I'm planning to stay 3 days in the Dolomite region and will have a rental car. I have been reading up on the Dolomites and for some reason I'm having problems putting together an itinerary for 3 days. I understand that the "Great Dolomites Road" is worth while but how many days should I devote to driving this road? Also, should we overnight in a different town/place each night or in one town for the entire 3 days? Also, which towns do you suggest overnighting in? Recommendations are welcome for a 3-day itinerary as well as for specific hotels, B&B's, etc. Thank you in advance for any insight you can provide. By the way, I'm planning to do this in late August...I don't know if the time of year will make a difference.
Posted by
Mansfield, GA
850 posts
First off Sheron, you are in for a real treat. The Dolomites are beautiful and I loved driving the road. There are plenty of overview pull offs anytime you want to look at the great scenery and take photos which will be often. I hope Paul from NYC and Lola will weigh in with their advice. Both are much more knowledgeable about the Dolomites than I. We stayed one night in Canazei at Peter's B&B and one night at the Alpen Hotel high in the Alpe di Siusi. If you begin your trip from Bolzano be sure to go to the museum there and see Otzi the ice man. Bolzano is not really in the Dolomites but is in the region and the road from Bolzano to Cortina is 68 miles long. You could find a place about halfway if you wanted to stay in one place for the three nights and take your day trips and still be close enough for a short return to your room. I wanted to stay one night in one of the Mountain Rifugio's (Lagazuoi) but they were not open in May when we were there. They should be open in August but if interested you would need to contact them for availability. I imagine they book up quickly. It looks like a fantastic place to spend a night high in the Dolomites. Here is a link: http://www.rifugiolagazuoi.com/indexUK.php Another link to a prior discussion on the Dolomites a few months ago that may be of help to you. http://www.ricksteves.com/graffiti/helpline/index.cfm?topic=49118
Posted by
NYC area
2908 posts
Hi Sheron, Lane is right... you're in for a real treat! Regarding "The Great Dolomite Road"... there's no reason to follow this specific route, just drive a few of the amazing passes for the best up close Dolomite scenery. Personally, I'd suggest staying in one place for you visit. The region is pretty compact and you'll see a lot from one base. While we prefer to stay in the Alta Badia, either Alta Badia or the Val Gardena makes a good base to explore from. The Alta Badia and the Val Gardena are seperated by the Gardena Pass, which is our favorite Dolomite drive. We stayed twice ('06, '09) at the Ciasa Montanara in La Villa (Alta Badia)and once at the Garni Ariston ('03) in St. Christina (Val Gardena). While we love the Montanara, we can recommend both. www.montanara.it www.garniariston.com www.altabadia.it www.val-gardena.com We have some photo's at: www.worldisround.com/articles/355539/index.html www.worldisround.com/articles/324504/index.html www.worldisround.com/articles/351565/index.html Paul