Ötzi the Iceman
A 5,300-year-old hunter, preserved whole, with his clothes, his bow and the arrow that killed him.
Duration
1 hr 30 min – 2 hrs 30 min
Best time
At opening
Open
Closed Monday out of season
Entry price
13 EUR
Ötzi was found in 1991 by two German hikers in a glacial gully at three thousand two hundred metres, on the Italian-Austrian border. He was first taken for a recent mountaineering accident, and the body was freed with a pneumatic drill — the mistake was understood too late.
He is five thousand three hundred years old and preserved whole: skin, tattoos, stomach contents, clothing, copper axe, bow. An X-ray in 2001 revealed an arrowhead in his left shoulder: he was killed. The body is kept in a cold chamber at minus six degrees, seen through a small window.
Getting there
Via Museo, in central Bolzano, ten minutes on foot from the station. The old town is right beside it.
Hours
Tuesday to Sunday, 10am – 6pm, last entry 5.30pm. Also open Monday in July and August.
What the price covers
the full price. €10 for under-27s, over-65s and groups; €26 for two adults with children under 16; free under 6.
What to bring
- Windbreaker
Rules on site
The cold chamber window is small and a queue forms at it: the timed ticket is booked online. The museum closes on Monday outside high season.
Checked on 30 August 2026 at South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology — hours and rates
