A city break In Brixen. Fall in love with a thousand-year-old natural beauty

A small piece of advice. Bring several pairs of shoes. Some for wandering cobblestoned streets, others for mountain adventures and perhaps a pair for dancing the night away. Brixen is a place of a thousand possibilities. Meet the venerable lady with an open mind and she will reward you. With contemporary art and baroque splendour, Italian style and sacred stillness, rural ease and urban charm and perhaps the best time you’ve had in a while.

Speaking of which, are you sitting comfortably? Then stay a little longer. We’ll bring another coffee and a handful of insider tips for a city break in Brixen, your way.

Brixen Cathedral with baroque onion towers at Cathedral Square in sunshine

Classic & worth your time: Brixen’s treasure trove of history 

You already know how well our Boutique Hotel Badhaus s situated, in just two (on weekdays) to four (on Saturday afternoons) minutes, you’ll find yourself before Brixen’s imposing cathedral. Step inside, look up – and take it all in. In just three summers, Paul Troger created this remarkable 200-square-metre vision. Equally striking and just around the corner, the cloister, the Bishop’s Palace, the Giardino dei Signori, the Chiesa della Madonna, Cappella di San Giovanni and a heavenly gelato at Pradetto.

Autumn alpine meadow with sea of clouds and rugged Dolomite peaks in South Tyrol

 Wild & tamed: between vineyards and the Plose

From your room at the Badhaus to 2,500 metres above sea level takes little more than twenty minutes by gondola. Brixen’s local mountain, Plose, is its Alpine backyard. In winter, you carve and glide. In summer, you ride. Downhill by bike. For something quieter, wander through Brixen’s gardens, where wine, apples and chestnuts have grown for centuries. A feast for the senses: apple blossom in spring and chestnut season in autumn.

Viertel craft beer and antipasti on bistro table in sunny courtyard

Eat and enjoy: culinary city breaks in Brixen

Special diets? Keto? You’ll have plenty of time for that at home. For now, let South Tyrol melt in your mouth. At Badhaus Brixen, pleasure begins at breakfast,– local organic bakers, wine merchants and fruit growers invite you to help yourself and tuck in. A glass of home-brewed Viertel Bier in the Alte Schlachthof adds the finishing touch to your senses.

Spectacular night video mapping show on the arcaded facades of Hofburg Brixen with colourful light spectacle

Exciting & atmospheric: when Brixen becomes a stage.

Each year, with the first snowfall, a certain kind of magic returns to Brixen’s old town: the Christmas market on the cathedral square – nostalgic in the very best sense. One glass of mulled wine too many? The walk back to Badhaus takes no more than a few minutes. For a different kind of sensory experience, the Water & Light Festival awaits. Carefully curated: the programme at Forum Brixen and Brixen’s City Gallery.

Two happy women with sunglasses in front of the historic old town of Brixen with church tower

Seek and find: shopping in Brixen’s old town

If you enjoy spending money on beautiful things, you’ll feel right at home in Brixen. A scarf made from the finest alpaca wool, knitted by the farmer herself? Or that unapologetically bold piece of Italian fashion? Take both. And perhaps a suitcase to match. Around 300 shops, boutiques, heritage stores and pop-ups are gathered in the old town – just steps from Badhaus. And then there are the farmers’ and artisan markets should you need any further temptation.

Romantic old town alley in Brixen in golden evening light with colourful facades and cobblestones

Everything & extraordinary: Brixen also has another side

For a change of perspective, take a look at the programme at the Kulturkeller Decadenz. And if you find yourself in Stufels, you might as well stay a little longer. Brixen’s oldest district is also its artists’ quarter. For something younger, a little edgier, there’s Astra. And back at the Viertel Bar, it’s also worth listening closely, the locals tend to know exactly what the night still has in store.