Dolomites early October
 

How late can we expect good weather for day hikes in the Dolomites? We're arriving in Florence Sept, 26 and had planned to stay there till Oct. 2. We had another place planned after than, leaving us free Oct. 6. Should we rearrange everything to get into the Dolomites as soon as possible? Does a few days in early October make a big difference? We are a fit couple in our 50's, not mountain climbers, and we won't have a car. Thanks for any help you could give!....including places where we could be based for about 3 days. (Sorry I posted this first as a reply to another thread.) Pluviange

Hi Pluvinage - You might have lovely hiking weather in October ... but like any mountain area it's very unpredictable. If your plans are flexible the best idea might be to check the forecast while you're in Florence and decide accordingly.

Many lifts close in September, but a few are still open into early October, e.g

- Seiser Alm and Seceda (- from Ortisei)
- Col Raiser (- from S. Cristina)
- Cabinovia Siusi (- from Siusi)
- Forcella (- from Sella Pass)
- Florian (- and several others) in the Alpe di Siusi itself
- Sass Pordoi (- Pordoi Pass)
- Lagazuoi (- Falzarego Pass)

For details see -
http://www.valgardena.it/en/lifts/page65.html
http://www.cabinoviasiusi.it
http://www.altabadia.org/it-IT/impia..._dolomiti.html

I'd recommend staying in the Val Gardena/Alpe di Siusi area at that time of year. My usual suggestion for a base is Ortisei - though others prefer Selva or Castelrotto.

You will find a mine of useful info on the Val Gardena area on Mr/Ms Go's trip report from last year -

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...o-daughter.cfm

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Hi Pluviange,

I agree that the Val Gardena would be a good place to base. I'd say that any of the 3 towns/villages (Ortisei, St. Christina, Selva) that make up the Val Gardena would be fine, as they are only a few minutes drive (or bus ride) from one another. We can recommend the Garni Arison in St. Christina as a place to stay. The bus stop (and TI) is within a few minutes walk.

www.garniariston.com

The weather is, of course, hard (impossible) to predict, but just from our experiences (mid Oct. 2003, mid Oct. 2006 and last week of Sept. 2009) we had terrific weather. Temps in the 60's to 70's during the day and 40's to low 50's at night and early am.

In Val Gardena (Ortisei) the Mont Seuc cable car runs until the end of October. This takes you up to the magnificent Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi, where you could spend an entire day walking and hiking.

www.alpedisiusi-seiseralm.com/index.html

If interested, Ortisei has what is called the "Blattermarkt" on the second Monday of October. It's an all day, town wide event with vendors selling everything imaginable plus beer tents and music. We were there for this in Oct. 2003.

http://www.val-gardena.com/?artid=13...g=eng&pagid=43

You'll find plenty of info for the Val Gardena at:

www.val-gardena.com

Our favorite old town in the area, Brixen/Bressanone, is also nearby.

www.brixen.org

Hope this helps.

Paul

THanks so much! I'm really ignorant about something...I have never been around mountains much, so my idea of hiking is just walking out your door and down the road. If the Alpe di Suisi is a big open meadow, which obviously won't have wildflowers in early October (or will it?) is that the prettiest place to hike? Someone said the larches are beautiful...would you have those there? At the edge of Ortisei, for example, are there easy trails?
I'm also considering breaking up the train trip to Bolzano by stopping at Verona for a few hours and stowing my luggage at the train station. Any thoughts on that?

Hi,

We took the Mont Seuc cable car from Ortsei to the Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi. (Everything is in 2 to 3 languages in this region, German, Italian, Ladin). The Seiser Alm/Alpe d iSiusi is a LARGE alpine meadow with a beautiful Dolomite backdrop. From where the cable car leaves you off at the top, there are easy to walk paved roads (paths?) into the Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi. There's also an indoor/outdoor cafe/resaurant with gorgeous views at the top. Prettiest place to hike? We loved it there.

Paul

Thank you Paul and all who responded! Are there trees up there, or just wide open meadow?

Pluvinage - The Alpe di Siusi is a cast mix of open meadow and wooded areas. The areas around Saltria and the Sciliar are especially beautiful. Have a look -

http://www.flickr.com/search/show/?q...di+Siusi&s=int

[If you go up there, don't miss the Florian chairlift (- open till 10/10]

Is it the prettiest place to hike? You can't go wrong in the whole Val Gardena/ Alpe di Siusi area :)

There are also organised hikes and activities if you prefer. For more info see -

http://www.valgardena.it/en/
http://www.valgardena-active.com

Hope this helps ...

Steve

Alpe di Siusi view from Saltria (- Sasso Lungo/Sasso Piatto)

http://www.valgardena.it/download/ga.../wps06_800.jpg

Thanks so much to all of you!

I just checked some kind of general site for Val Gardena for lodging in Ortisei for 2 or 3 nights starting Oct. 2. No availability! Does this seem possible?

Hi Pluvinage -

No. Don't worry - you'll have plenty of choice - it's end of season. A few places might be closed - but there'll be plenty of availablity in Val Gardena.

Where are you looking? Really it's best to check hotel websites and contact them directly ...

Steve

Hi, Steve, could you help us? We're traveling to a conference in Munich and will have 4 days (after the conference) to travel - then back to Munich to depart from Munich. The trip is mid Sept so we're getting close.

We have been to Prague, Salzburg, Garmish area (southern Germany) but have heard that the Dolomites and a lake south of there (Garda?) and Venice would be favorites. Any suggestions? We're mid 60's but agile and we will have a rental car.

We like B&B and local restaurants (not going to stay at the Holiday Inn!)

Don

Hi Skippie - My favourite area to base in the Dolomites is Val Gardena. I usually recommend Ortisei as a base, others prefer Selva at the top of the valley - but really you can't go wrong with either IMO.

In Ortisei I've stayed a number of times at this attractive B&B -

http://www.hotelvillapark.com/

- but there are lots of nice ones in Ortisei and Selva.

Let me know if I can be of more help ...

Steve

Now that I've seen the gorgeous photos SteveJ posted I, too, want to visit the Dolomites!