About Cascata di Parcines (Wasserfall Partschinser)
Cascata di Parcines (Parcines Waterfall; also Wasserfall Partschinser in German) is one of the tallest waterfalls in the Alto Adige region of Italy (also known as Südtirol or South Tyrol) at 98m.
Given the precipitous nature of the Dolomites mountain range spanning Northern Italy and Southern Austria, calling something the tallest might be a bit of a bold statement to make.
But academic trivia aside, we thought it was a very beautiful waterfall, and the alpine scenery around it certainly made it one of the more memorable waterfall excursions we’ve done in Italy.
Like many alpine waterfalls, the Cascata di Parcines was a tall mountain cascade with high volume and an uninterrupted drop comprising most of its overall height.
On the drive up to the town of Parcines (or Partschins in German), we could see the impressive waterfall backed by tall snowy mountains with another cascade perched further up the mountain from it.
It was too bad we couldn’t find a suitable place to pull over for a photo of the scene from driving up because such scenery underscored the beauty of the waterfall’s surroundings.
We were able to experience the waterfall both from its base as well as from a lookout near its top.
Experiencing the bottom of Cascata di Parcines
From the trailhead near the Gasthaus Birkenwald (see directions below), we took a short path on gravel road towards a bridge.
Just before crossing the bridge, there was a signposted narrow footpath that followed alongside the stream on which the Cascata di Parcines flows.
After a few minutes of uphill hiking, we were then on a grassy hill where the trail forked in two directions.
To the left, the trail descended right towards the base of Cascata di Parcines.
To the right, the trail stayed on the knob of the hill heading towards a bench and some signs.
The lower trail reconverged with the upper trail primarily near the bench, but there were other informal trails linking the two paths.
Nonetheless, it was from this grassy hill that we were able to get the best frontal views of the falls.
That said, we were fortunate that there were enough clouds to keep the afternoon sun from being directly in our line of sight above the falls.
Experiencing the top of Cascata di Parcines
Beyond the bench and sign, the trail continued up more steps alongside another creek.
This trail benefitted from the shade of more tree cover as it ascended towards the Gasthouse Wasserfall (Waterfall Guesthouse).
Like the Gasthouse Birkenwald, this place featured a restaurant and some rooms.
There was a trail that continued to ascend past a shrine then up a sloping path leading right up to the near top of the Cascata di Parcines.
From up at this vantage point, I was able to enjoy a grand view of both the towns of Parcines (or Partschins) and Merano below me.
Meanwhile, picturesque snow-capped alpine mountains towered over the developments.
Looking in the other direction, I was able to see alpine mountain chalets perched high up the mountains in the near vicinity.
I also noticed another cascade (which looked like it was man-modified) spilling right towards the Gasthaus Wasserfall right below it.
Overall, we spent about an hour away from the car, which was parked at the sanctioned spot just uphill from the Gasthaus Birkenwald.
It’s worth noting that I did see a shuttle van make its way up to the Birkenwald (and possibly higher).
So it’s conceivable that there might be some kind of service between the town of Parcines (Partschins) 2-3km below and the falls itself.
Otherwise, I’d imagine you’re looking at about 90 minutes of uphill walking from town to the waterfall.
Authorities
Cascata di Parcines (Parcines Waterfall or Wasserfall Partschinser) reside near the town of Parcines in the Bolzano-Alto-Adige Province within the Trentino-Alto Adige Region of Italy. For information or inquiries about the area as well as current conditions, visit the Merano Tourism Board website.
We drove up to Cascata di Parcines from the city of Bolzano so we’ll describe the route from there.
From Bolzano, we drove on the SS38 bound for Merano for about 32km.
After passing by Merano and several tunnels, we exited the SS38 at a signposted turnoff for Parcines (Partschins) to our right.
Then we drove the uphill road into town, then we continued following signs for the waterfall on our way past the town.
There were very steep and narrow one-way streets we had to take as the Wasserfallweg (waterfall way) got progressively steeper and remained narrow.
Beyond the town of Parcines, the road became Via Cascata.
We followed it steeply uphill for another 2km as we would eventually get past the Gasthaus Birkenwald and onto the sanctioned car park for Cascata di Parcines.
Given the limited space of parking up here, we did notice there were other parking spaces further down the mountain as well.
Moreover, if driving the narrow and steep road would be too risky or scary (especially since it’s very easy to stall with a stick shift while waiting for opposing traffic to pass), it’s possible to park inside the town of Parcines.
If you do that, you’d have to walk all the way to the Cascata di Parcines.
This drive took us around 45 minutes to cover the distance between Bolzano and the car park above Gasthaus Birkenwald.
For additional context, Bolzano was 61km (under an hour drive) north of Trento, 269km (2.5-3 hours drive) northwest of Venice (Venezia), and 280km (over 3 hours drive) northeast of Milan (Milano).
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Right to left sweep starting with farms and guesthouses then panning across the falls before ending downstream
Right to left sweep from near the top of the waterfall following the watercourse before panning over to the trail and the hamlet behind it
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