Planning a 12 day Italy trip in late July/early August. We'd like spend 2/3 nights in the Dolomites to do some solid day hikes. We're both very experienced hikers, but won't have any gear to do anything beyond day hikes -- trying to travel light for the rest of our trip, hence the day hikes. We'll have a car as well.
Looking for recs on:
The Dolomites are vast, so it’s a bit difficult to provide recommendations that will truly match your interests without knowing more about the types of hikes you’d like to do and the sights you want to see. That said, I’d suggest basing yourself in either Val Pusteria or Val Gardena.
In Val Pusteria, consider staying near Toblach, San Candido, or Sexten. From there, you can hike iconic destinations such as Tre Cime di Lavaredo, and explore alpine lakes like Lago di Dobbiacco and Lago di Landro. If you're looking for a more laid-back hike, visit Val Fiscalina. It's a gorgeous valley that leads into the Sexten Dolomites. You can even hike through it to Tre Cime.
In Val Gardena, look into staying near Ortisei, S. Cristina, Selva, or Lajen. From these towns, you can access spectacular hikes such as Seceda, Alpe di Siusi, and Sassolungo. The Sassolungo circuit is a challenging hike you might enjoy.
Since you're visiting during the peak season, and if you’d like to avoid crowds, consider staying in the heart of Alta Badia. It's more of a hidden gem imo. La Val is a secluded mountain village that offers numerous hikes right outside your door. We loved our time there! This article will give you a good sense of the area: https://throneandvine.com/la-val-alta-badia/. Happy planning!
Consider staying at Casa al Sole in Ortisei. Google it and read the reviews on TripAdvisor!
The couple who own the place are amazing! They will sit down and help you plan all the hikes.
If you are talking about summer 2025, then you need to book your hotels ASAP. There are no massive hotels in that region and the best options have been booked months in advance. I highly recommend the Tre Cime loop hike. It's stunning!!
We are planning Dolomites hikes/walks for 2026. And trying to visit different sites with just 2-3 hours of driving time between stops. For the Tre Cime area, we'll stay in Sesto or Dobbiaco and do day hikes from there. Plenty of options for staying, eating and access to ski lifts so we can start our hikes at a decent elevation. For Seiser Arm, we'll stay in Ortisei. The area offers a pedestrian central district with lodging and restaurants. And also an escalator from the center of town to the cable car lift. Our rental car stays parked at the hotel and we won't be so anxious about not getting a parking space partway up the mountain. If you have time, I recommend Day Walks in the Dolomites by Gillian Price. The trails/hikes are ranked 1-3 for difficulty and the trail insights are good. We are long-time hikers, too, but have hit the age where we may need to choose a day's hike based on how our knees and hips are doing.
Picking a place with easy access to ski lifts might help you do the trails that interest you.
Some regional cable car/gondola references are https://www.seceda.it/en/summer and https://assets-eu-01.kc-usercontent.com/35feaa56-a701-013e-eaec-7624d40e92a9/c397a910-2cce-4b15-8652-88e30b19df14/Np_6_drei_zinnen_Flyer.pdf
We stayed in Ortesi last September for one week. Our hotel was Hotel Hartman, adults only. Breakfast included. We got a free bus pass from them for the entire stay and took the bus to different locations to hike each morning. We noticed that car parks filled up quickly in September, even cars parked for miles along the road. The bus is the way to go to get around, no hassle trying find a place to park at trailheads. The hotel supplied a map of the region and front desk very helpful with suggestions for hiking. We did different level hikes each day, and got in some amazing views.
Buy a Gondola Pass for sure, you will use gondolas almost everyday to get to where hikes start.
Summer 2024 I stayed in Castelrotto for 4 nights at Hotel Zum Wolf. Can't say enough good things about it- that being said, I am pretty easy going and on a budget. They provided a nice breakfast each morning and the room was simple and quiet. Castelrotto was an amazing place to hike in and out of. There were trails directly in and out of the town but also buses that were easy to navigate. My favorite day, I took the bus to ortisei and from there took a cable car up to the Alpe di Siusi and ended up hiking 23 miles. Can't wait to go back soon
