Dolomites

Marg,

Which towns were you thinking of visiting? I'm not sure what the weather will be like in that area in early April, but it's likely going to be on the "chilly" side.

Bolzano itself has a very pretty old town and quite a number of museums (for art as well as the museum with the ice man). Bressanone, also a valley city but smaller than Bolzano, is also pretty. Fewer sights, more for wandering around and looking at the pretty buildings.

You need to get up into the mountains, too. That involves buses. If you're not at all interested in doing some walking (and conditions might not be suitable in early April, anyway), you may not need to bother with chairlifts, etc., to go higher than the buses run. I enjoyed Ortisei (which has at least one small museum and some outdoor art worth checking out) as well as a bus ride to Santa Magdalena. Just about any bus into the mountains from Bolzano or Bressanone will go through pretty countryside.

Again, I'm not sure about the timing of this trip for the specific places you want to visit.

Our main aim is views, mountains just basic sightseeing etc in April. We like to walk around towns and get the 'feel of it'....I thought we would have to do buses but was hoping for trains! We have 5 days, we were going to stay in Venice and do a day trip from there to the Dolomites. We have been to Venice.....I am getting all researched out and that is saying something for me to say as I read everyday as we will be in Italy for 30 days.

Marg,
While April is not the optimum time to go to the area because it is between seasons (those being skiing and hiking season) it will still be beautiful. You can see a lot from the buses, and if you are early enough in April, some of the lifts might still be open (they close around the 9th or 10th, I believe), Here's what I would do.

• Stay in Bolzano as it is more of a city. I usually recommend Ortisei in the Val Gardena, but I think in April, Bolzano will give you more options.
• Take a trip up to the Renon Plateau from Bolzano, weather permitting. Lovely cable lift open all year as far as I know. At the top, you take a little train across the plateau. At the end of the line you can walk around the tiny town, maybe time it for lunch.
• Another day, ride the bus through the Val Gardena and over the pass at Sella. At the bus station or TI in Bolzano they can tell you which bus to take. You can either stop at the pass, get out and take a bus back down, stopping for lunch or coffee at the pass hotel/restaurant, of course. Fabulous views!
• Stop in Ortisei on your way back from Sella and enjoy strolling the town. Might even be worth an extra day, if you have time, just to enjoy this darling little village.

Alternatively, you could base in Ortisei and make the trip to the Sella Pass shorter, then day trip back to Bolzano for the museum and the Renon Plateau. Also, with a private driver or a rental car from Ortisei, you can go over the Sella Pass one way and circle around coming back via the Gardena Pass, seeing another valley and more views. If this interests you, I can recommend a driver.

I was just in Bolzano and spent 4 days in another town, Vigo di Fassa. Don't avoid the bus, they are frequent, wideranging, cheap, and the drivers are very helpful. We found that the lifts and many hotels close up in the off season, so just be aware. Bolzano is lovely as a base.

thank you everyone for all your input, it is very much appreciated, i think we will base ourselves in Bolzano and do day trips on the buses or even train back to Trento, which looks quite nice.

Best areas for views will be tough to reach other than by rental car in April and weather may not be good even for views. I am not sure you will find bus schedules that work well with your day trip plans in mind.
For great views go to the Val Gardena area and take one of the many lifts up (check to see which are operating in April of course)

You don't have to be a skier or hiker to benefit greatly from taking some of the cable cars/lifts up for views. At the viewpoints there is almost always a café to sit and admire the view with a drink or food plus level areas for easy walking.

great advice everyone - i am contemplating to take a day off Varenna (4days there) and add it to Bolzano