Hotel Greif

Top choice in Bolzano (Bozen)


The Greif's pedigree dates back to its founding in 1816 as one of Bolzano's original hotels; Ezra Pound even immortalised it in poetry (his quote adorns the entrance staircase). Largely destroyed in WWII, it has fully embraced its design-hotel reincarnation. Each of the 33 spacious, light-filled rooms is unique but all are beautifully decorated with art and antiques from the owner's wide-ranging collection.

Several rooms leave an indelible impression, including No 211, a deluxe junior suite complete with grand piano. Downstairs, the mod Grifoncino bar serves creative cocktails at tables shaped like martini glasses. Guests can use the lush gardens at parent Parkhotel Laurin, just down the lane, for drinks or a swim.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Bolzano (Bozen) attractions

1. Duomo Maria Assunta

0.1 MILES

This splendid Gothic cathedral is Bolzano's most emblematic building, its imposing spires and polychrome tiled roof backed by the equally Gothic peaks of…

2. Chiesa e Convento dei Francescani

0.18 MILES

The 14th-century Chiesa di Francescani features beautiful cloisters and a magnificent Gothic altarpiece, carved in 1500 by Hans Klocker.

3. Chiesa e Convento dei Domenicani

0.19 MILES

The chapel (Cappella di San Giovanni) and adjacent cloisters here feature touching, vibrant 14th-century frescoes by school-of-Giotto artists.

4. Museo Archeologico dell'Alto Adige

0.31 MILES

The star of the Museo Archeologico dell’Alto Adige is Ötzi, the Iceman, with almost the entire museum being given over to the Copper Age mummy. Kept in a…

5. Museion

0.33 MILES

Bolzano's four-storey contemporary art space is housed in a huge multifaceted glass cube, a brave architectural surprise that beautifully vignettes the…

6. BZ '18-'45

0.52 MILES

This dense but visually seductive museum explores Bolzano's turbulent interwar years via the history of the fascist Monument to Victory, where it is sited…

7. Castel Roncolo

1.33 MILES

This stunningly located castle was built in 1237 but is renowned for its vivid 14th-century frescoes. These are particularly rare, with themes that are…

8. Messner Mountain Museum Firmiano

2.7 MILES

The imposing Castel Firmiano, dating back to AD 945, is the centrepiece of mountaineer Reinhold Messner's six museums. Based around humankind's…