You cannot fail to miss it even during your first few steps in this charming little town: the Zwölferturm, the town’s striking landmark. It has connected the old and new town since 1472 and on the lively shopping street, dotted with colourful house medieval facades, you can pass through those parts of the town most worth a visit. During a stroll, you will come across churches and artistic treasures from the Gothic era past tranquil spots and busy inns. Fancy taking off and admiring Sterzing/Vipiteno from up high? The Rosskopf local and recreational mountain is located just a few minutes from the town centre by gondola – and so you can experience culture, cuisine, hiking and skiing here, all in one day. 

Close to the town are a few of the most important and striking castles in South Tyrol. Schloss Wolfsthurn castle, South Tyrol’s only baroque castle, houses the State Museum of Hunting and Fishing. Burg Reifenstein castle towers up on a craggy mountainside, not far from the centre. There are no fewer than ten rooms here which can be explored in full. Opposite and a little higher up is Schloss Sprechenstein castle with its visually distinctive building sections.

Sterzing was also an important mining town. The life of the miners  who used to work in the area is recreated in the mining museum in the Ridnauntal valley, just a few kilometres away.