Dolomites

I'm thinking of a trip to the Dolomites next year.
This would be a no bike hiking trip.

Who has been there?
Where do I need to go?

I have been to Lake Como and as far as the Stelvio on a bike a few years ago but never further east.

I’ve spent a lot of time there over the years, almost always with the bike, sometimes on skis. It’s an absolutely stunning part of the world.
I’ve done a little bit of hiking and there’s certainly plenty to go at, as well as via ferrata.

You’ll probably want to visit all the famous places - obviously, they’re well known for a reason and can get busy depending on the time of year.
Don’t know if you have an idea of what you want to see yet?

Here’s a few to think about -

Tre Cime di Lavaredo
Lago di Sorapis
Lagazuoi
Lago di Braies
Geislerspitz/Val di Funes
Seceda
Rosengarten
Marmolada
Gruppo Sella

I would recommend hiring a car if you want to get around to a few of these places - whilst the Dolomites is a fairly small area you couldn’t base yourself in one village that’s ideally located for everything.

For stuff like Marmolada, Lagazuoi, Funes, Sella etc. somewhere like Corvara, in the Badia valley, or maybe Ortisei in Val Gardena.
For the places a bit further east, like Tre Cime, Sorapis and Braies, Cortina d’Ampezzo is the obvious place.
Corvara is a bit smaller and quieter (and is my preference), Ortisei and Cortina are slightly bigger towns.

You can also hire bikes in any of these places if you want a day on the road (or trail) - I’d definitely recommend Corvara for this as it’s right on the Sellaronda circuit.

When are you thinking of going?
I would avoid early-mid August as it’s Ferragosto (Italian Holidays) and it can get pretty busy!


Here’s a link to the Alta Badia website -

Summer in the Italian Alps

and the Sud Tirol site -

South Tyrol/Sudtirol - Official website for holidays in South Tyrol

Great info, Thanks.
Usually we go to Europe in early fall... mid sept.
somewhere around then.

September’s a really nice time of year in the Dolomites, obviously it’s a bit cooler but the crowds will have gone by then!

Another place you could visit is Lake Garda, the north end of the lake is beautiful in Sept/Oct - I’m guessing you’ll be flying back home from Milan or Venice, so you could stop off for a few days at the lake on your way down from the Dolomites.

Hiking Lake Garda

As well as lake Garda itself there’s also -

Molveno & Dolomiti di Brenta

Lake Molveno, Dolomiti Paganella Tourism Board Office | Official website.
Hiking in Trentino - Panorama Trek and Dolomiti Brenta Trek


Strada delle 52 Galleria

Hike on the “Strada delle 52 Gallerie” path - Trentino - Italy

Monte Pasubio Strada delle 52 gallerie - YouTube

Fabulous Paul
Thanks.
Love that hike!

Visited the Dolomites in early July and the crowds were not bad (I know Bavarian kids are still in school at that time, so perhaps that keeps crowds down until later summer). We stayed in Misurina for a few days and had many great hikes from there (there's better dining in Cortina, which is a short drive). Warning: many of the better hikes in the Dolomites will require a climbing harness and two carabiner leashes -- and a helmet is not a bad idea either.

Here's why Tre Cime di Lavaredo is on Paul's list, absolutely spectacular hike:
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4823/...8617a415_k.jpgTre Cime di Lavaredo

As Paul suggested, Lake Garda is also beautiful and surrounded by great hikes. Oh, and if continue west toward Lake Como, you can stop at the Madonna del Ghisallo and cycling museum along the way.

Paul has pointed you in the right direction, I would do a couple days each in Cortina and either alta badia or corvara.

Depending on budget constraints the Rosa Alpina hotel in San Cassiano is amazing. My favourite part about my last stay there was rocking up a wee bit filthy on a mud spattered mountain bike and them welcoming me and whisking it away without batting an eyelash. Pure class. A meal at their restaurant, St Hubertus, is worth the splurge. It garnered a third michelin star last year. One of my favourite restaurants in the world - Have an aperol spritz at the bar outside late afternoon and then strap in for a serious meal. Starts with a bone marrow waffle, local cured ham and cream mini sandwich (!!) and then gets better and better.

La Perla in Corvara is also lovely and if you stay there definitely eat in Stua de Michil. The owners are keen cyclists.

If you are in fact going in or out of Venice and depending on the length of the trip, you might consider some time in either Friuli and/or Slovenia (Julian Alps). If you are into wine there is some very interesting stuff going on with natural wines in the former (stay/eat at La Subida) and the Vrsic pass/Mangart/Soca valley vicinity in Slovenia is really beautiful (Kranjska Gora is central to this but a bit meh). Consider booking dinner at Hisa Franko.

Closer to Venice, Montegrappa makes a nice stopover for a lively evening on the town.

Getting there seems to be a major hurdle. Car rental from airports or shuttle/taxi prices are close to airfare prices from what I have found so far...