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Dolomites Car Rental or Train/Bus

Posted by (Northern California) on

Vacation Plans 9/5/2023 (Fly into Geneva) - 10/3/2023 (Fly out of Vienna) - Visit Switzerland, Dolomites, Austria (Alps primarily).
Mid-September 2023 we want to visit the Dolomites. We will have been on trains in Switzerland, ending up in Tirano (after the Bernina Express). I'm considering getting a train to Milan (stay one night), then rent a car there and drive and visit the Dolomites. We are trying to decide if we should stick with trains across Italy / the Dolomites, or rent a car to visit the Dolomites.
We don't want to go back to Milan to drop off the car as we fly out of Vienna.
Another option is a car rental in Bolzano to explore the Dolomites; drive and stay in diff towns, then return the car to Bolzano. We don't plan on doing any long hikes; rather we like to explore town to town.

Should we rely on public transportation? Or is a car rental better?

Posted by
16133 posts

That is up to you. If you stay in Ortisei, it is well served by buses that can take you to various hiking sites in the Val Gardena (Gardena Valley). Obviously a car would give you more flexibility to explore farther locations.
You can also pick up the car in Milan and return it in Bolzano. One way returns in Italy often don't entail extra fees or, at most, they are very small.
Just make sure you pick up and drop off in the same country, otherwise the one way drop off fees are huge.

Posted by
98 posts

Yes. It did seem like the option of a car rental in Milan or Bolzan seems feasible.
We have always rented a car for Europe vacations so the train travel is a novelty for us. But from what I read it is very reliable and easy to maneuver.
Thanks for your quick response.

Posted by
16133 posts

Trains are great especially to move from city to city. But to visit more rural environments, like the Dolomites mountains, or to visit small villages I prefer to have a car (the only exception is the Cinque Terre villages, which are best visited by trains).

If you want to minimize driving, especially in big cities like Milan, you might consider taking the train to Bolzano, or even Verona. Verona has all major rental car offices near the train station (the main station is called VERONA PORTA NUOVA). I think Bolzano has rental car offices only at the airport, so you might need a taxi from the station to there.

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