Sand in Taufers: Nature, Castle and Regional Culture

Sand in Taufers combines nature-focused attractions with historic buildings, exhibitions and events tied to particular seasons or dates. When planning your trip, you can first decide whether you want to focus on trails and waterfalls, a visit to Taufers Castle, or museums and local customs. The different places and activities offer a range of highlights and can be matched to your interests and travel dates.

Reinbach Waterfalls and Nature Park

The three Reinbach waterfalls are located in the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park and form cascades ranging from ten to forty metres high. At the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park visitor centre, various exhibitions focus on the park’s distinctive features. Audiovisual impressions of life in the park, a film from an eagle’s-eye perspective and a relief map featuring mountains, mountain huts and trails complement the exhibition themes. This lets you encounter nature and the landscape through both exhibitions and a variety of media.

The nature park visitor centre is a one-minute walk from the bus station in Sand in Taufers. If you would like to combine your visit with a bus journey, check the current timetables before you travel.

Trails to the waterfalls and castle

The Tauferer Ritterweg trail passes the Reinbach waterfalls on its way to Taufers Castle, then returns to Sand in Taufers. If you would like to include both the waterfalls and the castle in your route, this trail offers a clear sequence of stops.

There is another point of reference for accessing the first Reinbach waterfall: from the starting point at Bad Winkel, it is about a 20-minute walk. The section along the forest road and St Francis Way is suitable for pushchairs and has an elevation gain of 40 metres. Trail conditions may change, so allow for the stated walking time and trail conditions for this specific access route.

Taufers Castle and Gothic interior

Taufers Castle was once the dynastic fortress of the Taufers baronial family of the same name. Visitors can access the gate complex with its former drawbridges, the castle garden and the large courtyard with its forge and ice cellar. Opening arrangements may vary by season; check them before your visit.

More than twenty furnished rooms are open to visitors. These include, among others, the courtroom, library, chapel, knights’ hall, sickroom, late Gothic office, ghost room, armoury and cardinal’s room. The parish church of the Assumption of Mary in Sand in Taufers offers a different historical perspective: it was built in the early 16th century. Despite later renovations, its Gothic interior has been preserved.

Local museums

The Mineralis Mineral Museum displays minerals from the Tauferer Ahrntal. At the Sheep’s Wool Museum, you can see how old techniques are used to make various garments and everyday items from sheep’s wool. The two museums therefore focus on different subjects: minerals from the valley at one, and the processing of a raw material and the everyday items made from it at the other.

The nature park visitor centre is also a place where a subject is presented from different perspectives: its exhibitions, audiovisual impressions, film and relief map all relate to the nature park. By contrast, the Taufers Parish Museum can only be visited as part of a guided tour. Bear this requirement in mind if you include the museum in your visit plans.

Waterfall Fly-Line

The Waterfall Fly-Line starts a little above the third waterfall. Its route winds through the forest in tight and sweeping turns, descending alongside the waterfalls to the first waterfall. Its course is defined by its curves, the forest and the descent to the first waterfall.

Seasonal cuisine and events

Tauferer Street Cuisine takes place every Tuesday evening from mid-July to the end of August. South Tyrolean specialities are served in the open air. The Sand in Taufers Cheese Festival takes place every two years as a gourmet market, trade fair and food event featuring cheese tastings. The events therefore follow different schedules: a weekly summer evening compared with a festival held every two years. Check the event dates for your travel dates.

The Sand in Taufers Krampus parade is a long-standing custom and also an event featuring well over 400 Krampus figures wearing hand-carved masks. Here, too, the specific event date is important when planning your trip. Check the dates for the street cuisine event, cheese festival and Krampus parade to make sure they coincide with your visit.

Discover more destinations: Mühlen in Taufers, San Lorenzo, Colfosco, Badia, Lappago, Chienes, La Valle, Dobbiaco

Return to the main travel overview: Val Pusteria.