Renting a car to use in the Dolomites

I just went to Tre Cime but not Cortina. I arrived from Germany and Austria and avoided renting in Italy. Renting in Italy always costs more and mandates buying primary insurance from the rental agency.

If you plan well, it is ok to use public transportation. Driving in that area is very exhausting and even more time consuming. It took me 1.5 hours to wait in line to enter Tre Cime's parking lot, whereas the bus just zoomed past all the cars.

What bus travels to Tre Cime? We would be coming from Castlerotto. Also, what month were you at Tre Cime?

A car to visit the Dolomites is always useful. It would provide more flexibility than public transportation.
You can rent a car in Bolzano or also Verona, however it would help to know where you are flying to. If you land in Milan, it would make sense to rent the car there, if you fly to Venice it would make sense to rent a car in Venice airport. Actually if your destination is Cortina, flying to Venice and picking up the car in Venice, would make the most sense because it's the closest major airport to Cortina. Renting in Germany or Austria, as suggested above, might make sense if you land in Munich or Innsbruck (which however is a rather expensive airport to fly to). But if you fly to Italy it makes no sense to go all the way to Germany or Austria to pick up your car.
Yes, rental cars are very expensive these days (due to supply chain issues), even in the US. I just spent over $1000 for a 10 day rental in Hawaii, for a Chevrolet Impala, not a Lamborghini.

Thank you for your suggestions!! We have never rented a car in the Dolomites because we stayed in the area of Castlerotto and Oritsei and depended upon the bus. This time we will do the same thing but would like to visit Tre Cime and Lago Di Braies. It looks like we would need a car!

We will fly in and out of Bologna. Hoping to visit Modena and Treviso before our trip to the Dolomites.

There is a bus that runs from Toblach to Tre Cime. In fact, your hotel in the Dolomites should give you a bus pass that covers the local area. I stayed in Olang in Sep2021, because I booked my hotel late and everything affordable in Toblach was full. I love my hotel in Olang and wrote a review about it. I didn't make it to Cortina, but I don't regret because I heard it's very touristy. I love going to authentic restaurants, cafes, and bakeries that cater more to locals.

If you are not interested in Val Gardena, then there is no need to reach Castelrotto or Bolzano. Driving from Bolzano to Cortina isn't going to quick or easy. There are other towns that are just as cute as Castelrotto.

BTW, I flew into Salzburg and departed from Munich. So, I rented my car from Europcar in a German/Austrian border city and returned it in Munich.

Then rent a car at Bologna airport and keep it for the whole trip. That's what I would do. While visiting towns, make sure you park outside the restricted traffic area (ZTL) in the historical centers. ZTL, or limited traffic zones, are reserved for residents with permit, public transit, taxi, and emergency vehicles. If you plan to stay overnight, try to find a hotel outside the ZTL (preferably with parking):

Below are the ZTL maps for Modena and Treviso:
https://www.accessibilitacentristorici.it/ztl/Emilia-Romagna_en/modena.html
https://www.accessibilitacentristorici.it/ztl/Veneto_en/treviso.html

Jewell: I sent you a link via private message. For some reason, I couldn't paste it here.

Jewell - did you decide on how you would travel around the Dolomites? I’m looking at the same thing with my son. It’s our first trip, and we want to spend time in Ortisei and Tre Cime. We will be there the last week of May. I suspect we will take the train to Bolzano and rent a car from there.

I think that Venice or Verona has better rental car options than Bolzano.
But it depends on where you are coming from before going there.

We have decided not to rent a car for the Dolomites this year. We will depend on the bus system to get around Castelrotto and Ortisei and not go to Tre Cime. There are so many hikes to explore and car rental is too expensive!