Rooms in Ortesi

Ortisei is just waking up for summer in early June. If you can push your trip a week, anything later will be better with more lifts open and more of the summer-only buses running. While you will have a car, the buses are essential to reaching some of the lifts where parking is minimal. (Your lodging will give you a pass good for all the buses in the Val Gardena and all the way to Bolzano.)

We go there every year and have many hikes to recommend. I hope you have at least 3 nights and more is better so you can be sure to catch some good weather. (Not every day is perfect in the mountains.)

Some hikes:

• Rasciesa, at the top of the funicular, walk out to the rifugio and back
• Mont Seüc at the top of the lift to the Alpe di Siusi (a nice little round trip is possible taking 90minutes or so)
• Ciampinoi (accessed in the town of Selva) to Passo Sella with a return by bus has amazing views and the opportunity to stop at our favorite rifugio, Emilio Comici.
• Col Raiser (in Santa Cristina) with an easy walk to Rifugio Firenze and then to Rifugio Fermeda.

These are all on the easy side, there are many more ambitious hikes (and many.p more easy ones, too) but this is what we find works for us these days with cranky knees and hips.

Your subject says “rooms.” There are options from B&Bs to luxury hotels and tons of apartments. What’s your style?

Laurel, thank you for your quick and detailed response. We stay in mainly convents in the big cities and tend to visit family run small Albergos in the towns. We are minimalists when it comes to the rooms (we also camp a lot here in the US). We just will need a place that we can securely park our car. It doesn’t have to be big or fancy or have food. We always follow the locals or ask at our place. when you go to Ortesi, how do you drive there and where do you pick up/drop off car? Also thinking of taking in views at largo Di Braise and church at Santa Maglada. Are the hikes you suggest within walking distance of Ortesi?

Thank you very much!!!

Anyone have a room recommendation in Ortisei that is reasonable? We don’t need anything fancy, just a room and secured parking. Thanks

Gillian Price has a series of hiking guidebooks for the Dolomites from Cicerone Press. I have used hers. There are other authors who cover the areas too.

As for driving into Ortisei, it is easy enough. Buses take about an hour from Bolzano so I presume the drive is quicker. Great quirky windy country road (although since I go in the winter I let the bus drivers handle that bit).

The suedtirol website has lots and lots of up to date information on the area. The button for English is at the very bottom on the right.

https://www.south-tirol.com

All of the hikes I mentioned are close: 2 from Ortisei itself and the other two from the neighboring towns of the Val Gardena which you reach in the local buses courtesy of the passes.

We never drive there. We have a taxi service pick us up in Bolzano and take us back at the end of our time in Ortisei. I have not ventured to Lago di Braies or Santa Magdalena as we’ve always been more then busy with what the Val G has to offer.

Look at Hotel Garni Walter http://www.garniwalter.it/eng/index.html or Villa Aurelia https://www.villaaurelia.info/.

When we stayed in Ortisei in June 2019, the Seceda lift wasn't going to open until June 15. We still had plenty of hiking choices, but this is something to check on. You will be able to find the lift opening dates online.