My niece and her fiance are planning to travel to the Dolomites for their honeymoon in late May/early June. They will be flying from DFW-I can't seem to find if its better to fly into Milan or Venice, assuming they are flying direct. What is the best route? They will have approx 8-9 days so would like to spend a few days in Dolomites hiking/exploring, and then maybe a couple days in whatever city they land in , bookending the trip that way. Also, I have read lots of praise in this forum for Ortesei /Val Gardena area so have passed that along to them-any insider tips for something special they can do while there other than just hiking? Thanks ya'll!
Posted by
TX, USA
5975 posts
Others may have more experience, but I found it to be about 6 of one and half dozen of the other. I arranged those exact flights for a friend summer 2024 (I was already there and just met her). What we eventually decided on was in and out of Venice - mainly because she had never been, wasn’t exactly dying to go, but thought it was a good opportunity to spend 2 nights there at the end of the trip.
Of course you could also look at into one and out of the other. Best of both worlds. Ha!
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
17535 posts
American Airlines flies non stop to Venice seasonally (but probably at the end of May that flight operates already). I don’t think they fly to Milan MXP at all from DFW, you would need to change planes in NYC or in some other AA hub in the northeast. Of course there are many options to Milan, not only AA, but they require a layover somewhere.
Personally, even if they flew non stop to Milan, between the two airports, I would prefer Venice. It’s closer to the Dolomites and since they will need to spend at least the last night closer to the airport, I would rather spend that time in Venice than Milan. Besides, spending a honeymoon in Venice is almost mandatory for every couple.
Cortina is only a couple of hours drive from Venice, and it’s easy freeway driving all the way to Longarone. After that the two lane highway through the Cadore Valley is good. I’ve done it at night, but stopped in Val di Cadore and resumed the drive in the morning. I’m sure they want to see Cortina on the way to their intended destination.
Posted by
Boise, ID, USA
2587 posts
They should be aware that the opening dates of mountain lifts vary each year. Mid June is safer to be sure all the lifts will be running, though some years they’re all open by May 31.
Posted by
Torrance, CA
107 posts
We've found Venice Marco Polo to be a nicer airport than Milan Malpensa. And a boat ride across the lagoon to and/or from Marco Polo is amazing. I agree with Roberto da Firenze: I'd pick that for a honeymoon hands down. IMHO.
Bolzano is worth a little time, and Ötzi the Iceman and the museum are fascinating. Hiking and eating pretty fill our time in the Dolomites! And remember, they speak German in that part of the world, in case your travelers are doing any language prep ahead of time.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
17535 posts
About 90% of the people in Val Gardena speak the Ladin language. The Valley is really a Ladin enclave where most Ladin speakers are concentrated.
Many workers in the hospitality industry in Ortisei are actually immigrants, mostly from Perù (the largest immigrant community) and from Romania. So many of the hotel workers will be from those two places. I have no idea why so many Peruvians live in Ortisei. I guess the mountains remind them of the Andes, or maybe it is the similarity between Ladin and Italian or Spanish.
About 25%-30% of the population in the entire province of Bolzano is Italian speaking, mostly concentrated in the city of Bolzano itself. 70% is German speaking.
Obviously pretty much everybody in the Province is multilingual but will speak Italian, never had a problem making myself understood in Italian there.
Posted by
Washington DC
30300 posts
The valley in which Bolzano (and Bressanone, Chiusa, etc.) is located can be surprisingly hot--very different from conditions up in the mountains. They should be sure any valley lodgings they stay in are well air-conditioned. I guess prior to climate change, that was not so necessary; there are some otherwise nice, 3-star places in Bolzano and Bressanone without a/c.
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
17535 posts
Bolzano is probably one of the hottest provincial capitals in Italy, despite being far north and surrounded by mountains. It has always been so, and it’s due to the city sitting in an orographic basin closed by mountains to the north and open to the south, a condition which captures and retains heat. Expect daily temperatures in the low 80s F in early June.
Posted by
110 posts
I would fly into Venice. Both are an easy train ride away from the mountains but Venice is a much better tourist destination unless your goal is just high end shopping. Milan is just mainly a big modern city. As an American I tend not to find those very interesting since we have them at home vs the ones with more charming / interesting old town areas in Europe.