we plan to be in the dolomites for 3-4 nights in june. we plan to enjoy scenery from car and walks. any thoughts on 2 or 3 full days? also, cortina or bolzano?

Hi
We drove through Cortina and stayed in Bolzano. I thought Cortina was nicer. Bolzano I believe is larger, but for touring the area and scenary Cortina is better.

Bolzano is larger, a small city. Cortina is more of a village. I think the nicest town in the area is Castelrotto, which is between the two and more central. You can explore from there, do the Great Dolomite Road RT to Cortina in one day. There are also lots of hiking trails in the area. It's very scenic.
I stayed in Ortisei, about 10 minutes from Castelrotto, for 5 days. Loved the hiking and driving.

We stayed in Cortina for 2 nights and then 1 night in Bolzano before getting on the train to Vienna. Like both previous responders said, Bolzano is a larger town and there is more to see & do there. However, towns are not main reason for visiting this lovely area. We were able to explore the Dolmites better from Cortina.

When we got to Bolzano and that region after Cortina, we noticed a huge increase in the number of tourists in the area. I assume that's because Bolzano & surrounding villages are directly on the freeway that comes from the Brenner pass and brings busloads of tourists from Austria & Germany into Italy. The Bolzano region is a good place for the "busloads" to stop for a visit or spend the night. The villages around there seemed to be bursting with tourists - something that didn't happen in the villages and viewing stops around Cortina. We were there in late Sept.

Stu Dudley

We will also be in the area in late June. Any suggestions for accommodations in Cortina or Bolzano?

We are going to Italy for three weeks in September. We fly into Venice and out of Rome. We very much enjoy hiking and thought we would go from Venice to Cortina for a few days. I assume we will need a car. Does this itinerary make sense? We were then going to go to Cinque Terre for a few days prior to Florence and a week in Umbria.

A few years ago, we stayed near Bolzano in one of the nicest hotels we have stayed at anywhere in Europe. It's called Schloss Korb and is located on the mountainside overlooking Bolzano. It was absolutely fantastic.

We were there 6 or 7 years ago, and then the place didn't even have a web site. It has a beautiful site today, so maybe that's a good sign that the place is still good. Here's the URL:

http://www.schloss-hotel-korb.com/

S_Rice

I think the Dolmites would be an excellent complement to your current itinerary. However, you would need a car to explore this region properly. It took us less time than I anticipated to get there from Venice.

Stu Dudley

The Schloss Korb looks beautiful, Steve, but it appears to be more of a destination resort than we are looking for. Unless we change plans, we are probably looking for a place to collapse at night after touring the countryside, doing some hiking and eating, etc. Thanks for the idea, and I am bookmarking it for future reference.

Hi bodhijack, I have friends that live in the region of Veneto that have a vacation house in Cortina. Most of the family members do not ski, they go to Cortina to enjoy the Dolomites (which are so beautiful, truly breathtaking), they love to walk (even grandmother) and of course eat! I think you would really enjoy Cortina from what you have said.

http://p104.ezboard.com/feuropetogof...picID=21.topic

I visited both towns during my short trip to the Dolomites and probably marginally preferred Cortina. I found Bolzano incredibly hot and humid in July, Cortina was a little better.

I have a trip report I can send you if you send me a note to [email protected] (that's oreillyZERO btw gt ; alternatively, I have posted on another travel site:

http://p104.ezboard.com/feuropetogof...picID=21.topic

I stayed in a great spa hotel in Valdoara, which I highly recommend.

www.hotel-hubertus.com/


Regards Ger

Hijack - Cortina or Bolzano? Hmmm - does it have to be one of those?

Bolzano isn't 'in' the Dolomites, so doesn't make a good base.

Be aware, too, that many of the lifts in the Cortina area are still closed in June, which may affect your hiking options ...

Have you thought of other areas?

Steve

wow! thank you all for your responses! we probably would opt for cortina over bolzano based on what i'm reading. panecott (and rick steives) suggest staying in castelrotto. any opinions? also, can anyone tell us the least expensive car rental company in italy?

We were in Cortina in Sept.2004 and it was a wonderful part of our trip. Hotel de La Poste was elegant - a 4 star hotel at 225 euro. The staff was very helpful with sightseeing ideas. From there we went to Castlerotto then onto Tirano where we picked up the Bernina Express to St. Moritz, Switerland.
Oh.....I want to go back....

Sounds like 3 days in this area will barely do...which is what we are doing this summer! Ger, I am with you! I love the mountains!

When you refer to Cortina, are you referring to Cortina D'Ampezzo? I have Autoeurope (a mapping program) installed on my computer, and that is the closest it recognizes to Cortina.

leaning towards castelrotto now! panecott, any other suggestions for a hotel? (although we are still considering the cavallino d'oro)

In Castlerotto (Kastleruth), we can recommend Hotel Zum Wolf, www.hotelwolf.it. Squeaky clean, streamlined rooms and a great buffet breakfast, all at reasonable rates. Wonderful scenery and hiking/walking nearby.

For the Bolzano area, we recommend Hotel Lichtenstern in Oberbozen (uphill from Bolzano in a quiet setting), www.lichtenstern.it. Nice rooms, wonderful breakfast and dinner, good local wine, walks starting from the hotel.

The scenery is more dramatic at Castlerotto. We drove through Cortina but didn't stay there. We didn't think it as scenic as either Castlerotto or Oberbozen.