We will be visiting the Dolomites and Alps and would love to hear critique or ideas from experienced travellers in those areas. We are a family of 4 with 2 smaller kids, travelling by car. We fly home from Malpensa after 12 days. We are leaving a cruise in Venice so we start there:

Lake Garda (Pescheria): 3 days - unwind/Verona/Gardaland
Ortisei - 3 days - be awestruck/Bolzano/sella pass
Lienz or Heiligenblut: 2 days - scenery and rafting/grossglockner?
Imst or Reutte: 2 days - Ludwigs castles, luge, Otz Valley.
Lake Como or Maggiore: 2 days - unwind and play b4 going home

I have not seen any info on things do to in the Landeck/Imst areas but it looks really interesting, can anyone provide any info? Also, can anyone recommend a place to spend last 2 nights on a lago easy driving distance to Malpensa? How about opinions of Imst versus Reutte? Am I missing any other great places, I would love any help or opinions!

Don't see anything interesting about staying in Imst or Landeck. You could go to Samnaun/CH. Is only a few km away and a tax free area in a high mountain valley. Gas is about 80ct/gal less than in Austria and there's tax free wine..
I would drive from Meran on SS38 through the Vinschgau - Stilfser Joch - Livigno (gas even cheaper - little bit about US average, but road toll eats it all up ) - Ofenpass - Reschenpass (Lake). If the Stilfser Joch is already open, it's hard to beat! You need some experience in mountain driving, the turns are quite steep.

That route is far more interesting than the Brenner!

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...tilfser_04.jpg

48 u-turns

Holy @#$%! We are used to mountains here but no roads like that. Thanks for the great suggestions.

I like your overall plan---very nice areas. Reutte makes a good base for the castles but so does Oberammergau.
For your base in the lakes, look at Hotel Stella d' Italia on the north shore on Lago Lugano and only :30 from Lugano one direction and :30 to Menaggio on Lago Como the other.

Hi,

While in Ortisei, I'd suggest taking the Mont Seuc cable car (opens in late May) up to the Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi.

www.alpedisiusi-seiseralm.com/index.html

Both the Gardena Pass and Sella Pass are both great drives with spectacular scenery. The Sella branches off the Gardena. The Gardena Pass is our favorite drive in the area.

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

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

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

I'm assuming you plan to drive from ortiei to Lienz/Heiligenblut via Cortina d'Ampezzo, Dobbiaco/Toblach. If so, there's another cable car trip, the Lagazuoi cable car (opens in late May), right on the way at the start of the Falzarego Pass.

http://www.dolomiti.org/dengl/cortin.../impianti.html

If choosing between Lienz and Heiligenblut, I'd pick Heiligenblut. Beautiful scenery and you're at the southern starting point of the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse. To drive from Heiligenblut, over the Grossglockner to Ruette/Imst is a long driving day. About 5+ hours withput stopping.

www.worldisround.com/articles/324599/index.html

An alternate route I'd suggest would be....
from Ortisei drive to Meran/Merano (via Bolzano) maybe stop and see Castel Tirolo and take the Timmelsjoch Pass/Passo Rombo into the Oetztal for 2 nights (in place of Heiligenblut). We
stayed in Soelden.

www.schlosstirol.it/content.php?id=6000&lang=2

www.timmelsjoch.com/en/

In the Oetztal is another scenic drive, the Panoramic Glacier Road.

http://www.oetztal.com/main/EN/SO/oe...oad/index.html

From here head to Imst/Reutte, although we really love staying in Fuessen to see the castles, etc., not that anyone asked

Paul

The Otztal looks very nice, lots to do for us and the kids. And a lot closer than Heiligenblut. Any recommendations for places to stay (Solden? Otz? etc.)???

Everyone stays in Sölden, it's the main skiing area in the valley with only a short interuption in the summer months. But keep in mind, the road may be closed at least until June.