Hi there...my husband and I will be spending 12 nights in Northern Italy the first couple weeks of September. We've never been to Venice or the Dolomites (or most of Italy north of Florence).

Tentative itinerary is:

Fly in and out of Venice. We'll have a rental car the first 9 nights.

3 nights - Cortina d'Ampezzo (firm)
3 nights - Merano
3 nights - Ortisei
3 nights - Venice

My husband really wanted to squeeze in a couple of nights on the Med so I took a look at the Portofino/Santa Margherita area and #1...the drive from Merano appears long/arduous and #2...hotels that look decent are sold out or ridiculously expensive. So I thought maybe Lake Garda would be a good water option. We've been to Lugano and Bellagio and left both thinking "beautiful, happy we visited, but no rush getting back." The closest town on Garda is Riva and I found a couple of decent hotel options.

Here are my questions: Is 9 nights in the Dolomites too much? We love the outdoors, hiking, biking, and beautiful drives but we've never done that for 9 days straight. Would swapping Ortisei for Riva be a good solution? If we didn't love the town of Como and didn't particularly love the hiking around the lakes...is Garda basically the same? Any other towns around Garda that would be more interesting for 3 nights than Riva? Any other thoughts, in general, as to what would be a great inclusion for a few days between Dolomites and Venice? Or perhaps just keep what we have, forget the water and stick in a couple of spa/pool days? I did book some lovely hotels in the Dolomites so we could just relax (we're not particularly good at that, unfortunately). Any suggestions are welcome! The only thing I cannot change at this point is the first three nights in Cortina. Thank you!

I've been to the Dolomites exactly one time, and stayed in only one hotel, but while researching and driving about, it appeared that outdoor pools are not common. Our hotel had an indoor pool and a largish spa, but I think you ought to reconsider Riva del Garda if you really want some pool time.

We spent a lot of time in the pool at our hotel there. I think it was The Belvedere, with a nice pool, a great restaurant in a pretty garden, and parking. Solidly middle of the road but the pool, views, and food were very good.

If you didn't like Lake Lugano and Lake Como (I don't speak about the rather industrial city of Como which is not a holiday destination), you will hardly like Lake Garda. The big North Italian lakes are all a bit similar: scenic villages, botanical gardens, boats plying the lake from one end to the other, gondolas to (and scenic hiking trails in) the mountains just above.

IMO a loop Venice - Cortina/Misurina/3Cime - Alta Badia - Ortisei - Sterzing - Jaufen Pass - Meran - Bolzano/Bozen - Lake Caldaro - Trento - Venice would make sense.

I would substitute Riva for Merano. Far more to do and see.
The Hotel Grones in Ortisei is my favorite hotel in Europe.

Thank you all very much! We will skip the lake/sea this trip and focus on the Dolomites & Venice. Bob...I will check out Hotel Grones as you're the second person who has recommended it. thx!!

Well, Venice is on water. It's a lagoon but still sea water. If you want to go to a beach, there's the Lido, a barrier island opposite Venice. The Lido beach is on the far side with a series of hotels plus a couple of public access beaches.

I (single woman in her 40s) stayed at Hotel Grones summer before last. Nice hotel and absolutely lovely staff and owners.

For what it's worth, I was wowed and rejuvenated by the splendor of the Dolomites. I love hiking and the outdoors, but you might add a night or two to Venice if you are interested in contemporary art, as it is the Art Biennale this year. https://www.labiennale.org/en/art/2019

We spent 6 nights (September 2018) splitting bases between La Villa and Ortisei, and could spend a lifetime in the Dolomites ! We're not professional hikers/ trekkers but a lot of the points of interests/walking routes are very easily accessible. Lots to do in the area - Tre Crime, Cinque Torri, Lagazuoi .. easily reachable from Cortina. Personally,
I would not swap Ortisei for anything else - apart from being a charming town in itself, is a great base for all the wonderful sightseeing/walking/hiking opportunities in the val gardena area with a number of lifts going up from the very centre of town (and nearby Selva/St Christina) .. see this https://www.valgardena.it/en/summer-.../gardena-card/

I've been to Lake Como four times and Lake Garda only once. I did not like Como town itself particularly, it was OK, but not a place I would stay, just a day visit. We stayed in Lenno three times and above Varenna once. There is a LOT to see and do there, including hiking, but a car is necessary and especially the times we went there (2007, 2008, 2010, 2012) wasn't a ton of information easily found for English speakers, you have to dig. We did do a lot of digging and exploring with the car. Back in 2011, 2012 I started a thread with my findings and links. If you search my name and Lake Como it might come up.

Lake Garda - we stayed in Malcesine which is near a ski lift to the top of the mountain and from there is hiking as well. There is apparently a very well regarded museum to the northeast of the lake but it was closed the one day we could have visited. There is also a villa on the southwestern side of the lake which was an eye opening experience. It was owned by a wealthy and eccentric (narcissist too) friend of Mussolini.

We stayed above Ortisei in a tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny tiny hamlet called Bulla (Pufels). Hotel Uhrerhof Deur. Beautiful location and hotel and you won't run out of hiking options. It overlooks Ortisei.

Hope this helps.

PS: if you really enjoy driving, the Stelvio pass is near your itinerary and the views would be fantastic. The day we were there, literally at the entrance, the pass was closed but we learned later they reopened it just hours after we left.

I second the flygirl recommendation for the Uhrerhof Duer. My wife and I are returning to Ortisei in June for the fourth time, the second in Bulla. Enjoyed the location in Bulla as well as the food and hospitality of the family.

For a next stop, we have visited Lake Garda 3 times staying in Salo, Gardone Rivera and Garda. Quite a bit more to do in Garda. but highly recommend Lake Garda.

As an alternative, one could always drive a bit further to Lake Maggiore. We have stayed in Cannobio, Italy which allowed us the use of the ferry to travel to the Swiss city of Locarno, one of my favorite Swiss locations. Also allows for a day on the Centovalli Railway.

I third the recommendation for Uhrerhof Duer. It is beautiful - and the garden (highest rose garden in all of Europe I was told) is unreal. Our stay was magical.
We've been to Lake Como and Garda both and enjoyed Garda more. Found the environment less touristy. We also stayed in Malcesine. Really enjoyued our day trip across the lake to Limone.

I am so appreciative for all of these wonderful responses. Thank you all for taking the time to share your thoughts!!
We have decided to spend 9 nights in the Dolomites (still finalizing itinerary) and 3 in Venice. Many thanks!