Splitting time between Lakes and Dolomites

You are underestimating travel time. Travel between CT and Varenna and between Varenna and Bolzano (let alone Castelrotto) will take about five hours each time. Once you factor packing/unpacking, arriving a bit earlier to the station and finding your way, the best part of two days out of five is gone. You could actually achieve more by dropping a destination (and, by the way, Dolomites are more exciting than Lakes).

lachera is right: Dolomites for the whole stay. Your boy will love the lifts into the mountains. Take the bus from Bolzano to one of the towns in the Val Gardena. Skip Switzerland this trip...or spend the whole time in Switzerland. That's an option as the Berner Oberland is fantastic as well. Our votes are always torn between the Val Gardena and the Lauterbrunnen Valley.

Hi,

I have to agree with the Dolomites for all 5 nights/ 4 days, but not Castelrotto. Base in Ortisei or another village (St. Christina, Selva) of the Val Gardena.

www.valgardena.it
www.val-gardena.com

That said, not too many lifts/cable cars will be open during the time you plan to be there. Even the five I see as being open during this time frame last year would be plenty for 4 full days. Here's last years schedule:

http://www.valgardena.it/en/hiking-biking/mountainbike-racing-bike/lifts/

Also, consider visiting the "Ice Man" exhibit if in Bolzano at the Museum of Archaeology.

http://www.iceman.it/en/oetzi-the-iceman

Paul

Another vote for the Dolomites - hands down! We stayed four nights in S. Cristina at Garni Ariston - great place, great rates and Rafaella is a Super Innkeeper - www.garniariston.com.

No kidding!
We also stayed at the Garni Ariston, many years ago. Glad you liked your stay too and that it's still being recommended.

Paul

Thank you all for your thoughts. Unanimity here that we should just stick with Dolomites. That is also my personal preference but should I be concerned that much of our trip would have to be hiking which might get monotonous for a kid? What of the opportunity to catch the Bernina Express and journey through Alps from the Lakes area? On the other hand Dolomites would be a unique alpine experience in that there are numerous non-strenuous/ridge walks that provide 360 deg mountain views. Perhaps we should just get our kid to realize/appreciate the opportunity. So, if we were to spend 4 days/5 nights in Dolomites, we could spend a day in and around Bolzanno -- maybe train into Innsbruck (I assume the train goes through some beautiful terrain?). The other days I am assuming we would do walks that would take us to different towns from where we could bus back.

@laurel: "Dolomites for the whole stay. Your boy will love the lifts into the mountains. Take the bus from Bolzano to one of the towns in the Val Gardena. Skip Switzerland this trip...or spend the whole time in Switzerland. That's an option as the Berner Oberland is fantastic as well."

Berner Oberland is one of the most beautiful places we have been to -- no doubt about that. I have been yearning to return to it. Your comment prompted me to explore the possibility once again. It would be a very long trip from Italy. Having committed to North Italy I think we should just stick with it, and make Switzerland a separate trip all by itself.

@kjmoller/@Paul: I will certainly look up Garni Ariston at S. Cristina -- I assume S. Cristina is easy to get to using public transportation?

Thanks!

Whether Santa Cristina, Selva or Ortisei, you take a very nice bus out of Bolzano. Check schedules here. You know your child best, but our young niece and nephew were charmed by the area, the lifts, and no complaints about hiking, stopping in a rifugio for strudel and hot chocolate. You can easily go to Bolzano and knock around for a day, especially if it rains. The museum with Otzi is fascinating and has some great features for children. It's also a good town for shopping.

Th bus stop is just down the street from the Garni Ariston.

On the right hand side of this page, you'll find a map of Ortisei, St. Christina and Selva in the Val Gardena. On the St. Christina map, enlarge it and the Ariston is behind/above the Info building (I in a yellow circle). It's in the group 27, 28, 29, 34.

http://www.val-gardena.com/en/maps/page495.html

Paul

The reason because Dolomites are better than lakes is because, if it is raining or you and the children are fed up with hiking, the towns are pretty, there could be some browsing or shopping, and if the worst comes to the worst you take a bus to Bolzano where you could spend a pleasant day. If it is raining in Varenna, well, you are somewhat stuck up there with very little to do.

People try to insert the Bernina itinerary into their trip; but the Bernina railway was never meant as a long range link, it is a local railway built through some very nice scenery and technically challenging terrain to keep some isolated localities (for example Poschiavo) linked to their Swiss motherland. Till the beginning of 20th century Switzerland was a collection of largely self governing valleys, isolated by impassable mountains most of the time; Swiss have built the impossible to keep them together. But in order to insert a section of the Bernina railway in your itinerary you would have to spend one or two days in impossibly long railway detours.

If you are more interested in cities than hiking, Innsbruck could be good for you. Very children friendly and some moderate hikes possible, nice panoramas but not the incredible Dolomites landscapes. Innsbruck is a worthy destination but not really a half day trip from Bolzano (90 minutes by car, 120 minutes with the fastest trains).