Traveling from Venice to Castelrotto in May with with husband and 2 teens. I can't seem to find what train takes us to Castelrotto or wqhat the closest train station is? Bolzano? We would also like to have a car while there- does it make sense to rent a car from Venice and drive there? How long is the drive? If not, what train station? Thanks a lot for your help.

From Castelrotto to Venice by public transportation is:

Bus to Bolzano (approx 1 hour)
Train Bolzano to Venice (approx 3.5 hours, depending upon which train)

The busses stop directly in front of the train station in Bolzano.

On my own, a car didn't make sense; however, I would rent one for a family. For driving directions, visit

www.viamichelin.com

It appears to be around 3 hours 45 minutes. But, I would have loved a car in the Dolomites.

Oh, and for trains, I like to use

www.dbahn.de

On the left-hand side, click on "English" under the Tickets section.

Have fun! I just went for the first time to Castelrotto in October and am trying to figure out how to return this Fall.

Hi, onmyway

We took the train from Venice to Verona and picked up our car at the train station. Spent the night and then drove to Castelrotto via Bolzano. Castelrotto is in a beautiful location! Be sure to hike in the nearby Alpe di Siusi (we were there in late May and many of the higher hiking trails in the Dolomites were still snow-covered, by the way).

I don't remember the exact length of the drive, but we took our leisurely time, leaving Verona mid-morning and arriving in Castelrotto in the late afternoon (including stops for lunch and to see the "Iceman" in Bolzano)

We wanted to see Verona, so choose it as our base for heading into the Dolomites, but there are other routes you could do from Venice. Friends of ours loved driving through Bassano del Grappa on their way to the Dolomites, for example.

I am a train fan, but I think a car makes MUCH more sense for the Dolomites. Just be prepared for typical mountain driving, especially lots of hairpin turns (and bicyclists galore!).

Have fun, the Dolomites are spectacular.