Innsbruck - to - Bolzano, Italt

Yes, I have done it several times. Motorway tolls are a bit on the expensive side but who cares. Austrian motorway vignette is not required for driving from Innsbruck-Süd to Brenner as this stretch is to be paid separately.

Probably the best choice is Ortisei with an option to drive up to the Sella or Gardena passes for unforgettable landscapes. About 1 hour and half driving from Innsbruck to Ortisei. Bressanone/Brixen is a nice town on the way, but no dramatic landscapes to be seen there. No need to drive all the way to Bolzano.

Thinking about it, if you like a long panoramic drive, with little time for visits, it could be a circuit: Innsbruck - Bressanone (motorway exit) - Dobbiaco - Cortina - Passo di Falzarego - Passo Pordoi - Passo Sella - Ortisei - Chiusa and then motorway north to Innsbruck. We are talking about six hours driving, with three passes so quite tiring to the driver, but it would be a parade of the most scenic places on Dolomites.

Roads are safe but as soon as you exit the Brenner motorway your average speed drops a lot. All passes have a lot of hairpin curves.

Thank you asps2 for your valuable information. It is something we will definitely plan on seeing. Since we will be in Austria - Vienna, Saltzburg and Innsbruck, can you recommend some other small towns of interest, that might be near these cities? Thanks in advance for any advice you may offer

Day trips from Salzburg:
Berchtesgaden (easy)
Munich (a bit distant)
Herrrenchiemsee castle (only with good weather)
Bad Ischl, Gmunden (about one hour driving)
St. Gilgen, St. Wolfgang

Day trips from Innsbruck:
Hall in Tirol (close and easy)
Mittenwald, Garmisch (very steep road, easy to overheat brakes when coming back direction Innsbruck, better in good weather)
Bressanone/Brixen

Hi,

To get to the Dolomites for a day trip is easy. There's no need to make it a long or tiring driving day. From Innsbruck, simply take the highway over the Brenner and to the Val Gardena exit and to Ortisei, St. Christina and/or Selva in the Val Gardena (1:30 drive). Plenty of cable cars to take you up to the peaks and for walks and hikes among them. No need to drive all around... unless you want to. Then I would suggest driving through the Val Gardena (maybe 20 minutes) to the start of the spectacular Gardena Pass. Here you can drive the entire pass, or you can simply go as far as the 'top", where there's a cafe/restaurant and walks. You can then simply go back the way you came, which gives you another perspective of the landscape. Outstanding Dolomite scenery in this entire area.

www.val-gardena.com

We've done this drive as recently as last December. We did it from our base in Hall in Tirol to the Val Gardena.

Paul

Another wonderful day trip with lots of beautiful views of the Zugspitze, is a drive to Lermoos, Austria. There is one pass to drive over, the Fernpass, and then you are in the Zugspitze Arena. Along with a quaint, small town with restaurants, you can take a sommerrodelbahn (luge) ride in Biberwier which my son says is the best one ever. Their website is: http://www.tyrol.com/a-biberwier-lermoos-summer-toboggan-run If it's a clear day, you could also take a cable car up to the top of the Zugspitze which departs from the town of Ehrwald.

Thank you all for the wonderful tips.