What is a good base town for the Dolomites?

Ortisei, or Selva.

Just returned from our first trip to the Dolomites, staying in Ortisei for five nights. We visited Selva and Santa Cristina and went through Castelrotto on the bus. I would choose Ortisei again over any of the others.

Rick suggests Bolzano for a home base as a place to sleep.

No, no, no Bolzano in July. We were there June 5 and it was already 84 degrees. Others have said it's one of the hottest places in Italy.

Average day time temps in Bolzano in July are low/mid 80's, low 60's for sleeping at night.
But as previously pointed out, one can encounter unusually hot weather in July, but that's not the average.

Bolzano is not in the mountains: Ortisei, Selva, and Santa Cristina are in a high valley and much cooler.

Rick has always recommended Castelrotto as a base as you can access the Alpe di Siusi from there and his tours only spend 2 nights so that makes sense.

With 3 nights, I would definitely go up the valley. You can access both the AdS (south side of the valley) and the Puez Odle on the north side. Lots of hikes. Although you have a car, most lodgings provide a pass to use the buses that run through the valleys. This pass, in conjunction with a Val Gardena Pass for lifts, make it easy to be car-free while there.

We recently stayed in Castelrotto (Hotel Lamm--gorgeous! Look it up online). Great location. If you're in Bolzano you're a drive away from the actual Dolomites.

Bolzano has a very lovely historic center, and the Iceman is on display at a very good local museum. But as of the time of my summer 2015 visit, the proprietors of many local budget lodgings had not recognized the impact of climate change; many of the hotels were not air conditioned. You do not want to book a non-air-conditioned hotel down in that valley.

From a transportation standpoint, if you plan 2 days in the area and want to spend one in Bolzano and the other up in the Dolomites, it doesn't make much difference where you stay. If you plan multiple days of hiking, it will be more efficient to be staying up in the mountains.

What about staying one night prior to a cruise in Cortina d'Ampezzo just to see the Dolomites?

Thanks,

Jean

We were so happy that we chose Ortisei for our stay in the Dolomites. We traveled to the high mountain meadows way above the town by gondola and funicular to hike, breathtaking scenery. I recommend Hotel Grones there.

Thank you! What day hikes would you recommend near Ortisei?

Ortisei all the way.
It even rhymes.

Bolzano in July is for masochists.
It’s down deep in the pit hole of the Adige Valley and it’s an oven in summer.
It’s still June and temperatures in Bolzano this coming week are ranging from 95F to 105F.
Enough said.

San Vigilio di Marebbe is a cute village in the heart of the Dolomites! The 10 year Dolomites Unesco festival will take place there. The village is surrounded by mountains and a lot of beautiful peaks are reachable directly from the village. There are various restaurants, bars and it has even a pub. It is also very close to Brunico, a nice and tipical town. I highly reccommend you this village! It is an unknown Dolomites secret and way more down to earth, relaxed and cheaper then Selva, Ortisei and the other villages in Val Gardena.