Schloss Thurnstein — Restaurant in Burggrafenamt - Burgraviato

|Hello from the US! It has been six months (Aug/Sep 2022) since my stay at Schloss Thurnstein and I was thinking about my week-long visit recently and thought I’d write a review. This is an amazing and lovely pension/hotel above the village of Algund/Lagundo in South Tyrol/Südtirol/Alto Adige, a short drive from Meran/Merano. It’s an old castle (circa 1200?) with very charming, Tirolean-style rooms, very characteristic of the surrounding area. My room was on the backside facing Schloss Tirol/Castel Tirolo, which was lit up at night, rather than facing the front high above the Vinschgau/Val Venosta. I forgot the owner’s name, but he was a friendly host who provided this American a lot of information on the local area and weather during my stay, as well as some good conversation over the course of the week. He spoke German and English fluently. There was also one waitress who served me personally who was very lovely. I spent the second half of my two-week visit to South Tyrol with Week 1 in the Italian Dolomites (staying on Alpe di Siusi) before driving west to see the rest of Südtirol during Week 2. While staying at the castle, I visited within an hour or so drive: Bozen/Bolzano, Meran/Merano, Kaltern/Caldaro, Passo Stelvio, and various sights in the Val Venosta, including Glurns/Glorenza, Campanile di Curon, Braugarten Forst, the nearby Schloss Tirol, and the local Waalweg hike through the vineyards. I also visited a local woodcarver and trachten shop (Amadeus) where I bought a few items to bring home with me, including a nice pair of lederhosen. The weather was lovely for much of my stay, though there were occasional showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon that passed through, typical of the region in the summer due to the mountains. Temps were in the 70s/80s F. The hotel had a lovely breakfast panoramic terrace that overlooked the valley with the typical pastries, cheese, juice, and speck. They made a tasty cappuccino and fried egg for me each morning. The terrace was a great photo opportunity. If I recall, I had three dinners at the hotel over the course of a week: Goulash, a pasta dish, and a pork dish (other meals included the nearby Forst brewery and pizzeria in Algund). All were fantastic meals with copious amounts of Forst beer and local wine each evening, not to mention the apfelstrudel for dessert. The room was nice for a single person. Room service cleaned every day and I don’t recall the bed being uncomfortable. Wi-Fi was great. There was a bureau and couch that I could hang my belongings on during my stay, and a small balcony that I used a few evenings to unwind after a day of sightseeing with a beer. The shower was a bit small, but I’m over six feet, so it is what it is in Europe. From the back, the castle looks like an old villa. You drive up several switchbacks from Algund; probably over a 1000 feet from the valley floor. The first and second time was fun, the 10th time over a week was getting on my nerves, but hey, the view if worth it. Just know it can be a tight squeeze in a few places, but generally it wasn’t a big deal; I was driving a Volkswagen Polo. There’s a small parking lot next to the castle; let the owner know what car you’re driving. There is also bus service available at the castle to Merano. I’m not sure how often, but it usually waited a bit as it is the last stop before heading back down. This is not a hotel issue, but a driving issue in Südtirol in general, there are a lot of speed cameras, so be mindful wherever you drive. You can walk to Schloss Tirol in less than a half hour from Thurnstein, on a relatively flat paved road, though you are high above the valley; you walk pass several photo opportunities with the local vineyards looking out towards the Val Venosta, as well as a small medieval church, St. Peter's, with some frescoes inside. The photos I took were really amazing of the surrounding landscape, church, and both the castles. Other than that, I had great memories at Schloss Thurnstein and I hope to return some day in the future when I travel back to...

