KayF

We would love some input on where to spend 4 nights in the Dolomite area, between Venice and Innsbruck, in early to mid May.

We can fly into Venice from London, to either Treviso or Marco Polo airport, on a Saturday. The following Wednesday we need to be in Innsbruck to meet up with family. We don't plan on seeing anything of Venice on this trip (unfortunately!).

On doing some research, Trento, Bressanone, Bolzano, Vipiteno and Ortisei all sound interesting. Any ideas on where we should base ourselves?

We are debating whether to hire a car, leaving it in Innsbruck on our arrival, or possibly use trains instead. Any thoughts? Would there be ice or snow on the roads in May?

We are in our 40's, love beautiful scenery and old architecture, grand buildings, walks of up to a few hours, sitting in cafes people watching, strolling around towns looking in shops. We don't need nightlife and are not into museums that much.

Thanks for your help.
Kay

LuvToRoam

KayF, We were in the Dolomite area in 2006. We based ourselves in Kastelruth/Castelrotto at the lovely Hotel Zum Wolf, which we would highly recommend. Most towns in this area have two names-one Austrian (because of the pre-war history) and one Italian, courtesy of Mussolini in the 30's. We saw Otzi (Iceman of Bolzano), climbed mountains (Tom thought it was a trek-I say a climb) and enjoyed the peaceful and beautiful Alpe di siusi. The scenery and panoramic views on the Dolomite Loop drive are beyond description. We found a car very useful in this area however we did utilize the very convenient public transportation as well. We ended up in Venice on this trip and naturally dropped our car at the airport there upon arrival. Cannot address the weather though We were there in September-had a little rain but for the most part nice weather.

bobthenavigator

Good for you!
You will need a car, but you should drop it in Italy to avoid drop charges. I would drive via Cortina and the Dolomite drive to Val Gardena and stay at either the Zum Wolf mentioned by Luv or in Ortisei---the latter is larger and has more to see. However, you need to drop the car in Bolzano and then train to Innsbruck---a direct shot. We will be there again in late Sep. The region is lovely.

flygirl

I highly, highly recommend the Hotel Uhrerhof Deur. It's in a tiny tiny little village called Bulla/Pufels (two names, remember) above Ortisei.

KayF

Thanks everyone. I've checked the map and hadn't thought of driving from Venice north to Cortina. This would naturally skip Trento.

Bob - is the scenery better if we go this way? What are the roads like? I had thought of maybe skipping Cortina because it sounded very upmarket which is just not us.

I'll check out the Zum Wolf, thanks. Flygirl - staying in a tiny village does not appeal to us because we like places a bit bigger with choices of cafes, shops etc, but thanks for the thought.

If we missed out on Bressanone and Vipiteno, would it matter much? Are they similar to other towns we would see along the way?

Thanks
Kay

greg

I have thought of going to the Dolomite region in May before but found out it was between the seasons and many things were closed, so check what is open during your visit before you go.

flygirl

Hi

It's about 5 km from Ortisei.. true you'd have to drive down into the town to have what you mention, but ooooh the views from the balcony. You are literally looking down onto Ortisei.

It's one of my favorite hotels, full stop.

bobthenavigator

Yes! The drive after Cortina and before Canazei and the Sella pass is the best of the Dolomites. I would merely pass through Cortina and maybe have lunch, but after that is the scenery and the road is good. We did it in early May. Steve James may pipe in with more--he is the expert.

bobthenavigator

And, given the time, I would stop in Brixen[Bressanone] as you drive north to Innsbruck.

JulieVikmanis

BobtN, will the Sept trip be the one that includes the Italian lakes? Do you have a complete itinerary selected? If so please post. I'd love to know what you've decided upon. As you know, it's one of my favorite areas. We also liked the Dolomites and I'd like to see how you combine them--if you intend to.

pja1

Hi KayF,

I agree with Bobtn on the route to Cortina d'Ampezzo then westward through Alta Badia and Val Gardena. The scenery is simply magnificent! Our trip report from 2006 may be of help.
The Dolomites begin on "Day 5".

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...p;tid=34893886

If interested, our photo's are at:

www.worldisround.com/home/pja1/index.html

We've stayed in the Dolomites in '03, '05 and '06. 2005 was in late April/early May. The road conditions were fine then. No snow/ice on the roads at all. My opinion, the Dolomites are best seen with a car. A drive over one (or more!) of the passes offer spectacular up close Dolomite scenery!

Brixen/Bressanone is beautiful! Try to see it. It's an easy drive from Val Gardena (and Alta Badia) and can easily be done as a day trip from either (we did it from La Villa, Alta Badia). Sterzing/Vipiteno is very nice, yet a smaller town.

I'd also suggest renting a car and leaving it in Bozen/Bolzano and then taking the train to Innsbruck. Bozen/Bolzano is an easy drive from Val Gardena or Alta Badia.

Two places we can highly recommend staying are:

In Alta Badia:

www.montanara.it

In Val Gardena:

www.garniariston.com

Hope this helps.

Paul

Virgogirl

Paul, your pictures are fantastic! We drove only as far as Cortina for lunch, then returned to Venice in Sept. 2007. This makes me want to return to see more of the Dolomite area!

lincasanova

we have not gone up into the dolomites but enjoyed trento, a very pleasant surprise.

also thought the northern east side of lago di garda was magnificent.

can't wait to go further north..

caroline_edinburgh

We really liked Bassana del Grappa.

caroline_edinburgh

Sorry, typo - Bassano del Grappa.

Steve_James

Hi Kay - I agree with Bob and Paul - not for the first time The drive betwen Cortina and Val Gardena is absolutely not to be missed.

This is some of the most breathtaking mountain scenery in Europe. As Paul says, the best route from Cortina is via Alta Badia (San Cassiano/ Corvara/ Colfosco) - over the Falzarego, Valparola and Gardena Passes.

If you intend to tour and see the best of the Dolomites, I suggest you base in Val Gardena (- or Alta Badia). Ortisei (- Val Gardena) is the largest village and makes an excellent base IMO.

Unfortunately the lifts will mostly be closed in May - but with a car you can still see the best this spectacular area has to offer.

Here's the Val Gardena website:
www.valgardena.it

Hope this helps ...

Steve

pja1

Thank you Virgogirl! Next time go further than Cortina d'Ampezzo. it just keeps getting better!


Paul

bobthenavigator

Yes Julie !
We will spend the first week in Venice in a nice apt.--the Rosa di Venezia.
Then, we will free lance with a car for a week, starting in Val Gardena via Cortina. From there we will have no reservations but will meander the scenic valleys to include Merano, Guarda and the Engadine, Soglio,Lugano/Locarno, and the Val Versazca.
We will drop the car in Como on a Sat. and ferry to Bellagio. My wife has always wanted to stay at the too expensive Villa Serbelloni so we compromised and will stay at the former Rockerfeller Foundations apts. adjacent to the hotel---which includes the hotel amenities. Three weeks in total with apt. stays at both ends. We have local friends who spend 6 weeks in Menaggio each fall, so they will be there as well. Should be fun---come join us.

cmeyer54

we enjoyed Cortina; stayed at Hotel Europa. Hiked, had great meals, watched some parasailing as well. The olympic areas are interesting to see given how the games have expanded since Cortina hosted them. We drove the great dolomite road from cortina to Bolzano. Bolzano was a bit of a let down; Utzi was neat but many of the other places were closed for renovations. The day we spent in Merano was great.

TuckH

A wonderful itinerary Bob!