Yes, I know I am trip planning on Christmas Eve. My Christmas present to myself - booking my next trip. Last year on Christmas Eve, I booked a trip to Nepal. This year - it's the Dolomites, hopefully less chaotic than Nepal. I've read several posts to get ideas on where to stay in the Dolomites. I like centrally located small towns that are easy to do day hikes and sightseeing from. For instance, in Switzerland, I base myself in Lauterbrunnen. Can anyone give me suggestions on similar situations in the Dolomites. From my readings, some people suggest Bolzano, others like Castelrotto. I will be relying on trains for transportation - starting my trip in Ljubljana to see the Julian Alps, then heading to the Dolomites before going to Lauterbrunnen for a few days. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Merry Christmas!!!
Martha

We really enjoyed Bolzano. It felt 'real', not touristy. One of the most wonderful days we had during our 3 month trip was a Sunday in Bolzano. Families were out playing in the park. Couples, young and old, were strolling the adjacent walkway arm in arm. We joined in, with our gelato in hand, and had a very lovely and memorable day.

I liked what I saw of Bolzano too, but it was much cooler up at Castlerotto, and of course, it's a better base for hiking. I stayed at http://www.cavallino.it/index_3.html and definitely recommend it. I wasn't on fodors then, for my TR see http://wilhelmswords.com/eur2006/index.html - How did it get so hot?

www.dolomiti.org/dengl/Cortina/index.html

my fav prettier more touristic though.

Bolzano my fav of yours not as pretty...

Happy Journey,

Steve_James is a regular, invariably helpful contributor (although I have not read anything from him recently and hope he is ok) who is probably our #1 "expert" on the Dolomites; I suggest that you do a search for more of his posts. Here, for example, are a few that might be of some help to you:


http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-dolomites.cfm

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-dolomites.cfm

I suggest you want the Val Gardena--probably Ortisei. There are no trains in that region, but you can train to Bolzano and then bus to Ortisei or to Castelrotto. You will have more options in Ortisei for transport and hiking.

My favorite part of the Dolomiti is the Alta Badia (there are train stations in Brunico and Dobbiaco and other places up there) because many of the towns in the Alta Badia are not merely ski resorts or tourist towns, and the scenery is to me the most spectacular of all I saw in the Dolomiti -- and I know that is saying a lot. The town of Perdaces in particular appealed to me, and I loved the location of this hotel. I was already booked elsewhere, but I made a note of it for future reference, and you would of course want to check user reviews on TripAdvisor and elsewhere.

http://www.hotel-serena.com/

Although I had a car, I was using the Cadogan Guide to the Dolomiti and the Veneto and it had copious information about public transportation in all areas of the Dolomiti. Most Americans only come at it from the south. If you are coming from the Julian Alps -- which are wonderful -- you might check out public transportation options from there to Brunico/Dobbiaco (perhaps cutting through Austria?) or head to the area of Cortina d'Ampezzo (from Tolmezzo through the Cadore area, or up through Belluno). I didn't much care for Cortina d"Ampezzo itself -- sort of ski bunny central -- but I did find a really very nice and affordable place just on the edge of the town (easily walked to) with an excellent on-site restaurant. It is called Da Beppe Sello. I was there this September and it was extremely comfortable and well-priced, but you should check a range of user reviews.

http://www.beppesello.it/uk/index.php

Have a great time!

These might help you with some basic orientation about trains into the region if you are coming from the Julian Alps and ultimately headed into Switzerland

http://www.dolomiti.it/en/transport-...tain-holidays/

http://www.bruneck.it/WELCOME/HOW_TO..._get_here.html

Oops! I also need to correct a typo in my post.

The name of the town I like so much is Pedraces.

I feel obliged to add that a Danish friend of mind insists that San Virgilio di Marebbe in the Alta Badia area of the Dolomiti is "the most beautiful town in the world" (she goes to there every Christmas) and she may have a point! It is actually not all that far from the train station in Brunico.

http://www.sanvigilio.com/en/locatio...ebbe/31-0.html

Thanks everyone for your help so far. A lot of interesting suggestions. Checking the train timetables, it seems like I can get from the Ljubljana area to the Bolzano area by train in about 10 hours. Does that seem right? I think that the best route is probably through Austria. I will probably get a multi-country train pass. It's always exciting to search for a great little town to use as a base when exploring a new area. I'll probably spend a few days in Bled, then head to the dolomites. I booked my frequent flyer flight yesterday for August, so I have lots of time for research.

Thanks again to everyone - especially for all the great links.
Merry Christmas!
Martha

If you are coming down through Austria, you may not want to go as far south as Bolzano, especially if your next destination is Switzerland. If the Dolomiti are your main interest (as opposed to something you want to see or do in the city of Bolzano). While Bolzano makes a convenient transportation hub for a lot of people coming from southern Italy if you are coming from Austria and the north the trains that pass through Lienz and on to Dobbiaco and Brunico have bus connections right into the heart of the Dolomiti. Some towns near there that have also rated high with Fodor's posters familiar with the Dolomiti are La Villa, Corvara and Colfosco.

http://www.alta-badia.org/en/country.../la-villa.html

http://www.alta-badia.org/en/country.../colfosco.html

http://www.alta-badia.org/en/country...e/corvara.html

In August, you can expect plenty of tourists everywhere -- still worth it because of the higher chance of consistently great weather -- but I do believe the Alta Badia sees fewer than Bolzano and its near points.

However, another consideration for many people is the availability of lots of ski lifts to take you a starting point for hikes. Many of the towns in the Alta Badia have only one ski lift (or none!), but they are situated in agricultural/scenic areas where you can begin your hikes from town itself.

http://www.ladinia.it/listinfo.php?id=365&lan=en

http://www.ladinia.it/listinfo.php?lan=en&id=285&paese=

http://www.alta-badia.org/en/country-people/badia.html




Have fun researching

http://www.montanara.it/

PS: I meant to talk on a warning that the last link has a soundtrack, plus the usual advice to check out recent Tripadvisor reviews.

We were there in mid- September and stayed in Ortisei at

http://www.hotel-grien.com/eng/index.html was a little pricey, but it was very comfortable, food was good, and view was fab.

Tried to stay in http://www.hoteldigon.com/ based on tripadvisory reviews, but it was booked. It is lower down in the valley than the Grien and faces oposition direction and has different but good view.

We much preferred Ortisei over Castelrotto.

You can't tell where one village starts or stops in the Val Gardena, but each one has a lift that goes to each side of the valley and there are good hikes everywhere. We had some snow one day, but rest of time was good.

Wish we had stayed in Ortisei longer and skipped Venice (3rd and last trip there).

The area is much more Austrian than Italian.

Check tripadvisor also.

We definitely will go back.