Innsbruck to Dolomites via Train - what area to stop in

Ortisei is only 1 1/2 hrs by car, don’t know about train or bus. Two cable cars right in town. We went up the Mont Seuc one, spectacular views.

Bolzano is right on the main north-south train line and home of "Ötzi the Iceman" at the South Tirol Museum of Archeology. From there, buses to villages such as Castelrotto take about an hour. These are covered in Rick's Italy guidebook.

Closer to Innsbruck, for instance at Fortezza, you could also transfer to an east-bound train serving a dozen stops such as San Lorenzo, Brunico, Dobiaco, and San Candido, before crossing back into Austria toward Lienz. I'm not familiar with the highlights of this route.

To see the real (ie stunning) Dolomites, you'll need to get a bus, either from Waidbruck/Ponte Gardena or Bozen/Bolzano to get to St Ulrich/Ortisei.

Yes...take the bus to Ortisei and then the gondola up to the Seiser Alm...some of the best views in the Dolomites!
From Innsbruck you can take the train down to Ponte Gardena and then the 350 bus up to Ortisei. The bus will drop you in the center of town and the gondola is just about 5 minutes walk across the pedestrian bridge that goes over the highway straight to the gondola. You'll be so happy you did this...it really is stunning.
If you want to spend the night somewhere spectacular stay in one of the inns up on the Seiser Alm. There are quite a few up there - I was just there in September and stumbled across the Adler Mountain Lodge...pricey but amazing with views to die for. There are lots of other places to stay there but we noticed this one last time and it's now on our list!
One of the best meals I've had up there was at the Rauchhutte - one of the old mountain huts that's still in operation. Again...the views!
There are plenty of places to stay in the town of Ortisei as well.

Thank you for all of the wonderful suggestions. It sounds like we will need to venture further from the train stop locations to truly appreciate the area. I will look at bus/train schedules and post back if I have any questions. Do you think a day trip would work (given I am relying on public transportation) or should I stay a evening? Thanks.

Definitely think of spending a night. Hope for good weather. Here is the transport website.
https://www.sii.bz.it/en/south-tyrol-integrated-transportation

We enjoyed our stay in Castlerotto. From there we took a public bus to the gondola to the chair lift that took us on a fabulous walk which included lunch at a "hut" otherwise known to us as a fantastic restaurant.

I have looked at both Castlerotto and Ortesei and both look spectacular. We will look for overnight lodging in one of these areas. I am trying to wrap my mind around logistics. We will be traveling from Hallstatt through Innsbruck. I am trying to determine if we should stay an evening in Innsbruck before heading into Italy or just continue on from Halstatt directly into the Dolomites area. Is there another route I am not considering from Hallstatt that might be more efficient (we are traveling via train)? Thanks again for all the wonderful suggestions.

There is a route via Bischofshofen, Spittal, Lienz, and Brixen/Bressanone, but it takes at least an hour longer.
You can go via Innsbruck to Klausen/Chiusa, then take the 351 bus to St Ulrich/Ortisei is probably the most direct. No reason to stop over in Innsbruck, save the stopover for extra time in Ortisei.

Chiusa/Klausen is a picturesque small town (whereas Bolzano is city with a beautiful historic district and has Otzi--so take your pick), but not all the trains stop at Klausen. The rail trip from Hallstatt to Bolzano will take 6-1/2 hours or more; Klausen probably won't be faster since it appears that only the slowest trains make a stop there.

If you don't want to get an early start from Hallstatt, it'll be about dinner time by the time you get to Ortisei.

Absolutely stay at least a night in the Val Gardena. This is Ortisei, St. Christina and Selva. They are close to one another, St. Christina being in the middle and the smallest. Ortisei Is the largest and has an “old town” pedestrian zone. While others mentioned Bolzano, Castelrotto, etc, the Val Gardena is right in the Dolomites. The others, not so much.

www.valgardena.it

Paul

We spent 2 nights in Innsbruck and absolutely loved it. Having a full day there allowed us to hike which provided another opportunity to eat at a wonderful Alpine "hut"!

Thank you all. We will certainly be spending an evening in Innsbruck. It was mentioned the car ride to Ortisei is approximately 1.5 hours. I was wondering how is this car ride? My son and I tend to get car sick. I vomited the entire ride up Haleakala and then did not feel well for the entire day after this. Is the ride from Innsbruck to Ortisei a difficult one? This is only portion of our trip we having difficulty figuring out logistics. Trying to decide to visit Ortisei as a day trip from Innsbruck or not. Thanks once again to all of the responses.

The car ride from Innsbruck to Chiusa is quite easy, if a bit pricey in motorway tolls. From Chiusa to Ortisei the road slowly climbs following the itinerary of a former military railway; it takes about 20-25 minutes to drive this section, and there is not a single straight meter. It is not dangerous, it is not frightening but it is very very curvy.