Things to do in Trento
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Trento
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best months overall: warm valley, open trails, swimmable lakes, Vigiliane in June and harvest in autumn.
Hottest in the valley: do city culture in the mornings and altitude or water in the afternoons.
Shoulder value, with the Film Festival at the end of April and winter conditions still above 1,500 m.
Early November is the quietest, greyest fortnight, before the Christmas Market build starts.
Christmas Market to 6 January, then the cheapest quiet window, with Jan to Mar the best Bondone snow.
What's on
- Trento Film Festival Late April to early May each year
The world's oldest mountain film festival, with the MontagnaLibri book fair.
- Feste Vigiliane week around 26 June
Trento's own festival: medieval quarters, Palio dell'Oca raft race and fireworks on 26 June.
- Mercatino di Natale di Trento late November - 6 January
One of Italy's best-regarded Christmas markets in Piazza Fiera and Piazza Cesare Battisti.
- Autumn food season September - October
Grape harvest, mushroom and chestnut menus, and the Val di Non apple harvest.
Best things to do in Trento
MUSE - Museo delle Scienze
Renzo Piano science museum organised by altitude, with glaciers up top and a tropical greenhouse below.
Castello del Buonconsiglio
Prince-bishops castle best for Torre Aquila's Cycle of the Months frescoes and Renaissance halls.
Piazza Duomo
Trento's postcard square: cathedral, Neptune Fountain, Palazzo Pretorio and frescoed houses in one place.
Spazio Archeologico Sotterraneo del Sas
Roman Tridentum streets, mosaics and walls preserved underground, clear in under an hour.
Funivia Trento-Sardagna
Four-minute cable car to Sardagna for the classic panorama over Trento, the Adige bend and Monte Bondone.
Doss Trento
Wooded hill with the Cesare Battisti mausoleum, early Christian remains and wide views over the Adige valley.
Museo Diocesano Tridentino
Cathedral treasury, Flemish tapestries and Council of Trent material, plus views over Piazza Duomo.
Museo dell'Aeronautica Gianni Caproni
Italy's oldest company museum: early Caproni aircraft, WWI types and simulators near the airport.
Where to stay in Trento
Centro Storico
first trip, all-round base
Walk to everything in the centre, with restaurants and aperitivo on the doorstep.
Le Albere
modern, family base
Quiet, green and fully accessible by MUSE, 15 minutes on foot from Piazza Duomo.
Piazza Dante
transit, value base
Grand-hotel stock and the easiest arrival with luggage, on the centre side of the station.
Sardagna and Monte Bondone
mountain-focused trips
Stay up the mountain only with a car, and treat Trento itself as the excursion.
Valle dei Laghi
mountain-focused trips
Agriturismi with home cooking suit families and cyclists, but only with a car.
Think twice about
- Streets immediately behind and north of Trento station
Loitering, rough sleeping and drug use around the underpasses, and empty late at night. Prefer the Via Torre Vanga route.
- Piedicastello
Fine to visit but quieter and less serviced as a first-time base than the centre. A convenience warning, not a safety one.
Best restaurants in Trento
Locanda Margon
Ferrari family's starred tasting menus above the vineyards, with the definitive Trentodoc list.
Scrigno del Duomo
Refined Trentino cooking and a serious cellar in vaulted rooms facing the cathedral.
Antica Trattoria Due Mori
One of Trento's oldest restaurants, serving classic tagliatelle, tortelli and polenta on Via San Marco.
Le Due Aquile
Smart mid-range tasting menus of game, mushrooms, carne salada and dumplings in the old town.
Osteria Il Cappello
Cosy central osteria for strangolapreti, canederli and seasonal mushroom and chestnut specials.
Birreria Pedavena
Historic brewery hall for Tyrolean dishes, pizza and big group dinners the trattorias cannot seat.
Antica Pizzeria Trattoria Al Tino
Honest student-priced pizza, pasta and fish just off the old town, with fair centre prices.
Mercatino di Natale di Trento
Seasonal stalls for vin brule, tortel de patate, polenta, strangolapreti and Zelten under the lights.
