re-thinking dolomites- should we visit Val Gardena and Cortina d' Ampezzo?

I don’t know what your entire itinerary is, but I would rent a car at the airport and keep it until you get to Milan. You don’t need a car for Milan, so return it as soon as you get there. Depending on what route you intend to take from the Dolomites to Varenna, you could also return the car in Verona or Bolzano. However if you plan to reach Varenna from Bormio or the Stelvio pass then you need to keep the car.

Our itinerary as it stands now is to arrive in Milan and take the train to Bolzano and then have a driver take us to our hotel in Val Gardena, for 6 nights, go back to Bolzano to get the train to Varenna for 4 nights, then train to Milan for two nights before flying home. Driving to Val Gardena after our overnight flight would not be a good idea, and we want to go to the Dolomites on the first leg of our trip.

Then rent a car in Bolzano, keep it for the duration of your stay at the Dolomites, and return it in Bolzano. The distance from Bolzano to the Dolomites is obviously short, but if you don’t feel up to driving at all after a long journey, you can stay the first night in Bolzano, maybe visit the Archeological Museum, then the next day you rent a car (most of the major companies are at or near the Bolzano airport).
Alternatively, you could take the train to Verona (that is where you need to change trains coming from Milan to go to Bolzano), visit Verona in the afternoon, rent a car in Verona the next day, and head to the Dolomites. Return the car in Verona when you are done, and then take the train to Varenna (via Milan). If you have never seen Verona, maybe one afternoon after a long flight may not do Verona justice and you may want to spend an extra night, but it is up to you. Personally, unless you are an alpine climber or an avid mountain hiker, I think 6 nights on the Dolomites are 2 too many for me.

Thank you Roberto, you've given is some good information. We are not alpine climbers but we do like to hike and though there is plenty of hiking in the Val Gardena area, would we be remiss not to visit Cortina, if not for the hiking then for the different culture?

We spent a full week in Ortesei last September to hike. Our hotel gave us a free bus pass and we bought the gondola pass first day. If you are looking to hike, there is so much to do, using the bus pass we got to different towns and found the trail we wanted to hike, then back on the bus to our hotel. You might check with your hotel to see if they offer the bus pass. You don't need a car to get around unless you are into driving. Parking we noticed was at a premium - too many cars for the parking areas.

We also took the bus from Ortesei to Bolzano, one hour, easy. If you are a larger party of more than 2 people, why drive when public transport is so good?

Thank you for this response, Ellen. Our hotel does provide the bus pass, and overall we do like using public transportation on our trips to Europe when it's convenient, and you make a good point about the parking. Hiking is the main focus of this trip, though we are not extreme, we usually like hikes that last for 3-5 hours on moderate trails, with a strenuous segment or two. Is Cortina worth the effort it might take to get there? Not that it would necessarily be difficult- we could rent a car for a day trip or an overnight.

Can you change your flights to Verona? We are flying into Verona and heading to Val Gardena for 3 days in September. We aren’t sure yet if we will stay in Verona for a night then rent the car the next day from there. Or train to Bolzano /Trentino and stay there on our first night before picking up a rental car there.

We don’t NEED a car but we want one as we are then heading to Lake Garda and a few side trips before dropping the car to train to Bologna where we are flying home from. Also we don’t know what could happen with the train strikes.

We aren’t avid hikers but do run 4-5 miles a few times a week and do high intensity workouts so we will see how things work out. The weather may not be on our side so we picked a lovely place to stay with a spa, indoor outdoor pool and gourmet restaurant. We can’t change the rest of our plans and our total trip is only 12 days. Need to have a backup if it rains buckets the entire time but at least we will have nice accommodations to veg out and relax. We only plan to visit Val Gardena but I tell myself someday we will be back to visit more.

I keep over thinking our trip too, but it’ll all work out.

We hiked every day for a week in Val Gardena, taking the bus further afield when we wanted to. For us there was no need for a car. A couple mornings we jogged first, then breakfast, a sauna, then lunch, then took lifts for shorter afternoon hikes. Other days we hiked all day. The area is well developed for tourists and you don't need a car. If you want one, great, but there's no real need.

We can train to from Milan to Verona and pick up a car there at the train station, Enterprise seems to be the only one there open on Sunday. We were just checking availability and prices and when you add on the extras it's almost $1000.00.

Thanks Elena, we would like to try to get by without one, but maybe rent one for a day trip to Cortina.

Sunday rental is problematic!!
Is that Enterprise at the Verona airport or at train station?

Have you checked AutoEurope.com — a broker with great customer service and rates
I am pretty sure there is a Europcar and Hertz near the station but likely neither is open on Sunday

I was looking at Rome2rio and there appears to be a bus from Venice airport to Cortina- that might be a possibility if timing works out.
Fly in to Venice, bus to Cortina then use private driver to get to Val Gardena. Public transportation from there.

