3 days in Trentino
A long weekend visiting cities of art, lakes and mountains
- 3 days
- April, May, June, July, August, September
- Trekking and Hiking, Short breaks
As you can imagine, three days to see Trentino are too few: hardly a lifetime would be enough to visit mountains, lakes, woods, castles and museums that abound in Trentino. However, a long weekend can offer an opportunity to start getting to know our natural beauties, long enough to make want to visit us again, perhaps with a little more time on your hands.
But let’s start with giving you tips on what to see in Trentino over three days. We made Trento our starting point, and we thought of places you can reach by driving for an hour and a half or thereabout, so that you can leave in the morning and return in the evening, unless you opt for an itinerant holiday to stop for an overnight.
When it comes to walks, you can choose from many different options... or maybe go for all of them and stay with us for a few more days.
This said, we are now ready to go!
Day 1: Trento
It would take at least a few days to visit all must-see sites in Trento but, since our itinerary only includes one day in the city, we will recommend what to see and do.
Before starting, reach Piazza Duomo and stop for a coffee overlooking the Cathedral of San Vigilio. Then, slowly stroll along the downtown streets to admire the frescoes of Renaissance palaces and do what the people of Trentino call “El giro al Sass” (the tour of the historic district).
Now, you can walk into one of the city’s museums.
If you are passionate about science and nature, then a stop at the MUSE, the innovative museum of natural sciences, designed by star architect Renzo Piano, is a must. Its strengths? Innovative design, multimedia and guided tours. If, on the other hand, you love art and history, you must visit the Buonconsiglio Castle, once the residence of prince-bishops and today the seat of important provincial museums.
These are just some of the things you can see in Trento. You can find other recommendations in our article below!
Day 2: the Dolomites
You can’t leave Trentino without taking at least one trip to see the Dolomites, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But where are they and how can you get to see them?
There’s more than one answer to that question, because there are Dolomite mountain ranges in a number of parts of Trentino: from the Brenta Dolomites west of Trento, to the Latemar and Rosengarten (Catinaccio) groups in north-eastern Trentino, between Val di Fassa and Val di Fiemme; from the Marmolada massif with its glacier in Val di Fassa, to the Pale di San Martino group, which also lies east but is further south, in the Parco Naturale Paneveggio Pale di San Martino area.
We’d like to recommend a trip to the latter, for a nice scenic walk. Make sure you pack hiking boots, a rucksack and breathable jackets, because there’s a fair amount of walking to do. It’s also necessary to bring water and sandwiches with you, because the mountain huts and other places selling refreshments might be closed in early spring.
Get ready for a bit of a long drive, because from Trento it takes about an hour and a half to get to the start points for the routes that we recommend.
At the foot of the Pale di San Martino
The towering Pale di San Martino group in the Dolomites can be admired while walking along many different routes. The most famous (and most followed) is undoubtedly the one that goes from the Rolle Pass to the Baita Segantini. It’s an easy route that’s mostly on unpaved roads and it's accessible to all-terrain pushchairs.
However, we’d like to recommend another route that’s not quite so well-known but very pleasant. It’s a little more challenging, mostly because of how long it takes. However, it doesn’t present any technical difficulties. It also leads to the famous Baita Segantini, but you’ll get there by following a different route through Val Venegia in the Parco Naturale Paneveggio Pale di San Martino.
If you take a slight detour on your way back to Trento, you can stop off in Mezzano, which has been listed among the most beautiful villages in Italy by the Borghi Più Belli d’Italia association. Every year, sculptors from all over the world travel there for the “Cataste e Canzei” show, which sees the village being adorned with works of art inspired by the creative ways in which the locals used to prepare their wood piles for the winter.
Day 3: Lake Garda
After exploring the mountains, on the third day of your holiday in Trentino, we recommend that you visit Lake Garda, which, from the Trentino side, looks like a long branch of lake that winds its way through the mountains.
If you want to treat yourself to a relaxing day, our advice is to stop in the towns of Riva del Garda or Torbole, and maybe stop to eat the famous carne salada, a renowned pickled meat typical of the area.
If, on the other hand, you want to walk a bit, you can choose between two very different panoramic walks.
The first is the Busatte-Tempesta trail, which is particularly popular in late spring and summer. It is a walk along a steep ridge overlooking the lake, through dense typically Mediterranean vegetation. Several iron stairways including a total of more than 400 steps, that have been built to overcome the steepest points of the ridge, make this itinerary rather spectacular.
The second walk, on the other hand, is interesting because in one go it allows admiring Lake Garda from the privileged point of view of the San Pietro Hut, and crossing the village of Canale di Tenno, one of Italy’s most beautiful villages, and stopping to admire the turquoise waters of Lake Tenno, considered one of the most beautiful lakes in Trentino.
