Dolomites Advice on Itinerary

Posted by Eileen K (Bend, Oregon) on 03/23/22 07:01 PM

Hello! My boyfriend and I are traveling to Italy for the month of October. We leave the U.S. 10/1, arrive on 10/2 in Milan, and plan to spend a couple of days up in the Lake Como region. We then want to see the Dolomites. We'll travel by train to Verona and rent a car to drive into the mountains. From what i've read so far, it seems a car is the best way to see things in the Dolomites.

I have zero familiarity with the region, so am looking for advice on itenerary, places to stay, etc. We plan to spend 5 days:

Day 1: train from Como to Verona, rent car, drive north into Dolomites
Days 2-4: Dolomites
Day 5: Drive south to Verona to drop off car

Can anyone suggest good places to stay and perhaps an itinerary? We would like to to some hiking (nothing extreme), and see some of the beauty of the region.

Thank you in advance!

Posted by phred

Los Angeles

03/23/22 07:08 PM

4947 posts

check out what Karl did. and of course Rick, and try Rudy Maxa as well.

https://www.karlwatson.net/the-dolomites

Posted by Suki

03/23/22 11:28 PM

11733 posts

We stayed in Salò on west coast of LakeGarda on our way to the Dolomites. We found Ortisei to be a good location with good access to many beautiful hikes. Breathtaking scenery! We recommend Hotel Grones, family owned and fun, a great experience. Excellent dining room too.
When we left the Dolomites, we spent a night on NE coast of Lake Garda in Malcesine.

Posted by Mary

Reno, NV, USA

03/23/22 11:55 PM

2569 posts

I hope you are planning more than one full day at Lake Como. Give it at least two full days. In the Dolomites, we stayed at the Hotel Zum Wolf in Castelrotto which was very nice. Others on this forum will recommend staying in Ortesei. I have no experience with that. It might be better. We drove the Stella Pass which is spectacular. Build in some time on the drive to stop and admire the views, have lunch at the summit. There are hikes in the Alpe de Suisi just outside Castelrotto which are not difficult and it’s a great hiking destination. My husband calls it very civilized hiking because you hike from one refugio to the next and stop for lunch or a drink. If you don’t already have the RS Italy book, I would recommend it as it has a lot of helpful info. This was one of our favorite trips.

Posted by Eileen K OP

Bend, Oregon

03/24/22 04:43 PM

18 posts

Thank you for the suggestions!

Mary, we do plan on two full days around Lake Como. We'll have the day of our arrival from Milan, two full days, then leave on the fourth day. That should allow us time to see the area a good bit.

I like the idea of staying in Castelrotto as it may be a bit less tourist packed than Ortisei. But then again, we're going to be there the second week of October, so the crowds will be lighter than summer. I'll check ahead to see what areas/sights are likely to be inaccessible that time of year, but I hope we will be able to see many of the high alpine spots still. We are from Oregon, and live in the mountains here, so we are well aware that that time of year can be beautiful summer-like in the days, or it could be snowing! Makes packing interesting. We may pack for the Dolomites part of the trip, then send a box back to ourselves at home to lighten the load a bit for the rest of the trip which will be spent in Tuscany/Umbria.

Again, thank you for the tips!
Eileen