Hi, I am planning my first trip to Italy and am looking for itinerary advice. Below is a rough outline of the trip.

My two main concerns are as follows:

Is this trip feasible, or will I encounter any obstacles?

Where is the best location to go for two day-long hiking trips in May in the Dolomites? I spotted Riva del Garda, but am not sure of what hikes are feasible in May and whether there are better spots. I would honestly rather stay in a smaller town, so any suggestions are appreciated.

Where is the best area to stay in Venice?

Friday
Arrive in Venice
Alilaguna airport boat to Piazza San Marco
I Tre Mercanti, Basilica San Marco

Saturday
I Tre Mercanti, Doge's Palace
Gondola Ride

Sunday
Murano & Burano Islands
Peggy Guggenheim Collection

Monday
Drive to Dolomites
Hike

Tuesday
Hiking in Dolomites

Wednesday
Leave Dolomites
Travel to La Spezia - Take train to Monterosso
Enjoy the Beaches
Prosecco on the Promenade at sunset

Thursday
Hike to Vernassa
Explore Vernassa

Friday
Walk to Manarola, then to Riomagiorre

Saturday
Leave for Venice
Companile di San Marco

Sunday
Fly out of Venice

There are some closures on the Cinque Terre hiking trails.
A little confused as Riva de Garda is on Lake Garda , south of the Dolomites.

You are driving to La Spezia or taking the train? Driving makes sense since you have the car and may want to stop somewhere for a few hours along the way. Or turn in car at say Verona and take trains to Monterosso via Milan and Genoa. Not sure why going to La Spezia and if driving why not drive to Monterosso? Maybe have to turn car in at La Spezia?

In any case about trains:

La Spezia to Monterosso - regional trains best bought at station for few euros - no reserved seats no reason to pre-book.

But Monterosso to Venice probably best via Genoa and Milan - again lots of regional trains but for IC trains booking ahead can save a little money but the big savings can come on Genoa to Venice - long-distance faster trains - book yourself online at www.trenitalia.com - sites for great info on trains - www.seat61.com (especially on booking your own discounted tickets); www.budgeteuropetravel.com and www.ricksteves.com.

Thank you both for the feedback.

PalenQ,

My initial thought was to drive to Monterosso, but read that driving there can be tough, and was suggested that train was a better option once you arive in La Spezia. If driving is not so bad, then I do not mind taking the car to Monterosso.


HappyTrvlr:

Maybe I misunderstood my reading. Do you have any suggestions in the Dolomites in Trento?

We visited these locations last year, here is my report with photos

https://www.fodors.com/community/eur...amily-trip.cfm

We did not do day long hikes from our Dolomites base in Ortisei, we opted for shorter ones, but there are many options.

We visited Trento on the way to Ortisei, lovely small city.

Trento? In the Dolomites I recommend staying in Ortisei, beautiful valley with lifts up to the hiking in the beautiful mountain valleys.

was suggested that train was a better option once you arive in La Spezia. If driving is not so bad, then I do not mind taking the car to Monterosso.>

Well I think it easier to drive to Monterosso as to La Spezia and part of Monterosso - the beach area allows cars - you may even find a hotel with car access- anyway large parking lots on edge of town.

But since you will not be using the car in Cinque Terre for 3 days why not return it in Monterosso (unlikely possible) or La Spezia and be done with it -train to Venice where cars are obviously useless.

In this somewhat short trip, I'd skip the Cinque Terre. It would take at least 5 hours to get there and another 5+ hours to train from the CT to Venice. Even if you get early starts, you lose more than a half day for each transfer.

Or skip the Dolomites if your trip is early May when trails in the Dolomites could still be too wet. Not sure if mosquitoes would be a problem at that time year.

Instead of the CT, I would substitute a few days on Lake Garda and would re-order the itinerary a bit. Rather than split the Venice days, I'd train to Trento after landing at VCE. Spend the night and pick up the rental car the next morning. (If you arrived Venice early in the morning, you might want to train a little farther to Bolzano instead.)