|Hello from the US! It has been six months (Aug/Sep 2022) since my stay at Schloss Thurnstein and I was thinking about my week-long visit recently and thought I’d write a review. This is an amazing and lovely pension/hotel above the village of Algund/Lagundo in South Tyrol/Südtirol/Alto Adige, a short drive from Meran/Merano. It’s an old castle (circa 1200?) with very charming, Tirolean-style rooms, very characteristic of the surrounding area. My room was on the backside facing Schloss Tirol/Castel Tirolo, which was lit up at night, rather than facing the front high above the Vinschgau/Val Venosta. I forgot the owner’s name, but he was a friendly host who provided this American a lot of information on the local area and weather during my stay, as well as some good conversation over the course of the week. He spoke German and English fluently. There was also one waitress who served me personally who was very lovely. I spent the second half of my two-week visit to South Tyrol with Week 1 in the Italian Dolomites (staying on Alpe di Siusi) before driving west to see the rest of Südtirol during Week 2. While staying at the castle, I visited within an hour or so drive: Bozen/Bolzano, Meran/Merano, Kaltern/Caldaro, Passo Stelvio, and various sights in the Val Venosta, including Glurns/Glorenza, Campanile di Curon, Braugarten Forst, the nearby Schloss Tirol, and the local Waalweg hike through the vineyards. I also visited a local woodcarver and trachten shop (Amadeus) where I bought a few items to bring home with me, including a nice pair of lederhosen. The weather was lovely for much of my stay, though there were occasional showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon that passed through, typical of the region in the summer due to the mountains. Temps were in the 70s/80s F. The hotel had a lovely breakfast panoramic terrace that overlooked the valley with the typical pastries, cheese, juice, and speck. They made a tasty cappuccino and fried egg for me each morning. The terrace was a great photo opportunity. If I recall, I had three dinners at the hotel over the course of a week: Goulash, a pasta dish, and a pork dish (other meals included the nearby Forst brewery and pizzeria in Algund). All were fantastic meals with copious amounts of Forst beer and local wine each evening, not to mention the apfelstrudel for dessert. The room was nice for a single person. Room service cleaned every day and I don’t recall the bed being uncomfortable. Wi-Fi was great. There was a bureau and couch that I could hang my belongings on during my stay, and a small balcony that I used a few evenings to unwind after a day of sightseeing with a beer. The shower was a bit small, but I’m over six feet, so it is what it is in Europe. From the back, the castle looks like an old villa. You drive up several switchbacks from Algund; probably over a 1000 feet from the valley floor. The first and second time was fun, the 10th time over a week was getting on my nerves, but hey, the view if worth it. Just know it can be a tight squeeze in a few places, but generally it wasn’t a big deal; I was driving a Volkswagen Polo. There’s a small parking lot next to the castle; let the owner know what car you’re driving. There is also bus service available at the castle to Merano. I’m not sure how often, but it usually waited a bit as it is the last stop before heading back down. This is not a hotel issue, but a driving issue in Südtirol in general, there are a lot of speed cameras, so be mindful wherever you drive. You can walk to Schloss Tirol in less than a half hour from Thurnstein, on a relatively flat paved road, though you are high above the valley; you walk pass several photo opportunities with the local vineyards looking out towards the Val Venosta, as well as a small medieval church, St. Peter's, with some frescoes inside. The photos I took were really amazing of the surrounding landscape, church, and both the castles. Other than that, I had great memories at Schloss Thurnstein and I hope to return some day in the future when I travel back to...

Hello from the US! It has been 6 months (Aug/Sep 2022) since my stay at Schloss Thurnstein and I was thinking about my week-long visit recently and thought I’d write a review. This is an amazing and lovely hotel above the village of Algund/Lagundo in South Tyrol/Südtirol/Alto Adige, a short drive from Meran/Merano. It’s an old castle (circa 1200?) with very charming, Tirolean-style rooms, very characteristic of the surrounding area. My room was on the backside facing Schloss Tirol/Castel Tirolo (lit up at night) rather than facing the front, high above the Vinschgau/Val Venosta. I forgot the owner’s name, but he was a friendly host who provided this American a lot of information on the local area, history, and weather during my stay, as well as some good conversation over the course of the week. He spoke German and English fluently. There was also one waitress who served me personally who was very lovely. I spent the second half of my two-week visit here to South Tyrol with Week 1 in the Italian Dolomites (Alpe di Siusi) before driving west to see the rest of Südtirol during Week 2. While staying at the castle, I visited within an hour's drive: Bozen/Bolzano, Meran/Merano, Kaltern/Caldaro, Passo Stelvio, and various sights in the Val Venosta, including medieval village of Glurns/Glorenza, Campanile di Curon, Braugarten Forst, the nearby Schloss Tirol, and the local Waalweg hikes through the vineyards. I also visited a local woodcarver, and trachten shop (Amadeus) where I bought a few items to bring home with me, including a nice pair of lederhosen. The weather was lovely for much of my stay, though there were occasional showers and thunderstorms in the afternoon that passed through, typical of the region in the summer due to the mountains. Temps were in the 70s/80s°F. The hotel has a lovely panoramic terrace for breakfast that overlooked the valley with the typical pastries, cheese, juice, and speck; they made a tasty cappuccino and fried egg for me each morning. The terrace was a great photo opportunity. If I recall, I had three dinners at the hotel over the course of a week: Goulash, a pasta dish, and a pork dish (other meals included the nearby Forst brewery and pizzeria in Algund). All were fantastic meals with copious amounts of Forst beer and local wine each evening, not to mention the apfelstrudel for dessert. The room was nice and large for a single person. Room service cleaned every day and I don’t recall the bed being uncomfortable. Wi-Fi was great. There was a bureau and couch that I could hang my belongings on during my stay, and a small balcony that I used a few evenings to unwind after a day of sightseeing with a beer. The shower was a bit small, but I’m over six feet, so it is what it is in Europe. From the back, the castle looks like an old villa. You drive up several switchbacks from Algund; probably over a 1000 feet from the valley floor. The first and second time was fun, the 10th time over a week was getting on my nerves, but hey, the view is worth it. Just know it can be a tight squeeze in a few places, but generally it wasn’t a big deal; I was driving a Volkswagen Polo. There’s a small parking lot next to the castle; let the owner know what car you’re driving. There is also bus service available at the castle to Merano. I’m not sure how often, but it usually waited a bit as it is the last stop before heading back down. This is not a hotel issue, but a driving issue in Südtirol in general, there are a lot of speed cameras, so be mindful wherever you drive. You can walk to Schloss Tirol in less than a half hour from Thurnstein, on a relatively flat paved road, though you are high above the valley; you walk pass several photo opportunities with the local vineyards looking out towards the Val Venosta, as well as a small medieval church, St. Peter's, with some frescoes inside. The photos I took were really amazing of the surrounding landscape, church, and both the castles. I had great memories at Schloss Thurnstein and I hope to return some day in the future when I travel back to...