Hello, we are planning a trip to Northern Italy for Aug 2025 - two adults, two boys (11 and 14). We were hoping to do the Dolomites (Ortisei) but gave up after mostly due to cost and logistics (we don'r want to rent a car). Oh well, maybe next year! We got our flights (Boston to Milan via Air France) for $800 per person, cattle class, and were pretty happy with that. Hoping to do something low key and classically Italian - hiking, cycling, swimming, etc. I spent about two months trying to make the Dolomites work and am a little sad I couldn't.

AUG 16 Leave Boston
AUG 17 Arrive in Milan LIN at 1 pm. Bus/Train to Peschiera Del Garda (1 1/2 to 2 hours) We booked three nights in a highly rated apartment near the train station. Assume we can spend a few days walking around, maybe biking around Lake Garda, taking a day trip, etc? There's a water park nearby for the kids?
AUG 18 Peschiera Del Garda or day trip
AUG 19 Peschiera Del Garda or day trip
AUG 20 Leave Peschiera Del Garda and take train/ferry to Camogli. This is looking like a four hour journey. We found a little apartment/house in Camogli in an area called San Fruttuoso that is apparently reachable by ferry or hike. I guess we will figure it out.
AUG 21 Camogli
AUG 22 Camogli
AUG 23 Leave Camogli. Need to stay somewhere near Milan Malpensa for one night , as we have a 10 AM flight to Greece on Aug 24. I found an agriturismo with a free shuttle that sounds promising in a place called Oleggio that I'm thinking to book, as they do a free shuttle to Malpensa in the AM. It's a four hour journey on the train though.

Does this itinerary sound OK? Are we spending too much/too little time in each place? Anything negative we should know about either place or this idea? Again, I had to pivot from our original plan. Any suggestions or advice would be welcome.

I cannot understand what should be the logistical problem with Ortisei "without a car".

Public transport between Linate airport and Ortisei is excellent:
Milano Centrale (20 min by taxi from Linate airport) dp 15.15 - Verona ar 16.28 dp 17.01 - Bolzano/Bozen ar 18.31, dp 19.28 - Ortisei ar 20.25
Milano Centrale (20 min by taxi from Linate airport) dp 16.13 - Verona ar 17.28 dp 17.50 Waidbruck ar 19.47, dp 19.57 - Ortisei ar 20.25
last bus (except saturday): Waidruck dp 20.25 - Ortisei ar 20.55
Saturday only: Milano Centrale (20 min by taxi from Linate airport) dp 18.13 - Verona ar 19.28 dp 19.50 - Waidbruck ar 21.47, dp 22.45 - Ortisei ar 23.23

Buses between Ortisei and Waidbruck railway station: every 30 min
Ortisei - Kastelruth: every 30 min
Ortisei - Plan: every 20 min
Ortisei - Val Daunei: 8times daily
Ortisei - Sellajoch: 31 times daily
Ortisei - Groednerjoch - Val Badia: every hr

All gondolas will run normally

The issue is more about cost. Having a hard time finding affordable lodging in Ortisei - many places require a week long stay, and we don’t have the week, as we are arriving on Sunday, at it seems places book Sat to Fri. I tried to get advice on other forums and ended up getting my posts deleted or locked for being “lazy” when in fact I researched for a while - contacted hotels, tried booking.com, etc. Can’t spend $400-$500 per night unfortunately, especially since we will have to travel five hours from Milan to Ortisei the first night after traveling from the United States. We were hoping to spend two nights near Milan and then four or five nights in the Ortisei area for $300 or less per night and I couldn’t figure out how to make that happen and was tired of getting snarked at for my questions.

These comments are based entirely on my preferences... just my two cents.

Not enough time at Lake Garda. Getting around by bus and ferry takes time, and the lake is big.

I prefer staying at the northern end of Lake Garda. Check out the cable car from Malcesine to Monte Baldo.

Camogli/San Fruttuoso anytime close to the Ferragosto holiday (Aug. 15th) would not appeal to me at all. Just too crowded.

San Fruttuoso to Oleggio could be a trek with multiple connections. I'd just stay AT Malpensa, although that could still be a trek. It's only one night...

Overall, the triangle Milan/Lake Garda/Liguria/Milan over less than 7 full days is traveling too fast for me.

Mlano Centrale - Peschiera del Garda: about 1 hr train ride (direct)
Train departures at: 13.45 14.25 15.15 15.25 15.45 16.25 16.45 17.25 17.45 18.25 18.45 19.25 20.25 20.45 21.25 22,25
Your kids may apreciate Gardaland, a big fun park close to Peschiera.

