Venice and Dolomites

Do you have a copy of RS Venice Guide Book yet? If so, great. If not, you should get one as soon as you can as it is full of great places to stay that we are using for out trip there in September. You might find many places full as mid-June is only 3 months away and in the middle of summer travel season.

Hi Evan- you are fortunate to have this time to spend in these two wonderful places. We are hikers and love mountains more than cities, but Venice is one of our favorite places in the world. There are many nice places to stay in Venice, so many that it is hard to choose. Rick's recommendations are fine but there are many other good choices. You might start with a search on Venere.com for places with availability for your dates and go from there. For a quiet area I suggest Dorsoduro. The only place we have stayed in Venice is La Calcina and I recommend it highly. Some places in Venice are decorated in an ornate style that does not suit us, but not this one. Another place to consider is Hotel Americsn Dinesen which looked charming from the outside, also well located. You can find lots more recs on Tripadvisor. As for the Dolomites, we have been there twice for hiking without a car. The bus system is excellent. However, a car would give you more flexibility in terms of trailheads, and save time. We have hiked up on Alpe di Siusi, with some of our favorite hikes in the world, and also around Alta Badia. A base in Val Gardena would give you access to these and more. Or you could stay up on Alpe di Siusi, with gorgeous views, but then you take half-board at your hotel. If you want more choices in where to eat, you could stay anywhere in Val Gardena, with so many options you are spoiled for choice. For a nice, moderately priced place in Alta Badia, just below Passo Gardena, check out Garni Delta in Colfosco. For something more high- end and remote, look at Chalet Gerard which is above Selva in Val Gardena. You would need a car to stay here. Or if you want to stay upmon Alpe di Siusi, Ricks recommended Pension Seelaus is charming and friendly.

Evan: I'll let others comment on the Venice hotels. Last time we went to Venice from Innsbruck, we saw the most incredible mountain scenery we've ever experienced. I would suggest anyone take this tripeither going south or going north. Go northeast of Venice about 20 miles past the city of Udine on SP49. Turn left on SS52, go 4 miles and turn right on SS52BIS and follow it to the end. Turn left and go a short distance into Lienz, Austria. Turn right and follow the signs to the Grossglockner Highway. The mountains go over 14,000 ft., and it's the second highest point in Europe. The road ends @ Zell-Am-See, east of Innsbruck. If you're looking for the mountains, this is the real thing. By all means get a car to see this incredible part of the world.

There are lots of beautiful mountains in the Tirol and Austria. Some are higher than others but the Dolomites are unique in many ways. They are talking about hiking in the mountains, not driving. Grossglockner is great on a motorcycle but that is not what they asked about.

Hi, I'd suggest the Val Gardena. www.val-gardena.com Ortisei is the only one of the 3 towns/villages which has an "old town pedestrian zone". Plenty of cable cars and lifts to take you up and into the Dolomites. We prefer to have a car. We also love to driving the stunning Dolomite Passes! You can enjoy your trip with or without a car, but a car just makes more places accessible. We stayed at the Garni Ariston in the Val Gardena: wwww.garniariston.com Our favorite place is tougher to get to without a car... the Ciasa Montanara in La Villa, Alta Badia. www.montanara.it The Sieser Alm/Alpe di Siusi by Val Gardena is a gorgeous area top walk or hike. We have photo's at: www.worldisround.com/home/pja1/index.html Hope this helps. Paul

Thank you all for the quick responses...I need to digest them and get back to you all for questions...

David, While I appreciate your enthusiasm, the Grossglockner is not the second highest point in Europe. While the Grossglockner Hochalpenstrasse is a beautiful drive, the passes in the Dolomites are every bit as scenic and uniquely amazing, as they look like nothing else in the Alps. Did you read the post... they are coming from Venice, not Austria, to get to the Dolomites. Paul

Paul and all...thanks for the info. Couple of questions. I think staying in Val Gardena is where we will stay vs Cortina. We will have a car so we can move.. I see Val Gardena is in the valley...how are the mountain views? I assume the farther up we would stay in the mountains we will loose access to good eating establishments? Last year we went to Murren Switzerland and were embedded right in the mountains... Any thoughts? I see ValGardena has many restaurants for our 4 night stay.

Hi Evan, For good restaurant choices, the Val Gardena is ideal. Selva/Wolkenstein is probably better for views than Ortisei or St. Christina, in general. The Val Gardena is not a big valley/area, so anyplace is pretty convenient to everything. Picture it like this from west to east:
The A22 highway runs north/south from Bolzano to Innsbruck. You'd get off at Chiusa/Klausen/ Val Gardena exit. From the exit drive 15 to 20 minutes and you're in Ortisei. 5 more minutes and you're in St. Christina (Garni Ariston). Another 5 minutes and you're in Selva. After Selva starts the Gardena Pass. That's it. Drive over the spectacular Gardena Pass and you're in Alta Badia (Val Badia). If coming from Venice via Cortina, it's reverse. By the way, if coming via Cortina, the Lagazuoi cable car is right on the way. You may want to spend an hour or so and take the cable car trip. Park across the street, get on and in a few minutes you're at the top. www.dolomiti.org/dengl/cortina/ce/escursioni/impianti.html If not, the Gardena Pass will give you incredible close up vistas of the Dolomites. It's an amazing drive with incredible scenery. You'd go from Cortina (pass the Lagazuoi cable car) through the Alta Badia, over the Gardena Pass into Val Gardena. Hope that clears things up a bit. Paul

If you want views, check out Chalet Gerard, above Selva. I would expect their food to be excellent, but you could always drive down to the village for dinner.

Hi Evan,
My suggestion for a place to stay in Venice is Pensione Guerrato.

I love Albergo Bernardi Semenzato in Cannaregio for Venice stays.It's on San Marco border, but in a very quiet neighborhood,and an easy walk to everything. Both times I stayed there, I stayed in The Annex, 2 blocks from the main building. It's inexpensive by Venice standards, but the rooms are not tiny. The triple I booked had a dressing area with closet and a big marble bathroom. Staff were all very nice & helpful. Look at tripadvisor.com for reviews.