We will be arriving in the Dolomites without car for 4 days. Hope to do some easy hikes. Rick mentions lodging in Castelrotto in his books, but other travelers have mentioned Ortisei. Would one be more convenient? Any pros and cons with either? Does the train from Innsbruck drop you off in Ortisei and Castelrotto?
Also any recommendations on lodging in these towns?
Thanks. Diane
Posted by
Maryland
913 posts
Great trip!
I love the area.
The train stations are in Bressanone or Bolzano. The bus connections from Bolzano are better in my opinion, although I have gone from both. Buses take about an hour to get to either Ortisei or Castelrotto (different lines of course 350 vs 170).
Remember that each town has TWO names - Bolzano (Italian) vs Bozen (German); Bressanone (Italian) vs Brixen (German). Ortisei (Italian) vs St. Ulrich (German) Those are some of the fun things about the SudTirol....and the Lagrein Wine and great wild game in many restaurants.
https://www.valgardena.it/en/bus-schedule/
Ortisei is larger, and has a lift up to Alp Suisi, but Castlerotto has lifts too.
We used Gillian Price's Shorter Walks in the Dolomites duding our visit in 2018, and found it very useful. (Amazon.com of course). She also has book on longer hikes that I have not used.
I started staying in Val Gardena for skiing, but stayed in Badia on the east side of the for hiking in 2018.
Posted by
11653 posts
Castelrotto is off by itself where Ortisei is easier to get to and has more restaurants, hotels, quite charming.