12 night Alps loop itinerary help
 

Hi all,
In the beginning stages of planning a 12 night loop through the Alps region. Hoping for some itinerary ideas from people who have done it. Starting and ending in Munich. Trip is in summer and we will have a car. Initial thoughts were Munich (1 night) - Mittenwald (2 nights) - Pontresina or Sils Maria (2 nights) - Lake Como (2 nights) - Dolomites/Ortesei (2 nights) - Alpbach (2 nights) - Munich (1 night). Thinking of possibly losing the Alpbach stop in order to add additional nights in Dolomites or possibly the Wine Road area of Alto-Adige. The goal is to not drive more that 3-4 hours per leg (less is even better). I'd love any thoughts on this. Open to other stops or alternatives. Thanks!!

Varennna/Lake Como - Ortisei lasts at least 6 hrs, unless you take the boring motorway via Brescia.
Be aware that there are many gems along your itinerary. If you don't want to bypass them all, you must count a full day for legs like Mittenwald - Pontresina/Sils Maria or Ortisei - Munich and 2 days for Lake Cono - Ortisei.

Thanks neckervd! Any gems in particular we should be on the lookout for? I know some of the villages en route to Pontresina like Guarda and Zuoz are worth a look. Also, any recommendation for an overnight stop between Lake Como and Ortesei? We were thinking somewhere along the Wine Road, but not familiar with that area. So, the northern mountainous route is better than the faster southern route between Lake Como and Ortesei?

"So, the northern mountainous route is better than the faster southern route between Lake Como and Ortesei?"

Why would you want to avoid driving across the Alps when you're doing an Alps loop? ;-)

The most straightforward route is via Edolo and the Tonale Pass.

Longer, but more spectacular and of course slower going is to drive via the Stelvio Pass and Vinschgau/Val Venosta. A variation of this route would be turning off the Stelvio road via the Umbrail Pass into Switzerland and checking out the UNESCO listed Carolingian monastery in Müstair before moving on to the Vinschgau. A village in the Vinschgau valley would make a nice overnight stop.

Twelve nights, 11 days.

I would want as much time as possible in the Dolomites. Two nights in Ortisei is one day which isn't nearly enough time to see the best of the region. If it rains your one day there, too bad.

I'd drop Lake Como. It's a destination geared for a slower pace, and you wouldn't see much in a day.

IMO, the Alto Adige Wine Road is a different trip.

I would avoid highways wherever possible. They are the most boring, least scenic way to get around.

At what time of year?

Summer.

Oops -- missed that! Thanks, Jean.

Thanks all!
So, rethinking a bit. Maybe we drop Alpbach (which holds the least draw for me - but please correct me if I'm missing something!) and reallocate those nights to Engadine and Dolomites.
If we can sneak in one extra night and bump the trip up to 13 nights , here is what I'm now thinking: Munich (1 night) - Mittenwald (2 nights) - Pontresina or Sils (3 nights) - Lake Como (2 nights) - Bormio or another place near Stelvio Pass (1 night) - Ortesei (3 nights)- Munich (1 night)
Lake Como holds appeal to me because I've never been to Italy and with all the hiking we will be doing, it seems like a nice break. The other consideration is to replace the Engadine with Berner Oberland. It adds some serious drive time though. Any thoughts on if that would be worth it? I've heard it is much more crowded and expensive that the Engadine. That, plus the extra drive time is what has me leaning toward Pontresina.
Thanks for any input!

IMO, the scenery of the Bernese Oberland is stunning. That said, when I dream about Switzerland, its the Engadine that most often comes to mind -- also stunning, but very much less touristy and with a sense of being grounded in its history that I found lacking in much of the Bernese Oberland. The Engadine is, IMO, a truly special part of the world.

But with so little time, I'm not sure you'll really be able to take advantage of the highlights of either region. :(

I second kja: The Engadin is fine and the Bernese Oberland is too far away anyway.
Your new plan looks good.
From Mittenwald, you may visit Garmisch, Zugspitze, Linderhof Castle, Wieskirche, etc.
Leave then Mittenwald in the morning and stop over at Scuol (scenic village center, castle, thermal spa) and Guarda.
Lake Como:
don't stay at Como, but around Varenna or along the upper lake.
Varenna - Ortisei:
drive via Valtellina - Stelvio - Umbrail - Mustair (Unesco world heritage monastery) - Glurns (smallest walled city of the world) and may be Val Senales (cableway to Glacier Hotel Grawand, the highest hotel in the Alps). Sleep at Meran, a charming old city in the vineyards. Go then to Bolzano/Bozen, visit the historic city center and the Momie of the Iceman Oetzi (in the museum). Drive then via Seiseralm to Ortisei.
Visit Innsbruck on the way from Ortisei to Munich.

Thanks very much all - I appreciate the advice.

We loved Bernese Oberland (stayed in Lauterbrunnen), but Switzerland should be its own trip.

We were actually in Italy last fall and stayed five nights in Ortisei (Hotel Grones), which we could have extended. Three nights is really not enough IMHO. Prior to that we stayed 2 nights in Verona.

We did not have a car and used mostly trains (a few buses) for our travel. After leaving Ortisei, we spent one night in Upper Bergamo and then moved on to Varenna on Lake Como (Albergo Milano) where we stayed for 4 nights. Ended in Milan with 2 nights. So our flights were into Venice and out of Milan.

I personally prefer more time in each destination and think you are jumping around too much. I know it's tempting to try to cram more places into your trip, but with only 2 nights in a destination you will have just one full day. It seems like you will spend almost as much time driving as seeing the beautiful country and sites.

How was Bormio and Stelvio pass? Did you like it?