The 10 Most Beautiful hikes in Vinschgau
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Go to Route PlannerVinschger Höhenweg - long-distance hike with many highlights
Via Claudia Augusta - Hiking in the footsteps of the ancient Romans
Around 40 AD, the Via Claudia Augusta became the most important north-south connection in the Roman Empire. The route leads over the Reschen Pass, where today you will find a fantastic holiday region with numerous hiking trails. At Reschen, you can take a short hike along the Reschensee lake, which can be done in just under two hours. There you will discover the sunken Romanesque church tower in the middle of the lake, which has become the landmark of Vinschgau.
Only 12 kilometres from Merano lies the village of Naturno on the Via Claudia Augusta. Here the sun shines 315 days a year and on hiking tours in the region you will discover figs and kiwis in the gardens. In Latsch, on the border between Upper and Lower Vinschgau, you can still find traces of Roman times. While hiking, keep your eyes open for Romanesque chapels, churches and castles.
Waalwege - Hikes along the ancient watercourses
Waale are old irrigation channels, some of which were built as early as the 13th century. They served to irrigate the fields, as the Vinschgau Valley has an inner-alpine dry climate with low precipitation. Around 50 old irrigation channels still exist today. The paths along the canals are among the most popular hiking tours in South Tyrol. The typical Waalwege are narrow hiking trails without any great climbs that run along the old watercourses on the slopes or in the valley.
The most beautiful Waalwege in the Vinschgau Valley:
- Family hike on the Oberwaal: The Waalweg to the Pflanzgarten of Mals and back leads through a beautiful mixed forest, it is possible to continue hiking to Tartsch and Schluderns.
- Leitenwaal above Schludern: On the Waalweg near Schluderns you will discover the Churburg, one of the best-preserved castles in South Tyrol.
- Ackerwaal: The Waalweg starts in Matsch, the first mountaineering village in South Tyrol, and leads with gentle gradients through the Matschertal valley to the Glieshöfe farms. The way back can be made with a hiking taxi.