Dolomite trip in mid May
 

We are planning a driving trip to the Dolomite area of Italy in Mid-May and plan to stay in Kaselruth for 4 days after driving from Munch. We intend to tour the area by car for about 4 days. One of our plans is to take a lift or two for some panoramic views. I am concerned that they will not be operating before June. Does anyone have experience with travel in this area during this time of year, and what insight can you give us as to closures of lifts, passes , and possibly restaurants. Also could use some recommendations as to any must see places in the region.

I think you are right that lifts will not be operating and in general you need to consider how much views and hiking/walking opportunities could be diminished by poor weather (low clouds, rain.)

You might want to post your questions on the Tripadvsor message board for the Dolomiti. There are residents who post over there. You need to watch out (as always) for the travel-cheerleaders who will always tell you anytime is a great time to travel, and some people run businesses in the area but don't tell you, but detailed info about what's open and what's not in mid-May along your projected route should be reliable.

Also, it is not clear to me from this post if you plan to use Kaselruth as a base for 4 days of driving. Were it me, I would not want to need to return to a "base" every night. The mountain driving is intense, and I prefer to keep moving forward.

Here is a link to the TripAdvisor Dolomites board

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum...lto_Adige.html

and an answer to a recent question about the Dolomiti town of Selva in May:

In May the Dolomites are "closed". It is that interim period betwen the skiing season and hiking season (June). Many business especially small family run Hotels/B&B/cafes/restaurants shut down.

All the lift systems are generally shut down (lift company personel are often contracted for a defined period and the inter-season time is a good time for some maintenance)

Some open up end of May but the main season is from second week in June

http://www.valgardena.it/en/lifts/page65.html

Hi - Scbeachnuts

The 2 main lifts that open in May are the 2 Alpe di Siusi ones - i.e.

- Mont Seuc/Seiser Alm (- from Ortisei) - from 18/5/12 and
- Seis/Seiser Alm (- from Siusi) - from 26/5/12.

The other 2 to check out which might be open are:

- Sass Pordoi (- from Pordoi Pass) and
- Lagazuoi (- Falzarego Pass)

But if you are driving you still have some fantastic options for touring and enjoying the spectacular scenery, of course ...

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Hi,

I think with a car a mid may trip to the Dolomites will be fine.
I also think having one home base is fine also. Much of the Dolomites is pretty compact, and even if the lifts are not running (or only a couple are running), driving a few of the spectacular Dolomite passes is just as good. There are places to stop, park and walk among the peaks. It really is an amazing area! The one cable car Steve mentioned above, Mont Seuc/Seiser Alm, starts on May 18 in Ortisei, Val Gardena. I believe it's the earliest to open.

www.alpedisiusi-seiseralm.com/index.html

As for staying/basing in Castelrotto/Kaselruth, I'd consider staying in the Val Gardena. Castelrotto is not "in" the Dolomites, but on the outskirts. Options for restauarants, etc. will be greater here also. The Val Gardena is a relatively small valley, with the three main towns/villages (Ortisei, St. Christina, Selva) being just a 5 minutes drive from one to the next, with St. Christina being in the middle. That said, any of the 3 makes for a good base. Ortisei is the largest and the only one with an old town pedestrian zone.

We stayed in St. Christina at the Garni Ariston (open all year).

www.garniariston.com

There will be enough open (restaurants,shops, etc.) at this time of year.

The amazing Gardena Pass (our favorite drive in the area) is at the end of the valley (15 to 20 min. drive from Ortisei). The Sella Pass branches off the Gardena Pass. There's a cafe/restaurant/gift shop at the "top" of both these passes, along with a couple of other places to stop/park/walk along them.

In case of a rainy day, the beautiful old town of Brixen/Bressanone is just 45 minutes away (the Diocean Museum was very interesting) as is Bozen/Bolzano and the amazing "Ice Man" exhibit at the Museum of Archaeology.

www.brixen.org

www.iceman.it

If interested, we have some photo's at:

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

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

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

Hope this helps.

Paul

I agree with Steve and Paul---have fun !

I appreciate all the comments. I just hope the weather will be agreeable, and the wildflowers blooming. If anyone can suggest a special lunch place in the area, it would be nice. We enjoy "local" family cuisine rather than the **** stuff. Swine shanks rule.

