I will be spending a few days in Dobbiaco next September, but have never been that far North in Italy. I would like to get some ideas as to the best way to get there. I thought of flying into Milan, Venice, or Innsbruck Austria, with Venice and Innsbruck being somewhat more expensive to fly into from the U.S. I am not certain if there is train service to this remote location, so I am thinking a car is in order.
If you fly into Innsbruck, you could take the HOURLY train to Fortezza (82 minutes on the Munich/Verona line, with a short train connection at Brennero), then transfer to the frequent train to Dobbiaco (75 minutes). Total travel time Innsbruck/Dobbiaco is 2 hours, 43 minutes (including the two connections). On the Austrian Rail website, you'll see that there are EC trains from Innsbruck to Fortezza every two hours which avoid the connection at Brennero. You save a total of five minutes. That means that Innsbruck/Dobbiaco requires only one connection at Fortezza. Skipping the connection at Brennero saves five minutes. To save time, you might even arrange for a shuttle service from the Innsbruck airport to Fortezza.
There is hourly Trenitalia train service from Bolzano to Dobbiaco (with a change in Fortezza). Travel time is two hours. One-way fare is 12.50 Euros. www.ferroviedellostato.it www.sii.bz.it www.bolzano-bozen.it
Wow, that's a really slow train! Might be faster and more fun by car, huh?
Hi Scott, Are you visiting anyplace else before or after Dobbiaco? Do you have a day or two between when you fly to Europe and need to arrive in Dobbiaco? If you plan on driving, the driving time from Munich is about the same or less than from Milan. Flights may be cheaper to Munich and a car retnal from Munich (Germany in general) would be cheaper. The drive from Munich to Dobbiaco covers some spectacular drives in the Alps and the Italian Dolomites. Paul
I'm wanting to start my trip in Dobbiaco and want to arrive as close as possible to reduce the drive. I'm visiting an Italian couple that I know who spend their summers there. I really don't want to take a lot of time getting there, especially if it involves driving on winding, twisty roads. After Dobbiaco, I will meet family in Rome where we will then go to the Amalfi area and spend a few days, then on to Tuscany for a few days, and then on to France.
Hi Scott, I misunderstood what you meant by "faster and more fun by car". Flying to Innsbruck would be closer than Milan, but obviously more expensive. I'd have to go with what "GAC" responded with. Paul