7 nights northern italy

Bolzano is near the Dolomites but not quite on the Dolomites. It's also at the bottom of a valley that gets really hot in summer in spite of being near high mountains. If you want a true Dolomitic experience, your base should be Ortisei on the Val Gardena or any of the other surrounding towns (Selva, Santa Cristina, etc). Ortisei is slightly bigger and well served by public buses (you don't say if you are renting a car).

Yep, what Roberto says!

I hope you will have a car. The Dolomites are beautiful! Bolzano is too far removed from the mountains and you want to be in the mountains, right? You can easily take day trips to other areas while your base is in the mountains.

4 nights in the Val Gardena will be very nice (assuming you are in Italy in the summer, after say June 15?). You do NOT need a car. Every lodging in the Val Gardena hands out a local bus pass and the buses are very nice. The pass covers from Bolzano to the next valley over from the Val Gardena, so extensive. They can take you from town-to-town. For lifts, buy a Val Gardena Card . Yes, it is expensive, but without it the lift prices are nuts. There are endless hikes you can take on both sides of the valley, mountain biking in the Alpe di Siusi, and so on. PM me if you want specific hiking ideas.

You really need reservations soon for this summer. We like Villa Aurelia and Hotel Garni Walter a lot.

I stayed in both Bressanone/Brixen and Bolzano/Bozen last July and agree that the heat was killer. And not all the 3-star places have air conditioning. I had no trouble getting up into the mountains via public bus, so I think you'd be fine staying up there and using the buses to move around and access the lifts.

any recommendations for accomodations in Venice? We have been using Airbnb, however im running out of energy and time and could use some recommendations!

Hotel Garni-Walter is closed until July. Am waitingfor response from Ville Aurelia. ano other suggestions?

As to other suggestions, check Booking.com or VRBO.com (apartments) for multiple options at one time. It is hard to check one property at a time.

Hotel Garni-Walter is closed until July.

Are you sure?

The one in Ortisei?

Their webpage shows them open from the end of next week for the summer.

The rates page shows the following dates:=

Period
Studio Apartments
Juniorsuite
Room Superior
Room Standart
15.05. - 14.06.2016
62,00 €
52,00 €
47,00 €
42,00 €
14.06. - 09.07.2016
63,00 €
53,00 €
48,00 €
43,00 €
09.07. - 23.07.2016
69,00 €
62,00 €
54,00 €
49,00 €
23.07. - 30.07.2016
72,00 €
65,00 €
57,00 €
52,00 €
30.07. - 06.08.2016
76,00 €
69,00 €
61,00 €
56,00 €
06.08. - 21.08.2016
88,00 €
81,00 €
73,00 €
68,00 €
21.08. - 28.08.2016
69,00 €
62,00 €
54,00 €
49,00 €
28.08. - 10.09.2016
65,00 €
55,00 €
50,00 €
45,00 €
10.09. - 16.10.2016
62,00 €
52,00 €
47,00 €
42,00 €

I sent a second request. the was the first response I received

Good evening,

sorry, but we have close until 02.07.

With regards

Fam. Demetz

So now I can really show my confusion...I am looking at the hiking info/huts on the Alpe diSiusi website. Do these cabins offer overnight accomodations or just food? All but one is currently closed. Other than phoning them, is there any way to find out their location, prices, location, hiking distance etc. If I can pull this off, I'd love to to stay in one of them. Do I need to arrange this as a tour? How do I find out if this is a possibilty for my family?

I am looking at the hiking info/huts on the Alpe diSiusi website. Do these cabins offer overnight accomodations or just food? All but one is currently closed. Other than phoning them, is there any way to find out their location, prices, location, hiking distance etc. If I can pull this off, I'd love to to stay in one of them. Do I need to arrange this as a tour? How do I find out if this is a possibilty for my family?

I took the RS My WAy Alpine tour last June. The tour switched from staying in Bolzano to staying in Castelrotto (aka Kastelruth) because it was much closer to the Alpi di Siusi. You get up to the hiking trails by a combination of buses, cable cars and ski lifts - there are several options. Once up there, the trails are dotted with hutte (huts, the cabins you refer to). From what I remember reading, not all have overnight accommodations but certainly there are enough that do and that are hiking distance from each other. I remember reading that they offer only beds (as in bring your own sheets, towels and toiletries), though some may provide linens. Keep in mind that if you are planning to stay overnight, you will be carrying everything you need on your back all day while hiking up and down some steep and sometimes difficult trails, and an hour or more of rain is likely on any given day. If you aren't bringing hiking poles (maybe you can rent them in the area), you will want to stick to the easy trails.

Are you getting around by car or public transportation?

Even if you stay in the Val Gardena, the Mont Seuc/Seiser Alm cable car takes you right from Ortisei to the Alpe di Siusi/Seiser Alm.
http://www.alpedisiusi-seiseralm.com/eng/index.html

We stayed and can recommend this place in St. Christina, Val Gardena:

www.garniariston.com

You can also stay "in" the Alpe di Siusi/Seiser Alm at a pension, hotel, etc.

www.seiseralm.it/en/hotel-accommodation.html

Paul

We use the rifugi as pit stops on our hikes. For example, if we hike at Rasciesa* we hike out to Santa Croce then stop at the rifugio for a coffee, snack or lunch, on our way back. They have rooms, but we stay in Ortisei and just include a rifugio in our hiking. You can always get refreshments, find a clean restroom, etc. Some have rooms.

• Basic instructions: Take the funicular up from Ortisei, hike west on trail #35 to Santa Croce, turn around and hike back. Takes a couple of hours roundtrip. OR you can continue along the top of the ridge for a longer hike. You might understand better when you get a hiking map or look at one online.