Train connections from Peschiera to Camogli about every hr from 5.57am until 18.57. 4-5 hrs journey with train changes at Milan and Genoa.

If you plan to stay close to the Abbey of San Fruttuoso, check and double check the transport possibilities.

Oleggio is feasible if the layowers at Alessandria and Novara are big enough. There are only few trains on these lines and you might ran into problems in the case of train delays.

I suppose you know that August is top high season in Italy. There will be crowds at most touristic places and prices will be at their highest

Thanks for the info. I realize I’m going during high season. Unfortunately with kids in school off season is not possible for me. I tried to figure out if I could go to the Dolomites during April vacation, as we did Turin and Varenna in April 2023 ( and lived it). I was hoping to do something unique and a bit off the beaten track but I take your point on transport in Camogli. I see the ferries run every hour until 3 pm or so, meaning we will have to get there by 2. The proprietor of the lodging in Camogli warned me about logistics. I really appreciate your help.

We are older but had a great time at Lake Garda. I kept begging the hotel to extend our stay each day even though they were fully booked and we had to change rooms. Stayed right on the lake. Biking, great food, loved the place and it's worth several days. Can't help in the rest of your journey but don't jump around every two or three days, all you do is travel and pack up again. Spend time and enjoy your trip. We came down from Switzerland through Tirano, very scenic journey. Regarding your last night lodging, we also had a very early flight and there is an excellent, frequent train from Milan Centrale to the airport ..so we booked a cheaper room near the train station. People in the streets were rocking and rolling long into the night and sleep was difficult. FYI.

I did the hike from Camogli to San Fruttuoso one July. August will likely be busier (though at least you're missing the long weekend of Ferragosto), but if you're okay with the idea of a beach holiday with your family and other families enjoying the same, I really don't see a big problem with it. Hot, hilly, possibly crowded some places--still fun. It's a holiday!

ETA: In the short time you have, I'd be inclined to just pick two areas, e.g., Milan and Lake Garda or Milan and Liguria.



Heading from Camogli to San Fruttuoso via the inland trail--almost there.



Arriving at San Fruttuoso on trail from Camogli


The tiny beach at San Fruttuoso (public side to the right)


Heading out via ferry around 5pm--as you can see, once the beach got shady, folks cleared out.

Hi there - thanks. We were thinking to go straight to lake garda from the airport (we spent four days in Milan last year). Then I thought three nights in Camogli but maybe it’s better to spend the whole week in and around Garda? Or would that be too long? After northern Italy we are going to spend a week in somewhere else (booked six nights at our favorite hotel). Camogli is intriguing but we’re open to other options. I really loved Torino when we spent four days there once. The original plan was to spend five or six nights in one place though so maybe I should just do Garda. Or maybe somewhere in Piedmont?

This is great. I’m trying to figure out the ferries. It seems like the only way to get to our hotel is by ferry or an hour walk. And there’s only one restaurant in the area and it’s only open on the weekend? So we will have to go to Camogli for food. Still seems intriguing but also maybe cumbersome?

QUOTE=Leely2;17615923]I did the hike from Camogli to San Fruttuoso one July. August will likely be busier (though at least you're missing the long weekend of Ferragosto), but if you're okay with the idea of a beach holiday with your family and other families enjoying the same, I really don't see a big problem with it. Hot, hilly, possibly crowded some places--still fun. It's a holiday!

ETA: In the short time you have, I'd be inclined to just pick two areas, e.g., Milan and Lake Garda or Milan and Liguria.



Heading from Camogli to San Fruttuoso via the inland trail--almost there.



Arriving at San Fruttuoso on trail from Camogli


The tiny beach at San Fruttuoso (public side to the right)


Heading out via ferry around 5pm--as you can see, once the beach got shady, folks cleared out.[/QUOTE]

It's been awhile...but I recall Garda also is a popular place for locals to vacation and there is a wide range of people and attractions. Some kid/family go kart track and dinosaur park-type stuff but also some pretty upscale hotels eateries and clubs. Seems to be a lot to do for families, we had a lot of Germans in our hotel the area attracts people from all over. There is an energy and vibe there that kids may enjoy more depending on their ages and interests, more to do at night lots of music dancing and mayhem, people up late jamming. Great fun.

Starting to think that Camogli
might not be the best idea.

What about swapping Camogli for Castelrotto??? I found a place for about $325 per night. I could stay somewhere on Lake Garda for three nights then take a three hour train to castelrotto, spend three nights, and then head back to Milan for the final night or thereabouts.

