Seiser Alm / Alpe di Siusi

Near the city of Bolzano, you'll find more than 360 mountain meadows, mountain huts and shepherd's huts, covering an area of 8,000 football fields. That's the Seiser Alm. It's a wonderful area to explore.

Alpe di Siusi is also known as Seiser Alm because both German and Italian are spoken in the area. Therefore, everything has two names. And so, you can also get by with German. This area is a whopping 57 km² in size, with the mountains of the Dolomites in the background.

Whatever sport you want to do; it's possible to do. The most popular is hiking, from short to long distances. But cyclists, and especially mountain bikers, are well catered for. Where you can opt for an electric mountain bike. So going uphill isn't the hardest part.

I've done it too and you can cover much more distance. And thus see more. When you travel around, you also come across runners. Or actually, these are trail runners who go wild on the mountain meadow. All this in a setting that is impressive to say the least.

The 3,181-metre-high Mount Langkofel is an icon in the Seiser Alm. This mountain towers above the meadow landscape. The mountain is almost visible everywhere and is often used as a reference point. You can go on a wonderful 8.5-kilometre hike to explore the area.

There are several characteristic villages, ideal for a stopover. Such as Seis am Schlern (Siusi), Kastelruth (also known as Castelrotto) and Völs (Fiè). You will see immediately that many farmers still live in the area. You can visit many of them and taste local products. 

To fully discover this alpine meadow, you will need several days. I recommend you book one or more overnight stays. You can choose from holiday homes at the farm, convenient apartments or small-scale hotels. Make sure you book on time, as this meadow is very popular, especially during holidays and weekends.

Find the best accommodation around Seiser Alm

One of the best ways to explore this area is at the Seiser Alm campsite. This 4-star campsite is located right in the middle of the alpine meadow and is the perfect base for all your excursions. This luxury campsite is highly rated by guests. This applies to both the facilities and the location.

Check out the website

In addition to hiking, this is also a great place for mountain biking. You can easily rent a mountain bike in the villages. There are also electric mountain bikes available. This allows you to cover more distance and overcome differences in elevation more easily. Always let people know what you're doing, which can be very useful in case of problems.

Anyone travelling to this part of Italy and looking at the menus will see a wonderful mix of hearty Alpine food and typical Italian cuisine. It's a delightful combination. Whether you bring a picnic lunch or opt for a restaurant meal consisting solely of local dishes. Taste the bacon, the various types of cheese, and the fresh local vegetables. But also try the fresh bread, sausages, honey and many other delicious things.

When you walk across the mountain meadow you will naturally see the 2,563-metre-high Monte Sciliar / Schlern. It is remarkably steep and usually light grey in colour. This steep mountain is perfect for photos, at any time of day. The alp and the mountain together form the Sciliar-Catinaccio / Schlern-Rosengarten nature park.

The alpine meadow Seiser Alm is located at an altitude of 1,850 meters. The villages of Seis am Schlern and Kastelruth are located at the foot of the mountain. The Seiser Alm cable car is located in Seis am Schlern and takes you up in about 15 minutes. In doing so, you overcome about 800 meters in altitude. Keep in mind that it can get busy, so it's smart to catch the first cable car of the day. Otherwise, you'll notice that the hiking trails are already quite busy.