jenblase

I know that the Brenner Pass leading into Italy is pretty close to Innsbruck, and we will be passing through Innsbruck on the way from Salzburg to Fussen. I said to DH to be silly, we should drive to Italy. We have yet to visit Italy so I thought it would be neat to say we "stopped by."

Well then I got to thinking about spending the night there since we have a few "free" days in our itinerary. What small town can you recommend within 1 hr of the Austrian border, where we can get a nice view of the Dolomites, and an Italian feel?

Hotel and B & B recs would be appreciated too.

Oh, and we'll be there the first week of December, if this will affect our wanting to drive in this region.

bettyk

While I haven't yet been there myself, Vipiteno looks very interesting. Do a search here on Fodor's and you should find some add'l info.

http://www.dolomiti.it/eng/zone/alta...o/vipiteno.htm

http://www.vipiteno.it/

zelphiacat

Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy is smack in the middle of the Dolomites and is a very quaint villiage. I stopped there on my drive from Innsbruck to Venice.

jenblase

What about this hotel in Selva Val Gardena? Is this a good location?

www.hotel-nives.com

annhig

hi jen,

well, the hotel looks quite a bargain, looking at its summer prices which are for half board.

however, if you are looking for a taste of Italy, you may notice that there is quite a lot of german spoken in this area.

good luck,

regards, ann

notbob

THe hotel does look lovely. Several things to keep in mind. Early December is the start of ski season. So I would suggest booking when you decide. The weather may be iffy. The hotel you linked to is not as far as Cortina but it will be on windy mountain roads.

If you want a look at the Dolomites either place would work, but the area has a more Alpine feel than Italian and German will be an easy language for most folks there.

Merseyheart

Cortina. I was there several years ago visiting a relative. Yes, it is in Italy, but there's more of a German feel. I call it "Sound of Music/Heidi" country.

TuckH

I have fond memories of Vipiteno but it's not in the heart of the Dolomites.

A wonderful drive from there on your way to Füssen would be by way of the Passeiertal and over the Timmelsjoch into the Ötztal. Very beautiful!

jenblase

Thanks for the drive recommendation, Tuck. Would most of those passes be open in December though?

pja1

Hi jenblase,
We love Sterzing/Vipetino, yet it's not in the Dolomites. Another absolutely wonderful old town is Brixen/Berssanone, yet again not "in" the Dolomites.

Cortina on the way from Salzburg to Fuessen, way out of the way in my opinion. Check a map to see.

Val Gardena is spectacular! We stayed in, and can highly recommend, the Garni Ariston in St. Christina. Very easy drive from Innsbruck.

www.garniariston.com

They speak a little English here.

We have some pic's at:

www.worldisround.com/home/pja1/travel11.html

Hope this helps.

Paul

bobthenavigator

I agree with Paul--check out Brixen for Hotel Elefant--as in Hanibal.

Steve_James

Hi Jen - Val Gardena is easy to access from the Brenner and would be your best choice IMO.

For great Dolomite views Selva Gardena is hard to beat. Nearby Ortisei is another nice choice (- I usually stay there in early December). Both are convenient for touring.

The Val Gardena lifts - e.g. Ciampinoi & Dantercepies (- from Selva), and Alpe di Siusi & Seceda/Fermeda (- from Ortisei)
- take you up to spectacular views.
This year the Val Gardena lifts open on 29 Nov.

Many hotels offer a discount for longer stays in early December.

N.B. Be aware, however, that Dec 8th a public holiday in Italy, and hotels will be booked in advance for that weekend.

You may find this link useful:
http://www.valgardena.it/en/val-gard...den/page4.html

Hope this helps ...

Steve

P.S. This area has a decidedly Austrian/Tyrolean feel - not Italian.

TuckH

Jen - we were there in summertime so I've no knowledge of the winter condition...

Mucky

Stayed in Sappada once many many years ago.

Skiing was quite good if I remember correctly


Muck

Ingo

Some additional commments here. I am not sure if this hotel in Wolkenstein/Val Gardena is going to be open at all the first week of December. I thought they start the second weekend in Dec. but I could be wrong.

Since you're going to be there in early December I would be cautious about driving conditions/weather. It is absolutely possible that exactly that day you're driving the Alps get a ton of new snow. You wouldn't want to drive across passes then, which could even be closed. Btw, the Timmelsjoch is closed in winter.

However, I probably wouldn't want to drive the motorway across the Brenner Pass either - it is a toll road (almost a rip-off IMO). A nice, scenic drive would be from Salzburg via Zell am See, Mittersill - Felbertauern tunnel (small toll) - Lienz and to Toblach/Dobbiaco. The Pusteria Valley is at the northern edge of the Dolomites and offers beautiful views of the mountains.

You could stay in one of the small towns in this valley, maybe Bruneck (which has a nice old town). Since you have a few free nights to fill in your itinerary you could even spend two nights there and explore the area a bit, maybe take a gondola up a mountain (Kronplatz should be open in early December) for better views. It would be nice to drive the old Brenner Pass road, parallel to the motorway and toll-free (that's what I did), the next day on to Füssen via Innsbruck. Plenty of cute small towns and villages along the road.

Just my 2 cts.

I.

Delaine

How about Ortisei? It is a completely charming little town almost directly south of Innsbruck in the Val Gardena area.

PalenQ

Yes Cortina d'Ampezzo was very very nice - once held Winter Olympics and surrounded by awesome peaks - a great driving scenic loop comes off the Brennero Pass Route i think - 3 stars in Michelin for the area the route goes thru.