Bolzano and Dolomite area of Italy

Hi Betty,

We love the Dolomite region!

Hidden gems? Hmmm. While many or most suggest a stay in the Val Gardena, we prefer the Alta Badia. The Val Gardena and Alta Badia are connected by the Gardena Pass, such a stunning drive.

We stayed twice (with a rental car) in La Villa/Stern, Alta Badia at the Ciasa Montanara. We loved staying here. To us its central to everywhere in the region. Less than an hour to Cortina d’Ampezzo and the same to the Val Gardena. It’s also central to so many gorgeous Dolomite Passes… Gardena, Sella, Pordoi, Campolongo, Falzarego and Giau Passes. For bad weather days it’s also easy to reach Bolzano/Bozen or Brixen/Bressanone from Alta Badia.

The charming old town of Chiusa/Klausen is at the beginning (western end) of the Val Gardena.

For something less touristed, look into a few nights in the Vinschgau/Val Venosta. This beautiful valley runs from Meran/Merano west to the Swiss border. Many charming villages and small towns, including the small, medieval walled town of Glurns/Glorenza. We stayed in Mals/Malles at the Hotel Panorama. Again, loved it here. Oh, and just so many castles, our favorite being Churburg Castle/Castel Coira.

https://www.vinschgau.net/en/culture-art/architecture-art/castles-mansions.html

https://www.vinschgau.net/en/welcome.html

https://www.italythisway.com/places/glorenza.php

We crossed over to Switzerland to visit the well preserved and beautiful Convent St. John.

https://www.muestair.ch/

Hope this helps!

Paul

Betty, have you been to the area before? What do you like to do, i.e., are you hikers/walkers? What attracts you to the area?

Public transportation is great for many areas but some people like to have a car, but we’ve been going there annually for over a decade and never have a car.

The later in June you go (mid-June is good) the more that will be open.

Are you interested in hut-to-hut hiking? Check out Schlern-Rosengarten National Park just east of Bolzano. We did a fabulous round-trip circuit from Lavina Bianca (Weißlahnbad). We left our car that week at the trailhead's free parking lot in Lavina Bianca - super easy. Huts included ( in order) were Schlernhaus, Tierser Alpl, Antermoia, Grasleitenhutte. I can't recommend it enough. Because you have to hike up 4500 ft from Lavina Bianca to Schlernhaus, you're not hiking with masses of tourists. We saw one other party all day! Most people do the cable cars from the north side instead. Staying overnight at one of the mountain huts is a worthwhile experience!

https://www.schlernhaus.it/en
https://www.tierseralpl.com/index.php?lang=en
https://www.rifugioantermoia.com/?lang=en
https://www.grasleitenhuette.com/en.html

If you're not into the overnight but do want to hike to a hut for lunch, I recommend checking out Schlernhaus or Grasleitenhutte. They were our two favorites! There are easier routes up to Schlern than the steep hike we did.

We also stayed in Val Venosta several days and enjoyed that a ton. We stayed in Parcines which was fantastic and not very touristy AT ALL. Gorgeous little village on the hill with great hikes right from town. Some of the best pizza we had in our month there. We took the train up to Mals, rented bikes and rode the 50km back downhill on the (mostly) paved bike path to Merano where we returned the bikes. Great day!

Both of these adventures were done with 13&14 year old kids, so you can get an idea of how physically feasible they both were.

Enjoy!

The Dolomites don't really have too many hidden gems as it's very visited and full of visitors! I have been going to the area regularly for almost 40 years. We love the walk around the Drei Zinnen and any walks around or on the Seiser Alm, and to the surrounding huts. Even if you don't sleep in any of them, just walking up to one of them for lunch is amazing! I would recommend the Plattkofelhutte - it's not difficult to get to and it's spectacular. If you don't want an actual hike, the Rauchhutte - a fabulous restaurant on the Seiser Alm, is worth walking to. If you are looking for a place to stay, I HIGHLY recommend Uhrerhof Deur. It's in Borda, up above the town of Ortisei in the Val Gardena. It's one of the best places I've stayed in the alps. Take the gondola up from Ortisei to Seceda - there is not better view in all of the Dolomites.

Thanks all for mentioning the specific huts! We are going to be staying in Ortisei in the 2nd week of October, and since some huts close by then, I'm doing up a list of open ones. Good to know which ones are the favored stops.

Is it best to stay in Compatsch or stay in Castelrotto (Kastelruth) and drive or bus to Compatsch to get into the Alpe di Siusi hike area?

As mentioned, the Dolomites is very well known within Europe and there are very few, if any, secret locations left.

How long is your trip?
How familiar are you with hiking in the mountains on narrow, uneven dirt paths at a gradient? Most Americans aren't. You will need to purchase a pair of sturdy hiking boots and perhaps hiking poles.
Budget for lodging? This area is not cheap.