Hi !
We are planing our next family vacation. e have 23-28 nights n Norther iotaly, Croatia and Slovenia.

We are from montreal, and there,s no mountain at all here. We love moutains sights so that,s why we have put Dolomites in the mix. We are not hikers at all (we could do some easy walks but not real hiking). Does the Dolomites can be fun for the kids despite does facts ?

The initial plan is to fly to venice. From there we could have 3-5 nights for the Dolomites (or any other part of northern Italy).
Do we need a car ?
Trente and Bolzano seems fine but maybe we can choose a base for all the nights and do daytrips from there.

Thanks in advance !

Not sure how old your kids are but if you like mountains definitely include Dolomites. You can take cable cars up and have spectacular moves with no hiking. Or alternatively you could do short hikes once up there. We stayed in Ortesi. Car I'd say yes you need one.

that should say views not moves

All depends on the places you plan to visit from Trento or from Bolzano/Bozen.
Public transport within the provinces of Trento and Bolzano/Bozen is very good.
Trains from Venice Mestre to Trento run about every hr; journey time 2 hrs, up to Bolzano/Bozen 30 min more.
Trains to Calalzo-Pieve di Cadore-Cortina (Belluno Province) take 2 1/2 hrs.

Buses from Bolzano/Bozen to Ortisei/Urtijei/St. Ulrich run at least every hr

I don't think I'd want to be trying to see the Dolomites area with small children using multiple public transportation options. It would just be so much easier with a car so that you could carry (or remove) an extra clothing layer, take lunch or snacks, have a place for a little one to nap, etc. If your children are teens, it's a different scenario, but I think you'd see more by car than you could by public transportation.

I would try to extend your time in the region to 5 nights (4 days), and I'd try to stay in Ortisei or perhaps a couple of nights in Ortisei and the rest in Cortina.

FWIW, we thought the Iceman museum in Bolzano was fascinating. If you had a car, you could stop on the way to Ortisei.

Home | South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology

Tostaky, I think the Dolomites would be an excellent choice for a family vacation, and I second Jean's recommendation of Ortisei as a good base for your purposes. You'll have your choice of three lifts from the village taking you to superb mountain scenery, and there are buses if you want to go farther afield to other villages in the Val Gardena. Hiking/walking for all levels of ability. I was there a little over a year ago as a solo traveler using public transportation. Traveling with family, if I were arriving via Bolzano, I'd either rent a car in Bolzano or arrange a private transfer/taxi. Here's a link to my trip report, https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...verona-1657983--Ortisei begins at post 22. And a photo showing just how gentle a walk can be:


Alpe di Siusi

tostaky, I did respond to your other post (https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...-trip-1658776/) with our recent experience in the Dolomites region. A single base like Ortisei makes sense, with access to a number of lifts (Alpe de Siusi , Rasciesa, Seceda.. all included in the Gardena card, more here https://www.valgardena.it/en/summer-.../gardena-card/) pretty much from the heart of the town taking you up to easy walking/hiking trails or you can merely enjoy views/have a meal/snack/coffee and return. St Christina and Selva are also very close by and easily reachable by bus (our hotel gave us a free Val Gardena Mobile Card which allows unlimited use of buses, we also visited Bolzano one evening should the South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology (Otzi) is of interest).

Agree with bon_voyage and ANUJ that the Dolomites would be a fantastic destination with kids. Plenty of hikes/walks at varying degrees of difficulty, other fun things to do too.

I traveled to Ortisei by train and taxi after a week's stay in Venice. I took the train to Bolzano that is headed to Munich and requires no changes. And I had prearranged for a taxi from Bolzano to my hotel in Ortisei via the Val Gardena website. Dead easy.