Driving in the Alps
 

We are going to be staying at a timeshare resort in the Italian Alps, about 45 minutes from Cortina d'ampezzo. (In the summer) I am told I will need a car to get around (there are 4 of us)
Would I be better off to use the car only to drive to Cortina and then take trains and buses for day trips, or can we, with care, negotiate the roads in the Alps to go to places like Salzburg, Innsbruck, or Lake Garda.

Hi BevS,
We just returned home Friday afternoon from La Villa (Alta Badia) Italy, about 45 min. to an hour west of Cortina D' Ampezzo. We also stayed in Val Gardena 3 years ago. We had a car both trips. You can certainly negotiate the roads with some care, just buy a good map of the area (we used a Michelin map from Barnes and Noble). If you don't mind driving the Mountain Passes (we love to) , go with the car. The scenery is breath taking. We have had no problems at all driving in the Dolomites. There are a few other nice towns to consider IMO such as Bolzano and Bressanone. We went to Bressanone last week and loved it. Very large, beautiful Old Town pedestrian zone. If I can be of help, just ask.

Paul

Paul, Thanks. That is the kind of info we need. I have read so many admonitions against driving in Italy that I was getting a bit panicky. We have driven in France and Portugal and Ireland, etc, but this will be the first foray into the Alps.
Love to hear about great little villages to stop in....off the beaten path, so to speak.
And any advice about the roads in the Alps is also welcome.

If you really are in the Alps, you'll be a considerable distance west of Cortina. That - again if you are in the Alps - means you'll probably be a great deal closer to Bolzano - which is a reasonably important railway station - than to Cortina, which is tens of miles from any serious railway line.

So the answer depends on where you actually are. If very close to Bolzano, the train journey to Innsbruck is painless and very quick (see trenitalia.com): but you're actually very handy for the motorway system, which gets you also pretty painlessly to the three places you mention.

Personally, I hate the mountainous, but more direct, roads from Bolzano to Salzburg and Lago di Garda at any time of the year and I'd always take the motorways. Ms F will always avoid the motorways and go over hte mountain. Only you knows which of us, which of you four best resemble.

But if you're really in the Dolomites and near Cortins, trains will rarely be a serious option for daytrips. and if you're as wimpish around mountains as me, I'd avoid driving over to the Brenner motorway altogether.

Incidentally, there are a few problems problems with rural driving in Italy. Italy is far more densely (at least 2.5 times as densely) populated than France, and has far more cars per head than the relatively poor Portuguese. So there are a lot of cars on Italian roads. Italians believe they have fast reflexes (and are often, but not always, right), and do things that can phase drivers from less adventurous countries. Italy being mountainous, a lot of roads are very twisty (though often superbly engineered). And Italy having lots of sunshine, you'll often go from a brilliantly sunny road to a twilit tunnel and back in a few seconds. Add all four together, and comfortable driving requires sharp wits and some practice.

So don't drive off an overnight plane. Get some practice in on the motorways first, where margins for error can be greater. Don't do twisty mountain roads till you're comfortable.

And if there's four of you, get those who are comfortable to do the driving. There's no shame in getting someone else to drive if you're not happy.

Since you have driven in France and Portugal, you should have no problems in Italy. Aside from hairpin turns themselves, the roads are no worse than the rural roads in hilly countrysides. Personally I have no problems with Italian drivers.

Hi BevS,
Not knowing where you'll be staying outside of Cortina D'Ampezzo makes giving suggestions a bit harder, but I'll list our favorites and some useful websites.
In Val Gardena we liked Ortisei/St. Ulrich and Selva Gardena/Wolkenstein. We took the cable car from Ortisei/St. Ulrich up to the Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi which we thought was fantastic. Outdoor restaurant/cafe and many hikes and walks with great Dolomite scenery!
www.val-gardena.com
www.alpedisiusi-seiseralm.com
In Alta Badia we stayed in La Villa which is a small but nice village. The Dolomite scenery was also fantastic here.
www.altabadia.org
As I said before, we really enjoyed Bressanone/Brixen. Great old town.
www.brixen.org
Another small town we love is Sterzing/Vipitino. A must see there is Reifenstein Castle. This town is on the Brenner Motorway an hour south of Innsbruck.
www.vipiteno.com
I know this is long, sorry. As far as the roads go, all are very good, although many are winding and sometimes steep. We have never had a problem and after the first day of getting used to them they are great. Also, you say you have concerns about driving in Italy. In my opinion, this isn't really Italy that most people refer to. Many to most places will seem Austrian as the language and traditions, etc. are more Austrian than Italian. The Dolomites area is one of our favorites, if you couldn't tell by now. If theres anything specific you'd like to know about, again, feel fre to ask.
Paul