Merano

Merano sits in a basin where several valleys meet, sheltered by mountains on three sides, and the resulting mild climate allowed palms, cypresses and citrus to grow well north of where they usually would. It became a health resort in the nineteenth century, and the Empress Elisabeth of Austria stayed in the 1870s, which fixed its reputation across the empire; the belle époque promenades along the Passirio, the Kurhaus and the covered walks date from that period. The Winter Promenade and Summer Promenade run on opposite banks for sun or shade. Above the town, the Waalwege follow old irrigation channels through vineyards and apple orchards.

What you actually see

• The promenades - riverside walks built for sun or shade by season.
• The Kurhaus - a belle époque assembly building on the Passirio.
• The mild-climate planting - palms and citrus at Alpine latitude.
• The Waalwege - paths along centuries-old irrigation channels above the town.

When to go

April to October for gardens and walks; the Christmas market runs in December and the grape festival in October. The thermal baths operate year-round.

Honest expectations

The modern spa complex is a large 2005 building, not a historic bath house. The town is bilingual and German-dominant, which surprises some. Prices are high.

Nearby

Trauttmansdorff gardens lie above the town; Bolzano is south.