Getting Around Trento
Trento's historic centre is compact, traffic-free and pleasant to explore, which makes walking the natural way to see the city. For anything beyond the centre, Trento sits on a good public transport network that also reaches the surrounding mountains.
On Foot and by Bike
The best way to visit the city is on foot or by bicycle. The centre is closed off to traffic, small and pleasant to walk, so most of the main sights in the Medieval and Renaissance historic centre — including Trento Cathedral and the Castello del Buonconsiglio — are easily covered on foot.
For cycling, rental companies offer easy biking itineraries in the Trento region. One option, 1 Bike Rental, lets you rent bikes by registering in advance for a fee; after that, the first hour of each ride is free. There are several stations around the city, including one in front of the tourist information office on Piazza Dante. Other operators offer guided biking tours on quiet roads with sparse traffic and will, for a small fee, deliver bikes to B&Bs, hotels and railway stations.
Rail
Trento lies on the main train line between Italy and Austria/Germany, which makes the railway station a practical hub for both arriving in the city and making day trips. Regional services connect Trento with Verona to the south and Bolzano to the north, and there is also a regional line to Malè and to Bassano di Grappa, with a couple of daily trips onward to Venice and Padova.
If you are travelling by train, two practical points are worth remembering. First, validate your regional train ticket on the platform before boarding. Second, ticket machines may offer First Class tickets, but there is no actual First Class section on the departing trains — so don't pay extra for one.
Buses and Public Transport
The mountains surrounding Trento can be reached easily using public transport, in particular the blue buses. The bus station sits between the train station and the hostel, which makes it convenient to combine a rail arrival with a onward bus trip into the surrounding valleys and hills.
Arriving by Car
If you are driving, the A22 / E45 highway connects Trento to Verona to the south and to Innsbruck via Bolzano/Bozen to the north. The SS47 highway connects Trento to Padova. Note that the city centre itself is closed to traffic, so plan to park outside the pedestrian area and continue on foot.
Getting into the City from the Airport
The reference material does not cover airport transfers to Trento, so no specific airport route can be described here. In practice, the most reliable approach is to arrive by rail: Trento's station sits on the main Italy–Austria/Germany line, with frequent regional connections to Verona and Bolzano and direct inter-city services from Munich and Innsbruck. From the station, the historic centre is a short walk away, and the bus station for onward mountain services is right next to it.
Practical Tips
- Walk or cycle for the city centre — it is traffic-free, small and pleasant.
- Use the blue buses to reach the surrounding mountains; the bus station is between the train station and the hostel.
- Validate regional train tickets on the platform before boarding.
- Don't buy First Class rail tickets — the trains have no First Class section.
- For bike hire, register in advance at a rental station (one is on Piazza Dante, in front of the tourist information office) to get your first hour free on each ride.