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2.5 weeks in Northern Italy (June'23)

Hello,
I am planning a 17 nights trip to Dolomites and Veneto region in June 2023 (14 June-1 July). I will be traveling solo without a car, so I am restricted to go where the buses and trains go. Pls advise on the below itinerary:

EDITED as below:
June 14- Fly into Munich, stay overnight
June 15- Reach Toblach via train, Lago di Braies in evening by bus (3 nights in Toblach)
June 16- Tre Cime di Lavaredo 4hr hike & Lake Misurina
June 17- Lago di Dobbiaco& San Candido, Sesto lifts
June 18- Leave for Chiusa (2 nights in Chiusa)
June 19- Val di Funes
June 20- Leave for Ortisei via bus. Explore nearby, maybe short trip to Kastelruth (7 nights in Ortisei)
June 21- Alpe di Suisi (lifts+hike)
June 22- Selva/ S. Cristina (lifts)
June 23- Seceda (lifts+hike)
June 24- Sella Pass, Pordoi Pass, Canazei (via bus), take lifts
June 25- Gardena Pass & Alta Badia
June 26- Extra day
June 27- Leave for Verona (3 nights in Verona), explore the town
June 28- Nearby lake towns: Sirmione, Bardolino since they are nearer from Verona.
June 29- Opera in Arena (checked the schedule)
June 30- Leave for Milan (1 night in Milan)
July 1- Fly out

Sorry for a long message, but please share your opinions. I am a nature lover and since I am traveling solo, I do not mind frequent hotel chnages & a packed day. I am fairly active when i travel.

I am planning to take the Val Gardena card and maybe Dolomiti Summer card for covering the lifts. Hotels in Dolomites will provide free transport cards for duration of stay so I will save money on transport.

Accomodation: I loved Hotel Digon in Ortisei, pls do share your experience if you stayed there. It is a bit expensive but I loved the pictures & reviews, so I am very tempted.

Thanks so much in advance!

Posted by
8170 posts

But remember that every change of cities will cost you 1/2 day to 1 full day of travel and checking in.

You'll need a vacation after that vacation.

Posted by
2523 posts

I haven't been to the Dolomites but have been to Verona. We made a day trip to Sirmone by bus which is easy. I looked into Salos as it was recommended by an Italian friend of mine but it was very cumbersome by public transportation. (We didn't have a car either.) Anyway, you have both towns for one day which I think would be near impossible without a car. So I would suggest you figure out the bus/train schedule before you book places as you may not be able to do what you think you can.

Also I wonder if it is worth the trouble of going to Lake Garda for 2 nights as that will give you only one day. You have more than one day's activities planned. You could consider adding those two days to places that have two nights earlier or eliminate one of them to have two three night stays. We have done consecutive 2 night stays but with a car. Public transportation always takes longer so I wonder like previous poster if you will regret it.

Posted by
2455 posts

I don’t have much to comment on, as I have only been to the places at the very end of your itinerary, from Verona on.
But, I did want to say that several years ago, I easily made a day trip from Verona, which combined Sirmione and Bardolino. I took a direct morning bus from Verona to Sirmione, visited all of the castle there, then walked the entire peninsula out to the Roman ruins and small museum there, and back near the castle. Then a lake ferry to Bardolino. As I remember, the major thing to see and do in Bardolino was a wine museum with many wine tastings, otherwise not a very scenic or interesting town. Then a late afternoon direct bus from Bardolino back to Verona, in plenty of time for dinner.
From discussions on this forum, I do believe there are some nicer towns to visit on Lago di Garda, but they are more difficult to get to by public transportation from Verona.

Posted by
1535 posts

June 17 barely possible by car, probably too long by bus. Basically, Toblach is at a junction between two valleys so you have three different direction to head; your proposed hike goes in all three directions in the same day. Two out of three would be already on the strenuous side.
Generally speaking, when dealing with mountain hikes you should leave some flexibility as there is no guarantee that you will have a streak of days with optimal weather.

Posted by
16386 posts

It looks like a great trip, especially all that time in the Dolomites. We were there last September for 12 days of hiking, from 3 different bases (Dobbiaco, Santa Cristina, and Colfosco). We also stopped in Verona on our way and attended the opera, and spend some time at Lago di Garda. I have only 2 comments:

1) we drove past Lake Misurina twice, on our way to and from the Tre Cime hike. It looked nothing like the beautiful lake one sees in photographs and I would have been quite disappointed had we actually stopped to spend time there. Maybe it is nicer in June, but the lake we saw in September was very shallow and greenish. I would not recommend investing a lot of time and effort to see it for more than a drive-by.

2) we visited Sirmione by boat from our hotel in Desanzano. We walked a path along the water to the famous Grottoes of Catullus, which were well worth the time and admission fee. The ruins are impressive, and the views over the lake from various points are truly beautiful. Afterward we made our way down to the “beach” below, which is actually a large flat rock shelf. My husband went for a swim while I enjoyed the sunshine from the land and talked to others there (warning them to watch out for wet slippery rocks). Walking ba k to the boat dock we found the town itself so packed with visitors it was unpleasant, but we did find a nice quiet spot for lunch off the Main street before catching the boat back to Desanzano.

Based on our experience, I would highly recommend seeing the Grottoes of Catullus. But Sirmione itself is full of souvenir shops, gelato stands and tourists.