Imperial Art Hotel

Merano (Meran)


Upstairs in what was once a belle époque coffee palace, this inconspicuous, luxurious hotel has 11 distinct artist-designed rooms – Tyrolean furniture morphs into neo-geo abstraction; velvet covers and dark-hued walls pay homage to the former Hotel Bristol; an armoire and walls emit an aluminium sheen. Room prices include a free day pass to the Therme Meran just across the river.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Merano (Meran) attractions

1. Kunst Meran

0.11 MILES

Shows of high-profile international and regional artists are installed in this contemporary gallery, a thoughtful refiguring of a skinny medieval…

2. Schloss Trauttmansdorff Gardens

1.39 MILES

You could give an entire day to these beautiful botanical gardens a little outside Merano (and they do suggest it). Exotic cacti and palms, fruit trees…

3. Schloss Tirol

1.76 MILES

Clinging to a steep crag high above the Adige valley, the ancestral seat of the counts of Tyrol houses a dynamically curated museum of Tyrolean history,…

4. Schloss Tirol Bird Care Centre

1.79 MILES

Just below Schloss Tirol's entrance, this wildlife rescue centre rehabilitates injured birds of prey. There is a collection of eagles, vultures, hawks,…

5. Castel Roncolo

14.21 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…

6. BZ '18-'45

14.69 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. Museo Archeologico dell'Alto Adige

14.86 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…

8. Messner Mountain Museum Firmiano

14.89 MILES

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