On Saturday, drive into the Dolomites. Ortisei is an OK option, but you should research the hiking options for that time of year and then choose a town. Not the other way around. You might also consider the location of Selva or the Corvara/La Villa/Badia area. I'd spend 3 nights in the mountains and then drive to Lake Garda. There are good hikes from several towns, but I have a soft spot for Malcesine and its cable car to the top of Monte Baldo. The trails at the top of Baldo have spectacular views of the lakes and surrounding mountains. But there are several trails from/near Riva del Garda and in the hills above Limone sul Garda.

After Garda, I'd drive to Venice, turn in the car, and spend the remaining days/nights.

1. Do you want to hike around Lake Garda or in the Dolomites (Riva is far away from the Dolomites)? Both is perfectly possible in May.
2. A train ride from the Dolomites to Monterosso takes more or less a whole day. Best connection from Ortisei (for example):
Ortisei dp 11.35 - Bolzano/Bozen 12.48/13.16 - Verona 14.42/15.32 - Milano C 16.45/18.05 - Monterosso ar 21.03.
3. Monterosso - Venice SL takes 5 1/2 to 6 hrs (plus the transport to your hotel).

It sounds like way too much travelling in a short time. I'd cut out either Cinque Terre or the Dolomites. Don't underestimate how tired you may be on arrival and the time it will take to get from one place to the next. Perhaps flying out of a different airport would be better, then you wouldn't need to travel all the way back to Venice.

We stayed in Castelrotto in May and did a wonderful walk in the Alpe di Siusi. It was peaceful and beautiful, snow on the high surrounding peaks but grass underfoot where we were. Between Cortina and Castelrotto there was a main road that was blocked due to landslide and we had to drive around the long way which added hours. I don't know how common that is.

Kay

I read a long thread on Tripadvisor about 3 years ago where somebody asked about going to the Dolomiti in May and everybody reassured them it was a fine time to go -- and the thread ended with the person posting during their trip and they had pretty bad weather, including sleet and low clouds that meant they couldn't see the high peaks. No cable cars were running and some roads were blocked due to weather. The traveler posted at the end that they would love to go back to the Dolomiti but would only go in summer.

Obviously there a some days in May that are going to be sunny and nice, and even people who go in summer can get thunderstorms. But obviously too the hotels and cable cars aren't open because it is not the best season for visiting the Dolomoti due to risks of disappointing weather. You can hike, might you might not get the best views.

Were it me, going in May, I would only book hotels at the last minute and only go if you are sure it is sunny and clear, and have a Plan B for a different destination if weather forecasts are for poor visibility.

If you don't like last minute planning, than I suggest you book in Bolzano. If the weather is nice you are well positioned for some spectacular sightseeing, but if it rains, you can take the train to Trento and go sightseeing in Bolzano itself.

This forum is very anti-le Cinque Terre no matter what time of year it is. In May, you run higher chance of spring showers that make hiking and swimming impossible, but if the weather is sunny, it can be a very nice time to hike and sunbathe (although the sea will be chilly). Again, I would advise late-minute booking and having a Plan B. Or, book into someplace like Lerici with a car, and if you get rain, go to Pisa or Sarzana or Pietrasanta for some interesting sightseeing that doesn't depend on good weather.

1. Weather is ALWAYS unpredictable in the Alps, but in the Southern Alps (Dolomiti, Val Venosta, Valtellina, Ticino, Ossolano, Valais, Vallée d'Aoste, Mountains of Western Piedmont), July and August are usually on the dry side).
2. In the Dolomiti, the total length of signmarked hiking trails open and free of snow in May is closer to 1000 miles than to 100 miles.
3. There may still remain snow above 2000 metres. Therefore lifts at these altitudes don't run. Another reason is that most European school holidays don't begin before end of June.
4. All trains and buses run as usual in May.

This forum is very anti-le Cinque Terre no matter what time of year it is>

True - mainly about swarming crowds in little towns with little space, being hemmed in between sea and mountains. But in May should be much better. Even with crowds I enjoyed hiking between the towns.