We are looking to go do some hiking for about 4-5 days in the Dolomites. Without a car preferably.
If there is a tour guide that could take us, or send us in the right direction? Happy to stay in one area/town for the duration. Anyone have a suggestion? Wanted to do the Rick Steves tour, but sold out for the times we wanted to go!
Posted by
11130 posts
Our hotel front desk in Ortisei, Hotel Grones, planned our hikes, gave detailed directions to us and off we went on our own every day, a wonderful experience in beautiful locations!
Posted by
Seattle, WA
16178 posts
Many hotels in the Dolomites ( at least in Val Gardena and Alta Badia where we have stayed) have a program of daily activities, including hikes, for guests. Look for this benefit in you hotel search.
The local TI ( Tourist Information office) will likely have more suggestions for guided group hikes.
Or, if it is a tour you prefer, I highly recommend this company. We did their 10-day guided hiking tour in September and it was excellent. Fantastic actually. Nice hotels, good food, and most importantly, great guides. They offer two hikes a day, at two levels of difficulty, and you choose between them each morning.
They do offer a 7-day version if your time is limited.
https://www.mountainhikingholidays.com/dolomites-hiking-tour-in-italy/
Posted by
Oregon
228 posts
In 2016 we wanted to stay in Alpe de Suisi to save on daily travel time. We chose Hotel Schmug in Compatsch. https://www.seiseralm.it/en/search-book/all-accommodations/hotels/hotel-seiser-alm.html?region=1002#ltscompanieswidget The hotel was half board, so breakfast and dinner were included. The best Italian/German meals I've ever had (maybe any meal would have tasted great after a day of hiking). It was run by sisters who were skiing champions. We took the Seiser Alm gondola to get there. We were in our 60's then.
Compatsch is in the alpine meadow nearest the center of many lifts. It had a small grocery store and TI. There's a free shuttle bus in the Alpe de Suisi to get you from one end to the other. Hiking throughout the Alps are chalets which serve food and beer for rests, lunches, or a dry place during frequent showers.
There are also Refugios in the Alps where you can book an over night stay along the trails. These are difficult to book.
Posted by
Bend, Oregon
2303 posts
We’re planning a trip to the Dolomites and we’ve been watching a ton of videos on YouTube to get an idea which hikes appeal to us. The biggest challenge for me is one of our group is not comfortable on chair lifts, so I have to look for gondolas instead.
We will be staying in Santa Cristina. From there, we can take a gondola to Col Raiser, hike/walk a bit, snack at a rifugio, then ride back down. If you plan to do similar hikes/walks, the big thing to know is when the last ride down is. In summer, it seems to be 5-6 pm.
Ortesei is a good location for access to both the Seceda gondola and the Seiser Alm gondola. A map of the area will show you where these go. You can buy a multi day pass that gives you access to all the gondolas/chair lifts so you just go wherever you want. There is a bus that connects the villages in the valley, and you will get a free pass for the busses from your hotel. You can take a gondola up from Ortesei, hike along the Seceda ridge, then hike or gondola down to Santa Cristina and bus back to Ortesei.
The Val Gardena tourism site is a wealth of info.
https://www.valgardena.it/en/
https://www.valgardena.it/dl/stchristina/pdf/Gardena_Card_2022_web.pdf