Restaurants with **** are not going to open in May, nor is much else, so it is a fair bet that what you will get is local family cuisine from what's open.

In high Alps like the Dolomiti, wildflowers bloom in July, or at best late June. There is likely to be quite a bit of snow on the ground in May.

I am not trying to discourage you from going so long as what you are going for is scenic driving, and are prepared for the possibility that if the weather is not clear the mountaintops are are not visible. With a car, however, you don't have to stay if the weather is not co-operating and I certainly wouldn't book in advance.

http://www.ricksteves.com/plan/desti...ly/598ital.htm

Hi,

In contrast, I dont think you'll have a problem finding good restaurants open in May. People who live there do go out and eat dinner.

In the Alta Badia, we love the Black Hill in Colfosco, the La-Tor in La Villa and the Salvan in Colfosco. I don't recall the places we went to in Val Gardena, but never had a bad meal in the Dolomites.

Paul

I wasn't implying the food wouldn't be good. Just that the OP wouldn't need to worry about recommendations for fancy restaurants.

Since the OP is coming from the north, would it make sense for him to stay in the Alta Badia, or will too many things be closed there?

Here is a previous comment from bobthenavigator about May travel to the Dolomiti:

bobthenavigator on Jul 26, 10 at 10:15pm
I love May in Italy but not in the Dolomites where it can get muddy that time of year. And, many of the hotels are closed in May---between seasons.
We have spent time in the Dolomites twice in Sep and loved it. Heer are some shots from last year--in late Sep.
http://www.slowphotos.com/photo/show...y.php?cat=4441



And here is a previous Fodor's thread from 3 different people reporting on their experiences in May in the Dolomiti, and experiencing some difficulty in finding open restaurants:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...s-241280-2.cfm

and more info for the mix and advice about remaining flexible with reservations

http://www.tripadvisor.in/ShowTopic-...lto_Adige.html

I'd rather not guess as to why bobthenavigator is now peddling advice to go in May when last year he was peddling advice not to go in May, and I think you really do need to toss in a few handfuls of salt when you ask for advice on a travel site where a lot of people are boosters of a locale no-matter-what.

Again, if you want to take the chance that you'll get enough sunny days with clear visibility and be content with pizza or whatever you find open, I am not telling you not to go. But it is not the same as going in the "good" months, and having back up plans and reservations you can cancel would be my strategy.

We've been in Sept., Oct. and even April. I wouldn't advise anyone that May is the wrong time of year, although I'm using just my experiences. If late April was ok, May should be even better.

Just to address... "few handfuls of salt when you ask for advice on a travel site where a lot of people are boosters of a locale no-matter-what."


As for myself, I'm simply giving my opinions based on my first hand experiences. This is getting a bit too much. Phrases such as "pizza or whatever", "not the same as the good months" and "take a chance on sunny days". That's not realistic advice at all. Who can predict the weather? People who live in the Dolomites have the choice of pizza and whatever until summer? Good months? I've written enough.

Paul

The OP is not asking for advice about whether to go in May. Agreeing with recommendations that answer the OP's questions (without commenting whether or not to go in May, which appears to be decided), is not the same as ``peddling advice to go in May.''

Sorry to have caused such stir. We have 4 nights booked at Haus Silbernagl in Kaselruth. Seems convenient to the North and South depending on the weather. I am glad that maybe one lift will be running, as we will be going on to Switzerland later and I'm sure that we can find some mountain lifts there. We like to travel during the quiet times of the year so that we can experience more of the local culture and not a bunch of half crazed ski bums. Our travel mode is book a room after the flight in from the US and a couple of night before we leave to go back to the airport. The rest of the trip is up for grabs as to where we go and stay.

This trip of 3 weeks involves flying to Munich driving to Kaselruth, see northern Italy, on to Switzerland, and back to Munich for 3 days. Pot luck as to what happens in the middle.

I was just wanting to make sure that we didn't miss something that might be a little off the beaten path or a memorable dining place. I appreciate all the feedback so far

We stayed at Kaselruth for 5 nights in June and really loved it as a base for the Dolomites. Here is a link to my trip report: http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...p-in-milan.cfm. Skip down to Day 9 - that is when we arrived there, and it lists everything we did, and all the restaurants we ate at.