Dolomites visit advice

Q3) Is it a bit risky to be in Castelrotto and catch a train in Bolzano? From what I see in the book it's about a 50 minute bus ride to Bolzano, I'd need to pad that to not miss the train, and bus/train schedules may not line up that well so this may be a 2 hour hit compared to staying in Bolzano, and if there's a bus hiccup things get worse.

All I can say is that Suedtirol operates a unified combined train/bus network which rivals Switzerland.

I know Rick dearly loves Castelrotto, but I think Ortisei offers much more regarding lifts and stuff to do and the bus ride is not that much longer.

We stayed in Castelrotto a number of years ago. It is a small town but very quaint. The hikes that you want to do are accessed from the Castelrotto area. You will have to take a bus to the cable car to get up to the Alpe di Suisi. We had a car which made it easier. The hikes were not difficult and there will be other people hiking. It is so beautiful up there. We did the hike detailed in RS book. We took a chairlift up and hiked to one rifugio and had lunch. Then we continued the hike to another rifugio. We finally made our way to another chairlift to get back down to the Alpe di Suisi and then the cable car back down to the parking area. There was only one short section (about 50’) on that hike that was a little bit steep and sandy going downhill so I took my time going down that slope. Most people on this forum gravitate towards Ortesei because as Sam says there is more perhaps to do, more restaurants, etc. i don’t know as I haven’t been to Ortesei. I hope that someone who has done both will respond here and tell you which is better - Ortesei or Castelrotto. We would love to go back.

If you can, stay an extra night. There is a lot to see. Also, Alpine weather is fickle and you may not have all sunny/clear days. I was in South Tyrol for 10 days in 2021, but got about 6 days of sun.

The RS book unfortunately doesn't cover Ortisei. Are there guidebooks that do?

Yes, indeed. This is the guidebook you want for Ortesei and other villages innthenValmGardena, plus hikes, lifts, local buses—-it is all you need.

https://www.amazon.com/Walking-Italys-Val-Gardena-Dolomites/dp/B0BT6RHGKV/ref=asc_df_B0BT6RHGKV/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=647178177741&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7092700697282611422&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9033282&hvtargid=pla-2012011498767&psc=1&mcid=98bfc57310ae32a58feb943ce9aa27f6

I think that other guide books would include Ortisei. Rick includes places where he takes tours; his books are not comprehensive like a DK Eyewitness or Fodor’s guide. It is a scenic gem with good choices of restaurants and hotels.Good hiking. We stayed at family owned Hotel Grones, one of our favorite hotel experiences. Highly recommend this hotel! . We didn’t bother driving to Castelrotto as it didn’t seem to offer very much.

I agree with Suki that Rick's books are not comprehensive. I never rely solely on Rick's guidebooks. Thanks, Suki, for recommending Hotel Grones. Planning a trip for next year so I will check out this hotel.

Q1- yes, very safe. Take supplies, layers, good shoes, a phone. Guided hikes are possible through https://www.valgardena.it/en/summer-holidays-dolomites/val-gardena-active/.

Q2- As many days as you can allow. I'd say 4 nights is a minimum. 5 is better.

Q3- No. Don't book too tightly but transport is very dependable

Q4- Spend two nights in the Alpe di Siusi for your Panorama to Zallingerhutte hike and the Trail of the Witches. (We like AlpenHotel Panorama). Then transfer to Ortisei for three nights. (OR vice-versa.) If you transfer early in the day you can get a hike in at Rasciesa or Seceda even on the day you transfer. The next day you can go up the valley to Santa Cristina or Selva for hiking on a different area, like Col Raiser or Ciampinoi.

As noted, Rick's books are very good but not the only option. I always have a Fodors or Frommers with me along with my RS guide.

Also the Dolomites have become very popular with Youtube travel vloggers, do some Google and you'll have plenty to watch.

Thanks for the advice and book tip! I've ordered the book. I also like the idea about staying in two places and making the trip 5 nites instead of 3, I can take out of the trip a city I've already visited in Italy and add the nites to the Dolomites. I've started watching some of the many YouTube videos about the region, makes me more eager to visit.

We stayed in Ortesei last September for a full week to hike. The bus system is amazing. the hotel gave us a map and lots of info on hikes. We bought the gondola pass, since we were there to hike for several days, and that saved quite a bit of money considering the cost per day for round trip. We hiked out of several towns, based in Ortesei, but had a nice hike the arrival day just in the valley above the town. Not sure if all hotels offer the free bus pass, but since we were there for a full week, that was included.

Actually, even in Bolzano ( we went there by bus after Ortesei) our AirBnB also had a free bus pass for us, which included the gondola by the bus/train station. We used that to ride up to see the Earth Pyramids (gondola, then train, then hike)

We really enjoyed Bolzano, taking a couple of hikes around town and enjoying the restaurants as well. We go back in a heartbeat.

Question for Ellen: What would you say was your most scenic easier (lol) hike?

@OP - I don't think you'll regret your decision to stay longer in the Dolomites. My husband and I had made 13 trips to Italy before we first visited the Dolomites and really wished we had discovered that area sooner!