Trip to Dolomites-Need Help
 

After going to our friends daughters wedding in Lake Garda we are going to the Dolomites for a week. What recommendations do you have for hotels, restaurants, activities, sights to see, shopping, etc. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Wchich parts of the Dolomites do you mean:
Dolomiti di Brenta
Dolomiti Feltrini
Dolomiti Bellunesi
Doloomiti Zoldini
Dolomiti del Latemar
Dolomiti di Sella
Alta Badia
Dolomoti Friuliani
Dolomioti di Sesto
Osstiroler Dolomiten..........
https://www.dolomitiunesco.info/en/t...-the-dolomites

Have you consulted the Michelin Green guide for the area? It's excellent.

The Dolomites are a huge area. So you need to tell us where you plan on going. Last May we stayed in Merano, which is not in the Dolomites, but close enough. Merano is a very pretty spa town with a river running through it. I chose Merano in case we had lots of inclement weather (which we didn't) because there would be more to do there in case of rain. Lots of restaurants, cafes, stores, and the spa.

From Merano, we drove to Bolzano to see Otzi the Iceman. Then we took the cable car to the Renon Plateau. Another day we drove to Ortisei and took the Mt. Seuc cable car to Alpe di Suisi/Seiser Alm for panoramic views of the Dolomites. There are hiking/walking trails there, too. Another day we drove to Val di Funes for some easy walks and more beautiful stunning Dolomite scenery. If you are interested in Merano, we stayed at the Annabel Hotel, which we enjoyed very much.

A lot of people who plan on doing a lot of hiking stay in Ortisei, which is lovely, and would be a good choice but it is smaller than Merano.

What month will you be in the Dolomites?

If you plan on doing a lot of hiking, I suggest Walking in Italy's Val Gardena by Laurel and Richard Barton. Otherwise, I used Lonely Planet, but I don't care for their new format.

If you wish, you can read my trip report for Italy from May 2025. Just click on my name and look under trip reports.

Ditto all of KarenWoo's comments and questions and the suggestions to peruse some guide books. Add online tourism websites and YouTube videos. A lot of where you should go and stay depends on your personal interests and the pace at which you like to explore.

On our first trip, we divided the nights between Ortisei and Cortina which worked well as bases to drive around much of the region. (Lake Garda before and Venice after.) But we quickly realized we couldn't/wouldn't see everything we wanted to and immediately planned a second (and later a third) trip. In addition to the archeology museum housing the Ice Man (Otzi) exhibits, we've enjoyed exploring museums and sites associated with WWI. You'd get a lot of spectacular scenery just by driving over the several passes. Cable care rides and hikes give even more fabulous views but take more time.

Guide Books
 

KarenWoo I agree with you about the Lonely Planet format. I don’t like that their places to stay are at the end of a big section and can include several towns/cities. Is that what you’re finding or are there other things you find could be better?

@ JoanYUL: I'm another person who is not pleased with the new Lonely Planet format. As noted above, the Michelin Green for the area is excellent, And the Rough Guide is quite good.

You already have good advice, we divided our time in the Dolomites between Ortisei (Val Gardena) and La Villa (Alta Badia), though Cortina (convenient for Tre Cime, Cinque Torri, Lagazuoi etc) is also good.
Ortisei is convenient for several memorable hikes/experiences - Alpe de Siusi, Seceda, Resciesa.... not sure what time of year you are planning to go, but all the trails were accessible in September.

I don't like the lay-out of the sightseeing information. And they don't give practical information about each sight, such as opening hours, days the sight is open or closed, etc. So now you have to take an extra step and look up this information on the internet. The new format is more like a magazine.

I much prefer Rough Guides or Michelin Green Guides.

I must admit that I think checking the internet is a good idea in any case because hours change more rapidly that guidebook editions. And you can find out other info on the web sites, too -- whether there are audioguides or special exhibitions or a cafe or places to check one's coat, etc.

I’ll have a closer look at both the Rough and Michelin Green Guides. Thanks @ kja and @ karenwoo for the recommendation.

This is my trip report for trekking in the Dolomites. This report has a link to another trip report about our before/after week that covered Bolzano.
https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...eport-1724612/