14 things to do in Merano as a family with children

No matter whether it's an action-packed day's destination or an incentive/reward for lazy kids and teens after a hike through the breathtakingly beautiful and wild natural landscape in the farthest reaches of the Val Passiria: one (or more) rides on the mountain carts guarantee families with kids unforgettable fun in the great outdoors.

On the hill of Castle Tyrol, right next to Castle Tyrol, there is the Care Center for Bird Fauna, which rehabilitates birds in need. Each year, about 250 birds are housed here, and once they are back to full health, they are released back into their natural habitat. You can visit the center every day (except Monday) from 10:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., and twice a day (at 11:15 a.m. and 3:15 p.m.) you and your family can also take part in the exciting live flight demonstration of eagles, hawks, owls and other majestic birds of prey and watch the kings of the air at close range.

Just behind the top station of the Merano 2000 cable car is a real paradise for kids: the Outdoor Kids Camp. 10 unique wooden structures where your kids can climb, swing, run and swing. For the very little ones there is a petting zoo with ponies and goats, which are looking forward to being stroked. Just below starts the Alpine Bob, the 1100 meter long summer toboggan run, which guarantees parents and children a breathtaking descent!

The Taser Alm is located on the Schennaberg and is easy to reach with the cable car directly from Scena. The Taser Alm is on the one hand a family-friendly hotel/chalet, but also a child-friendly alpine pasture, which you can visit with your children during the day. Here you will find a huge playground with wooden structures, slides, tunnels and a professional (Eurotramp) trampoline! There is also a petting zoo and a high ropes course to explore.

An excursion along one of the Merano Waal Paths is one of the most brilliant outdoor activities for families with children in Merano. Not only because they are easily accessible, the Waal Paths are all easy to reach and - once there it just goes out flat, without any major climbs. Far from roads and traffic, it goes through the full nature along these ancient waterways that were built hundreds of years ago to bring the precious water to the orchards.

Only recently opened, the Gampl Alm has quickly become the perfect place for families with children on the Vigiljoch, west of Merano.  You can reach the Gampl Alm with the help of the Vigiljoch cable car from Lana. From the top station, there is an easy hike across the green and car-free hiking area before you can relax with your family on the alp. While you and your partner can enjoy fine food and drinks in the lounge-like alpine restaurant, your offspring can let off steam around the alpine pasture and on the large playground, as well as visit the in-house petting zoo.

An ideal destination for children is the exhibition around the largest model railroad in Italy, the Eisenbahnwelt. This is located in Rabland, about 10 minutes by car from Merano. Here you can marvel at the country of South Tyrol, depicted in great detail in many miniatures on an area of 300 square meters, as well as a replica of the low mountain range. In a children's corner, your children can playfully deal with the topic and drive a model train themselves.

In the center of Merano, directly in front of the Merano Thermal Baths lies the Passerterrasse.Ideal for a pleasant break on hot days for adults and children. The latter have a lot to discover and do here, although this attraction actually consists only of a meadow, the river and thousands of pebbles :-)

Even if your children are not really enthusiastic hikers, you can confidently visit the Marlengp Nature and Adventure Trail with them. Thanks to the adventurous path through the dense deciduous forest with its many stations and sporting activities, it will be your children who will constantly encourage you to keep going to see what awaits them next in the course of this exciting trail!

Burglehen Park is located at the entrance of Tirolo in a fantastic location, you and your family will feel like you are on a sunny, green balcony above Merano! The park has only recently been opened and is guarded by Jakob, the giant iron horse. Around the pond there is a playground and many comfortable resting places with panoramic views.

The famous Tappeinerweg in Merano is already an attraction per se and thanks to the many plants, fountains and art installations, but also because of the non-existent incline, an attraction for children. At the height of Merano's old town, many, many years ago, the glaciers carved a special addition for children in a large porphyry rock: The glacier cuts have not only made it into list of Merano's natural monuments, but also form the most beautiful natural slide in the region! The rock can be reached directly from the Tappeinerweg.

Everything there to enjoy a perfect day on the mountain with the kids: A crystal clear pond with raft, play and gymnastic equipment such as tree showers and water wheels around the lake! Only a short walk from the mountain station of the Schwemmalm cable car in the Ulten Valley lies this little paradise, which also guarantees parents an enjoyable day: This is ensured by the large picnic meadow with an unobstructed view of the surrounding mountains and the proximity to the Inner Schwemmalm, one of the most popular managed alpine pastures in the Ulten Valley!

The New- Entry in this list! Opened in autumn 2018, the Haflinger Adventure Trail is not only one of the newest, but also one of the most worth seeing attractions for families in Merano! With a length of 2 km, this trail leads from Avelengo to the famous little church of St. Kathrein. The path is lined with 12 stations, which teach children AND adults in an original way everything worth knowing about the famous Haflinger horse.

The newly built panoramic cable car Burgstall/Vöran makes it possible: one parent rides comfortably up to 1183 meters above sea level with the cable car, the other parent ascends on foot via the Sunnseitn-Steig. This ascent, popular with leisure hikers to speed hikers, leads over 915 meters in altitude through mixed forest, along natural and flagstone paths to the top station of the cable car. That part of the family that uses the cable car experiences a truly breathtaking cable car ride and can enjoy the sun at the large adventure playground right at the mountain station. Conveniently, there is also a fine bar with a large terrace here, from where you have the best view of the playground while you wait for your sporty better half with a coffee or a glass of Prosecco - a clear win-win-win situation for the whole family and an eventful day for all family members is guaranteed.