We have a self-guided tour in the Dolomites scheduled to start 9/8. We plan to take the bus from Marco Polo Venice airport to Cortina to start this tour. We are looking for ideas for how to spend time for the two days prior to the tour. Ideally someplace enroute to Cortina. We were hoping to not rent a car but could do so...
We will be in Florence prior to this, leaving Florence 9/5 so have 2-3 days to fill.
Any ideas?
Posted by
San Francisco Bay Area (USA)
15185 posts
Frankly I recommend you rent a car for the Dolomites. That will give you a lot more flexibility and reach. Buses are not so frequent. If you have driven in curvy roads before, you can drive there. From the airport is freeway all the way to the Belluno exit, then it becomes a two lane highway before Longarone.
There are plenty of drives through the beautiful mountain passes there. Although early September is generally hot in Italy, however it gets chilly up there at those altitudes, especially in the evenings, so dress appropriately.
Posted by
Huntsville, AL, USA
8150 posts
One of my favorite drives is to go east of Cortina to the city of Lienz, Austria. Go north from there over the Grossglockner High Alpine Highway. It goes over the second highest peak in Western Europe.
The Grossglockner is simply the most beautiful place I've ever seen--especially the southern side of the Alps.