Two retired couples plan to drive from Lake Bled area for a 4 night stay in Dolomites. Where is a great place to stay? Thanks!
Posted by
New York, NY
1580 posts
Rob - The best town to stay in the Dolomites is Ortisei. It's a wonderful town and is closed to many hiking trails.
Posted by
Maryland
851 posts
You have lots of choices in the Dolomites region. Cortina d"Ampezzo is a lovely town in the Veneto/Belluno eastern part of the Dolomites. From there you can go west through the Passo Falzereggio (past the old Austrian-Italian border posts and sites of nasty WW i battles in the snow) to the Alta Badia area (St Cassiano, Corvara, etc). From there you can drive across the Groden Pass to Santa Cristina and Ortisei. From there it is south to Castelrotto (which RS particularly likes). All of these areas have wonderful hiking opportunities and ski lifts/gondolas to take you up the hard parts. Check out Gillian Price's Trekking in the Dolomites books for ideas on where to go for hiking in the high country around the towns; and finally back to there main road at Bolzano. I am here now and I can recommend all of those places. The nicest get-away place we have stayed here (for not skiing) is Chalet Planvart in Badia - request the room with the terrace.
https://www.planvart.com/en-gb
If you want a memorable drive from Bled westward go through the Triglev National Park north of Bled and down through the Soca River Valley into Italy. It was known as the Isonzo Front during WWi. The road was built by Russian POWs to supply the Austrian Army on the west side of the mountains. The current town of Kobarid used to be known as Caporetto during the war and was the setting for "A Farewell to Arms." Nice lunch stop and an interesting small WW I museum.
I can provide more specific details if you are interested.
You will have a great time.
Posted by
georgetown, KY, USA
107 posts
My. Husband and I really enjoyed our stay in Ortisei. There are 3 lifts that give access to 3 different hiking areas right in the town. Other hiking areas in the Val Gardena can be accessed by using the bus. We stayed for 4 nights and never needed to use our car. Plenty of lodging and good restaurant choices. Plus it is a beautiful little village.