Where to Stay in Sterzing: Best Hotels & Areas

Sterzing (Vipiteno in Italian) is located in the Southern Wipptal Valley, south of the Brenner Mountain Pass in South Tyrol, Northern Italy. The Old Town of Sterzing is a delightful year-round destination, thanks to its charming pedestrianized center, lined with colorful townhouses that are home to gourmet shops, cafés, and boutique hotels and B&Bs.

Sterzing is also the gateway to numerous alpine valleys, which branch off the Wipptal Valley and lead into the Sarntal Alps, Stubai Alps, and Pfunderer Alps. Tucked away in these quiet valleys, you’ll find sustainable mountain retreats, ski lodges, and farm stays. 

If you’re traveling from Munich or Innsbruck to the Dolomites via the Brenner Pass, Sterzing is a worthy stop along the way. 

Here are the best places to stay in the city of Sterzing and in the holiday regions of Ratschings/Racines and Gossensaß/Colle Isarco.

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Sterzing Town Center

Sterzing attracts visitors all-year-round thanks to its pedestrianized old town. At its center rises the 46-meter Zwölferturm. This iconic tower, built in 1472, divides Sterzing’s old town to the north from its new town to the south.

A single main street runs straight through the center, lined with colourful façades, ornate shop signs, and buildings adorned with reliefs recalling the town’s mining heritage. 

It’s an absolute pleasure to stroll through the town center, dipping in and out of its charming bakeries, pastry shops, and cafés. Sterzing is home to a wonderful selection of specialty food stores, where you can purchase local and regional delicacies like organic mountain tea, mountain cheeses and South Tyrolean speck, dried mushrooms, etc… 

I particularly liked shopping at Mair & Mair and Kräutergärten Wipptal. For coffee and cake, I recommend Konditorei Café Prenn. 

From May to October, there is a weekly farmer’s market held in the Stadtplatz from 9 am until 1 pm. And during the Advent season (late November – late December), there’s a delightful Christmas Market. 

North of the Zwölferturm lies the Old Town of Sterzing, home to Zur Traube (hotel & restaurant), Bettstadt Apartments (1- and 2-bedroom apartments) and Schwarzer Adler (4-star hotel).

Between the Old Town and the Rosskopf (Monte Cavallo) cable car valley station, you’ll find the modern Steindl’s Boutique Hotel (3-star hotel with breakfast).

South of the Zwölferturm lies the New Town of Sterzing. The best places to stay are Haus am Turm, home to the Vinzenz wine bar & restaurant, and Posthotel Lamm (4-star hotel with pool, restaurant, and bar). 

All accommodations in Sterzing.

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Ratschings / Racines

The municipality of Ratschings comprises three valleys–Jaufental, Ratschingstal, and Ridnauntal–which branch westward from the Wipptal Valley and extend into the Sarntal and Stubai Alps.

This under-the-radar region boasts a number of hiking trails, prepared winter hikes, snowshoe hikes, cross-country ski routes, ski tours, and even alpine skiing. There are 3 small ski resorts in the area including Ratschings-Jaufen (28 km of slopes), Rosskopf (20 km), and Ladurns (18 km).

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Jaufental 

During our recent winter trip, Kati and I stayed in Naturhotel Rainer in Jaufental Valley (Val Giovo) in the Sarntal Alps, a mere 10-minute drive away from Sterzing. It’s the kind of place you go to slow down and truly recharge, free from the pressure of ticking off a bucket list. 

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Ratschingstal 

In my opinion, the most scenic of the three valleys is Ratschingstal Valley (Valle di Racines), located in the Stubai Alps, only a 15-minute drive from Sterzing. Here, you’ll find Bichl (Colle), the ski resort base of the small Ratschings-Jaufen ski resort (28 km of slopes). 

There are several notable ski hotels at the base including Tenne Lodges (5-star hotel) and Berghotel Ratschings (4-star hotel), Hotel Schölzhorn Superior (3-star hotel). A little further away, Gasthof Jaufensteg is a budget-friendly option with a half board option and Hotel Ratschingserhof is a 4-star hotel with a rooftop spa. 

Ratschings Valley is also the starting point of numerous summer and winter hikes. An all-year-round trail runs the length of the valley from Jaufensteg all the way to the hamlet of Flading.

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Ridnauntal 

Ridnauntal (Val Ridanna) is the widest of the three valleys. Here, you’ll find the 4-star Hotel Gassenhof.

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Pflerschtal Valley

At Gossensass (Colle Isarco) near Brenner Pass, Pflersch Valley (Val di Fleres) branches off the Wipptal Valley. It extends 16km westward into the Stubai Alps, framed to the north by the dramatic alpine ridge marking the Austrian border. 

This dreamy valley with imposing mountains is home to the small ski resort of Ladurns and numerous hiking trails like the Waterfall Trail and Pflerscher Tribulaunhütte.

During our winter trip, we hiked up the prepared path to Allriss Alm (2 hours out-and-back), where we enjoyed coffee & Buchteln mit Vanillesauce whilst taking in sweeping views of Tribulaun massif.

St. Anton in Pflersch is the largest village in Pflersch Valley, home to Feuerstein Nature Family Resort (luxury family-friendly hotel), Aktivhotel Panorama Hotel (3-star hotel), and Hotel Argentum (3-star hotel). 

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More South Tyrol Travel Guides

Where to Stay in South Tyrol:

• Where to Stay in San Candido
• Where to Stay in Sexten
• Where to Stay in Val Gardena
• Where to Stay in Alta Badia
• Where to Stay in the Dolomites in Summer

Hotels in South Tyrol:

• Casa al Sole
• AMA Stay
• Dorfhotel Beludei
• Naturhotel Leitlhof
• Badia Hill 
• My Arbor
• Excelsior Dolomites Life Resort
• Les Dolomites Mountain Lodges
• Alpenwellness Hotel St. Veit

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