks the frontier between South Tyrol and East Tyrol (known in German as Osttirol). On arrival in the region’s capital Lienz, you make your way to the Vergeiner’s Hotel Traube (or similar) for your 2-night stay.

Lienz is situated at the confluence of the rivers Drava and Isel in the Eastern Alps, Lienz enjoys a sunny climate and easy-going way of life. Regular concerts take place in its main square during the summer months, and a main highlight is Bruck Castle. Built by the Counts of Görz, the castle has loomed large over the city for over 750 years.

After a brief journey on regional train east to the station of Spittal Millstättersee, you then connect with a comfortable InterCity service running north up to Munich, finally departing the Tyrol region and entering Bavaria close to Salzburg. You then stay overnight at the Eurostars Book Hotel (or similar) and have time to explore the best of Munich’s evening entertainment.

This morning you board a German ICE train north to Heidelberg, where you connect to a TGV service across the border to Paris. Here, you have ample time to make your wat to the Gare du Nord for your return Eurostar journey, which will in turn have you back into London in around 2 hours.