Where to stay in Lake Garda? I booked an affordable apartment in Peschiera but if we are going to Castelrotto maybe we can stay somewhere more scenic closer to the Dolomites?

Are you open to basic accommodations? No frills? If so, check out staying in convents or monasteries in a family room. You won't be subject to any religious pressure, don't worry. I had a look for you and see that Santa Maria Ligure (near Camogli) has a place called Oasi Regina Pacis. There may be other options in the area as well. In the Dolomites area, check out Casa Per Ferie Teresa Martin in the village of Merebbe. Their website is in Italian only, but with Google translate you can figure it out. Also, have a look at Casa per Ferie Cortina d'Ampezzo. Again, their website is in Italian. Finally, you could look at the website of Monastery Stays to find something in a region you like, either the Dolomites or at the coast near Camogli. I use the site for reference but book directly with the lodging property. I think the challenge will be staying at one of these properties without having a car at your disposal. But, if you are willing to figure that out, perhaps with some help of the staff at the monastery/convent, then you just might make this work.

We stayed at the Hotel du lac at Bellevue in Bardolino. Quite by chance, was a great stay with comfy clean rooms a good plentiful breakfast and right on the lake close to the action. They have bikes for guests and a private beach etc. Not sure how we landed there with hundreds of other options, but it was centrally located and very good. You and kids can walk along the lakefront, watch people, it's close to many cafes restaurants and clubs, take the ferry, knock around. Very enjoyable.

Kastelruth/Castelrotto is a good choice.
Buses to/from Bolzano/Bozen every 30 min until late in the nigh (45 min journey)
Buses to/from Ortisei every 30 min (20 min journey).

If your first destination in Greece is Crete, you may be interestet in the direct Saturday evening flights from Verona to Heraklion.
From Venice, there are daily direct evening (18.45) flights to Athens and direct Monday evening (20.00) flights to Santorini (fares start at 30 EUR without luggage)

Camogli itself is fantastic but your accommodation is in San Fruttuoso which is entirely different. I would not stay there, you don't have choices in restaurants, you can't leave unless by ferry or hiking and really that is not a hike you want to do just to go for a meal. I would look for accommodation IN Camogli which is a whole delightful village with many restaurants, a train station - options.

Thank you for the suggestions. We are fine with simple accommodations but to avoid a mutiny I want to avoid complicated journeys and connections. I have inquired about staying in Castel Pergine in Trentino but they do not book until January. It looks lovely but I worry about transport. We will want two separate rooms, so unfortunately can't do the quadruple room option (my spouse will be grumpy). We are flying from Milan to and from Naxos, so we unfortunately can't do Verona-Crete (last year we did Naxos-Venice, which worked out great).

I am wondering now whether to do three nights in Lake Garda (perhaps in Bardolino) and then three nights in Bolzano. Assume we can do a day trip from Bolzano to Ortisei or Castelrotto and maybe take notes for a longer stay in a future year? I was also considering Bressanone/Brixen. I haven't thrown out Castelrotto or Ortisei (still looking). I just sent an inquiry to Hotel Garni Planaces which may do a four night stay.

Aug 17 Lake Garda
Aug 18 Lake Garda
Aug 19 Lake Garda - train to Bolzano
Aug 20 Bolzano (or Birxen/Casterotto/Ortisei?)
Aug 21 Bolzano
Aug 22 Bolzano
Aug 23 train to Milan area
Aug 24 fly to Greece
Aug 24-Aug 30 Naxos (already booked)
Aug 30 fly to Milan (accomodations already booked)
Aug 31 Milan
Sept 1 fly home

Looks like you are narrowing things down. You seem to be experienced travelers and know the perils of moving frequently and losing valuable time packing up, catching trains and trying to see/do too much. It is a balance. Plan a return trip to see what you feel you may have missed!

I much prefer the updated itinerary over the original...

Staying in Bolzano would allow you to visit the Ice Man exhibit at the archeology museum. (Excellent IMO and should be interesting for your kids.) And it's easy to get up into the mountains above Bolzano using cable cars and light rail and get around the area using other public transportation. The train ride from Bolzano to Malpensa is long but fairly easy. Some fares are pretty low.

https://www.bolzano-bozen.it/en/gett...nd-bolzano.htm

I think I would rather stay in the mountains than Bolzano. I did enjoy my one-night stay there several years ago, but overall preferred my time in Val Gardena. I guess it depends on what you plan to do and your sightseeing priorities. And perhaps budget/availability.

(FWIW, I lodged at Parkhotel Laurin and it was excellent--with a pool, which I welcomed in the hot Bolzano summer.)