Will be in Verona for a few nights and would like to make a visit into the Alps/Dolomites, likely toward Lago di Garda. Hoping to make it a 1/2 or 2/3 day trip.
Any suggestions? Is this doable? It doesn't seem to get as much written about it as Lago di Como to the west.
Unlikely to have a car, but open to renting one for 1 day.
following this thread....
The Dolomites are lovely, but the area I visited (east of Bolzano) is not a great trip if you have less than a full day. Bolzano itself is at least 1-1/2 hours from Verona by train, then one must switch to a bus for the ride up to, say, Ortisei (St. Ulrich). The ValGardena website has links to bus schedules. The hourly bus on Line 170 takes over 70 minutes, and of course there's the time you'd spend waiting on the bus. So the total round-trip travel time from Verona to Ortisei would be about 6 hours if you take one of the fastest trains, and that wouldn't allow any time for walking around the mountains.
There may well be an area you can get to a bit faster than Ortisei, but my experience in that part of Italy is very limited.
I've just realized that--as usual--I'm assuming that you will have no car. If you plan to drive, you can fiddle around with ViaMichelin.com to see what driving times look like. I would imagine that traffic tie-ups on the road up the valley from Verona to Bolzano are possible, however.
Unlikely to have a car, but open to renting one for 1 day.
I'm just looking at options. Is the area east of Bolzano the main destination in north eastern Italy?
Italy has fabulous destinations everywhere, so I'm not sure it is ever possible to say that one place is "the main destination". In addition to the Dolomites, in northeastern Italy you have Venice, Padua and Vicenza, and those are all right on the main train line. If I had only part of a day and was starting from Verona, I'd tend toward Vicenza due to its modest size and proximity. If I had a full day, I'd opt for Padua (which has more to see and is worth a couple of nights). Or you could go to Venice, but you'd be there at the same time as all the other day-trippers, and that's really not the way to see Venice.
What time of year is your trip? A major advantage of the Dolomites is that when you get up to altitude, it's usually very pleasant during the summer. In other places, even in northern Italy (and including the cities along the rail line like Bolzano), summer can be very hot. The mountains are a wonderful escape--which is sometimes needed very badly, because a lot of moderately priced hotels in northern Italy don't think they need air conditioning. This American says they are wrong.
Will be there in April. This is a work trip for my wife, and I'm tagging along. Can't change dates or locations. I'm looking for things to do while she's stuck working :)
Padova was on my short list for another day trip.
Already been to Venice.
It's possible you'll find Padua engaging enough for two day-trips.
Bolzano (on the way to the Dolomites) has a very pretty historic district as well as the museum housing the Iceman. Definitely worth a trip. Bressanone--farther north and smaller--is also attractive, as is the even smaller Chiusa-Klausen. All right on the rail line, so you don't have the extra time required for dealing with buses and mountain lifts.
People who've been to Ferrara (south of Padua) have nothing but good things to say about it. Train times vary, but there's an 8 AM departure that takes just under 1-1/2 hours, changing in Padua.
Cool, thanks. I've definitely heard of the Iceman.
Do you or anybody have any thoughts about Lago di Garda? On the map it looks close by and has some good potential.
Is it day trips from Verona (always sleeping in Verona) or planning to spend the night elsewhere (in which case is not a day trip)?
Lake Garda is doable without a car. You can take a train to Peschiera then proceed by bus or boat. Or you can take buses from Verona to Garda town and beyond all the way to Riva.
The cities, like Mantua, Vicenza and Padua are better without a car.
For the Dolomites I would definitely rent a car, just be aware that in April it can snow.
You could potentially go to Ortisei by train then bus from Bolzano, but not on a day trip. It’s too far. Make it an overnight trip.
Yes, always sleeping in Verona.
I've seen some ads for Monte Baldo. Is there anything relevant there to do in mid April? It looks like an amazing place. Or would Garda the town be a better trip? I can't do a lot of hiking, due to a knee issue, but I'd like to get up into that area.
