Dolomites - 3 days/2 nights

Not enough time, IMO. If you are coming from outside of Europe you will be jet lagged and unlikely to arrive in any Dolomites town close to hiking by noon. I certainly would not recommend driving after an overnight flight. If you are already in Europe it is slightly better, of course, so LMK!

You can get to Bolzano in 2.5 to 4.5 hours by train from Venice. That is sort of a kicking off point for the mountains as it is in the valley. You can go further by bus to Castelrotto or one of the Val Gardena towns for a better mountain experience. You will be lucky to check in by mid afternoon, I think, so maybe a short hike as days are long in August although afternoon thunderstorms are the norm.

With only one full day allocated, what if it is raining that day? Would you still hike?

You can go back to Bolzano to catch a high speed train.

Thanks for the coaching.

Well... gives me thoughts. We are flying in from the states and trying to mitigate travel time where possible :)

If we considered Castelrotto or one of the Val Gardena towns. Where would you fly into as we are coming from Atlanta? Looks like Innsbruck is closest airport but I am not finding any good ways to get there from Atlanta

From your note...thinking we adjust and stay 3 nights and then take hi speed train from Bolzono to Florence

Ya, that is only actually a day for hiking. And after a transcontinental flight, a rough day at that.

Cortina would be a good option from Venice. And then back down to Florence.

Verona might be an option. United has flights from ATL via Frankfurt in 11 hours, getting there by 9:30 am. Cost is a little more than Venice. Take a bus from Verona sirport to Porta Nuova station and head north to Bolzano and then a bus to the Dolomites.

By the time you get there, you probably will not be ready for any hiking that day. Ditto for Day 3, but maybe you can get in a short one in the morning before busing to Bolzano and then a train to Florence. Looks like there are direct trains to Florence Campo di Marte station at just after 1, 3, and 5 pm taking 3 hours and 10 minutes.

3 nights helps!

Can you fly into Milan from ATL? Most US flights land very early in Milan in my experience. Then train to Bolzano by way of Verona. If you are on a train out of Milano Centrale by 12:05, you will be in Bolzano by 15:14 then on to your destination arriving by 17:00, I should think.

Thanks to all. There are 6 adults traveling and we are looking for best transportation for ease of travelers :). So open to train, private car or renting a car

Train is easiest. Nothing to think about once you are onboard. Just relax and nap,read, eat, visit. Once in Bolzano, I can recommend a driver that will pick you up and take you to the Val Gardena if that's where you are headed. For 6 people a private transfer will cost no more than the bus and be MUCH easier.

Yes - pls send driver recommendation and train line you used :)
- do we need train reservations?
- if so, how much time should we allow for getting baggage once we land and transfer to train station

Have you decided where you are fly into?
For train tickets, Trenitalia is the national railway.
https://www.trenitalia.com/en.html
It only recognizes Italian city names. Firenze is Florence.

If you take a regional train to Bolzano, they are always the same price and there are no reservations and they never sell out. Stand if there are no seats until one opens up. Freccia, EC and IC trains need reservations, but they are included when you buy a ticket. It is not too expensive to just buy tickets when you get to the first train station since you do not know if you plane will land on time. Only a freaky set of circumstances would sell out an entire train. and even then, you just wait for the next one.

From Atlanta...looks like Venice will be our best option

Then just buy tickets when you get to Venezia Mestre station. For the train to Florence, buy now for a discounted fare.

PS, schedule will not show regional trains for August yet and they probably not show up until June 1. For planning purposes, just look at the same day of the week in the near future. Schedules don't change much, if at all.

Thanks for all your help

Definitely take a fast train, a freccia from Venezia to Verona. Much nice ride than a regionale and you are guaranteed a seat! From Verona, get a freccia if you can, otherwise a regionale veloce for a faster trip than on a regionale. These are all available on Trenitalia. We recommend buying your tickets on arrival in Venice rather than in advance because if your flight is late or you are delayed going through passport control, your advanced purchase ticket will be unusable. If time if of the essence, take a taxi from Marco Polo Airport to the Mestre station.

We always have Taxi Ivan pick us up in Bolzano to take us to the Val Gardena. Or your hotel may be able to arrange a transfer.

Pls confirm Train Exchange:

• Venezia Mestre to Verona Porta Nuova [58 min/FAST Train] then
  • Verona Porta Nuova to Bolzano Bozen [est. 2 hours/regional train]