Dolomites in July with kids

The Seiser Alm/Alpe di Siusi is nice with easy hiking. Seis am Schlern has many options to stay. Just FYI we have stayed in Podgora, Croatia a few times. The beaches are rocky, so I recommend swimming shoes.

This is very much high season, so try to get your lodging set ASAP. Ortisei, Selva or Santa Cristina make great bases. There are many many easy hikes in the area.

From Ortisei, you can access three areas by cable way or funicular:

• Rasciesa with a 90 minute easy round trip hike along the ridge to a chapel with a mountain restaurant (rifugio) along the way
• Seceda, with fantastic views and some good hikes if you don't mind downhill. (We don't do big downhills anymore at our ages given hips and knees, but ask locally for advice)
• Mont Sëuc, on the Alpe di Siusi with a terrific roundtrip to the rifugio at Sanon or the possibility of walking to Compatsch and returning via cable way and bus from there

From Santa Cristina

• Take the cable way up to Col Raiser, the other end of the Seceda Mastel from Seceda mentioned above. Easy and scenic walks to the Ferneda rifugio (great lunch stop) and Rifugio Firenze.
• Chairlift to Monte Pana where there are a number of child-centered activities

From Selva
- Cable way to Ciampinoi for the stunning hike to Rifugio Emilio Comici and then on to Passo Sella where you can take the bus back

There are many many more options. You can do any and all from one base or the other as your lodging will supply you with a pass for the bus through the valley so no need to struggle with a car and parking as parking near the cable ways is minimal if there is any at all.

The trip to southern Italy, depending on where, will be pretty long. You may need a stop off somewhere along the way... Let us know your exact plans and we can help.

We stayed in Ortisei last fall and found it to be an ideal location, taking the train to Bolzano and then the bus up to town. Because of the uncertainty in airport arrival time my advice would be to start in a major city with an airport for a day or two, then take a morning train to Bolzano and the bus up to where you are staying.

A month or so before your trip take a look at https://www.valgardena-active.com/en which has a list of guided hikes, including ones for families, as well as cultural events. The website has a "summer" tab at the top but it doesn't appear to be populated yet. The activities are free if you're staying at a participating area hotel, which many of them are.