Discover the Brennero Pass - not just a transit route, but a gateway to skiing, healing springs, and Tyrolean history
Image gallery: Brennero
Traffic information: The Luegbrücke bridge on the Brennero Pass, along the A13 Brennero Motorway, will be rebuilt starting at the end of March 2025. For traffic safety and to reduce strain on the bridge, single-lane… read more
The Brennero - most people probably first think of the transit route across the Alps, the journey south, and the Brennero railway line. But the Upper Valle Isarco holiday region around the Brennero Pass has more to offer: It stretches from Colle Isarco, the largest village, to Fleres and further across the border into North Tyrol in Austria. The Brennero Pass itself is the lowest pass on the main Alpine ridge and, alongside the St. Gotthard Pass, the Simplon Pass, and the Mont Cenis, one of the most important transit routes across the Alps.
Just a few decades ago, long queues formed here at passport and customs controls. Today, Brennero is a small mountain village with a long history. Travelling south, after Brennero, you first pass Terme di Brennero and then Ponticolo, with the farms of Moncucco on the sunny slopes above.
To the west, the Stubai Alps rise up, and to the east, the Zillertal Alps. In between, numerous mountain huts invite you to stop for a rest - for example, the Cima Gallina Hut and the Genziana Zirago Hut, which are accessible from the surrounding villages. Terme di Brennero is a spa town with a long tradition. As early as 1460, Sigismund, Archduke of Austria, travelled here with his wife to bathe in the healing springs. Colle Isarco marks the southern end of this extensive area.
In the 20th century, alongside Merano, it was the most important health resort in Tyrol. Today, the small village houses its own museum - the Henrik Ibsen Documentation Centre in the town hall, dedicated to Colle Isarco's most famous visitor - and an outdoor pool. The municipality also attracts active holidaymakers. They use the village as a starting point for day trips, whether for cultural excursions to Vipiteno and Bressanone or for activities in the Val di Fleres.
This valley branches off at the village and leads you into a rugged mountain landscape. The mighty Tribulaun di Fleres mountain watches over visitors hiking to the Allriss Hut or enjoying the slopes of the Ladurns Skiing Area and the Ladurns toboggan run to its intermediate station.
