debbspero

we finally decided on a destination for out trip to europe in mid october: the italian lake district and the dolomites; we are currently looking to build our itinerary- all suggestions are welcome!

thanks so much for all your help,
debby spero

valtor

Where you arrive and where from do you depart home?
What lakes do you want to visit?

bobthenavigator

You may be a bit late for those destinations---can you move it up 2 weeks?

HappyTrvlr

With only fen days., Lake Garda and the Dolomites. However, as Bobthenaviagator said above, you may want to move the date a bit earlier. Look at Ortisei in the Dolomiti.

debbspero

we fly in and out of milan and will have a car.

unfortunately the dates are inflexible. late in what sense- weather wise, activity wise or both? perhaps we will be able to capture the splendor of autumn in all its glory.

happytrvlr- why do u recommend lake garda over lake como? why ortisei in specific? we do not have any specific lake/town in mind- just looking to get in what we can in the time allotted to us.

thanks to all of you for your quick responses.

330east

Lake Maggiore-Hotel la Palma-Stresa

pja1

Hi Debby,

We've been to the Dolomites twice in mid October, in '03 and '06. Loved both visits. We think it's the ideal time to visit. I wouldn't suggest Ortisei per say, but would suggest any of the three villages/towns (Ortisei, St. Christina, Selva) that basically make up the Val Gardena. Each is a short 5 minute drive to the next, St. Christina being in the middle. In '03 we stayed in St. Christina at the Garni Ariston. Nice place.

www.garniariston.com

www.val-gardena.com

Since you'll have a car, you may also be interested in the Alta Badia. We stayed here in 10/06 and again in 9/09. Loved our 2 stays at the Ciasa Montanara in La Villa, Alta Badia.

www.montanara.it

www.altabadia.it

The amazing Gardena Pass is what seperates (or connects) the Val Gardena and the Alta Badia.

In mid October, there's very few lifts/cable cars running. I know of at least 2 that stay open in October and we've been on:

The Mont Seuc/Seiser Alm cable car in Ortisei and the Lagazoui cable car near the Falzarego Pass, not far from La Villa. Both operate until Oct. 20, 2013.

www.alpedisiusi-seiseralm.com/index.html

http://www.dolomiti.org/dengl/cortin.../impianti.html

With a car, the cable cars aren't even needed. Drive a few passes for up close spectacular Dolomite scenery.

This is basically our own "Best of the Dolomites" drive. Easy to do in a day. It can be started/ended from any point along it, but I'll use La Villa here:

Head to Corvara and take the Campolongo Pass to Arabba. From Arraba take the Pordoi Pass towards Canazei. Before you get to Canazei, take the Sella Pass. From the Sella Pass get right on the Gardena Pass towards Alta Badia.  After the Gardena Pass you're back in Colfosco/Corvara and 10 min. later you're back in La Villa. There's a cafe/restaurant/rest stop at the "top" of the Gardena and Sella Passes. You'll also notice a few small places to park along the passes to get out and walk among the Dolomite peaks.

For some info and photo's of the passes, check out:

www.alpineroads.com/dolomites.php

Some are listed under the German and or Italian name:
Gardena Pass - Grödnerjoch
Sella Pass - Sellajoch
Pordoi Pass - Passo di Pordoi
Campolongo Pass - Passo di Campolongo

The Giau Pass is another terrific drive. There's also a restaurant/rest stop at the "top". How close you are to the peaks is incredible. This basically lies between the Alta Badia and Cortina d'Ampezzo.

In Ortisei, on the second Monday of October, is an annual town wide all day market day. We were there in '03. Everything imaginable for sale. My wife bought a couple of sweaters. Plus they have beer/wine tents, music, etc. It was very crowded, but we enjoyed it.

If interested, we have our photo's at:

www.worldisround.com/articles/351565/index.html

www.worldisround.com/articles/324504/index.html

www.worldisround.com/articles/355539/index.html

Just our experiences, the weather was terrific for all our visits. Maybe one day with any rain, cool to mild days and chilly to cold early mornings and nights.

Paul

Jean

If you were planning to stay in Bellagio or Varenna on Lake Como, you'll find that some hotels and restaurants will close for the season sometime in mid-October. This year the date could be Monday, Oct. 14th, or Monday, Oct. 21st. The date is decided based on weather and the number of reservations being held. Even if a hotel "confirms" a reservation after these dates, it may contact you later to advise of its closing. The hotel will move your reservation to another hotel that will be open, or you can look yourself for an alternative. If you don't get a message that the hotel is closing, you should still re-confirm your reservation a few days before you go.

The ferries will revert to off-season timetables at about the same time. Just as there will always be some hotels and restaurants open, there will be ferry service around the lake. (There are people who live there year-round.) It just might not be frequent or late enough for you to see everything you want to see in a couple of days. Pick your lodging town with dinner in mind, because it's likely there won't be a ferry late enough to allow you to dine elsewhere.

debbspero

thank you all for your most helpful tips. thanks especially to paul for taking so much time to write me such a detailed reply. i will def take your driving recommendations into account!

Huggy

Hr