I’m not familiar with Dolomites area so not much help.! But if you decide to change flights to in/ out of Venice there are many itinerary possibilities . You will want to end in Venice.
What time would those flights arrive and depart?

Cortina Express provides service from Venice (Marco Polo Airport or Piazzale Roma) to Cortina several times a day.

https://www.cortinaexpress.it/en/

Their website says they serve Alta Badia, just over Gardena Pass (or kind of) from Val Gardena, with good bus connections to the towns such as Ortesei. I thought this looked like a possible option with a short stay in Colfosco in Val Badia, as there is a terrific hike right from town. But it appears the Cortina Express service to Alta Badia is a winter thing, for skiers.

I recently tried to find good connections from Cortina to Val Gardena by public transit for a friend, and it turned out to be a case of “you can’t get there from here”. Or you can, but it involves transfers along the way and takes 4 hours. A private driver would be much faster, but expensive.

But honestly, I do not understand the attractions of Cortina for most people. It is a pretty town, but also an expensive resort town. Good for skiing, but hiking? We visited the Dolomites to hike 4 times before we ever even saw Cortina, and that was with a guided hiking small group. We did not stop or stay in Cortina; we just passed through on our way between Dobbiaco and Colfosco. People use it as a base for hiking the Tre Cime but you need a car or bus to get to the trailhead (bus actually works better as parking is limited and there is a fee to drive the road). The Tre Cime themselves, for me, do not compare in beauty to other peaks in the Dolomites, or to the famed Torres del Paine in Patagonia. Yet they are apparently Instagram hits, as the trails are very crowded these days.

Thank you everyone. We have decided to stay with our original plan of spending all our time in the Dolomites in Val Gardena. We will train to Bolzano from Milan and have a driver take us the rest of the way. 6 nights in the Dolomites, 4 in Lake Como and 2 in Milan. Maybe for our next trip we will fly into Venice and visit Cortina from there. We have decided for now not to rent a car, if we decide we want or need one we'll do a rental when we get there for a day or two. Now that this is settled I can start getting excited about our trip.

You have made a good choice. You will have plenty to see and do around Val Gardena and Alpe di Siusi, my personal favorite place.

The Sud Tirol bus service from Bolzano to Ortesei is very good, but if you prefer a private driver I can recommend one if you do not already have someone in mind.

Thank you. We do have a driver booked to take us from Bolzano to Val Gardena. We would take the bus but as it will be a Sunday and travel day we thought we should hire a driver so as to avoid any potential stress. We have contacted Ivan, who was recommended on this board, but please pass on the name of your contact just in case. Thanks again everyone.

Kcdav, you made a wise choice for an enjoyable first stay in this magnificent area. Taxi Ivan will take good care of you!

The name of the driver I would recommend is the one you have chosen, so you are all set.

We just got back from Ortesei and the bus from Bolzano to Ortesei is an easy 50 minute drive and would save you a lot of money. They leave every hour and the bus station is a 5 minute walk down the road from the Bolzano train station. 2 restaurants I would recommend in Ortesei - Maurice Keller (closed Mon/Tues) and Turonda for their 4 type Pizza sampler - HIGHLY recommend their Carbonara Pizza!!
Enjoy! Oretsei is GORGEOUS. Please be aware that if you decide to take the bus to Santa Christina and walk to take the gondola to Col Reiser - it is a good 30 minute hike UP hill from where the bus lets you off. Gondola to Col Reiser and Alpe di Suisi are both 30-31E each person. Enjoy the incredible beauty! We went to 10 + cities in Italy and Oresei and Bologna were our favorites!!

Thank you Syeo,

What day of the week and what time of the day did you take the bus to Ortisea? We will be arriving on a Sunday afternoon on Sept 29th at approximately 4-5 pm. My concern is that the buses will not be running that late on a Sunday. According to the hotel we're staying in, the bus schedule for then isn't out yet.

Kcdav, the #350 runs Sunday at 17:28, 18:28, and 19:28. Here is the bus journey planning site https://www.suedtirolmobil.info/en/.

You’ll want the app on your phone https://www.suedtirolmobil.info/en/contact-us/suedtirolmobil-app#:~:text=With%20the%20s%C3%BCdtirolmobil%20app%2C%20you,check%20in%20on%20your%20smartphone.

Sorry, meant to add there are also Sunday buses at 16:28 and 16:58. You would start from Bolzano Autostazione and travel to Ortisei Piazza San Antonio.

Taxi is a nice treat after a day of travel, though, and door-to-door.