Outdoor things to do in Trento
Monte Bondone
Trento's own mountain for small-scale skiing in winter and hiking, biking and paragliding in summer.
Lago di Toblino
Warm vineyard lake valley for swimming, SUP, cycling and grappa villages minutes from the city.
Lago di Caldonazzo
Trento's beach lakes: warm water, bagni and free beaches, sailing, SUP and a linking cycle path.
Orrido di Ponte Alto
Two big waterfalls in a narrow Fersina gorge, seen from tunnels and a spiral stair, guided slots only.
Riva del Garda
North Garda base for sailing, windsurf, the Ponale path, via ferrata and canyoning, without Riva hotel prices.
Val di Sole
Noce River rafting from gentle family runs to continuous whitewater, plus canyoning and hydrospeed.
Golf Club Folgaria
Mountain golf at 1,200 m: challenging, scenic altitude course best with a decent handicap.
Dolomiti Golf Club
Flatter, forgiving 18 holes at Sarnonico with forest then open plateau and Brenta views.
Best hotels in Trento
Grand Hotel Trento
Trento's grand dame on Piazza Dante: full service, terrace breakfast and arranged parking.
Hotel Accademia
Fourteenth-century palazzo near Piazza Duomo, the boutique luxury pick for location and character.
Locanda Margon
Destination-dining stay in the Ferrari wine orbit at Ravina, best with a car or taxi plan.
NH Trento
Modern Renzo Piano quarter hotel by MUSE, quiet and soundproofed with Alpine views.
Hi Hotels Trento
Value favourite near the centre with spa, soundproofing, balconies and strong breakfast.
Hotel Garni Venezia
Family-run garni on Piazza Duomo, with some rooms overlooking the square and Neptune Fountain.
Be Place Hotel
Hillside hotel with huge rooms, balconies and parking, a 15-minute walk or bus from the centre.
Hotel Villa Madruzzo
Villa hotel in greenery above the city at Povo, a local business and wedding favourite.
Is Trento expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | €80 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | €160 a person |
| Splurge | €320 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Orrido di Ponte Alto: a few days ahead
- Locanda Margon: weeks ahead
- Locanda Margon: weeks ahead
- Scrigno del Duomo: a few days ahead
- Antica Trattoria Due Mori: a few days ahead
- Orrido di Ponte Alto is guided slots only: book at least a day ahead, more in summer.
- Locanda Margon and festival-window hotels need weeks ahead, and Christmas Market and Film Festival rooms go first.
- Secure Torre Aquila with your Buonconsiglio ticket, and book MUSE timed entry in peak weeks.
- Book golf tee times and via ferrata or canyoning guides ahead on summer weekends.
Is Trento safe?
- Keep valuables zipped in crowds at the Christmas Market, the station and Feste Vigiliane. Emergency number 112.
- Mountain weather turns fast on Bondone and ferratas, with summer afternoon thunderstorms the pattern.
- Winter driving needs proper tyres, with chain rules applying November to April.
Trento travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Monte Bondone is not a big Dolomites-scale ski resort, however it is sold.
- Piazza Duomo terraces charge a view premium at peak hour: eat one street back and return for aperitivo.
- The Christmas Market is shoulder to shoulder on Saturday evenings: go on a weekday morning instead.
- Half-day Verona train itineraries sell Trento short: the city needs a night.
Getting around Trento: public transport and more
- Walk the flat ZTL centre: Piazza Duomo to the station is about 10 minutes, to MUSE about 15.
- Trains run to Verona in about 55 minutes, Bolzano 35 and Rovereto 15, plus Valsugana and Val di Sole lines.
- Activate the Trentino Guest Card on day one if it is included in your hotel rate.
- Use a car only for Valle dei Laghi loops, golf, Locanda Margon evenings and Bondone flexibility, and park outside the ZTL.
Who Trento suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Great |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Trento your trip
Swearby drafts the days from places people swear by. Swap any stop, then invite the crew by text, even friends without the app. Vote on dates, track costs as you go, and everyone gets one number at the end.
Get Swearby on the App Store