RAK

Trip is in the planning for going to the Dolomites July 17 for 2 weeks. Doing research on where is the best place to stay since we will not rent a car and will be using public transportation in the area. Right now considering Selva or Ortesei. Any suggestions on day trips accessible without using a car? Any suggestions on places to stay that are quiet yet where we will be able to get an early start to the nearest trail head? Last year went to Alsace and had plans to go to a certain town but we were waiting at the wrong bus stop. Once we realized it and made it to the right bus stop we had a 2 hour wait for the next bus. We don't want to waste a good portion of our day waiting. Also thinking about the town of Cortina? Is that too difficult to get to without a car?
Any suggestions would be very helpful. We have read the account of ms_go from last August and loved their photos and are really excited about this trip.
In advance thanks for your help and suggestions.

enzian

We have done two one-week hiking trips in the dolomites without a car. The area is well served by busses (Sud-Tirol Autodienst). Although they do not staop at every single trainhead, you will have enough choices to fill your two weeks using busses and lifts to get to various trails.

We have only stayed up on Alpe di Siusi and in Val Badia, but the Val Gardena area gives you more options for hiking, as you can access the Pues group on one side, the Alpe di Siusi on the other, and Passo Gardena and the Sella group at the head of the valley.

Many of the hotels and apartments are set up for weekly stays. You might consider a week in Selva or Ortesei, and one in Val Badia (Colfosco or Corvara). Or divide one of the weeks into two halves, and spend part of it up on the Alpe di Siusi. There are some great hikes that start up there.

Steve_James

Hi RAK - I don't think you can go far wrong basing in Ortisei or Selva. Both are excellent bases for Val Gardena - which has a good choice of lifts up to spectacular Dolomite scenery. Ms Go's trip report is full of great ideas ...

You could combine a week in Val Gardena with a week in Cortina or Val Badia.

You may find these threads helpful:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...lomites.cfm?23

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-in-june.cfm?6

Hope this helps ...

Steve

ms_go

Hi RAK, I'm glad you found our trip report helpful. You'll have a wonderful time! I'd go back and do it all over in a heartbeat, but we've picked something slightly different (but hopefully just as scenic) for this summer--Norway.

There's good bus service around the Val Gardena, and we used it to get around the valley with no problems. I don't ever recall waiting more than 10-15 minutes for a bus. We only used our car when going out of the valley. If you stay in the Val Gardena and get the Valgardena Card for the lifts, the SAD bus service is included. You might find these links helpful:

http://www.valgardena.it/en/valgardena-card/page45.html

http://www.valgardena.it/en/bus-timetable/page281.html

We stayed in Selva, and there were two excellent lifts within walking distance...actually three if you count Col Raiser (about a 30 minute walk).

JenniFTF

Eager to hear how your time in the Dolomites went. We were also there without a car for just 3 days in August. We homebased at a fabulous hotel in Castelrotto--Hotel Cavallino D'Oro. Did the half-board and loved it! Hiking in the mountains, paragliding, horse riding, strolling through the charming village...and ending each day wiht an awesome 5-course dinner in the hotel restaurant! So fabulous. I just posted a few pics of this gorgeous place on our travel blog: http://findthefound.org/2010/09/14/i...the-dolomites/.