WE will be staying near Venice in Mestere in late May. I want to know if it is possible to do a day trip to Bolzano or Merano or Cortina or should we take two or three days from our itinerary and go to each one for a day? Can we do this by train or do we need to rent a car?
Posted by
Washington DC
28477 posts
Personally, I'd consider Bolzano at the outer limits of a viable day-trip, and only if you were planning to travel by car or could get the 7:50 AM train. Rome2Rio estimates the driving time at about 2:30; ViaMichelin, at about 2:45. The train time from TrenItalia ranges from 2:41 (for the 7:50 departure) to about 3:30. And Bolzano's a fair-sized city with both a very pretty historic district and a number of museums, including the one housing the Iceman. It's not the sort of place I'd want to pop into for just an hour.
Merano is in the valley and only slightly farther than Bolzano by car but at least an hour farther by train. Not a day-trip from Venezia-Mestre, I'd say. But visitable from Bolzano and vice versa with about a 45-minute train ride.
I was surprised to find that Cortina can also be reached in a bit less than 2:30 by car and (this not confirmed) by bus, the route going basically north through Treviso rather than through Bolzano. But the Dolomites really aren't the sort of place I'd want to go for a day. I'd pick a spot for at least three nights and make side-trips; with a car, changing hotels would be possible.
If you specifically want to go to Bolzano and Merano, there are mountain towns considerably closer to them than Cortina. The consensus is that you really should stay in one of the mountain towns rather than down in the valley, though Bolzano and Bressanone are nice cities. (I haven't been to Merano.)
Others here are much more knowledgeable than I am about the Dolomites, but last year I visited the area for about a week, taking a train to Bressanone and Bolzano, then switching to buses. As you might expect, the scenery is lovely. I didn't try to go all the way to Cortina, but I think it is possible by bus. It would be great to have a car so you weren't tied to a bus schedule. You could work out a really nice loop drive, I'm sure.
Edited to add: Research the possibility of hot late-May weather in Bolzano and Merano if you think you might stay there. I'm guessing it should be OK in late May, but it was most definitely not OK in mid-summer 2015 without air conditioning, and there are some quite nice hotels in the valley that see no need to have a/c. Be sure of what you might need and what you are reserving! It's a good bit cooler up in the mountains, and I can't imagine you would need air conditioning there.
Posted by
Long Beach, California, USA
3398 posts
Bolzano is not really up in the mountains if you are wanting to see the Dolomites. You can see the Rosengarten in the distance but that's about it.
I would suggest going up to the Val Gardena and staying for a few nights. This is the most beautiful part of the Dolomites and has the most breathtaking scenery - take gondolas up onto the alps and mountaintops to see the views...wow! It is central to the dramatic views that most people go to this area to see - you won't be disappointed!
Cortina has some nice views as well but it is a ski resort town that is a bit of a scene...the town is a bit tired and run down too in my opinion.
I would highly recommend renting a car - I have used both rental cars and public transportation in the area over numerous trips and can say that a car will get you around much better than the buses and trains.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
16236 posts
Definitely go to the Dolomites for at least a couple of nights (3 or 4 even better), and rent a car. I also recommend the Val Gardena. You can do a nice drive from a Mestre to Cortina, and all the way to Ortisei. Then you can descend to Bolzano and visit Merano.
Posted by
Forest Grove, OR
11851 posts
We have gone to the Val Gardena every summer for 5 summers now and never get a car. If you want help with public transportation options, hiking, etc., please PM me.
Posted by
NYC area
3018 posts
Hi Caryn,
None of your suggestion, but Cortina, are in the Dolomites. Stay a couple of nights in the Val Gardena, which is about 40 minutes from Bolzano. During late May this valley will have a few cable cars running up to the spectacular Dolomites. You can get there by car or train/bus via Bolzano. A car is not needed, but if you like scenic, alpine drives, it would allow you to drive many of the amazing Dolomite Passes, as there are many within 1:30 of the Val Gardena, including our favorite, the Gardena Pass, starting at the end of the valley.
Paul