We rented an apartment in Riva del Garda last year for 5 nights and did day trips around Lake Garda. Visited some great walled towns and loved our day visit to Limone. Other than using Riva del Garda as our "home" there wasn't much too offer in the town itself but the lake area is beautiful. Have a great time.

Hi,

While we love Vipiteno, I can't imagine having 2 days there. While based in Vipieno, visit the nearby town of Brixen/Bressanone. Loved the beautiful old town and found the Diocean Museum there very worthwhile.

Paul

Thanks for your information but I ask you to be more precise an extensive in your answers about the questions I pose, help me to organize a plan trip for five days according with the information I give.

thanks in advance

Alazrev

Don't mean to hijack your thread Alazrev, but could the Dolomite experts suggest if late September is too late to enjoy the area?

Late Sept. is ideal. We've been late Sept. '09 and mid Oct. '03 and '06.

Castelrotto near Bolzano was fantastic! Cable cars into the mountains for hiking, a very special cemetary and a walk behind the town around the hill. We stayed at Hotel Wolf. Also stayed in Cortina d'Ampezzo and drove over all the passes nearby taking a cable car to the top of one of them and hiking. Wonderful area! Have fun...

val di funes very nice pleace
http://www.pernthaler.it

Hi alazrev,

I send you greetings from the Dolomites where I live and work, partly as a hiking guide. From what you’ve requested you’ll realise that you just won’t be able to see all of it in a couple of days. What ARE the best sights? Well, everybody sees something else in the Dolomites. To me, the mountains talk to me, they touch me, to others they are simply stone. So here you see what I mean. In September you could:

-take the cable car to Pordoi and hike to Boe`, a great peak that provides most wonderful views
-take the cable car to Tofana di Mezzo. Here you’ll get fantastic views as well
-take a hike from Pederü to the famous Sennes or Fanes (you can google these areas and you’ll find stimulating photos in the web)
-visit Bletterbach-gorge, a very important geological site that provides an insight into the development of the earth – you can look back 350 million years, one reason, why the Dolomites became an UNESCO natural world heritage site. Take a look at http://www.bletterbach.info/en/
-if you are in Brunico visit one of Reinhold Messners Museums. The best of his museums is near Bolzano, a definit must if you are in Bolzano again. http://www.messner-mountain-museum.it/messner-mountain-museum,pid,1,lid,en,meid,1242637819,mid,1242637817,first,1.html

So you see I gave you more places to visit than you’ll spend days in the Dolomites. The choice is yours.

If you need some help send me a mail to gerd@hiking-in-the-dolomites.it, I’ll be happy to assist. Or visit me on my website www@hiking-in-the-dolomites.it. So far you gave me just too little information about what you want to do (sightseeing, hiking, cable-car-riding, exploring, ….) etc., so it’s difficult to meet your taste.

I can’t tell you anything about Belluno, but it’s woth while to visit this place too.

Berg Heil
Gerd

thank you all for taking the trouble to help me organize my trip but I ask you to read carefully my post.I don´t know if I didn´t explain myself well or you didn´t read it carefuly.Berg Heil thanks to you in a special way, you seem to be a true expert on the matter and if you allow me I´d like to pick your brain. I´ll pose concise questions.What route would you recommend me to take from Vipiteno to Belluno? but bear in mind the places I´ve visited from previous trips, you can know about them by reading my original post.what are the most impresive cableways?, I have a daughter who is 4 years old so I cannot walk long trails so I´ll have to settle for the sights on top of the summits. What are the most scenic mountain passes?, what cities and litle towns would you recommend me to visit in South Tirol or why not in Tirol(Austria)? what trails in the Dolomites would be suitable to make with a four year old girl? As I said in my previous post I´m intresting in anywhere from natural wonders (lakes, waterfalls, gorges, scenic mountain passes, cableways etc). From Belluno where I´ll be staying for 3 days I intend to drive through the Dolomites so Berg you can help me to make up my mind about where to go or what to do. I hope this post is clear enough for all of you willing to give me a hand. Please read my first post as well, I think that if you read them both you´ll have a clear picture about what I demand from you.

with lots of thanks in advance

ALAZREV

Hi Gerd

two of the cable cars you suggest I already took them on two isolated approaches I made to the Dolomites a few years ago, I´m refering to the Pordoi cable car which I arrived coming from Riva di Garda, and of course I climb the Piz Boe. My second approach to the Dolomites was coming from Udine and we drove to Cortina D'Ampezzo where we took the Toffana di Mezzo cable car but just up to the middle station because it was early March and the top station was closed at the time

In the previous post I referred to you Gerd as Berg Geil, I hope you forgive me because I mixed up Berg Geil with your name. I imagine that Berg Geil is some kind of greetings in german.

greetings

ALAZREV

Well, alazrev, as fort he drive: it’s difficult to suggest a rout to you since I don’t know your little girls stomach. The roads thru the mountains are winding and steep as you know, so, do you think she’ll cope with all of that? If so, try the route south from San Lorenzo di Sebato (by the way, this is where I live)into Val Badia, cross Passo di Falzarego pass, then down to Alleghe, and from there further south. Or take the SP251 south of Cernadoi to get you thru Selva di Cadore and then past the Monte Pelmo. It’s a long drive, mind you, but you’re drive thru a rarely visited world. Of course you could go to Cortina from Falzarego, but why not trying another route and see for once other mountains: Marmolada from the south, Pale di san Lugano, Civetta (if you’re lucky to get a glimps of it) etc.? Check your routes on http://www.viamichelin.com , but do also get local roadmaps.

Cableways: if you do get to pass Cortina: try the upper leg of the cable car to the Tofana di Merzzo, but watch for any signs of dizziness: the rapid change in altitude is not to everybodys liking. There is another one on the Passo di Falzarego that’s also great.

Trails in the Dolomites: there are hardly any that I could recommend for children in the age of your daughter. And: I don’t know how you daughter copes with hikes. Nearly all trails that provide views are steep and not made for children, sorry. And don’t forget the element of danger for your daughter neither if you do decide to go on a hike. What your daughter will like (if she doesn’t mind heights) are these climbing gardens for kids. There the kids wear helmets and safety gear and climb (far) above the ground along bridges between trees etc. There is such a place in Colfosco near Corvara in the Val Badia (in the first hairpin after Corvara in the direction to Passo di Gardena). If she’s an adventurous type she’ll love it.

Ideas for Belluno: sorry, but I don’t know this area well enough, I am operating much further noth of Beluno. Maybe you visit there some fantastic cities, i.e. Bassano di Grappa, Castelfranco. Or visit the rarely visited valley that the Tagliamento dominates (SS52), down to Tolmezzo. Or simply drive anywhere into the mountains, that’s always a good idea.

So, how did you like that? I hope you’ll have a fine time here in the Dolomites.

Best wishes

Gerd
Check https://picasaweb.google.com/111064870418881641859 for photos of the Dolomites