Dolomites

We love the little town of Ortisei. Just returned from our third trip there! Hotel Garni Walter is about €50 per person per night with a fabulous breakfast. Short hike up the hill from the bus piazza.

Plot a course to Bolzano in the train, then take a bus to Ortisei. You can catch the #170 right outside the train station in Bolzano (pay on board). We do not have a car and find one superfluous there.

Why we like Ortisei:

• It's well-situated in the valley. You can easily get to the two sides to hike via cable-car/funicular/gondola lift

• Good restaurants and very cute town (try Erika, and Mauriz Keller as a start)

• Easy to get to Selva or Santa Cristina for other hiking options

One day you can take a gondola lift to the Alpe di Siusi and hike to Saltria and around that end of the Alpe. Another day take the funicular at Raciesa and hike that side of the valley. We have even taken the long lift (2 parts) at Seceda and hiked across the meadows to Col Raiser where we took another lift down. LOTS of options. Be sure to get a Val Gardena pass so your lifts and buses are included. Much info here.

Hi,

I agree with the above, except any of the 3 towns/villages in the Val Gardena makes for a good base, as they're just a few minutes from one another with St. Christina being the smallest and in the middle of the 3. We stayed at the Garni Ariston in St. Christina, which is a very short walk to the bus stop.

www.garniariston.com

Check here for lift and cable car opening times and closing dates:

http://www.valgardena.it/en/hiking-biking/walking-trekking/lifts/

Paul

I like St. Ulrich.

Note that the towns in Val Gardena have three names, in German, Italian, and Ladin. St. Ulrich ( Sankt Ulrich) = Ortesei. In Ladin it is Ortijëi.

We stayed in Santa Cristina last September and loved it. But You cannot go wrong with any of the towns, and if you want more of a town feeling with lots of shops and restaurants, then Ortesei should fit well. There is a bike/walking path that connects the town, and lifts go up from most of them. The Alpe di Siusi is to the south, the Puez/Odle group to the north. Both offer great hiking, and one can also mountain bike up on the Alpe. We were there in late September and the lift from Santa Cristina up to Alpe di Siusi had closed, so we rented bikes and rode down to Ortesei for the lift one day. The lift on the other side was running and was an easy walk up from our hotel. We hiked to the top and around the meadows, had lunch at a hut, and took the lift back down. It was a glorious day with perfect weather.

For train schedules to Bolzano, see How to Look Up Train Schedules Online or www.trenitalia.com.

I stayed in Ortisei two years ago and loved it as I was traveling alone. This year my husband and I are returning but staying on the Alpe di Siusi, Compatsch a bit more difficult to get into towns/villages but right on many hiking paths.

A previous poster mentioned the #170 bus from Bolzano, it is easy, cheap, and runs frequently. This is the url to access the timetables: http://www.sii.bz.it/en. Be aware older students use this bus to get to their classes in Bolzano from the towns of Val Gardena, thus the early morning and mid to late afternoons may have many active teenagers on them. I was able to get a seat when I did use the bus during those peak use times without difficulty.

When we return this fall we will purchase the Mobilcard for access to the buses and lifts throughout the region. The tickets can be purchased in Bolzano, therefore used for your bus ride to the town you select to stay in. The url is http://www.mobilcard.info/en/ticket-sales.asp.

Go prepared for mountain weather. Many poster reports and even the mountain guides have posted comments on weather in Italy this summer. In general cooler and wetter than normal, the meteo report while in Italian maybe helpful to you as you prepare for your time in the Dolomites. When I was there previously, last week of September and first week of October the weather was like fall in the mountains. Some days there was brilliant sunshine, some mornings had heavy frost on the ground, another morning I awoke to a touch of fast melting snow, and of course rain (poggia). I only abandoned my trekking one day due to weather. This url is specifically for Ortisei will help keep you current on mother nature's whims. http://www.3bmeteo.com/meteo/ortisei.

Unfortunately, I have no specific recommendations for accommodations or restaurants. The choices are numerous, a few outstanding for service, price, and ambiance. However, I do recommend if this is a first trip to the Dolomites you base yourself in one of the villages of Val Gardena.

Have a fabulous time!